1989 Alumacraft Lunker LTD / 1990 Highway trailer

[Pector55]

Ok, she got sanded (3 days) this week. After that I applied Gluvit and set a heater underneath to keep things warm while it cured on Thursday and Friday. Today (Sat) I sanded down a few spots where the Gluvit ran a little and a couple spots where leaves blew onto the epoxy. Then I blew it all off with the air compressor and then wiped it down in white vinegar.

I rolled the entire hull with Alumahawk (light blue). Then I went over the sides with TotalBoat Topside paint in flag blue. It is so dark, it almost looks black in the picture. Overall, it's a huge difference from when I got her. I sent a picture to the guy I bought it from and he responded a while later saying he didn't know why he got that picture but then he recognized my name and had to look more closely because he did not recognize it as the same boat. lol

 

[Pector55]

Working from home today so I got the boat flipped back over and during lunch I taped her off and sprayed the top edge that will remain visible once all the interior is installed. It is a Granite Crystal - dark gray metallic that will sparkle in the sun and go well with the scheme.


I also picked up a 15 hp Mariner outboard. With the local gas lakes having a 20 hp limit, I was limited in what I could buy so this was one of the best bang for the bucks. Originally, I was going to use a transom mount electric but I decided that I'm going to pick up a Minn Kota with the i-drive like I used to have. I do a lot of trolling when I do fish so that GPS and navigational setting is really nice. This OB is very light so I'll just leave it on the boat permanently. I may sand down the cowl and spray it in the granite crystal to match, then put on new decals.



I'm going to put bench seats in the rear for when cruising and in the electric only lakes it will work well. I have a tiller extension for when I need to use the OB.

 

[Pector55]

Here is the progress compare so far.. still a ways to go but looking at this helps me keep plugging away.

 

[Pector55]

Got a bit more done this week. I had pre-cut the deck a while back and added 3 coats of epoxy to seal it. I mounted the deck this week and got it level. Prior to putting down the deck I put 2" thick styrofoam along the beam down the center and cut each side at a 45* angle so the water channel remained.
I cut holes in the deck, near the hull and filled under the deck with pour foam. I was concerned about the foam pushing up on the outsides of the deck so I cut a 3" strip of wood and coated it with epoxy and ran it up along the outside of the deck to assure if there was any lift, it wouldn't do so in a way that would make my deck uneven.
After pouring, I cut all of the excessive foam that pushed up the outsides, then resealed the trimmed foam with quad foam. Overall, the deck is amazingly solid now, I will have killer floatation and I'm sure the sound deadening will be great.



Next up: carpet, and I have already pre-cut the base to the back seat and added epoxy to that wood.

 

[Pector55]

Didn't have a lot of time this evening but I did get the deck carpet cut and glued down. I also test fit the livewell in the new spot much more fwd in the boat.
I decided that rather than attempt to do all the sides in aluminum, I'm going to use quite a few 2x2's. I'm going to go ahead and build it a section at a time so I can build | teardown | epoxy | paint | reassemble in the boat. Then I'll do all the wiring before I finish the last piece of topside carpeting and skin/covers for the sides.

 

[Pector55]

Update

As the weather got cooler and daylight went away, I loaded the boat on the trailer and pulled it around in front of my garage. I've been working on her as time permits.

I started by building the front top deck, that will serve as the mount for my i-drive trolling motor and electric winch/anchor. I mocked those up and pre-drilled them so I could epoxy the wood and line the holes in the process.


Then I built the front deck that holds the large tote for storing life vests.


Then I build the rear deck and cut the hatches. This is a thick 20 oz carpet so I have to trim these hatches down even further prior to carpet. I'm also putting some vinyl wrap on the inside so they are still not finished. The two outer hatches have 5 gal totes inside and the center one is just open so I can put in a 3 gal gas tank.


Then I build an all aluminum seat base for my row of bench seats. I mocked them up to see if I got the height right and whether I liked them. These will hinge forward 30" / 17" doors, for storage inside.

 

[Pector55]

I got out on Sunday and I framed up the livewell side and determined how it will cut back in to the hull and run along the bench seats.
On the other side I framed in the rod locker space and a Plano storage box for lures.
On both sides, I stopped the framing about the same place. From there they cut in 11.5" to where the base aluminum will be about 4.5" from the hull. This will run straight back and attach to the bench seat. My OCD won't allow me not not keep it symmetrical. lol


After that, I framed in a 27x13 area under the front deck. This will be my battery compartment. I should have the holders by Wed and I have a 2 bank charger to mount to the back wall. I figured I better get this part done and get the batteries installed now. I want to do all the wiring before getting too carried away covering up the framing or it may be tough to get to.

 

[A Perfect Tin]

Good looking boat.

Nice job

- A Perfect Tin