New guy with a BIG project "Now with Pics".

Hello everyone. I have been looking at this site for a while now and I finally have a project that I will be starting in the next few weeks. Hopefully you guys can help me along. The project boat is a 1979 17' Polarkraft center console flat bottom with a 70 horse Johnson. I don't recall the exact width but it is extra wide. I will be doing a complete rebuild (hopefully). I am getting a good deal so I should have the extra dough. So to my initial questions, and I realize these have probably all been answered somewhere but please reiterate if you would because I haven't ran across them. (I am new to this).

1. I will be doing an aluminum frame for the decks with 3/4" plywood on top. I cannot weld and plan on using brackets for attaching the braces to the stringers and each other. Is it best to use rivets for this or stainless self tapping screws?

2. What is the best way to attach the plywood deck to the aluminum frame? I figure screws or rivets will create a hole that wouldn't have epoxy and eventually create a weak spot, am I wrong?

3. On a boat this size would you worry about adding foam under the floor? I know people suggests this for smaller boats just don't know if it is necessary for one this big.

4. I am a little worried about wiring the boat up. I plan on moving the console to the side and will need to rewire a lot of stuff. Any info or links would be greatly appreciated on this. I am currently clueless.

Thanks ahead for all responses. I will be out of town over Thanksgiving and will try to post some picks after that.
By the way, I live in Houston so if anybody knows good places to get supplies (scrap metal yards, boat junk yards, etc) I am all ears. Any other useful information like what you would of added to your rebuild and such is also welcomed.

Thanks for all the help, this site is great.

Awesome score!

I can't help much because I'm a newbie here but I'll be watching this thread closely for ideas for my project.

Welcome!

First of all, :WELCOME:

Next, I posted answers to your questions in the quote below.

Sayre32 said:

1. I will be doing an aluminum frame for the decks with 3/4" plywood on top. I cannot weld and plan on using brackets for attaching the braces to the stringers and each other. Is it best to use rivets for this or stainless self tapping screws?

If you're going to use aluminum framing, I would suggest rivets, as these will end up being simpler and probably less expensive than the stainless screws. But both will work.

2. What is the best way to attach the plywood deck to the aluminum frame? I figure screws or rivets will create a hole that wouldn't have epoxy and eventually create a weak spot, am I wrong?

1. drill a hole in the plywood and through the aluminum framing where you want to fasten the two together.
2. Squirt some quality silicone sealant into the hole to seal things.
3. Using a stainless steel self tapping screw, fasten everything down.

This should address sealing issues, though you could also pull the plywood back out after drilling the initial hole, drill the hole a bit bigger and seal it with epoxy. This would become involved though, I suspect.

3. On a boat this size would you worry about adding foam under the floor? I know people suggests this for smaller boats just don't know if it is necessary for one this big.

Absolutely. After the time, money and investment you've put into it, you want the boat to float if swamped. Gives you something to hang onto and allows you to at least keep your boat if swamped.

4. I am a little worried about wiring the boat up. I plan on moving the console to the side and will need to rewire a lot of stuff. Any info or links would be greatly appreciated on this. I am currently clueless.

A couple links to get you started:

https://www.cncphotoalbum.com/doityourself/wiring/wiring.htm

https://genuinedealz.com/

Hope this helps.

Click to expand...

Pics?

I can't imagine switching from center console to anything but that's just me.

Big aluminum sinks just as fast as small aluminum. Foam is a must.

suggest drilling the pilot holes in the wood and bracing one size smaller that the self tapping screws to ensure a good bite by the screw. May need to experiment a bit on scraps to find what works the best.

Welcome (I wanted to put in the welcome smiley, but it didn't work). Anyway, you have come to the right place! Can't wait to see some photos of your boat.

Thanks for all the welcomes and replies. I appreciate them. I need all the help I can get.

Looking forward to following this one. I have a 16ft.polarkraft side console,so this will be interesting. Lots of pics,we like pics.

Alright, I am trying to upload the pics and following the "how to" on this site. The problem is photobucket will not upload them to be transferred. Is there another way to post them?

Ok, I think I figured it out. Here is the boat. It is actually a 1760 and is 80' across the top.

Good looking boat,looks like a great project.