Trying to fix up an older boat could use a little help...

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chrisbuck43

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Dec 2, 2009
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Location
Wilmington, NC
I have had this boat for a while but haven't had the time or money to fix it up. I still don't have the money so I am trying to stay on as limited budget as possible but I want to fix it right. I am planning to use it mostly for smaller fishing but would like to be able to duck hunt out of it as well. One thing I have seen on this site that I liked was the idea of using the seat as storage. I would like to know what you guys think about that. The only major problem I see right now is that some of the rivets along the bottom of the boat holding the braces are leaking. Any ideas would be appricated, let me know what you guys think would be the best place to start.
 
Start by fixing those leaks.. I covered a spot that I thought would be a problem with an aluminum putty epoxy..Like this stuff https://www.boatersland.com/stb87004.html

Post some pics so we can see what you have.. :)
 
Still haven't managed to figure out how to put pictures right on this thread but here is a link to some pictures that i have of it.

https://sites.google.com/site/johnboatproject/home/pictures
 
I created a website with more information about the boat and the entire project at https://sites.google.com/site/johnboatproject/home please feel free to check it out and let me know what you think.
 
I am chrisbuck43's roomate which will be helping with the project. We have some ideas, but we mainly need advice. I got a couple questions for you guys.

1. Can you weld aluminum? Is it similar to welding other materials?

2. Is it bad to drill holes into the boat? If we are drilling new holes, what should we fill the old ones with?

3. When painting the boat should we sand it all the way to the bare aluminum or just ruff it up enough to get paint on it? Is a primer coat needed?

I know I just asked quite a few questions, but if you can offer any assistance please feel free to let us know. We greatly appreciate it!
 
bassmaster9488 said:
1. Can you weld aluminum? Is it similar to welding other materials?

2. Is it bad to drill holes into the boat? If we are drilling new holes, what should we fill the old ones with?

3. When painting the boat should we sand it all the way to the bare aluminum or just ruff it up enough to get paint on it? Is a primer coat needed?

1. You can weld aluminum - I am not a welder but I understand it can be difficult with material as thin as a boat. You need to use an TIG welder - which is a pretty expensive piece of equipment.

2. It is not bad to drill holes if you need to. You can fill the old holes with 3M 5200 Marine sealer (If the hole is large add a machine screw and nut).

3. I understand that people seem to like to paint their boats - i use mine to fish in and see no need to paint the boat just to make it look purty. Use the boat as a tool to catch fish and shoot duck. Instead of spending time and money painting, go hunting or fishing.

BTW - even the best camo paint job will not hide your boat from the duck - build a blind on top if that is your intent.

Thanks for joining TinBoats
 
Finally got the pictures converted correctly. Here they are thanks for the help Captain Ahab.
 

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Maybe put a floor in, but I wouldn't make a raised deck. Add some navigation lights, cockpit lights if you're going out early or comin in late.
 
We were thinking about a floor but weren't sure how to go about it. Would you just maybe put carpet on plywood and kind of wedge in in the bottom of the boat or attach it to the boat or am I way off on that?
 
Personally, I would attach it but make it so it's easy to take back out. Maybe 4 bolts holding the whole thing down. The project I'm working on now, I'm not going to put a floor in at all because I want to stay light.
 
I have the same boat sitting under my carport. If it's the same size as mine, 1228, I would go with cheeseball's idea. If it is like mine, the metal of the boat is very thin making it a bit harder to weld. I rebucked all the rivets and sealed them up from the outside with the attwood marine stuff you get at walmart, the polyurethane, not silicone. I filled the holes form the previous owner with Marine-tex epoxy putty. After a successful leak test (filled the boat with water and let sit overnight), I am ready to paint, just have to get time. By the way if you both plan to be in the boat at the same time, standing will be difficult. I recommend a 2x10 or 2x12 acoss the benches with a 7" pedestal and seat. This takes a lot of pressure off the knees and didn't really seem to effect stabilty too much, but that was with one person on board. Welcome and good luck.
 
gunny146 said:
I have the same boat sitting under my carport. If it's the same size as mine, 1228, I would go with cheeseball's idea. If it is like mine, the metal of the boat is very thin making it a bit harder to weld. I rebucked all the rivets and sealed them up from the outside with the attwood marine stuff you get at walmart, the polyurethane, not silicone. I filled the holes form the previous owner with Marine-tex epoxy putty. After a successful leak test (filled the boat with water and let sit overnight), I am ready to paint, just have to get time. By the way if you both plan to be in the boat at the same time, standing will be difficult. I recommend a 2x10 or 2x12 acoss the benches with a 7" pedestal and seat. This takes a lot of pressure off the knees and didn't really seem to effect stabilty too much, but that was with one person on board. Welcome and good luck.

I am not sure what you mean by "rebucking" the rivets, does that mean taking them out and replacing them or just trying to get them as tight as possible before putting a sealant on them?

Thanks again for the help guys, brand new to any of this stuff and could not do it without y'all.
 
basically you are just tightening them back down. You can go buy a bucking bar and all that, but I just used a small (5lb) sledge hammer and a ball peen hammer. Hold the slegde up to one side of the rivet (flat side whenever possible) and lightly tap the other side of the rivet with the ball peen. Don't just go whacking away or you'll mess up the rivet and it will need to be replaced. It took me about half a day to do my whole boat, but I was was working alone, With 2 people it shouldn't take long at all. Once done, clean the rivet head and surrounding area with a wire wheel, wipe down with acetone and apply sealant. I wore gloves when putting on the sealant beacuse I wanted work the sealant in to all the nooks and crannies and to keep the clean up easy.
 
CRAPPIE_SLAYER said:
They say the treated wood is bad because it is treated with some sort of copper compound that will corrode the aluminum if they touch.
This is true.
 
Thanks for the input Crappie_Slayer and lckstckn2smknbrls. I believe we are going to get started on the rivets tomorrow, maybe fill some holes. We plan to have all the preliminary work done before painting this week and try to paint it in the next week or so. Again we thank you all for the help. We will update the pictures as we get work done.
 

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