New project...what is it?

Alright guys and gals, I haven't been a very active member here. Mainly I just log on and browse through the threads, taking in new ideas, and checking out some awesome boat builds. Last year I got a job as an airboat driver on Lake Okeechobee spraying weeds. I can't describe how much fun those things are. Anyway, that ignited a desire for a little tin boat of my own. I don't have before pictures of this rig, but I got a 1430 General flatbottom, trailer, and 25 electric start johnson for next to nothing. I pretty much completely rebuilt the trailer, cleaned and painted the boat, threw a B&S 5horse on it and duck hunted a few time out of it. It turned out to be way to small for me, so I sold it and started looking for something bigger.

I found this gem on craigslist. It's pretty straight but ugly. It has a 10hp Johnson Seahorse on it which runs better than I would have expected. The trailer is in better shape than it looks, the TM works great and it has a brand new battery and gas tank. It was previously registered as a 14' 1967 model boat of unknown make. I guess I would like help in identifying it. It is about 57" wide at the rear and is made out of pretty thin aluminum. I would guess it's close to .040".
Thanks for the help folks. I'm sure this will be a fun and rewarding project. Once I strip the paint off I will make a better observation as to the sturdiness of the boat. If it floats well without any major leaks and looks structurally sound, it will start the slow transformation into a fishing and hunting machine.

Look inside the transom, Port side, way up high for some numbers.
Looks like you picked a pretty good job for yourself.
I liked your Jon boat a lot better.
Fill out your Info: Where are you?

I'm in Guntersville, Alabama.

It will sure enough be a project. I will have to look for the numbers when I start trying to strip it. It does float very well. In fact, It is a very dry boat for its age. This one will turn out better than that old jon I sold. That jon didn't give me any problems, but I put alot of work into it too. It was just a little to tipsy to use on the lake here. A good barge or boat wave would have probably dumped me. In the spring, summer, and fall, there are hundreds of boats running around. I just didn't feel safe in that little narrow thing.

You weren't safe!
You'll like the "V" better in Rough water.
I was raised in the Puget sound area and fished all my life. I never even saw a Flat Bottom (Jon) boat till I came south in 1999.
But now I fish on a quiet little lake and Row. Now I can have a flat bottom boat.



I'm eventually going to fish for Cat's below the Dam over there. Maybe we can link up.

Dick

Looking at your trailer, I think maybe you better get the Boat off, and turn the trailer upside down to check for Rust damage.
I had to throw one like it in the Metal Recycler because of Rust under the frame members.

The trailer is going to get a full working-over. It was painted red and eventually faded to the color it is now. There really isn't much deep rust on it. All I have seen so far is minor surface rust.

I have never fished below the dam here. I know it is really popular for stripe and cats though. I know how, technically, but just never had the chance. I have never really had much of an opportunity to fish from boats. Ive been a shore fisherman all my life pretty much. It is going to be a learning curve for me to get used to fishing from a boat.

Ideally, I would like to get this boat going so I can catch a few crappie while they are still biting good. Time will tell. After crappie season, the cats come up shallow, so I at least hope I can get it going for that. I've got a few dozen jugs begging to be used. :mrgreen:

Looks alot like a Starcraft. You will like it. I have jon boats and got me a v bottom boat. Always heard that v bottom boats arent as stable as jon boats. Wouldnt trade my v for a dozen jon boat! Nice ride and real stable. I fly fish out of it on the front deck. Heres a link for you to take a look at.

https://www.fiberglassics.com/library/Starcraft

Steve

I just looked all through those boats. That is neat to see that kind of stuff. Anyway, my boat is alot like the Seafarer but mine is still a bit different. I will have to take a picture or two to show you, but this boat has a factory "nose piece" that the keel guard ties into. It's hard for me to describe. Also, the benches conform to the sides of the boat. It looks like the Seafarers leave a little room in the bottom corners between the floor, bench, and sides. I will just take more pictures. lol

I did try out some EZ Strip on a small test patch. It looks like it will do nicely. I'm not trying to take it all the way down to bare aluminum. I just need to get down far enough to where the paint is actually still stuck to the boat. This boat was originally blue. Over the blue, there is tan, green, gray, and black. It is going to make a mess.

While you're taking pictures, take some of the top of the transom where it ties to the sides. That area is usually pretty distinctive for some models.

I took some (crappy) pictures of the Bow piece, bench seats/side brace, and transom corners. The handle on the bow looks alot like ones on an Arkansas Traveler...

I also got a decent grinder and a few wire cups. :twisted: I already did a test patch to see how well that will work and I believe it will do rather well for the larger areas without any significant obstructions. I am still going to have to use stripper in the tight spaces though. I am not going all the way down to bare metal. The first two coats of paint are stuck pretty well and should be a decent base. Still, I will burn through to bare metal in a few places. Will I need to hit this with a self-etching primer before my paint? Will it hurt to prime the entire boat, bare metal, paint, and all?

Also, since I plan on updating this pretty regularly, will it be best if I start a build thread in the Conversions forum? Maybe this thread can be moved? Thanks for the help guys.

wingsnhammers said:

Still, I will burn through to bare metal in a few places. Will I need to hit this with a self-etching primer before my paint? Will it hurt to prime the entire boat, bare metal, paint, and all?

Click to expand...

You will need to prime the bare aluminum spots. It wouldn't hurt to do the whole thing, but you don't need to prime where paint already exists. Here's what I primed on my rig:

It's a moot question now. I will just say that the wire cup and that new grinder is a little ambitious. :LOL2: I'm going to have more bare metal than paint when I am done, so I am going to have to prime all of it. I guess it's a good thing I bought a pretty good spray gun not long ago.

I sure wish I had time or weather to work on my boat. I need to get this thing finished so I can go fishin'!

I was told by a Car painter, never to sand down to bare metal. If the paint is stuck to the boat, no matter what the color, just primer and paint over it.
It's touch to Prep Bare metal!

Priming bare steel is one thing, aluminum is another matter. Aluminum immediately reacts with air to form a skin of aluminum oxide. This oxide coating can be very problematic. Conventional primer will not work, it will flake off.

Anytime you prime bare aluminum, you need to use zinc chromate primer, or self-etching primer that is specifically for aluminum.

Yep. I know a little bit about aluminum and it's tendencies. I had to learn about it when I was going to school to be an aircraft mechanic. I will be sure to get the correct primer. I appreciate the warning, though.