12ft Valco boat -refinishing in process- Any ideas?

[aeviaanah]

Hows it goin everyone? I'm glad i stubled across this forum, seems like a great community.

A little about myself...my name is Steve and I am new to the whole boating thing. I just bought the 12' Valco aluminum boat which was built in the mid 80's...i think. The boat and trailer was bought for 400 dollars. No motor yet. Here are a few before starting the outside....

Ive been refinishing the aluminum using a circular scotch brite pad on a grinder. I will then hand score with a regular scotch brite pad. I filled it up past the first rivit line with water, noticed the main seam on the side of the boat was leaking with the addition of a few rivits. I bought some 3m 1500 series caulking. I plan on taping both sides of the seam and smearing a layer of the stuff on the seam and peeling back the tape before it dries....not sure how well that will work but ill try a test piece first. Any ideas on the matter? Id like the caulking job to turn out real nice....I am not sure how high the water will actually go...can someone estimate whereabout i need to worry about sealing? This is an image of the first pass which was using a hand scotch brite only.

I have also removed the old wooden seats, i got the new ones cut and they will be put in after the exterior and interior is complete. I went with 5/8 ply wood called sandeply....I plan on staining and sealing and will need to know a good water resistant/proof sealer....know any? Ive also ripped out the wood that is used to stiffen the back of the boat. Looks like they double stacked 5/8 plywood in a T shape....not sure how critical this wood is but if there is something I should know please dont hesitate.

I bought a special paint that speckles gray and white together...the stuff looks real cool and i plan on using it for the interior. It is soft to the touch, strong and non reflective. Would it be a good idea to seal the inside of the boat as well before painting?

The boat also had what i think are bimimi mounts, if there are any good DIU links out there for a little bit of shade, let me know please! I also have some cracked aluminum in some spots, i bought this special putty at a boating supply store. Its a two part and is made for aluminum. Do you recommend using this on the gusset which supports the back of the boat and at the top of the back of the boat? Not sure how strong this stuff really is. I have a few of the bimimi parts and handles that are going to get sand blasted and remounted.

I also plan on adding plywood over the front seat and extending it (on the plane of the existing seat) towards the front of the boat. Not sure exactly how im going to support it, but I am a steel worker and can make anything out of thin or heavy steel/alum. I like the idea of having it hinge after the seats and possibly an access door on the side of the existing seat....if you have any ideas or have done this before please let me know what you can think of.

Oh, and i also bought a vintage valco decal from ebay, this will be replacing the worn logo. What you think? Im curious to hear from some experts on the matter!

 

[aeviaanah]

where is everybody at?

 

[acedog1234]

im right here nice lookn boat hope it turns out good

 

[sirbeigealot]

Nice boat...Similar to mine.
I ordered these and they look nice:
https://www.bannersandbigprints.com/news-and-articles/valco-boat-decal-restoration-for-san-diego-california-customer/

 

[sdweller1]

I am restoring my father-in-laws as well to take my 7 year old boy fishing here in California. I'll snap some pics for you.

 

[aeviaanah]

im right here nice lookn boat hope it turns out good

Hey thanks for stoppin by...

Nice boat...Similar to mine.
I ordered these and they look nice:
https://www.bannersandbigprints.com/news-and-articles/valco-boat-decal-restoration-for-san-diego-california-customer/

Hey thanks for the link....i just emailed a decal company yesterday for a price quote on two. The image in the link shown looks a bit off but how does it look on your new boat? They stated they used the cell phone image to create the new image. Curious on the price...what did they charge you?

I am restoring my father-in-laws as well to take my 7 year old boy fishing here in California. I'll snap some pics for you.

Right on, where the pics at? I plan on carpeting the wood seats. Currently I am refinishing the outside so i can reseal with 3m 5200. I havent decided if i will keep the aluminum look or paint a flat dark green. Movin slow as its pretty hot here in the summer time. I live in California as well...Turlock.

 

[BassBlaster]

Use Spar Urethane on those benches you are replacing.

The transom should be doubled stacked plywood. Use an exterior grade ply and a waterproof glue to glue your two panels together. Then stain and Spar Urethane. Put the transom back in with stainless steel bolts.

Looks like a good project. keep posting pics!!

 

[aeviaanah]

Use Spar Urethane on those benches you are replacing.

The transom should be doubled stacked plywood. Use an exterior grade ply and a waterproof glue to glue your two panels together. Then stain and Spar Urethane. Put the transom back in with stainless steel bolts.

Looks like a good project. keep posting pics!!

Hey hows it goin? Thanks for the tips! I went with a ply called sandeply...not sure what that is but it has a tighter grain. I bought some urethane already and will be sure to use it. Im going with marine carpet so ill skip the stain...Ill be sure to use SS bolts...thanks! Ill keep you guys updated as soon as pictures are worthy of being taken.

 

[spotco2]

Good advise on Spar Urethane. Make sure to get it on all of the edges and corners of the boards as well as inside any holes that you drill through and you will have no worries about rot for a very long time. The key is to completely seal the wood and this includes the wood under the carpet.

That's a good looking boat for the money.

If you are going to deck the entire floor you might want to consider applying a coat of Gluvit to the inside on all of the seams and rivets instead of the 5200.

 

[aeviaanah]

Gluvit? What is the price of this stuff? Wouldnt you recommend sealing the outside as water will be pressing the sealant against the surface it is trying to seal? Or, are you saying to use this as an added protection?

 

[BassBlaster]

Use Spar Urethane on those benches you are replacing.

The transom should be doubled stacked plywood. Use an exterior grade ply and a waterproof glue to glue your two panels together. Then stain and Spar Urethane. Put the transom back in with stainless steel bolts.

Looks like a good project. keep posting pics!!

Hey hows it goin? Thanks for the tips! I went with a ply called sandeply...not sure what that is but it has a tighter grain. I bought some urethane already and will be sure to use it. Im going with marine carpet so ill skip the stain...Ill be sure to use SS bolts...thanks! Ill keep you guys updated as soon as pictures are worthy of being taken.

Just be sure to use Spar Urethane and not Polyurethane. Poly is for interior purposes only and will not last long at all on a boat. Spar is specifically for exterior and marine use. Its in the same aisle at the hardware store.

Ive never worked with Sandeply but Ive read it is just a cheap grade of mystery wood shipped from over seas with a nice veneer on it. Ive also heard that the veneer tends to lift from the base layers. I'm not sure if its meant for exterior use or if the Spar will hold it together but I would do a little looking around before I used it.

 

[jigngrub]

Gluvit? What is the price of this stuff? Wouldnt you recommend sealing the outside as water will be pressing the sealant against the surface it is trying to seal? Or, are you saying to use this as an added protection?

Fix your leaks (they'll come back yo haunt you if you don't) by removing and installing new rivets in the leaking areas then seal with the 5200.

Gluvit goes on the inside seams and rivets and needs to be painted after it sets for UV protection.

Use at least 3 coats of the exterior grade Spar urethane for maximum protection on all of your wood surfaces.

You should fill the areas/voids under your seats with foam for floatation protection so your boat won't sink if it should happen to flip (which small tinnies are notorious for). The blue or pink polystyrene sheet stuff they sell at Home Depot will work ok for this.

 

[aeviaanah]

Ive never worked with Sandeply but Ive read it is just a cheap grade of mystery wood shipped from over seas with a nice veneer on it. Ive also heard that the veneer tends to lift from the base layers. I'm not sure if its meant for exterior use or if the Spar will hold it together but I would do a little looking around before I used it.[/quote]
Thanks for the information on Sandeply....ill do some reasearch.

Gluvit? What is the price of this stuff? Wouldnt you recommend sealing the outside as water will be pressing the sealant against the surface it is trying to seal? Or, are you saying to use this as an added protection?

Fix your leaks (they'll come back yo haunt you if you don't) by removing and installing new rivets in the leaking areas then seal with the 5200.

Gluvit goes on the inside seams and rivets and needs to be painted after it sets for UV protection.

Use at least 3 coats of the exterior grade Spar urethane for maximum protection on all of your wood surfaces.

You should fill the areas/voids under your seats with foam for floatation protection so your boat won't sink if it should happen to flip (which small tinnies are notorious for). The blue or pink polystyrene sheet stuff they sell at Home Depot will work ok for this.

Good information, ill be sure to take note. Is Gluvit just regular epoxy paint? I got some laying around at work I could use. As long as it is flexible, it should do the job right?

I noticed my boat has a chain with a clip hook near the transom, is this for chaining the motor to the boat?

 

[BassBlaster]

Could be for the motor I guess. Keep it from sinking if it ever came off. My old boat had a small chain that the plug was on so I didnt lose it.

 

[jigngrub]

Good information, ill be sure to take note. Is Gluvit just regular epoxy paint? I got some laying around at work I could use. As long as it is flexible, it should do the job right?

I noticed my boat has a chain with a clip hook near the transom, is this for chaining the motor to the boat?

Gluvit is a specially formulated marine coating for sealing very small voids. It's not an epoxy. I would use the Gluvit.

The chain and hook is a "leash" for your outboard motor, use it! There's a guy on another forum that lost his 15 hp when he hit a log while underway in 4' of water and he's been looking for it for 3 weeks. He's sick about it because he had a chain but didn't hook it up.

 

[aeviaanah]

Good information, ill be sure to take note. Is Gluvit just regular epoxy paint? I got some laying around at work I could use. As long as it is flexible, it should do the job right?

I noticed my boat has a chain with a clip hook near the transom, is this for chaining the motor to the boat?

Gluvit is a specially formulated marine coating for sealing very small voids. It's not an epoxy. I would use the Gluvit.

The chain and hook is a "leash" for your outboard motor, use it! There's a guy on another forum that lost his 15 hp when he hit a log while underway in 4' of water and he's been looking for it for 3 weeks. He's sick about it because he had a chain but didn't hook it up.

Man that must suck...ill be sure to chain up my outboard after i buy one. Im lookin at a new 9.9-15hp mercury. Which brands have been gettin good reviews lately?

Could be for the motor I guess. Keep it from sinking if it ever came off. My old boat had a small chain that the plug was on so I didnt lose it.

Right on, ill have a chain for both the plug and motor!

 

[aeviaanah]

I just bought some snow white roof sealer. You guys think it would be good to seal the inside of an aluminum boat with this stuff? It says it will seep into cracks and seal, its also very flexible... Bonds to aluminum....seems durable, its for roofing. I got a test strip drying now, id like to see how a top layer of spray paint holds to it.

 

[aeviaanah]

Hows it goin everyone? Hopefully someone from the decking thread will come to help me along.

I got the whole outside of the boat finished, back to beautiful aluminum. Just need to seal the water line seam, paint, deck and carpet.

I am currently working on cleaning the inside of the boat. My intentions were to use a self etching primer for bare aluminum spots. After that i was going to paint inside with trunk paint. Its a gray automotive paint that is speckled with white for a clean look. Not exactly sure the best way to seal inside of boat. It leaks pretty bad and i was wanting to seal it completely.

Should I just rough up existing paint (seems to be holding real well) And use 3m 5200 directly over seam and rivits? I will be carpeting and decking and want to make sure boat is 100 percent leak free before i begin the decking process.

For the external lap joint, i was going to use a syringe to squeeze a fine bead of 3m 5200 inside. Ive already lifted the seam to get in there as much as possible. After that i was going to put another filler pass for extra sealant. For the rivits, i was hoping the 3m 5200 on the inside of the boat would seal that. This way i can keep boat external looking good. Not too worried about all the sealant on the inside of the boat as i will be carpeting and painting. Most will be covered by deck anyway.

I will also be sealing around the transom to hull joints...inside and out. Same sealant.

A few other questions...

When decking from the middle seat to the front of the boat, whats the best way to do this? I plan on hinging a few spots to stuff junk in there. Also how to support the deck where it meets aluminum at the front of the boat. Should i rivit in some ledger angles?

Im currently making two aluminum transom gussets to replace the one factory made gusset that has cracked out. I was thinking two would be better than one. Where is the best place to place these? Would two be better than one, allowing for a larger motor? What transom mods can be done to ensure safety with a larger motor? I think boat is rated 10hp, i plan on going 15. I was going to copy how the transom boards were done from factory...not sure what kind of wood to use. I will be treating all wood with a few heavy coats of spar urethane.

I was also thinking, should I add an extra layer of aluminum to the transom? Wrap the back and around the two 90 deg. brakes at the top of the transom? Would this be worth the work?

Here are a few pictures of what I am trying to achieve....