Lowe 16x48 Restoration

[Zum]

Sure looks sturdy.
It's going to be a hole new boat once your done with it.

 

[Waterwings]

Nice work! 8)

 

[wyodeputy]

Day 4 - We concentrated on cutting and mounting the back transom piece today but not before doing some patchwork on the old transom. We considered removing the old piece completely but I don't have enough faith in my aluminum welding skills to ensure it would be watertight so I kept the old transom and patched the rivet and bolt holes. As mentioned before, the hull is made from very thin aluminum (.080) so burning through was a constant concern. I bought some aluminum TIG rods to fill some of the holes with then welded as lightly as possible around the rod. This helped some, but it wasn't full proof. After welding the holes, I came back with a flap disk (aka a tiger disk) on the grinder and took off the excess. These disks really blend the aluminum well. The back of the transom looks terrible but stay tuned, it'll be covered soon.

 

[Zum]

Should be pleased,looks real nice.

 

[Waterwings]

Nice lookin' work! 8)

 

[wyodeputy]

Guys, I need help finding a link on tinboats. Although I'm not to the point of adding the pourable foam, my mind is drifting that way and I'm trying to plan a few things. Somewhere on the site during all the browsing, I found a link to a mod where the guy filled the floor of his boat with pourable foam, used a handsaw to shave the foam even with the ribs, then floored over it. I believe the boat was a V hull? I've searched extensively on the site but can't find it? Wanted to ask him some pros and cons questions as I'm thinking about going the same route? Any help is appreciated as always. Thanks

 

[CrappieReaper]

I'm against pouring foam in the floor area unless you can keep it off the bottom enough to allow water to flow towards the back. If you don't, the foam will become saturated eventually and be near worthless, not to mention the added weight of holding the water. Not all foam completely rejects the water. It will do fine for periods of time, but in the long run will absorb the water like a sponge. If you must foam, I would keep it on the sides, or at least off the floor. I know the post you're speaking of. I can't remember where I saw it either. It did look good, but if the water cannot flow under it, he will have to eventually remove it and do something else. In my post, "rebirth of the tin", I removed a bunch of foam and every peice was saturated on the bottom 2-3 inches. Be careful as to what poured in place, urethane foam you choose. Most of it is designed to only insulate from temperatures, and NOT meant to be a floatation material. Make sure you check it out before purchasing.

 

[Loggerhead Mike]

welding aluminum takes alot of skill. looks great

 

[Zum]

Heres his link:
https://tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=4450&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&start=40

 

[bassboy1]

If you've ever tried installing these big boys, you know what I'm talking about. Unless I'm doing something wrong (and I AM a novice with the rivet thing) I could not operate that thing alone. In the future, I'm gonna look into using a cheater bar on each handle?

2 words.

Pneumatic riveter.

Nuff said.

 

[bassboy1]

Best to use an older wood blade and turn it around backwards.

For thin stuff.

However, for thick stuff or structurals, carbide is the way to go. A standard wood blade, not backwards, is perfectly acceptable. In fact, on the Northern West Coast, where plate alloy boats (basically bigger aluminum boats using a minimum of .1875 inch hull plating) are common, some custom builders employ only a shear and circular saw with carbide blade to do all the cutting. I learned about this pretty recently, and I must say, it is amazing to watch one cut a perfect 12 inch diameter circle with a circular saw, in a matter of seconds. Purely magical.

My question out of all this is how did you manage to rip that angle in the tubing without it jamming it up. My experience with the way square tubing reacts to carbide blades says that the shown cut is very likely to jam up, and break something. I'm impressed. :shock:

 

[wyodeputy]

Loggerhead, you're very kind. CrappieReaper, thanks I'm re-thinking the foam floor thing. Zum you're awesome - thanks for the link. Bassboy1 we just kept the piece from pinching the tube on the off-feed, seemed to work. Most of our cuts have been crosscuts on the chop saw and the ripped piece was a specialty cut. It wasn't fun ripping it as there were lots of pieces of aluminum thrown back on me and ... I'd like to borrow your pneumatic riveter ! thanks - Guys!

 

[CrappieReaper]

This place is in Wichita. You can get used or new. https://www.yardstore.com/

Here's a site someone else turned me onto but I have yet to shop it.
https://www.hansonrivet.com/w28.htm

You can find a decent rivet gun, clecos, bucking bars, and other items at a fair price.
The other site deals with fasteners.

 

[Quackrstackr]

Why did you go with a hollow rivet instead of just welding the transom sheet back in? Now you have to seal those rivets. :?:

 

[FishFry]

Regarding pourable foam: You do need a channel for water to flow towards your drainplug. This does not exclude using foam, you just have to plan out for your channel. You can't see the channel in my boat but it is there under the foam. A v-hull is probably easier to do this to than a flat bottom jon. The foam must be closed cell, intended for boat floatation so it won't asorb water. Pour it into plastic sheet or garbage bag so you can remove or replace foam easily if necessary, it is sticky. Balance the quantity of foam front to rear so your boat will float level when full of water. The stuff is cheap enough to be well worth your while if you tend to push some limits.

 

[bassboy1]

I'd like to borrow your pneumatic riveter ! thanks - Guys!

I actually don't yet have one yet. I pulled well over 2000 rivets, of varying size, probably 700 of those being 3/16, on my rig, with a number of hand riveters (We had 4 - I broke every one of them). I have pulled a couple of those 1/4 inch ones, on an industrial pop riveter with 18 inch handles, and they are still a wrist breaker. Holy crap! I have used a pneumatic one at my dads shop, and those are the best thing since sliced bread. I am saving up for a nicer brand than the Harbor Freight version. I think I would wear it out too fast.

 

[wyodeputy]

Why did you go with a hollow rivet instead of just welding the transom sheet back in? Now you have to seal those rivets. :?:

The back piece of the transom as well as the rivets are gonna be covered with camo clad vinyl. Having used the stuff before, I know it'll waterproof the rivets and it'll last quite a while. I've got a duck boat (canoe/kayak sortof) and its still watertight after applying the camo sheets in 2001. Also, I didn't want a bunch of bolts in the transom (although there will be a few for the floor to transom braces and the motor bracket). I will be welding the edges of that back piece to the existing sides, but I had to fasten the middle span somehow and I liked the rivets. thanks

 

[Quackrstackr]

Camoclad waterproofs? :?:

I'm really not trying to be a s/a here but please be careful in that boat after you get it finished if that is all that you are doing. I am extremely familiar with Camoclad myself and I know how brittle it gets, how the glue hardens and tends to lift after UV exposure. I would hate to see someone get in trouble while hunting during the winter because some vinyl contact paper sprung a leak and sank their boat.

 

[wyodeputy]

Camoclad waterproofs? :?:

I'm really not trying to be a s/a here but please be careful in that boat after you get it finished if that is all that you are doing. I am extremely familiar with Camoclad myself and I know how brittle it gets, how the glue hardens and tends to lift after UV exposure. I would hate to see someone get in trouble while hunting during the winter because some vinyl contact paper sprung a leak and sank their boat.

Are we still talking about waterproofing a few rivets?

 

[FishingBuds]

Your doing a great job with it, thing's gonna be better than brand new soon :lol: