1969 12' Delhi V Restoration

Alright, this little fighter of a boat is about to become like new, or at least workable with class.. Stripping the hull and interior now and once it's down to aluminum or at least to the paint that's bonded very well. I was looking to use some paint from Sherwin Williams that's around 200$, but the primer, top coat, and bottom paint are all available at Lowes here in ATL, Boat grade, for around 50$. I think I'm also going to add some "Flexible Rubber Coating" to all seems and critical points. I'm going to begin a new thread for my project, but thought I'd post this here as well for you John. (John has a very similar boat if not the exact same on another thread) I hope you don't mind. Looking forward to seeing your progress as well. Lots to do but I plan to have her in the water in a few weeks. Got a Newer Merc 3.3 that should push it along nicely. One thing I could use some help with is adding some old style flooring.. Any comments or suggestions are appreciated.. Take care. James

Why bottom paint?

Congratulations.

I should warn you, my 12' Delhi turned out to be a "gate-way drug," instead of drugs, I got addicted to Tin Boats.

But (to quote John Astin from NIGHT COURT), I'm feeling much better now."

:mrgreen:

Have fun. Be safe.

Bottom paint because it was really thick and heavy, also looked pretty cool. Do you think Lock that I shouldn't do that? The paint from SW was 200.00 but it was also really thick and heavy. I just want something that will last for a long time.. Don't really want to do this again.. Stripping this thing is a real bear. Kismet - yes I can see what you're talking about. Having trouble sleeping now - probably will until I get this thing finished.. Night Court was an awesome show! Thanks for your input guys. Really appreciate it.

Unless your going to keep the boat tied to a dock year round there's not really a need to use real bottom paint. Also most bottom paints have copper in them. Copper and aluminum don't go together, copper is what's in pressure treated wood and why you don't use it on an aluminum boat. To seal an seams or rivets try Gulvit.

Wow, thanks for letting me know that, could have been a mistake. What do you think about the "Flexible Rubber coating" for the seams?

[url=https://forum.tinboats.net/viewtopic.php?p=365933#p365933 said:

fflsuun » Wed Sep 10, 2014 11:20 am[/url]"]Wow, thanks for letting me know that, could have been a mistake. What do you think about the "Flexible Rubber coating" for the seams?

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If you ever have to remove it to do something you will wish you never used it. Look for a product called "Gulvit".

Ok so I was able to remove most of the paint with a pressure washer and guess what I found.. Two Bullet holes that were repaired about 25 years ago. About 1980 I had the boat on the bank of a friends lake and someone shot it. Twice. They appear to be sealed so I don't think I'll have to remove all the fiberglass that was used to repair them. Going to check them closely though to make sure. Removing that paint is hard!

That boat's a FIGHTER. Shot twice and still survived! Legends will form about it.


Found my (introductory thread) on my Delhi. Seems a long time ago:

https://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj297/Kismethimself/Delhi12ftfromfront4-23-12.jpg

https://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj297/Kismethimself/Delhifromrear4-23-12.jpg

before:
https://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj297/Kismethimself/Delhi12ftrightside4-23-12.jpg

after:
https://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj297/Kismethimself/Boats/12ftinpecsideviewreflections.jpg
https://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj297/Kismethimself/Boats/elphinrightsidewith3hp.jpg

I hope you have as much fun with yours. TWO bullet holes? ****, needs to be called "Two-shot"

Have fun, be safe.

One hole to let water in and one hole to let it out.

All of that really cracked me up.. Her name is already the "Miss Irene", but Two Shot would have been fantastic! Thanks guys..

Tried stripper, oven cleaner, sanding (I could tell those ways weren't going to work well) -- Read several posts about using "Aircraft Paint Remover from Auto Parts Store" - Worked like a charm. Very easy and pressure washed the paint right off. There are three bullet holes, repaired in different ways but still intact. Thanks for everyone's input - Priming tomorrow and hopefully paint by the weekend before it starts to get cold in GA.

Hi guys, thanks for all the input. The Miss Irene, AKA "Three Shot" is coming along well and hope to have her in the water for a test ride in a couple of weeks. As you can see, I had some difficulty posting pictures here, so I decided to chart my progress here..
1969delhi.blogspot.com

I will update the Tinboats Forum post periodically and certainly when finished.

James

Without standing on my head, I'd almost swear that was my boat.
Sure looks like it. Do you happen to know what brand, model, year it is?
Thanks.

Hey YJ, if you look at the Blogger post you can see a little history about this boat. I registered the boat in 1996 I believe, as an alumacraft because prior to 1970 they didn't have a way to look it up and she told me that was the most popular. I've looked for an exact model etc. but until seeing this https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=28060 I believed it was an alumacraft. John's boat is exactly like mine, do you have a thread about yours? It must have been manufactured in GA somewhere, and I haven't looked much for the Delhi history. Any suggestions on where I can find more info I'd appreciate it. My pics kept on showing upside down which is why I started the new blog post. I'll update the finished boat here when I'm done with her. If you look at the blog post you won't have to stand on your head.. LOL. . Any suggestions about how I might turn these pictures right side up? James

Also, I'm looking for some suggestions about how to paint the name on the boat. I'm thinking about stickers with a clear coat on top. Any suggestions are appreciated.

I went with decals from a vendor found on Google. I was being indulgent, but loved the Movie and tv series.

I applied and covered with spar polyurethane, just in case.

Thanks Kismet, that's exactly what I had in mind. Also love the movie and the series! Hope they bring it back! I'm going to put the "Miss Irene" on the sides and I'll use a wood panel just like yours. Thanks.
James

fflsuun said:

Hey YJ, if you look at the Blogger post you can see a little history about this boat. I registered the boat in 1996 I believe, as an alumacraft because prior to 1970 they didn't have a way to look it up and she told me that was the most popular. I've looked for an exact model etc. but until seeing this https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=28060 I believed it was an alumacraft. John's boat is exactly like mine, do you have a thread about yours?

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Sure do.. It's the link in my signature just above where it says, "Happy Boating and Fishing"

fflsuun said:

It must have been manufactured in GA somewhere, and I haven't looked much for the Delhi history. Any suggestions on where I can find more info I'd appreciate it. My pics kept on showing upside down which is why I started the new blog post. I'll update the finished boat here when I'm done with her. If you look at the blog post you won't have to stand on your head.. LOL. . Any suggestions about how I might turn these pictures right side up? James

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I use the Microsoft Photo Viewer that came with Windows. At the bottom there is a set of two arrows. One going one way and the other going the other way. With a photo loaded in, click on the direction you need to turn the photo and bam. It's done. When you exit out of it, it automatically saves it.

fflsuun said:

Also, I'm looking for some suggestions about how to paint the name on the boat. I'm thinking about stickers with a clear coat on top. Any suggestions are appreciated.

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I pondered that one myself for some time. What I decided on doing was to go to one of them Vinyl web sites and have them make it and at the same time have them make my Registration number as well Then put on the Clear Top Coat and once that is fully cured/dried, wax and polish. At least that's the plan so far....