hey guys im really glad i found this site! i have hunted and fished all my life but just now have a boat to call my own. it is my paw paw's old boat that he used to hunt and fish out of. he died a few years ago and this year i thought i owed it to him (since he took me fishing all the time) to fix it up and use it as my hunt/fish boat. first things first, here are some pics:
transom shot:
as you can tell she's not much to look at. really light at around 100ish pounds. i can pick it up and carry it around, just very awkward obviously. it is a 1972 Delcraft (made in Deli, Louisianna - cant find ANY info on the company or types of boats!) that is 13'9" long and id say 36" across the bottom (still havent given it the official measurements yet.) filled it up with water on a couple saw horses and no drips or anything so the hull is at least intact. the only thing ive done is ive used some of that contact sealer (like jbweld, but its clear) to repair a few cracks where the seat meets the sides. ok so heres some info (pros/cons) on the boat:
PRO'S:
*lightweight. i do a lot of duck hunting in spots where there is no launch. small boat like this works perfectly for riding in the bed of my truck and launching in a slough. my next paycheck will probably be used to buy one of those boat dolly's from cabelas to transport around easier.
*no decking or old wooden flooring of any kind. so pretty much a blank slate!
CONS:
*the sides seem a little flimsy? i can bend em a little back and forth just by hand. it looks like they used a thinner gauge sheet aluminum to build it.
*transom-its aluminum, but wood is used to stabalize/hold motor on it. that wood is all rotten.
*serial plate only has serial numbers on it (no max wt. or max hp.) it either has worn down, rubbed off, or just wasnt stamped. ive got a 30# thrust trolling motor that i will use for now and eventually will put an outboard on it. probably go 9.9hp highest. but id like to maximize the strength of the transom...more on that later
ok so as you can see ive got quite a bit of work ahead of me! do any of yall have any suggestions on where i should start? id like to make a casting deck with a storage hatch on the front, and maybe some dry storage units for inbetween the transom and back seat. what are some ways to support the casting deck? it will pretty much sit on top of the front small deck through to the front bench (it will take up the entire bench) but what can i use to support where the gap between them (where the storage hatch will go)? any tips on beefing up the transom? id guess i need to pull the rest of the old wood and go solid wood for the whole transom. how do i get the rivets out (know absolutely nothing about riveting)? what about the stabalization bar that angles from the floor to the transom? its riveted to the wood so to replace it id have to take it off right? should i put it dead center of the transom, or leave it off to the side like it is now?
again any help/info/links/tips is GREATLY appreciated. id like to be completely done by next hunting season.
thanks again guys and ill try to make the rest of my posts not this long!
-adrian
transom shot:
as you can tell she's not much to look at. really light at around 100ish pounds. i can pick it up and carry it around, just very awkward obviously. it is a 1972 Delcraft (made in Deli, Louisianna - cant find ANY info on the company or types of boats!) that is 13'9" long and id say 36" across the bottom (still havent given it the official measurements yet.) filled it up with water on a couple saw horses and no drips or anything so the hull is at least intact. the only thing ive done is ive used some of that contact sealer (like jbweld, but its clear) to repair a few cracks where the seat meets the sides. ok so heres some info (pros/cons) on the boat:
PRO'S:
*lightweight. i do a lot of duck hunting in spots where there is no launch. small boat like this works perfectly for riding in the bed of my truck and launching in a slough. my next paycheck will probably be used to buy one of those boat dolly's from cabelas to transport around easier.
*no decking or old wooden flooring of any kind. so pretty much a blank slate!
CONS:
*the sides seem a little flimsy? i can bend em a little back and forth just by hand. it looks like they used a thinner gauge sheet aluminum to build it.
*transom-its aluminum, but wood is used to stabalize/hold motor on it. that wood is all rotten.
*serial plate only has serial numbers on it (no max wt. or max hp.) it either has worn down, rubbed off, or just wasnt stamped. ive got a 30# thrust trolling motor that i will use for now and eventually will put an outboard on it. probably go 9.9hp highest. but id like to maximize the strength of the transom...more on that later
ok so as you can see ive got quite a bit of work ahead of me! do any of yall have any suggestions on where i should start? id like to make a casting deck with a storage hatch on the front, and maybe some dry storage units for inbetween the transom and back seat. what are some ways to support the casting deck? it will pretty much sit on top of the front small deck through to the front bench (it will take up the entire bench) but what can i use to support where the gap between them (where the storage hatch will go)? any tips on beefing up the transom? id guess i need to pull the rest of the old wood and go solid wood for the whole transom. how do i get the rivets out (know absolutely nothing about riveting)? what about the stabalization bar that angles from the floor to the transom? its riveted to the wood so to replace it id have to take it off right? should i put it dead center of the transom, or leave it off to the side like it is now?
again any help/info/links/tips is GREATLY appreciated. id like to be completely done by next hunting season.
thanks again guys and ill try to make the rest of my posts not this long!
-adrian
