first boat 1960s 16' V bottom

Love the forum and all the information available here. Been lurking and researching for some time now. After going through craigslist for a couple months with 0 luck, I found what I was looking for 5 hours after posting a wanted add. 1960s 16 footer. I have two small boys and want to get them out fishing like I did with my dad and grandfather when I was a runt. I am not sure the make or model of the boat yet. Mother nature didnt allow me to pick it up today, so I am on Saturday. Trailer has new tires, bearings with bearing buddys. Just needs painted. Not bad for $250. I am really excited to tackle the project. Plan to use off white steelflex on the bottom and navy blue on the sides. No motor included, just boat and trailer. Let me know what you guys think about it and also the pic of my preliminary layout plans. Thanks for looking.

Welcome aboard, Brett.
I have a 16' semi-v 16 as well.
Looking forward to following your build,
and thanks for sharing.
edit: Also, update your location so we know where you're from.

jasper

When you pick it up, can you please post plenty of pictues? Especially of the bow/bow cap, seats/seat supports, and transom area. I think this boat and mine are of the same manufacture. Maybe yours will even have a tag on it somewhere that identifies it! I sure hope so. [-o< Mine has no tag, no plate, no identifying marks...nothing! Mine is just a 14 footer though.

Oh, welcome to the forum! There are tons of ideas and lots of information to be found here. Be warned though, browsing through the build section has a tendency to make your wallet lighter.

I will definitely post some pictures that are more detailed when I pick it up. I am also curious the manufacturer. The guy said it is on the title but he couldnt remember it. I am also hoping there is a tag that provides HP limits. I can't wait to get into this project. I already caught onto the fact of a lighter wallet also. So many options. The generic diagram I posted earlier was my first thought. I also came up with another, a little more Lundish Outfitter style. I am not that skilled on MS Paint. So please forgive the cheesy color coded pics. I am interested in hearing thoughts of each layout though.

Welcome to the forum! I agree with wingsnhammers - post more pics and it could help with identification. Hope it works out!

Make sure you get a bill of sale or whatever is required for your state when you purchase it!

looking forward to your build and more pics!!

I am leaning towards option 2 as far as layout. I think it would better suit the days the boys are with me and also the days I am out trolling. Also if anyone has any idea what make this is please chime in. Will be picking it up Saturday about 11:30. More detailed pics to follow Saturday evening.

Found out the boat was made by a company named Traveler. Not sure if this is good or bad. I wanted to paint it to kind of Match the era it was manufactured and get new decals but I doubt that is a possibility now.

I'm not sure what they looked like straight off the showroom floor. You pretty much confirmed what I already believed. My boat is a Traveler, too. From what I have read, the company used to be Arkansas Traveler and at some point dropped the Arkansas. I can't say anything good or bad about my boat, but the people that have them seem to like them well enough. Good luck with the build! Here is a link that takes you to a few old Arkansas Traveler brochures. That might give you an idea as to the colors they used.

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

Picked up the boat today. Here is an album to some pics I took

https://s111.beta.photobucket.com/user/brettsass844/library/Boat

Looks like she could use a little TLC. Mine was in almost the exact same shape when I picked it up. I've probably got 30 small screw holes to fill and I had to remove about 3 pounds of old, rusted hardware. I will tell you this, though. You will appreciate all the work you put into it. I was a bit skeptical about my boat at first. I was buying a boat that was made in the 60s, out of aluminum, and I had no idea as to the build quality, durability, or floating characteristics. I was afraid to put much money or time into it until a few days ago, which was the first "water test".

Now, I know that our boats aren't identical. They aren't very different, though. I can tell you that mine is very stable and capable. Yours will probably be even better. Have fun with the build and keep the pics coming!

Ok, so on to the design of a small baitwell for minnows. I have access to some 10" PVC at work. So I was thinking a 12-15" piece of that with a cap on the bottom and drainage through the center of the cap. A small hole for an aerator line (the air line and air stone type). Thoughts on how that would work for say a couple dozen minnows? If it was hot out I could toss a couple ice cubes in there once an hour or so and I could freshen up the water by allowing a little to drain and replacing it with a small container of lake water. Obviously this would keep me from drilling more holes and adding a pump just for a baitwell. I would have to take care of some sort of seal on the top but that's not an issue really. I would assume 2-3 dozen minnows could survive quite some time in a gallon to gallon and a half of well oxygenated water.

Got the trailer painted this weekend. Used Rusto Navy topside paint. Will match the top half of the boat. I have a couple questions at this point. I plan to use Steelflex on the outside up to the waterline and Gluvit on the inside from the waterline down. Should I apply one before the other for the best results? I plan to use gray Steelflex and navy topside paint on the outside of the hull. So I was also curious if the white topside would be a good choice for the inside so as not to overkill the blue and gray to much. Would think it would look good with the gray carpet. Thanks for the help. More pics to follow.