AggieCollin10
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- Mar 3, 2016
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My Grandfather gave me his 1983 Tournament Texas. It has not been cared for. The Suzuki DT60 that was on it was a lost cause, it's parts now. The boat sat in the boat house for many years, then sat in the woods trailered and uncovered for many more. After some research I decided this boat (maybe just the hull) was worth the time and effort to restore. Warning - I have zero boat restoration experience, hell I have almost zero boating experience, but I'm experienced in carpentry and metal work and this project doesn't scare me, I just don't want to make an expensive screw-up because I'm on a tight budget and trying to make use of my welder's ingenuity. I do, however, want this boat to be reliable and last many years.
Condition when I got it -
I've worked on it for a few weeks now in my off time and finally have it totally stripped down. Here is the current condition-
There are a few issues. There are rivet holes EVERYWHERE (I probably drilled and ground down a hundred rivets). I'm going to have to do a new transom, and there is (what I'm hoping is) minor hull damage. I'm going to try to mimic rook's Flats Tracker project and convert it to a center console.
So, on to the issues-
Issue #1, the transom. I've removed the old transom in one very deteriorated piece, I should be able to trace a template and make a new one fairly easily, and I can weld aluminum, so reconstructing and sealing everything back up won't be an issue. I'm just not sure about the type of wood, epoxy, or hardware I should use to reinstall it, the bolt holes are intimidating, and I have no idea what to do about replacing the jack plate.
Issue #2, hull damage. It looks like grandpa hit a stump. There is a raised/bent portion of the hull along the keel that extends bow to stern across three lateral braces, stiffeners, whatever y'all call them, and three popped rivets. I assume I can just beat things back into shape and seal and replace the rivets, but I've never done this, so if that's going to screw something up, please let me know. Also, what should I seal other new rivets with? I've got some above and below water line. Hull damage shown here-
Issue #3, corrosion. Here in Northeast Texas we have very iron rich soil, and this sediment seems to have made its way into the boat. There were a few iron-ore-like pieces in the corrugated ribs of the hull that broke loose while cleaning, but there seem to be some rusty areas left behind that are stuck to the aluminum. It was easy to chip away, but I'd like to treat and get rid of this corrosion without compromising the hull's integrity. The corrosion can be seen in the hull damage pics.
Issue #4, marine wood and carpet. This part is overwhelming and looks expensive. I'm going to need probably 3 sheets (4x8) of plywood, enough carpet to cover it, and adhesive. Where do I buy this stuff for cheap?
Issue #5, all this dang ol foam. I'd like to get as much foam as possible back into the voids of the boat, what product would y'all recommend?
My plan is to use LumaBright on the interior and exterior of the boat, then paint the bottom with steelflex. I'm a railcar mechanic so I have access to Hempel liners, some of you may recognize this as what they paint ships with. We also paint railcars with it, so I think it might be a good choice for a durable paint.
Any and all advice is greatly appreciated, and I'll be sure to keep y'all updated on my progress.
Tight lines,
Collin
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G870A using Tapatalk
Condition when I got it -

I've worked on it for a few weeks now in my off time and finally have it totally stripped down. Here is the current condition-


There are a few issues. There are rivet holes EVERYWHERE (I probably drilled and ground down a hundred rivets). I'm going to have to do a new transom, and there is (what I'm hoping is) minor hull damage. I'm going to try to mimic rook's Flats Tracker project and convert it to a center console.
So, on to the issues-
Issue #1, the transom. I've removed the old transom in one very deteriorated piece, I should be able to trace a template and make a new one fairly easily, and I can weld aluminum, so reconstructing and sealing everything back up won't be an issue. I'm just not sure about the type of wood, epoxy, or hardware I should use to reinstall it, the bolt holes are intimidating, and I have no idea what to do about replacing the jack plate.
Issue #2, hull damage. It looks like grandpa hit a stump. There is a raised/bent portion of the hull along the keel that extends bow to stern across three lateral braces, stiffeners, whatever y'all call them, and three popped rivets. I assume I can just beat things back into shape and seal and replace the rivets, but I've never done this, so if that's going to screw something up, please let me know. Also, what should I seal other new rivets with? I've got some above and below water line. Hull damage shown here-


Issue #3, corrosion. Here in Northeast Texas we have very iron rich soil, and this sediment seems to have made its way into the boat. There were a few iron-ore-like pieces in the corrugated ribs of the hull that broke loose while cleaning, but there seem to be some rusty areas left behind that are stuck to the aluminum. It was easy to chip away, but I'd like to treat and get rid of this corrosion without compromising the hull's integrity. The corrosion can be seen in the hull damage pics.
Issue #4, marine wood and carpet. This part is overwhelming and looks expensive. I'm going to need probably 3 sheets (4x8) of plywood, enough carpet to cover it, and adhesive. Where do I buy this stuff for cheap?
Issue #5, all this dang ol foam. I'd like to get as much foam as possible back into the voids of the boat, what product would y'all recommend?
My plan is to use LumaBright on the interior and exterior of the boat, then paint the bottom with steelflex. I'm a railcar mechanic so I have access to Hempel liners, some of you may recognize this as what they paint ships with. We also paint railcars with it, so I think it might be a good choice for a durable paint.
Any and all advice is greatly appreciated, and I'll be sure to keep y'all updated on my progress.
Tight lines,
Collin
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G870A using Tapatalk