1955 Alumacraft 14' Model A rescue, of sorts.

[Kismet]

The CL ad listed it as a 12ft Sears w/ trailer.


Well, it is 14' not 12', and No conspicuous maker ID anywhere. Guy thought it was a Sears boat, but he was far from the first owner. I found a stamped "A 9703" on the transom brace. 48" beam, didn't notice narrowing at the stern. Alumacraft? Maybe an even older boat than Eric's great re-build? Dunno. Emailed Alumacraft, but no answer, and seriously doubt they will have the time to help me. There's a ghost image of the Alumacraft decal on the sides near the stern.







Aside from noting the trashed transom, gobs of silicone sealant and home-made drain-hole (apparently made with a beer can opener), I haven't started on it. Working on the trailer now. Owner either never had, or artfully removed (that's sarcasm), the bunks and bunk supports. He kept the boat straight on the trailer with rachet straps, pulling down with equal tension on each side. The boat rode on its keel on the rollers.

I'm not going to try and match the high standards of most (maybe all) others-- I couldn't. My plan was to get a light project boat to mess around with and sell in the spring. First hull work will be to try and scour off the water and crud stains from the years this poor thing was sitting up-right with rains pouring in. ( I mean, how hard is it to turn a boat over? jeez.) I'll probably use some acid wash that farmers use to scour their milk lines in a dairy barn. It cleaned up last year's project boat fairly nicely (see last year's built link at bottom of post.)

Next would be transom, of course; then maybe..I don't know. This has got to a a low investment project. If not a floor, then maybe a walk-way between the seats. I seriously doubt I'll remove any of them. I live and fish alone and don't think about passenger traffic much. I'm fond of some wood storage lockers I've seen and used. Dunno. No hurry.

Alumacraft Customer Service came through in flying colors! Didn't think they'd bother. Nice of them.Here We go... Model "A", manufactured in 1955. Model was made from 1947 through 1983. They even sent a catalog page with specifications.



Wish me luck. Should be fun.

[Kismet]

image posting confusion. deleted.

[Ranchero50]

Should be a fine boat once done. I had one given to me a couple years ago, sold it for $200 without a title. Had nice lines but no title means no power in MD.

[Kismet]

Spent the day applying a diluted acid bath to oxidation. Wasn't satisfied with the results and really don't like messing with the chemicals, made the dumb decision to hand wet-sand the hull exterior. (I'm too old to do this stuff--took forever.)

[Kismet]

Fabricated (you don't want to know) brackets and installed bunks, then carpeted them. Boat could NOT have been used on this trailer long, the rollers (ancient) lift the keel up so that only one side of boat rides on the bunks. I used 2x4s on end. Looks like it is either shim or replace with 2x6s. As I see it, my choice is to buy taller wood or to shim the canted side. Found and put a bow bumper on now, so the poor old thing doesn't smack its nose on the winch.



Last night and today was make a transom plank for the inside, and motor-mount wood on the outside. Used a piece of oak for the interior and still had a piece of exterior 3/4" plywood for the exterior. Bought spar polyeurethane (sp?) at $20 a quart to coat them three times. Tried to line up holes with existing runamuck drilling that had occurred. Just a little off, since I mistakingly presumed that the deteriorated back plate had a level top. Apparently, it did not. I'll notice, but suspect no one else will



I J B Welded a few holes, but will need a second application, then I'll being sanding my repairs and those that already existed.

I had to buy new milk-line cleaner (used by dairy farmers to flush out the pipes that go from milking machines to holding tank. It contains both sulfuric and phosphoric acids. I'll dilute it a fair amount, and wear gloves and glasses, etc. it was $28/gal, but even though I probably won't need more than a pint, still a bargain if it cleans up the hull interior and exterior as well as it did on last year's project boat. I'm glad no one in the last 58 years decided to paint the hull.



I think that's most of the "function" repair; next comes cosmetic. Scouring it will be tedious and tough on my lower back, but with my ever-increasing diminished capacity to think clearly, it doesn't require a great deal of thought.



Noticed a few more dents--either from backing into something or running the bow onto a rock. Don't think I'm going to try and tap them out. Aluminum stretches and what seems a simple smoothing ends up looking like the results of a hail-storm.

Any thoughts on smoothing old dents?

[Kismet]

Finished first over-all assault on scum and oxidation today. So far, Milk Stone acid wash, hours of wet-sanding, and finally, brillo pads. I can't say for sure, but just biting the bullet and using the brillo pads (generic equivalent) might have been sufficient. Old arms feel like cooked noodles right now.

I have to go over previous owner's repairs with sanding wheel. He had no problem with "texture."

[nctlspider]

She's looking like a pretty little can already. Good work!

[Busbey]

sweet! check out my 1950!

https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopi ... 21&t=20339

[Kismet]

sweet! check out my 1950!

https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopi ... 21&t=20339

Beautiful build job, but far more extensive than I would ever want to accomplish. You did a great job.

I'm aiming toward a clean, pretty classic, functional fishing boat for the average family guy. I guess it would be "boats as I remember them when I was young," if I were pressed to describe them.

Going over the hull as meticulously as I did, I found a lot of small scratches and shallow gouges from the 58 years of life this Model A has gone through. I'm not going to try and make it new again, nor am I aiming at a flashy appearance. I just want it to be "nice." Alumacraft manufactured this design for 36 years, I suspect there was a reason for the longevity of the model.



Small thing, but got the bunks up to the right height, and it pleased the heck out of me to remedy the weight-bearing issue. Eventually, I'll sand and paint the trailer, but for now, I'm pleased that it is functional.

I'm looking at cost-effective flooring options now.

[Kismet]

Situations change one's reaction to identical stimuli.



Zen gardens often feature a quiet trickle of water falling into a pond. It is a soothing and pacific sound which quiets the soul.



That same sound when one is taking a boat on its first water test has a somewhat different effect.



Apparently, previous owner sanded down the caps on two rivets in the transom brace which prompted them to pop into the boat when the water pressure exerted its force on the hull. This, combined with the "I made a drain hole!" pride of the previous owner, who neglected to mention he made the hole eccentric while the plug was circular, allowed for a water-borne Zen sound as the lake flow from the holes dropped down into the puddle being made by the leaking at the plug.



I did not have a quiet soul.



Two cigarette filters later, Mick and I continued our investigatory boat ride with the 5.5hp Johnson on the back. (Not a lot of plug material on a just-scoured boat.)



Boat is only 130 pounds, with me and Mick, the motor and gas, figure an additional 270lbs tossed in. The 5.5 is never going to propel the craft at rocket speed, but it is a nice little fishing/meandering combination. It has a round hull, rides nicely in a light chop, and demonstrated the reasons that Alumacraft made this model for 36 years. I think it wants a low floor, certainly Mick does as I heard his nails scratching, trying to get purchase so he could get closer looks at the few other boats out, and the coots which were sitting, flying, and settling in as we toured the lake perimeter. His 35 pounds at the bow can alter the direction of the boat as he shifts from one side to the other. Nothing dramatic, just requires a hand on the tiller.



Came upon a great (to me) find: a pair of original equipment wooden oars from a 1956 Alumacraft "Queen of the Waterways" 15 foot boat. They are wonderful! Craftsmen made these things. They have blades with a spine down the center and then are planed to more narrow blades. The hand grips swell to fit the palm and narrow at top and bottom. This boat has two sets of oar locks and I tried them both. While the blades are narrow, they pulled the boat through the water handily. I'm not making plans to use them as main propulsion, but I have this superstition that motors run better if there are oars in the boat. The oars need sanding and staining and spar varnish, but they are a treat, especially if you've seen the dreck that is being offered in stores these days. I don't get out enough to know for sure, but I have this sense that younger folks don't consider rowing as an important function of boating, and have no regard for the craftsmanship that can go into something as simple as an oar.

[gillhunter]

Kismet, Great project! I grew up in the upper midwest and this boat reminds me of what I remember fishing boats were when I was young. Aluminum boats always had natural finishes, oars were required equipment, motors were always pull start, you sat on your life jacket, your livewell was a stringer, fish basket or bucket. Anchors where made of any heavy object you could tie a rope on. Tackle boxes were metal. Your cane pole or your anchor doubled as a depht finder and oars were your trolling motor.
My 1648 doesn't even have oar locks, but I still have a pair of wooden oars in the corner of my garage.

Didn't mean to ramble on like this but your project brought back a lot of memories of a simplier time.

[Kismet]

I find I'm running into some problems.

A. I'm very conscious of the costs in materials on this project, because when I'm done, it's still going to be a 58+ year-old boat and Spring boat purchasers are not going to have the sense of delight that I do in rescuing it. Just ordered some (roughly) period Alumacraft decals for it. Boat doesn't need them, but they'll look neat. Today I'll probably go down and get some exterior plywood for the decking (to me: floor) which will be simple, stable, and removeable. If I don't consider labor, I'm up to around $100 plus purchase price on the project in materials.

The real problem
B. I want to keep the boat.
[-o<

[Busbey]

Let me try to help you a bit..

Mine is a 1950, same "oldness" as yours and I went through the same "Do I want to spend money and time into something this old" phase. Here is what I decided. It is a boat. Sure other boats are newer, maybe a little wider or longer or different here and there, but it is yours and in your posetion. No need to go spending money to buy an expensive boat to suit certain needs.

Then you have the oldness that you want to keep about the boat, but you want it to suit YOUR needs NOW. Add a deck, drill a couple 3/8 holes for rivets and cover everything with carpet and you have what You want NOW. If you want it back to a hollow boat, remove your deck and its back. Simple. But you wont want to do it.

Good luck with your decision, I just felt that because I learned to fish off this boat with my dad at a young age, this boat would probably stay in the family for many years. If I were to sell it, the money would not make up for the memories. 63 years old or not, it still floats, holds 2 people and tackle. All you need to go fishing. if you want a pleasure craft, go buy a 20ft bay boat.

As for your decal issue, here is a photo of mine, which is the same as your year i believe. I have a vinyl cutter at work that I made this with. If you want, shoot me a PM and lets discuss me sending you one out if you can not find one locally. Shipping it to you would be about a buck so dont worry about the cost.

[Ranchero50]

So what you are saying is for the cost of two nights at the movies you have a nice cool old boat?

Seems like one heck of a deal to me.

[Kismet]

So what you are saying is for the cost of two nights at the movies you have a nice cool old boat?

Seems like one heck of a deal to me.

Actually, if I keep it, I will have THREE motor craft and two other paddle craft, plus the three 3hp evinrudes that have folowed me home 'cuz I love them.

I think I am the one who needs rehab.