My First Boat: 14' Aluminum

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Jeremylerv

Member
Joined
Jan 8, 2012
Messages
24
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Location
Chelan, Washington
Hello everyone! I have been on the site a few times and decided to join this awesome forum.

I am 17 years old and have been fishing with my dad all my life. We would always use a friends boat to go on opening day every year and I always had a ton of fun. A few months ago I started the hunt for a small fishing boat I could tow with my Jeep. A friend called me one day and said he found a boat on a trailer for free! The boat ended up being a beater but it came with a trolling motor, 2 pole holders and was on a nice trailer so I got rid of the boat and kept the trailer. A few weeks later I posted an ad in a local classified that is aired on the radio looking for a 12' aluminum boat for under 200$. A few phone calls later and I came home with a 14' aluminum that needed some work but it was FREE! So Thats the shortened version of how I got the boat and trailer, and I have not paid a cent so far :)

The boat looks good on the outside but the inside is a little rough. I want to paint the boat and trailer, and also put some sort of material on the floor of the boat, like carpet or hydroturf or something similar. Remember, this is my first boat so I am very inexperienced when it comes to aluminum boats and I am looking for any and all advice!
 

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Great job on being the savy shopper!

You can certainly fix up that boat in no time flat

Welcome and add your location to your profile please
 
Wow, not bad for free!

I bought a Gregor, with trailer and two Johnsons for $500. After selling the motors, my net cost was $225. Of course paint, elbow grease, parts and a new motor brought the price right back up!

B.O.A.T. :roll:

Looks like you have a nice project going. Good luck.
 
You can't beat free, that boat has a lot of potential, congratulations..
 
Did you get titles for the boat and trailer? I would get all the legal stuff taken care of before you spend money on something that's not yours legally.
 
Jeremylerv said:
I want to put carpet in the bottom of my boat.. any suggestions?

I'd put in a plywood floor with "notches" cut for the floor ribs.

Seal it with a few coats of Spar and then put your carpet down on the plywood. If you're gonna wrap the carpet around the edges (looks better and will stay down longer, allow a little extra room in your notches.

Nice boat and congrats!!
 
Filled the boat up with water yesterday to test for leaks and its 100% water tight :)

I also got the trailer painted.

Cant wait to go fishing!! :p
 

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Here are some pictures of the inside of the boat done.

And I am going to the DOL tomorrow to get the title for the trailer.
 

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Looks like you are moving right along on your project. Be sure to check the trailer bolts, etc. for corrosion and check your hubs for bearing condition, seals, and proper grease condition and levels before you travel too far. Looking forward to seeing it completed.
 
JamesM56alum said:
Welcome to the model F club keep posting pics!

A Beautiful Alumacraft model F, and I say 'beautiful' because it was free, and looks in pretty decent shape!! A little stripping, sealing, painting, plus maybe a little transom repair and she will be ready to float another 50 years!
 
Thanks for all the comments, I am really happy with the results so far and me and my dad are going to check the bearings on the trailer tonight for grease and re-pack them if needed. I am also putting in a new transom board and new bunks on the trailer sometime this week. Oh and I got paint for the exterior of the boat today! :)
 
JamesM56alum said:
God jr i wish i had as much time as you to get all this done, i havent touched mine in a couple of weeks and im starting to get jealous
I try to put as much time into it as I can working around my school work but I manage to get a lot done 8)

Here are some pictures of how the paint/undercoating finishes turned out and pictures of the products i've used so far. I am on a high school budget so everything I have been buying for the boat is rather inexpensive but so far the results are great.
 

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Looking good. I am hoping you don't run into adhesion issues having not used self etching primer.
 
Jdholmes said:
Looking good. I am hoping you don't run into adhesion issues having not used self etching primer.
I hope I dont either but all primers I have used are recommended for metal and I would have used self etching primer but couldn't find it anywhere.
 
Jeremylerv said:
Jdholmes said:
Looking good. I am hoping you don't run into adhesion issues having not used self etching primer.
I hope I dont either but all primers I have used are recommended for metal and I would have used self etching primer but couldn't find it anywhere.
The self etching primer can be found in the automotive section of walmart.
 

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