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Bridge4

Well-known member
Joined
May 22, 2018
Messages
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Location
Mass.
Hey Everybody, new guy here, figured since I didn't see a introductions area I would do a light build page and introduce myself. First off, I am a first time boat owner and picked this up for $150 with no trailer or engine. Picked up a rebuilt galvanized trailer off CL so it is no longer being moved with the utility trailer you see in the picture below. There was a cap and a few other accessories I left with the previous owner and I took out a so/so platform the previous owner fabbed up, even though they never ended up taking the boat out. I put it in my pond when I got home and it floats and didn't seem to leak. It needed a little repair from when a tree fell, but I found a local guy who works with aluminum and they fixed it up pretty nicely for not too much.

Now I have zero experience with boats besides riding in them, so this has been a big learning curve for me, and I've been lurking in this build section for a while. I have seen a lot of great builds, awesome ideas and most all of them are beyond me, but I am going to try anyways.

Right now the boat has been stripped to shiny metal with a wire brush and the outside has been completely coated in Interlux 2000E two part epoxy. The black coat on the waterline is Trillux-33, the photo shows the first coat, I just finished the third coat yesterday and am out of Trillux so will leave it at 3 coats. I am going to put a coat or two of pre-kote for the above water section and then cover it with Jade Green EZ-Poxy. I also repaired a few rivets on the bottom that were knocked out, and sealed them.

For the inside I am going to get it to bare metal again and put 5200 on the seam and rivets in the middle as a sort of preventative maintenance and then most likely cover it with some more epoxy, or maybe just get some cans of self etching primer and go from there. This boat is pre 1970, and I figure it can't hurt. I have paint for the interior and a bunch of marine carpet ready, I am just not sure of my final plan yet. My end goal is to have a platform in the front or middle section that allows my dogs to have a nice flat surface (hopefully future kids too) and maybe let the wife lay down when we cruise around the lake. I don't fish and never will in this, so setting seats and things to help with fishing isn't important. The FIL might take it out fishing at some point, but that would be maybe once a year. It will most likely never see salt water either. I have researched on here how to remove seats and I am a little leery of it, but I think it would allow me to build a better boat in the end. Without much metal working experience I am hesitant to cut things up or even pop out old rivets...that might be something I have to get over though. Once I finish painting the top I'll post another pic and take some shots of the inside. The seats are aluminum and are like the last boat in the photo, and the more I look at the boat the more it seems like it is one of these Crestliners? The seats and bottom design are almost identical.
 

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Here are some updated photo's.

Besides the top rail which is going to be white, I am done with the outside paint job. 3 coats of ez poxy jade green after two coats of interlux pre-kote. I wiped the boat with some brushing thinner before the first coat of pre-kote and the first kote of ez-poxy, I simply wiped it down with a rag and got it a little wet before rolling. I did not thin the actual paint. I think it helped the first coat spread, and the others went on easy after that. I roll and tipped the ez-poxy. The boat has some dents and things that won't ever disappear but I think painting it takes it from a 40 foot boat and puts it down closer to 10...but maybe that's wishful thinking? :D

Next up is to sand and recoat the transom, torn between epoxy or just a lot of coats of poly. Then I am going to spray the interior with rustoleum self-etching primer. I am not sure what I will cover it with on the bottom as I am going to build some simple floors and it will be covered. The top area will get some more pre-kote and then finished off with same brightside white the top rail is getting. \

Including a few pictures of the interior and one of the new motor!

Open to tips and ideas.
 

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Well, you certainly seem to know a lot about painting. She looks good already.

You mentioned putting 3M5200 (my favorite adhesive) on the rivets...and...then painting over it. I may be mistaken, but I don't think that 3M5200 takes paint very well. You might read the manufacturer's specs before planning on that job.

Adding a deck to a small boat can, sometimes, make her unstable. If it is just your dogs that will be lying on the deck, then you should be fine.

If your wife will be using the deck, too, then you may want to do some testing before going whole-hog into the decking project. Perhaps you could temporarily affix a sheet of wood and then let her move around on it some. See what the boat does with the higher center of gravity.

There are lots of guys on here that have done more extensive re-do projects than I, and they will probably post in soon.

Welcome aboard.

rich
 
richg99 said:
Well, you certainly seem to know a lot about painting. She looks good already.

You mentioned putting 3M5200 (my favorite adhesive) on the rivets...and...then painting over it. I may be mistaken, but I don't think that 3M5200 takes paint very well. You might read the manufacturer's specs before planning on that job.

Adding a deck to a small boat can, sometimes, make her unstable. If it is just your dogs that will be lying on the deck, then you should be fine.

If your wife will be using the deck, too, then you may want to do some testing before going whole-hog into the decking project. Perhaps you could temporarily affix a sheet of wood and then let her move around on it some. See what the boat does with the higher center of gravity.

There are lots of guys on here that have done more extensive re-do projects than I, and they will probably post in soon.

Welcome aboard.

rich

Hey Rich,
Thanks for the welcome and tips. I have since reconsidered the 3M5200 after my original post and was thinking of just doing some gluvit on those sections and have ordered a can of it, should be showing up next week. I put the boat in my pond just to test it and there wasn't any leaking, but I am being cautious about it as I am getting estimates that this is potentially a boat from the 50's or 60's from people online and I figure it can't hurt to add some waterproofing.

As far as the deck, I have spoken with someone else about this also and they mentioned the stability issue as well. My thoughts for the deck were to make it as low as possible on the floor to create a flat space, not a raised deck that will help with fishing. I think you are right though, I should lay some ply down and put it in our pond one day and just see how it is walking around. If it is good I can then spend a few days sealing and carpeting to make it permanent.
 
One other thing. If you haven't already, better check to be certain that you can register her in your name. Many States have very different rules. It would be a shame to put a lot of work in, and later find that there is an issue with ownership.
 
richg99 said:
One other thing. If you haven't already, better check to be certain that you can register her in your name. Many States have very different rules. It would be a shame to put a lot of work in, and later find that there is an issue with ownership.

Oh it was quite the process! I had a Bill of Sale, Proof of Tax Paid and my engine information. Then I had to have an environmental police come out to my home and inspect the boat and sign some paperwork. Then drive 1.5 hours to the nearest boat registry, who then made me drive ten minutes away to another state building to get a tax form, even though I had the one they told me I needed over the phone. Then after getting back to the registry they made me go home and put my HIN number on the boat (that they had just given me at the registry) then get them a photo with proof I actually did it. THEN they let me register it. I am now waiting in the mail for the official registration, it might be in my box actually I will have to check it out in the next day or so.

I think since it was so old and there was no way to trace it back, and when the environmental police didn't have it show up stolen they were happy to get it back on the tax rolls. I made sure to start that process over a month in advance of me actually needing it because I knew it was going to be a PIA. I also have some registration numbers in my mailbox I got from Ebay, and a nice HIN plaque I will rivet on the back also.
 
Over the past couple of days I have been stripping and sanding the interior of the boat. This morning I got some gluvit on seam and around the floor rivets. It is in good shape and I didn't notice any leaks when I put it in the water earlier this year, but I figure it can't hurt, and I don't want to have to do it later if I find out I actually did have a little leak. Also added 4 cleats, two on the back sides and two more up towards the stern, will be used for tying down to the dock in Maine and bumpers when needed. I also removed two rusty bolts, cleaned the area up and then replaced them with SS and used some loctite marine sealer on them. Hopefully that doesn't cause issues with corrosion or whatnot, but to be honest, I don't plan on having this boat more than 5-10 years max, and it shouldn't get me before then.

Moved up the Maine trip a week and will be leaving Sunday, we go every year at least once to a family camp and that is the reason I bought this boat. So, in order to speed things up I will be ditching all the fancy interior paint. They all have 16-24 hour re-coat times minimum and I don't have the time for that!! Will be using rustoleum self etching for primer, their gloss enamel for the top interior and then a grip-coat on the bottom over the rustoleum. I intend on building some very low flat floors still, but it will have to wait for our next adventure.

Either this afternoon or tomorrow I will be re-sealing the transom boards as well.

Two pics just because.
 

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That picture of the motor. Did you take that picture at the dealer or did you buy the motor online and have it shipped straight to you? If you did not go through a dealer, you should contact one and have them fill out the paperwork to get your warranty registered. The dealers get paid to start the motors up, put the oil in, mount the tiller and make sure everything works right.
 
richg99 said:
RE the fancy interior paint....the fish won't care.

Have fun. Send pictures.
rich
Not only won't the fish care, my wife is getting on me about finishing all this painting! To be honest it will probably look pretty dang close as good with the spray paint, so I will just be saving a lot of money sending the fancy stuff back. Should be a good time, I'll get a few pictures of the full boat and maybe a few of the lake for people to look at while they are stuck at work!
 
Scott F said:
That picture of the motor. Did you take that picture at the dealer or did you buy the motor online and have it shipped straight to you? If you did not go through a dealer, you should contact one and have them fill out the paperwork to get your warranty registered. The dealers get paid to start the motors up, put the oil in, mount the tiller and make sure everything works right.

I ordered the motor from onlineoutboards.com. I have a local merc dealer, but not tohatsu. Do you think they would deny my warranty because I installed it myself?
 
If you got it in the box like that, there should be some warranty info with it. That's a nice looking motor.
 
ncfishin said:
If you got it in the box like that, there should be some warranty info with it. That's a nice looking motor.

Thanks for the info, I got in touch with the place I bought it from to double check what they recommended to get the warranty registered. The motor I am hoping will last me for a very long time, even if I upgrade my boat a little bit in the future, I don't ever see myself needing one much bigger.
 
"I don't ever see myself needing one much bigger."

Ha Ha....Better write that down someplace so that you can refer back to it. There is something called the three-foot disease in boating. Somehow, after a few years, you suddenly get the need for a boat three feet longer than the one you have. Hope it doesn't happen to you. Ha Ha rich
 
Bridge4 said:
I ordered the motor from onlineoutboards.com. I have a local merc dealer, but not tohatsu. Do you think they would deny my warranty because I installed it myself?
They could ... I've even heard it happen before.

What I usually see happen up here in the Northeast is ... if/when someone bought an OB somewhere else to get a better price ... you'll either never get a service appointment scheduled for the service you need ... or if you do, it won't be done in a timely manner.

I directly know of more than a handful of cases where guys dropped off their motors (most often Hondas) and they sat for weeks to a month or more - during the best fishing season no less - and the Dealer would say "I'm very sorry, but we are busy handling our regular customers at the moment and we will get to your's when we have nothing else to do."
 
jethro said:
Hi Bridge4 from MA... recognize my screen name? I recognize yours!

It's a small world on these forums!! I had wondered a few times but wasn't sure.

DaleH said:
They could ... I've even heard it happen before.

What I usually see happen up here in the Northeast is ... if/when someone bought an OB somewhere else to get a better price ... you'll either never get a service appointment scheduled for the service you need ... or if you do, it won't be done in a timely manner.

I directly know of more than a handful of cases where guys dropped off their motors (most often Hondas) and they sat for weeks to a month or more - during the best fishing season no less - and the Dealer would say "I'm very sorry, but we are busy handling our regular customers at the moment and we will get to your's when we have nothing else to do."

I contacted onlineoutboards and I have a warranty card in the motor box, and Tohatsu will honor it. The issues with the dealers I can see happening, but I plan to do most of the maintenance myself so hopefully I can avoid a lot of that crap! There is a place my father takes his boat to be stored/worked on every year, I am hoping if I ever run into an issue they would treat me okay based on his years of business there. You never know, but they have been pleasant in the past when I pick up and drop off the boat for my father.

richg99 said:
Ha Ha....Better write that down someplace so that you can refer back to it. There is something called the three-foot disease in boating. Somehow, after a few years, you suddenly get the need for a boat three feet longer than the one you have. Hope it doesn't happen to you. Ha Ha rich
Well, I am hoping to have a few kids, and I am sure at some point I will decide I need to go a little bigger...I am hoping I can keep myself 18' or under in the long run! I only will be able to get out so much though, so that will help keep it in check.
 
Got the primer down and paint. Need to do a second coat in some areas where I ran out yesterday and it says I need to wait 48hours before I spray it again. Going to be painting the bottom with some non-slip paint later today. Will post some pictures after. I still need to stain the interior transom and get the motor mount holes drilled and epoxied, will be doing that tomorrow. Really pushing it for a Sunday departure.
 

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Got some anti-skid on, Total Boat: Total Tread, picked it up on Amazon (before i knew about the affiliate link, sorry!). I might do a second coat later, I am going to see how it feels on Saturday. Product calls for 1-2 depending on how much grip you want, and as I plan on putting a floor over this later on, I might not bother. You will notice in the front the paint line isn't as pretty or straight. Part of it is I hate taping and my wife wasn't around to do it, and the second part was knowing it would be covered when I build a floor and was being lazy.
 

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