Crestliner 1648 Upgrades Project

[Barracuda Buddha]

I’ll be posting the progress of my Crestliner 1648 project here to document the process as well as leverage all the knowledge and experience on this site! Hopefully this can help others in a similar situation.

Specs
1996 Crestliner 1648 Jon
2006 Suzuki 25 hp outboard

Boat Utilization
Duck hunting
River trips
Fishing

Plans
Replace floor with aluminum
Add track system for securing loose items
Hydroturf
Add gun rack and oar holders
Add a deep cycle battery
Add a bow mounted trolling motor

 

[Jim]

Welcome! Thanks for joining! Beautiful boat for sure. Looking forward to the work in progress.

Jim

 

[Barracuda Buddha]

The previous owner used pressure treated strips to support the plywood deck. My biggest concern previous to purchasing it was the use of pressure treated wood for the flooring. I asked specifically about it, and was told no. While that was partially true, the deck is not PT, he either forgot or neglected to tell me about the support strips. I pulled the floor the day after I brought it home and found the strips to be pressure treated, so I ripped all that out. The floor would have only lasted another season anyway, and I wanted to get the rest out ASAP.



I washed everything down, did some light sanding to remove loose paint and corrosion and finally cleaned everything out with aluminum cleaner I picked up at West Marine.





I’ll be replacing it with all aluminum to avoid as many future issues with corrosion and moisture as possible, as it rains most of the year here, and I’m trying to reduce maintenance.

The extra expense of aluminum is going towards what I call my “on the project education fee”. Working with wood is the easier and cheaper option, but I want to learn by experience and this should be a fun project for me.

I called around a few places locally and ordered aluminum angle and an aluminum sheet for the floor.

I’ll pick it up next week and start drilling, cutting and riveting!

Apologies for the sideways photos, they are oriented correctly when you click on them.

 

[Barracuda Buddha]

Welcome! Thanks for joining! Beautiful boat for sure. Looking forward to the work in progress.

Jim

Thanks Jim, happy to be here!!

 

[Barracuda Buddha]

Picking up my aluminum Tuesday! :lol:

 

[Duro]

what gauge (thickness) of aluminum are you using for the floor?

 

[Barracuda Buddha]

I picked up .125, probably way overkill, but I wanted to ensure the floor is solid.

I’m running .125 angle for the floor framing as well.