I thought I'd quit working on old boats, but I dunno....

[Pappy]

I got your PM and looked up this thread to reply to you. My Model R was a sad case when I bought her but she has paid me back in spades with great performance and smiles every time Lesa and I put her in the water. Well worth the work put into the boat.
There may be others on here much more adept at removing paint than myself but I will tell you what worked for me.
I went to a Sherwin-williams store and inquired about paint removers. I despise the ones that will burn you. In the store they have one that is Soy based. I bought it and it did a super job without burning your skin. Does not screw with the environment either.
This should be your first task. Second task for me was cleaning the hull with a phosphoric acid. This will clean the aluminum extremely well. Available at Pontoon boat dealers or your local hardware stores. Mix with water and use in a sprayer. Start from the bottom up to keep from streaking the hull. Have a water hose handy.
Third was using SOS pads on the inside and outside to remove what oxidation was left. Use water with them. They leave a super fine finish on the hull. You will feel the oxidation being removed as, all of a sudden, the pads get very easy to move on the hull. I never used sandpaper with these methods.
You asked about steering and controls cost. The cable itself is cheap. Springs can be had new or used. Cable clamps were new for safety reasons. Pulleys can be found used as well.
Steering bracket for the engine can be had used and they are pretty plentiful, make sure you get the quarter turn fastener with it.
The old control boxes are also plentiful in the "Simplex" style. The older period-correct one I used for this boat was a bit harder to locate. Just found a much nicer one this weekend to replace it with.

As I recieved it. Looks nice? Think again....that silver was a spray bomb job over the top of some awful brown goop that vaguely resembled paint.Inside and out!








Using the paint remover



You get the idea.........

Before using the SOS pads......A LOT of corrosion.



But after using the Phosphoric acid on the whole boat I started with the SOS pads. Note the difference on half of the bottom!


Hull finished with SOS pads.




I needed to remove some stubborn areas of paint around the rivets inside the hull. Also needed to prep the surface for Non-Skid. I used these instead of a wire wheel. AWESOME is the word for them. They are made by 3M and available at NAPA stores.




Found a steering deck from a model FD. Fit was close to perfect. Installed with aircraft blind rivets using Clico fasteners to retain position on the gunnels. Used a soft mallet to form the edges to the rounded gunnels.


Boat was pretty well finished at this point. I have a Cypress mill close to the house and Cypress just so happens to look an amazing amount like White Oak. I copied the transom pieces in Cypress for the inside and used a scrap piece of Mahogany for the outside. I used all the same holes as the factory and drill nothing extra into the hull.


Controls and steering are installed at this point. I have a mid-section from a 1954 RD-16 Johnson 25hp on it. Engine was not quite as advertised when I bought it from a fellow I know. Can you say blown powerhead. My fault for not checking but I trusted.......... not a big deal.



Okay....enough for now. I will get you photos of the steering installation and post them as well.
A couple of videos of the boat and what Lesa and I enjoy with it are here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mvKGt5jepVo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mI6rUZU-Ff8

 

[Pappy]

IN the meantime.....check out this thread in another forum. Great information on cable steering installation.

https://aomci.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=2539&p=13529&hilit=steering#p13529

 

[Kismet]

Wow.

Thank you, Pappy.

So clean.

=D>

 

[Pappy]

Added a couple videos for you as well. In the first one you can see the cable steering pretty well.

 

[Kismet]

Thank you,Pappy, but I can't view videos. I live in a section of Wisconsin which only allows dial-up computer access and the very fastest speed of transmission is usually about 40 kbps, often down to 16.8 kbps.

I believe the server is the only one owned by the Amish. :?

 

[Kismet]

Hey Pappy,

I just HAD to see your R boat in action, so after waiting a bit (one hour and some) I got about thirteen minutes of the Suwanee River gathering. Looked terrific and the footage on the river with the Lone Star and other boat was great!

Thank you.

What a lovely little runabout and lovely helmsperson.


I appreciate it.

(Although I may never show another image of my poor ole RB. You did GREAT work.)

 

[TexasLoneStar56]

x2 Really enjoyed seeing them run. =D>


Kis,
(Please do show more pics of your progress on your boat!)

:mrgreen:


opcorn:

 

[Pappy]

Thanks for the kind words! Pretty amazing to find a gal that enjoys the same things that I do. Boats, fishing, shooting sports, antique outboards, motorcycles (she has had her motorcycle endorsement since 1971 and rides an 800 lb 6-cyl. Honda Valkyrie) and she puts up with me as well.....strange but true. Glad you enjoyed the videos.
Lesa now has two antique outboards of her own. A Scott-Atwater 16hp and a 1 1/4hp Elgin air cooled that runs like a sewing machine. She just bought her first boat as well. More on that later.
Kismet.....this was not a fast or easy restoration labor-wise. The boat sat for a long time with me just looking at it until I finally got the motivation to strip the paint. Sat for a while longer until I got the motivation for the next step and so on. The inside was a real son of a gun for me and I was feeling it each and every night after working on it. I was originally going to paint the entire inside due to the amount of corrosion in it but was talked into the elbow grease to keep going. The nice thing about an aluminum boat is that you can see immediate progress and that builds immediate satisfaction. Keep on going and show us the progress when you have some.

 

[Kismet]

Well, Folks...

The weather forecasters are saying we're going to get some snow flurries and they may stay on the ground. It will warm up a bit, but we old guys find no joy in hopping in and out of snow/cold/warmer/windy/gonna-getcha weather.

The RB is now positioned for Winter cocoon wrapping. I was going to squeeze it into the shed, but with a good wrapping, it will be fine. Probably the best care it has had in decades.

Thank you very much, M and Pappy, for your encouragement and advice. There's some touch-up work to be done, and I'm eyeing the pulley wheels--one on each side under the cowl, and one in each rear corner, next to some tension springs as MAYBE something to consider next year.

Of course, that would then encompass a steering wheel set up, another, bigger motor, and someone to rig the cables for me. Not the kind of time/labor/$ investment I'd envisioned when I took the old darling in. :?

Whatever...that's the future; for today, I'm grateful to all the folks who wished me well on this project.

Be safe. Have fun.

=D> =D> =D>

 

[TexasLoneStar56]

....To Be Continued........

:wink:

 

[Kismet]

Got the cowl cleared of paint, but not all stains, in spite of line cleaning acid mix, Brillo pads, and a whole bunch of paint remover, which still left chipping the rigid paint off with the putty knife.

Then the spirit of the boat arrived. :mrgreen:






Now almost snugged down for the Winter, although this week Wisconsin weather is high 60's-low 70's.

 

[TexasLoneStar56]

\/

 

[Pappy]

Looking good !

 

[Kismet]

No matter what the groundhog did on Groundhog's day, I can set my seasonal clock by checking my wandering imagination. The last few days I've been looking at the pictures of the 12 foot Alumacraft RB and wondering about "stuff." Spring is coming up, I can tell.

I called a welder about 25 miles away and asked if he had done aluminum boat work. He had. He said he did a lot of it. hmmmmm. I think the repair of the gouge and collision damage done in the boat's past would be equally unsightly, either from a welded section or the current repair scars, but, as I said, I'm thinking about "stuff." I don't have an idea of costs.



Pappy? Can I get a picture of your RB again? The ones in your post have been rescinded. I'd appreciate it.

Also been considering putting a fuel pump on the 56 Johnson 10 horse, maybe I can work a trade for the part and the work for the older dual hose tank. Dunno. I'm thinking.

Then there's the whole steering business. The biggest advantage for me would be to equalize the weight in the hull, so the bow wouldn't point up so easily. It would also be "neat." I'm old, but old folks like "neat" stuff too. AND the boat was made with a steering wheel; the swivels and springs are still in place.


Yup. Spring's coming.

 

[TexasLoneStar56]

Yes Sir! Spring is coming! 8)

 

[Kismet]

We had two days in the '60s, so the RB came out to see the sunshine. Added a brand name, although an incorrect vintage--only I will know, scoured and wire-brushed the floor and the 60 years of paint, abrasive adhesive, and ?other stuff? and got a couple of coats of paint on it. Will figure out something for the bow for the time being.

Odd, the floor really needs decking. The ribs are horizontal and very close to one another, making movement awkward. I'm not sure what to do, but the old thang is tidying up.





Lot of hand-work, but not as unsightly now.

 

[Kismet]

Found some thin plywood that fits. I'll waterproof it and look around for some traction material...rug, rubber mat, something.

Got the seat on wood, now working out placement; still haven't found a satisfactory weight for the front. This little thing lifted up with the 5 hp on it and the gas up front. I'll start with a sand/gravel flat bag on the bow seat, under the cowl and see what happens. No docks at the lake yet.



Wedged flooring

 

[richg99]

Coming along. The floor/deck will surely make maneuvering around a lot easier.

I, like you, am no longer as agile as I once was. The last thing that we need is to fall out of a boat. I am not sure that I could get myself back into mine, and it is a lot wider than your boat.

Keep us posted. richg99

 

[Kismet]

Getting there; carpet on flooring; flooring wedged in place with no movement in transit or on water.
Most of the 'big stuff' is done. Next will be all the little sanding and scraping of the bits of paint that didn't come off last Fall, and bits and pieces as they occur to me.

 

[richg99]

" and bits and pieces as they occur to me."
THAT process never seems to end, does it? Ha Ha

My wife has finally reconciled herself that none of my boats will "ever ...be done".

richg99