Here goes nothing...(Update 4/17)

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Drewgill

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I’m looking to renovate an old 1965 14’ Alumacraft ([strike]1970’s maybe[/strike]) that I’ve recently obtained. My goal is to have it finished by June for a fishing trip to northern MN. This sounds like a long time, but the problem is, the boat has to stay at my parents’ house, over 220 miles away! So realistically, I’ll only have around 2-3 weeks to work on the boat (2 days at a time).

I’m not concerned with aesthetics at this point. I just want a safe, reliable boat.

Now, to the first of many questions:

I plan on replacing the front deck and adding some flooring, but first on the agenda is the transom. I have been reading up on how to replace the wood, and I’m confident I can handle that aspect. I will, however, need to replace the knee brace. Since I can’t weld, I was thinking of making my own from angle aluminum, basically forming a triangle from doubled-up pieces and using bolts or rivets. Anyone ever tried this?

The wood from the old transom (that has been replaced before) was cut to go around the (broken) knee brace. Should I do this as well, or connect the new brace to the wood?
 
Can you post some pictures? Ideally you want the transom, knee brace and the hull to be connected together.
 
I don’t have any right now, I’ll get some next weekend when I go back.
 
I just saw a picture of something like this. They used aluminum angle to bolted together in the form of a triangle and then bolted that to the transom and hull...
 
This is the picture I found...not my boat. Sounds like what you are looking for.
 

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For my transom brace, can I use ¼” closed-end rivets to attach it to the hull, or should I stick with bolts?
 
Drewgill said:
For my transom brace, can I use ¼” closed-end rivets to attach it to the hull, or should I stick with bolts?
Either way as long as you seal them with 3M5200.
 
Thanks lockstock.

Now I’m trying to determine what grip range I’ll need for my rivets.

I’m planning on riveting some 1/8” angle aluminum to the benches and sides of the boat when I begin my decks. Is the thickness for the hull and benches usually the same ? 1/8”?

If they’re both 1/8” - the grip range for the rivets I’m looking at changes at ¼”, so would both sizes probably work?
 
Alright, I've had about 3-4 full days to work on the boat over the past several weeks. I'm really hoping I'm going to have time to finish. To complicate things, [strike]I think[/strike] I tore my ACL last night #-o .

Here are some pics of my progress.

I forgot to get pics of the boat with the motor and original transom.

SANY1228-1-1.jpg


The previous owner made some decks out of unsealed 1/2" plywood glued together. They looked fine, but were starting to get spongy and probably would have broken through if I would have stood on it. There was no additional supports between the benches. I've since removed the decks, middle bench, and and old rod holders.

SANY1229.jpg


SANY1231.jpg


The old broken transom brace below. You can see the crack in the brace and the outline on the aluminum where the remainder of the brace used to be (I guess). The transom was really being torqued above the brace.

SANY1230.jpg


Removing the brace and cleaning up the transom. You can see part of the old transom wood in the foreground.

SANY1247.jpg


After removing outside wood:

SANY1232.jpg


A lovely mess where some transducers used to be.

SANY1234.jpg


New wood on the back, sealed with a spar urethane and 5200 around edges and bolts:

SANY1257.jpg


New wood and brace. Brace was made from 1/8" aluminum. All hardware is stainless steel.

SANY1261.jpg


SANY1258.jpg


Threw on a new jack and winch strap (not pictured).

SANY1233.jpg


Priority List
1) Check for and address leaks
2) Build decks
3) Service/ replace trailer bearings
4) Service/replace trailer lights
 
It's all bolted. Here is pic of the bottom. You can see my excessively messy use of sealant.

Do you guys think this will hold up alright. It all feels rock-solid...

SANY1263.jpg


The only power tools I have are a jigsaw and a drill, so I have to keep things fairly simple.
 
Lookin' good Drew. I wouldn't worry about the looks. As long as it's nice and water tight you should be good. That 5200 is some tough stuff, so you should be fine for quite some time. In the future, you can probably get away with just applying it on the inside seams rather than the outside, but you should be fine either way. Now take care of that ACL!
 

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