1978 Lund Mr Pike 18 Foot

[soccertoad20]

Hello everyone. I'm new to the forum. I've been reading through a lot of the different threads and really like the projects I've seen and appreciate all the help other members have given. Now I'm in need of opinions. I bought a 1978 Lund Mr Pike 18 for $750. I attached some pictures. Don't pay attention to the trailer it is on. I know it's too short. I have a proper trailer on order from a trailer dealer that I pick up in a week. It needs repainted and all the wood replaced. I've been contemplating replacing the floor. It seems solid enough but since I'm going to repaint the boat I figure I might as well do the entire thing. Plus I'm really wanting to put a layer of epoxy/resin down to seal up any small pin hole leaks that I don't know about. Does anyone know if there is foam underneath? How hard is it to replace the flooring/foam? Do I screw right into the cross ribs? Any suggestions on the epoxy/resin and primer/paint to use? I'm on a budget so no high cost stuff. Something that will function and last. I've looked into marine plywood and it's pretty expensive. What kind of coating would I need to put on regular plywood to seal it up for marine use?

After painting/flooring my next biggest decision is what to do to upgrade the deck. I'm definitely keeping everything that is there but I want to spice it up a bit. I was thinking of a casting deck up to the console, but that's about all I can think of right now. I'm upgrading from a 12' jon boat so this new 18' gives me plenty of options. Any suggestions? Right now I have a little 6 hp and a transom mounted trolling motor. Eventually I will put a bow mount on. For now, what I have will work. I want to get the boat fixed up first before I start upgrading my propulsion.

Any and all suggestions are appreciated. This is my first boat project so any links to how-to's, specific products, etc would be very helpful. Thanks in advance.

 

[Ail]

If you are not using marine plywood, make sure you use exterior grade NON treated ply. CCA pressure treated plywood contains copper chromate which will corrode aluminum. There is another form of pressure treated plywood called ACQ that is kiln baked and considered marine grade, but I would still avoid it.

If you are truly on a budget epoxy resin gets expensive fast. A cheaper alternative is using spar urethane in several coats or sealing the ply with oil based paint. For most applications the latter two are more than acceptable.

For leaks you can use either 3M 5200 marine adhesive/sealant or Gluvit. Do a leak test and find them by filling the boat with water or just seal any rivets, seams and holes below the waterline to be safe.

Foam replacement is easy, getting it out is usually the hard part. On a budget you can use the closed cell extruded polystyrene foam used for outdoor insulation they sell at Home Depot and Lowes. It's relatively cheap and easy to work with.

Flooring is as easy or as difficult as you want to make it depending on how precise you want the wood to fit. Yes you can mount right to the hull ribs. There are many options for a finish on the flooring including not using wood at all. A non-skid coating like TuffCoat is probably the cheapest.

Paint, you will never get a straight or correct answer on paint because there really is no one paint or method for painting. All that matters is you prep your painted surface correctly and even a spray can primer/paint job will last. On a budget you will probably be looking at wire wheeling to bare metal, scuff sanding for paint preparation, power washing, degreasing, vinegar etching where necessary then priming and painting with whatever paint fits your budget. Prepare for some serious elbow grease.

Edit: Also nice boat and good luck.

 

[soccertoad20]

Ail, thanks for the information! That is a great start for me. I looked up the spar urethane at home depot. I saw water-based and oil-based. I'm guessing I should go with oil-based since you gave oil-based paint as an alternative as well? I just want to make sure I get the proper stuff.

Is the 3M 5200 and Gluvit able to be painted over? I like the idea of using the 3M 5200 just around the rivets, seams, and holes. However, I also like the idea of using the Gluvit over the entire bottom as an added layer of protection. Maybe I'm just a little paranoid. Will probably do a leak test to see how leaky the boat really is.

I definitely want to put wood back in so I have a nice flat floor to walk on. In my previous boat I didn't have a floor and was constantly having my feet at funky angles because of the ribs and angle of the hull. It was a deep v.

For painting, I was just going to power wash it to get the flakey stuff off. Then take my orbital sander to whats left to rough it up a bit for the paint to stick to. Wipe it down with some alcohol to get everything off and then roll on 1-2 coats of primer and 1-2 coats of top coat. I looked closer at the paint job on it and it looks like the primer on it already is good. It's the top layer that is flaking off. I really don't want to go to bare metal because it would be even more work stripping everything and then I would need to etch it.

 

[scottphillips208]

"For painting, I was just going to power wash it to get the flakey stuff off. Then take my orbital sander to whats left to rough it up a bit for the paint to stick to. Wipe it down with some alcohol to get everything off and then roll on 1-2 coats of primer and 1-2 coats of top coat. I looked closer at the paint job on it and it looks like the primer on it already is good. It's the top layer that is flaking off. I really don't want to go to bare metal because it would be even more work stripping everything and then I would need to etch it."

Your Lund looks like it is going to be a fun project and I'm certain will turn out to be a great boat - congratulations!

Regarding painting, you may want to consider the following steps:

1. Take a grinder with a cup brush to the loose paint on the hull and remove the loose paint. When you buy the cup brush, bigger is NOT necessarily better. On an earlier project I burned up a grinder after buying a really big cup brush - don't get one that is more than 4" or so across, and try to find one with the twisted steel bristles; it will remove the old paint FAST, but you have to be careful not to burn/scorch the old paint while removing it.

2. Buy a gallon of decent automotive degreaser and an inexpensive 1 or 2 gallon weed sprayer, mix the concentrated degreaser with water (I always error on the side of using too much degreaser in the mix), then head to your local car wash. Spray the hull inside and out until it is wet with degreaser, then wash and rinse your hull well.

3. If you have an air compressor, do yourself a favor and buy an inexpensive HVLP spray gun from Harbor Freight or similar retailer. Even if you don't have a compressor, it'll be be worth your time to borrow one, as painting will go oh-so-easy with a sprayer. The spray gun and air fitting will set you back less than $20.

4. Spot prime any bare aluminum areas with rattle cans of self-etching primer. It's important to use self-etching primer as bare aluminum oxidizes rapidly - other paint won't stick well to oxidized aluminum. You don't need to paint areas of the hull that still have paint on them with this primer coat, and one light coat of the self-etching primer on the bare spots is perfect. Spray your coats light, as this primer runs easily. I prefer Rustoleum's product, and used three cans on my current boat which had a lot of bare aluminum. Set the compressor to 40 psi, adjust the knobs on the gun to their widest open settings, and practice shooting a coat of paint on a board - remember, several thin coats are much better than one thick coat.

5. Use your new spray gun to put on a coat or two of a decent oil based primer. I used Rustoleum's "rusty metal primer" on my current boat because it was left over from painting a really rusty trailer and it worked great. You'll need to thin the oil based paint with solvent - my preference is xylene because it flashes (dries) faster than regular old paint thinner. Typically I'll thin oil based paint with about a 10% addition of xylene by filling the cup on my sprayer to about 2" from the top then adding the thinner and stiring it in well. FYI, xylene is compatible with Rustoluem's and Duralux's oil finishes. Buy a gallon of xylene so you can use it for cleaning your gun too.

6. Repeat the same steps for the top coat as you did for the sprayed coat of primer. I've successfully used both Rustoleum and Duralux oil based finishes to inexpensively paint aluminum boats.

If you're spraying in a garage, do yourself a favor and buy a respirator or consider painting outside!

In a nutshell, there are as many ways to paint a boat as their are boats in the marketplace. As long as you put some time into the preparation work, get the hull clean, and use appropriate primers and top coats, your boat will turn out fine. You also don't need to use the most expensive marine grades of paint to spruce up a boat that'll spend most of its live on a trailer; hardware store grades of oil based paint will work just fine.

Good luck with your project!

Scott

P.S. You can even use your left over hull paint to seal your new floor boards - I use a roller to paint the floor boards as there's less overspray/waste than spraying, and you can get by with one heavier coat of paint if your going to carpet/vinyl the floor later.

 

[soccertoad20]

Thanks for the help. I'm just starting to unscrew all the wood and flooring. I'll be looking into the different paints here soon. Any suggestions on what to add inside my boat? Again I'm still leaning towards the front casting deck but any other features that I should add? Anything out of the ordinary?

 

[Ail]

soccertoad20 » 15 Aug 2014, 12:46[/url]"]Ail, thanks for the information! That is a great start for me. I looked up the spar urethane at home depot. I saw water-based and oil-based. I'm guessing I should go with oil-based since you gave oil-based paint as an alternative as well? I just want to make sure I get the proper stuff.

Is the 3M 5200 and Gluvit able to be painted over? I like the idea of using the 3M 5200 just around the rivets, seams, and holes. However, I also like the idea of using the Gluvit over the entire bottom as an added layer of protection. Maybe I'm just a little paranoid. Will probably do a leak test to see how leaky the boat really is.

I definitely want to put wood back in so I have a nice flat floor to walk on. In my previous boat I didn't have a floor and was constantly having my feet at funky angles because of the ribs and angle of the hull. It was a deep v.

For painting, I was just going to power wash it to get the flakey stuff off. Then take my orbital sander to whats left to rough it up a bit for the paint to stick to. Wipe it down with some alcohol to get everything off and then roll on 1-2 coats of primer and 1-2 coats of top coat. I looked closer at the paint job on it and it looks like the primer on it already is good. It's the top layer that is flaking off. I really don't want to go to bare metal because it would be even more work stripping everything and then I would need to etch it.

Definitely go with oil bases since that will help seal out water.

You can paint over 5200 and Gluvit. Gluvit or a similar coating over the hull is a good idea for added insurance, but if you've got a solid boat, not necessary. Going overboard is only a bad thing once you're on the water, so don't be afraid of doing a little extra for your own peace of mind. :mrgreen:

Sorry mate, I didn't realize the primer coat was still intact. If that's the case just get rid of all the paint that's not sticking anymore and scuff everything else. Save yourself the headache of prepping bare aluminum.

Sounds like you've got a good idea of what you want and a solid plan. Don't be afraid to change or add things along the way. Boat modding is an adventure of sorts! 8)

 

[soccertoad20]

So I started to unbolt everything on the inside. The nuts and bolts are all pretty much rusted together. I tried PB Blaster but it isn't working out too well. I think I'm going to buy an air powered cut-off wheel from Harbor Freight and cut most of them off. Whoever thought flat head screws were a good idea wasn't thinking ahead when someone will need to remove them later on.

However, I do need some advice on something I found. Everything is riveted to the side of the boat. In order to replace the floor I need to take everything out. I'll have to re-rivet everything back into place. What I need are opinions on what type of rivets I need to get, where would be the best place to get them, and then what should my assembly process be in putting everything back together?

I ask about the assembly because my plan was to take the boat off the trailer and flip upside down to paint the outside/bottom. Then place back on the trailer, paint the inside, install the new floor, and put the inside back together. When I put the inside back together and rivet everything back to the side the rivets won't be painted. I guess I can easily just paint the rivets, but I wasn't sure if there was someway to get it assembled first so I can paint the rivets with the entire boat.

Also, I'll definitely goop up the rivets with the 3M 5200 stuff when I use them to seal them up.

 

[soccertoad20]

I have another dilemma. I've seen a lot of projects on this forum where the person checked/replaced the transom. I was looking at my boat and there are tons of rivets and screws going through my transom. I was wondering if there is some way to do a quick check of the transom to see if it is still solid or needs replaced without having to tear anything out.

 

[MikeA57]

Grab hold of it and try to tear it off the boat. That's how we checked the fiberglass bass boat I was given to refurb. It torqued and bent very convincingly that the transom was shot. I put a Fer Sale sign on it and sold it for what the 115 Mariner was worth.

 

[soccertoad20]

So what is the best way to fasten the floor to the boat and install the carpet? Should I glue the carpet onto the wood first and then screw it to the boat or the other way around? If I do the carpet first is there a screw/washer combo I should use so I don't have screws sticking out everywhere? Also if I go that route the carpet will have holes in it everywhere from the screws and could eventually get bigger. If I screw the wood to the boat first then the carpet installation won't look as good because I can't wrap it underneath the wood and really keep it taught. Thoughts?

 

[soccertoad20]

Or could I just leave the wood exposed and not put any carpet down? I could stain the wood to make it look nice. Maybe use something to make it look like a hardwood floor pieced together instead of a couple large pieces of plywood? Has anyone ever just left the wood exposed (properly sealed of course).

 

[Ail]

Rivets you can drill the head off and measure the diameter of the remaining shaft or the hole itself in the boat to determine what size rivet you need. Mine are 3/16". Use sealed rivets if you can since they are water tight. It's probably easier to paint everything at once, but also easier to strip the boat bare for cleaning and prepping to paint, so do whatever works for you. Just make sure the new rivets are long enough to expand behind the two pieces you are riveting together. Seal them with 5200 for added insurance.

Regarding your transom, if you can push your finger in it and make a dent anywhere, that's not good. Soggy, dark discolored wood is also not good. Lastly you can take core samples if you want and fill them in if the transom is sound.

 

[Ail]

If you seal the wood properly you can do anything you like with it. A natural stained wood look would go nice with many boats. Carpet retains water so if you do carpet make sure to seal and seal again before carpeting.

 

[Steve A W]

I used a deck paint that has sand in it for a nonslip surface.
It came from home depot.

Steve A W

 

[soccertoad20]

Since my boat is 6' wide what would be the best way to build the floor? Plywood only comes 4' x 8' max. Am I going to be buying quite a few boards only going 4' at a time so I can use the length of the plywood to span the width of the boat?

I had a thought of getting regular boards 18' long to span the entire length of the boat so I won't have to line up the seams so they are over a rib so screw both boards on the same rib. If I went this route will it matter that I would have tons of seams the length of the boat and letting water to the bottom? Unless I caulk that 3M 5200 into all the seams. Any thoughts?

 

[rscottp]

Your boat may be 18' x 6' but the floor isn't. I always hated how my floor was under the side boxes so when I did my reno I built the boxed down to the ribs, that way I can take out the floor if I need to. Your actual floor is probably 16'-17' x 4.5'-5'.

 

[soccertoad20]

rscottp: Thanks for the reply. I looked through your build. You did an amazing job! Very well done.

After work today I checked the deck width vs. the top rail width. I'm about 5' 4" wide if I go all the way across. If I go from the side to the side of the current rod locker I'm about 3' 6". Now that I've seen your project I think it might be easier for me to rebuild rod lockers/storage compartments on both sides of the boat like yours and run them all the way to the back of the front casting deck that I want to make. That would really make my floor a lot easier to handle. It would require me to get rid of the side console but I don't see myself needing it for a while. If I decide to get a remote motor then I can do what you did and build myself a CC.

What size aluminum angle did you use? I can't really tell, did you bolt all the angle together or use rivets? On your front casting deck, how long is that span where you have the double angle to support the middle of the deck? Since I have an 18' boat I'm going to have a fairly big front casting deck and I want to make sure I have enough support underneath.

I really like the Nautolex you put on and it looks really nice. To keep my cost down and remove an extra step in my rebuild I think I'm going to leave it as a wood finish. I took a stroll through Home Depot today just to see what they have so I can see if first hand and not through pictures. I was thinking of getting the sanded pine plywood, stain it a nice color, and then seal it up. Unless there is a stain that will color/waterproof/seal/uv protect all in one then I'll do it in stages. I haven't looked into stain before so I'll have to do some research. Any thoughts on a different plywood to use or recommend a stain that will fulfill my purpose?

 

[rscottp]

I think I used 1.5"x1.5" and 1.25x1.25 aluminum angle plus whatever I could recycle from the stuff I ripped out in the teardown. I used ss nuts and bolt to put all the angle together. Be careful about the plywood that you choose, make sure that it is for exterior use. A lot of the ply with nice finish is made for cabinets and uses non waterproof glue. It will fall apart when it gets wet even if you try to seal it. BTW the nautolex wasn't all that expensive. I think I used 5 yards at 18.99 per and another 30 or so for glue, not cheap but not too bad.

 

[soccertoad20]

I will definitely make sure I get exterior plywood. How did you attach the aluminum angle to the side of the boat? Did you still use ss nuts and bolts? Did you goop them up with 3M 5200 to seal them?

Since it looks like I'm going to redo basically all the inside stuff I was wondering if there are suggestions for the back of the boat? Right now the back two corners are full of foam. The rest is open. I really don't need that much room for my 3 gallon gas tank and battery. The battery might not be back there once I get a bow mount trolling motor. Any suggestions for a cool storage idea? I don't really have a need for a livewell but maybe if it's constructed correctly it could be a built in cooler for now. Just looking for ideas.

 

[rscottp]

Yep, thats just how I attached everything to the sides.