1970 14 FT Sears/Richline model 15 project

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Jupiter

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My father and I are just beginning to undergo a restoration of a 14 Ft aluminum V-hull which his father (my grandfather) purchased when my dad was about 15 years old in 1970. Now that I have just had my first born, we want to make it better than ever so that a whole new generation can grow up enjoying the incredible waters of south Florida. The boat was purchased from Sears and according to my dad's memory was rated for a 40 HP engine and about 850lbs. It sat in a back yard for 20 years then in a canal for the past 15. There is no transom plate or information other than the word Sears near the transom. From everything I have researched it appears to exactly match the specs for a Richline model 15. Is it possible that Sears had a contract to produce boats under the Sears brand? Anyway, I plan on posting pictures of the ongoing progress in order to create a log of our work. The plan is to shine it up, put a casting deck in the bow with storage hatches, level out the decks and fill the gaps with flotation foam, then power it with a Etec 25 HP motor. I invite anyone to share their experiences/mistakes so that we can make the restoration go as smoothly as possible. I will post pictures as we go. Thanks in advance for any insight on the boat itself or restoration ideas/pointers/tips you may have.
 
I did a water leak test and found three spots where rivets are leaking. After some research I found that my options were replacing rivets, using Gluvit, using 5200, or some type of paint on sealer. The rivets do not appear to be in bad shape so I decided to go with Gluvit. West Marine did not carry it but I fund something that looks to be the same product. Does anyone have experience with solving this issue? I also attempted to start cleaning up the boat. The only way I found to get the brown stains off is by wet sanding. Although while at West Marine I also found this aluminum boat restoration product by 3M. Guess we will see how it works.

Alum Polsish.JPG
Alum repair.JPG
IMG_9464.JPG
port leak.JPG
port leak close.JPG
starboard leak.JPG
Slight moisture between rivet seem
bow leak.JPG
wet sand.JPG
after wet sanding one side
 

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Thanks, I just did a small portion with the aluminum restoration product by 3M. It made a dramatic difference and I am very impressed. After I finish the one side I'll post some pics to show the difference.
 
Did the question of Richline making boats for Sears ever get answered? Looks like this is an older topic. Thanks in advance if anyone can confirm.
 

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