boat drainage on old alumacraft

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mainjet

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Lowell, IN
I have an old 14' alumacraft that I want to put some flooring in. But the floor supports do not have home in them to let the water drain from front to back so that it will get to the bilge or transom drain. Is there anything detrimental to the boat to drill a couple small to medium (1/4") holes int he center of the supports to let the water drain back?

I was thinking to drill a 1/4" hole in the larger ribs right in the center of each in the center, just above the boat floor.

IMG_5518.jpg
 
I've never understood the engineering behind building a boat so that water would not run to the back in the floor.

I've seen a few that just had holes drilled in those ribs and never saw an issue with it, but these were pond and creek boats.

If you are planning on being on any big water or rough water you might want to consider having someone weld in some pieces of tubing cut in half instead of just drilling holes. This would give you the reinforcements that you need to keep the ribs from flexing and cracking from waves.
 
I have thought about this myself, but with the way ribs like to crack in older aluminum boats that don't even have holes drilled in them I would be very hesitant to drill any ribs in an older tinny... or any tinny for that matter.

I have come up with another idea instead, fill in between the ribs with EPS sheet foam of the same thickness of the rib. The foam would have to be cut for a tight fit and would displace the water that is normally trapped between the ribs.

I would do this to all the rib spaces except the last one at the transom, I would use the transom rib space for a reservior/bilge for water to collect in and to be easily drained out through the plug hole.

Whaddya think?
 
My MirroCraft has the same problem - I do not think drilling holes will work because unless the holes were fairly large they woudl just clog with debris. I also considered the foam idea, but I could not see anyway to get a really tight fit so I could only picture foam surrounded by dirty water.



I just live with it - the amount of water that the ribs hold is really minimal - and will just dry out unless you get rain every day.


Before I put the floor in i would just take a towel and wipe it dry - now that there is a floor - well i do not worry about it.
 
Hi guys...

I guess this could relate to me as well.

My 16' Alumacraft has the same type of ribs, and no drain plug...

I am also considering putting in a floor, similar to what OP is talking about.

I saw in another rebuild, that someone put the drain plug on the side of the boat...above the floor / water line...

Good idea?

Or should I focus more on making my floor tight, and sealed good enough to not allow "execss" water to get in between the floor and hull of my boat?

thx
 
I wouldn't drill 1/4" holes in the ribs. I agree with the others that that they would weaken the boat and just get plugged up. With the boat on the trailer I would fill the boat with water to the top of the ribs, pull the drain plug and crank the trailer jack up to determine the angle you need on the trailer to drain the the boat completely. For the floor I would use 1/2" plywood with the support ribs running fore and aft, not across the beam. Coat with several coats of spar varnish and then cover with carpet or vinyl. The flat floor on the round hull should create plenty of space for drainage. As suggested I would not deck between the transom and the rear seat. Also I put the plug in on the way to the lake and take it out on the way back. Good luck on on your project!
 

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