CaptainPJ
Member
Just started using this forum. Been a FG boat guy for the last 40 years. Got my first tinny a few weeks ago to rebuild. Hopefully the info on this site will be helpful in my new project.
I picked up a 1985 Alumacraft 18 foot Bandit with the intent of stripping it down, making any repairs needed and reconfiguring it for use as a flounder gigging boat in Panama City. The reason I went with aluminum is so I could get into skinny water and ease of effort when poling the boat around.
I have a 2012 Yamaha F70 4 stroke ready to be mounted. My plan is to keep the foreword deck the same size but use .100 6061 aluminum for the floor. The floor in the middle of the boat was attached to the ribs as wasn't flat. I want to add some aluminum channel and supports to flatten out the deck and add a center console. The back deck will be smaller than original and will have .100 aluminum sheet instead of wood.
Both foreword and aft live wells and going in the trash. The front one is easy as it was placed in between bulkheads, the back one was part of the structure that supported the floor so it's removal would require the manufacture of a bulkhead or two.
I'm also planning on making a poling platform for the back and 30 inch tall railing in the front to support lights and to provide the giggers with something to lean on.
The transom wood was rotted where in came in contact with the floatation foam. I removed it and have a new one made from 2, 1/2 thick sheets of Aquaplas III ready to trim and install. The Aquaplas isn't as stiff as the wood was so I'll need to stiffen it up using some aluminum L angle.
The hull has been stripped down to the ribs and cleaned with a pressure washer. I have some pretty bad pitting and corrosion in a few areas. My next step is to sand blast the corroded areas and coat with some Loctite epoxy (kick ass aircraft grade stuff) to fill all the cavities and pits. Once that's done I want to sand the entire inside of the hull and paint with some aluminum epoxy primer followed by a coat of colored epoxy.
After that its time to start building the deck. I have a friend helping me that welds and I own a tube bender. Mike and I have a ton of aircraft sheet metal skills and I have access to an Air force sheet metal and machine shop. I also have another friend that has a metal lathe and a CNC machine.
I am totally stoked about this project and looking foreword to many hours of boat building. If anyone reads this and has any quality inputs that might help I am all ears.
I picked up a 1985 Alumacraft 18 foot Bandit with the intent of stripping it down, making any repairs needed and reconfiguring it for use as a flounder gigging boat in Panama City. The reason I went with aluminum is so I could get into skinny water and ease of effort when poling the boat around.
I have a 2012 Yamaha F70 4 stroke ready to be mounted. My plan is to keep the foreword deck the same size but use .100 6061 aluminum for the floor. The floor in the middle of the boat was attached to the ribs as wasn't flat. I want to add some aluminum channel and supports to flatten out the deck and add a center console. The back deck will be smaller than original and will have .100 aluminum sheet instead of wood.
Both foreword and aft live wells and going in the trash. The front one is easy as it was placed in between bulkheads, the back one was part of the structure that supported the floor so it's removal would require the manufacture of a bulkhead or two.
I'm also planning on making a poling platform for the back and 30 inch tall railing in the front to support lights and to provide the giggers with something to lean on.
The transom wood was rotted where in came in contact with the floatation foam. I removed it and have a new one made from 2, 1/2 thick sheets of Aquaplas III ready to trim and install. The Aquaplas isn't as stiff as the wood was so I'll need to stiffen it up using some aluminum L angle.
The hull has been stripped down to the ribs and cleaned with a pressure washer. I have some pretty bad pitting and corrosion in a few areas. My next step is to sand blast the corroded areas and coat with some Loctite epoxy (kick ass aircraft grade stuff) to fill all the cavities and pits. Once that's done I want to sand the entire inside of the hull and paint with some aluminum epoxy primer followed by a coat of colored epoxy.
After that its time to start building the deck. I have a friend helping me that welds and I own a tube bender. Mike and I have a ton of aircraft sheet metal skills and I have access to an Air force sheet metal and machine shop. I also have another friend that has a metal lathe and a CNC machine.
I am totally stoked about this project and looking foreword to many hours of boat building. If anyone reads this and has any quality inputs that might help I am all ears.
