Meanmouth's Project--Finished--Page 10

[MeanMouth]

That's a good first step.
GUT IT
Then start fresh.

That's a good looking boat with lots of room = lots of potential. What are your plans with it?? Let us know how the brazing goes.

Rock On

Thanks everyone. The plans have changed a little.

Front

We are going with a front casting deck. We are not adding a single piece of wood to this boat, so the framing and deck will be aluminum. The boat is trailered over rural country, so cleaning is necessary.

A new Minn Kota Edge 40 and a Humminbird 570 will be added upfront, with the battery underneath the deck along with lifevest storage.

Floor

We will also be putting a floor down, once again, aluminum. Underneath will be styrofoam, which will lay over the channels and inbetween the ribs so that water can still make it's way aft.

Seats

Planning on 3 pedestal seats. 1 up on the casting deck, 1 in the middle, and the driver's seat which will probably be placed off-center, starboard side.

Trailer

It's an old steel trailer, well built, but in need of tlc. We are planning on the ruste converter route, and maybe herculiner over the top. We'll be adding new wheels/tires, or getting the wheels powedercoated, replacing the bunks and carpet, and also adding bunk style guide-ons.

I'll post pics of the HTS-2000 once we get started...lots of things going on right now with college.

 

[MeanMouth]

Alright, so after taking out the bench seats, we had numerous holes to fill. My Dad wanted to use solid rivets without purchasing an air hammer. So by hand, my dad made a couple tools and we finished "riveting" today.

The success was 100%. All rivets are water tight, except for one from the factory that we fixed as well. After filling the boat with water and checking for leaks, she's ready for prep and paint.

Before - Rivet Holes

Step 1 - Tools
Rivet - 3/16" diameter, 1/4" long
Seater - Drilled to fit over rivet ensuring aluminum is as close to rivet as possible.
Finisher - Drilled to finish rivet head; mushroom shaped.
Ball Peen Hammer - Used for obvious reasons
Block of steel - Placed behind rivet head when you are peening for support (not shown).

Step 2 - Place Rivet
Obviously, rivets are made to hold two seperate pieces of metal together. We used them to seal up holes created from removing the bench seats.

Step 3 - Seat the aluminum against the rivet

Step 4 - Give it a few solid strikes with the hammer (With a piece of steel behind the rivet for support)

Step 5 - Peen the rivet tail into a mushroom type of shape (With piece of steel behind rivet for support)

Step 6 - You should now have a rough finish like this (Shown on concrete; can't hold everything at once)

Step 7 - Use the finishing tool to clean up your peening (Again, with a piece of steel behind the head for support)

Step 8 - Give it a few good strikes while turning it in your fingers to make sure it looks symmetrical

Step 9 - Finished look, water tight and only $8 for the box of rivets

Last Step - Use the flat side of the hammer, and give it one good smack for a flat appearance and a little more "finished" look.

 

[eezerz]

GREAT WRITE UP! =D>
good quality pics too... :wink:
Glad to hear she holds water or keeps it out...lol
:idea:

 

[Waterwings]

Ditto on above . Great post and step-by-step pics! =D>

 

[MeanMouth]

Thanks Eezerz and Waterwings,

I have to give credit to my Dad as he's is always coming up with something that impresses me. Its the old school way of riveting, but you can't beat the price.

A couple of hours along with a couple of barley-pops and the sun certainly made for an enjoyable day. My dad has ordered aluminum angle so we can start building the framing for the deck. I'll keep ya'll updated.

 

[Brine]

Nice write up MeanMouth, and glad to see you and your Dad were able to do it together.

 

[S&MFISH]

Good job MM.Looking forward to seeing more mods.

 

[rusmir]

That looks great . Where did u buy the rivets and the tools . I need those 2. I got aprox 8 holes to do like that

 

[MeanMouth]

That looks great . Where did u buy the rivets and the tools . I need those 2. I got aprox 8 holes to do like that

Got the rivets from "Fasteners" in Spokane for about $8, and my Dad made the tools himself.

 

[rusmir]

u should let me borrow that tool .. and can u give me the adress where u bought the rivet.. tx

Meanmouth

 

[MeanMouth]

u should let me borrow that tool .. and can u give me the adress where u bought the rivet.. tx

Meanmouth

I might be able to grab the tools for ya next weekend, I've got a full load this week with college. Heck, I could probably just help you do the 8 rivets fairly quick.

Fasteners should be 5220 E. Broadway, but use the number to make sure they have what you want: 535-4211

 

[MeanMouth]

After a couple hundred of dollars, my Dad has sprung for some "scrap" aluminum sheets. They just so happen to fit our project pefectly, so paying half price was a bonus. Good move Dad!

In one week, I expected the boat to be a little farther than the last update, but my Dad has once again impressed me. The floor pieces of aluminum are cut, and will be installed to ensure fit. Grey bedliner will be applied to the top of the aluminum sheets for grip and ease of cleaning, along with the inside of the boat for a complete match. Here's the floor as of right now.

Moving up the floor, the next part of the project was the front deck. Aluminum angle riveted together, along with some welding, really made the frame strong. Three main supports (1 not pictured) are here for the deck, along with aluminum angle on each side for support as well.

Alltogether, a piece of Diamond plate will also be covered with bedliner and will be the finishing touch for the casting deck. For now, everything is solid and very, very strong.

A hatch will be installed here on the face of the aluminum for storage. I think with a completely covered interior (grey bedliner material), the deck and flooring will look great and provide many years of pleasure. Will update when we get the paint and bedliner rolling...

 

[dyeguy1212]

Looking good! Sure wish my dad would help me out with expenses.. (and some of the work :lol: )

Glad to see you guys doin' work!

 

[MeanMouth]

Looking good! Sure wish my dad would help me out with expenses.. (and some of the work :lol: )

Glad to see you guys doin' work!

I've been saving for the project...a budget is everything as I'm sure you know. As far as the work, I simply couldn't have started it without my Dad. He builds trailers, guns, and just about anything he can get his hands on. His attention to detail is unmatched, so I really enjoy learning from him when I can.

 

[Brine]

Looking great! =D>

Think through the bedliner.......I can only speak for Herculiner, but there is no way I'd want it inside the boat. Too aggresive for fishing line, too hot, and it actually holds dirt more than a smooth surface would.

Awesome that you and your Dad get to do this together.

 

[MeanMouth]

Looking great! =D>

Think through the bedliner.......I can only speak for Herculiner, but there is no way I'd want it inside the boat. Too aggresive for fishing line, too hot, and it actually holds dirt more than a smooth surface would.

Awesome that you and your Dad get to do this together.

Thanks Brine, but now you raise a question.

Why would Grey Herculiner attract more heat than say a green paint job? (Honestly curious)

 

[cavman138]

lookin good man

 

[Brine]

Thanks Brine, but now you raise a question.

Why would Grey Herculiner attract more heat than say a green paint job? (Honestly curious)

I've only seen Herculiner in Black. Regardless of color, IMHO Herculiner is too rough for the inside of the boat. I'm not familiar with any of the other liners, just Herculiner.

 

[sturdi87]

And you are absolutely right, I don't have a PHD but I am almost positive that how hot it is going to get when your out on the water basking in the sun depends entirely on the color, not the composition of the material. Don't believe me, look up "black body radiation laws," the most important specific black body law which relates to this question is called the "Stefan-Boltzman Law" A quick summary below, don't read the next paragraph it you don't want to hear some complicated scientific junk.

To sum it up, an object looks the color it does because of the wavelength at which it radiates energy, with different wavelengths corresponding to different colors. Energy corresponding to light and heat. It has to do with the absorption and radiation of electrons, I'm getting way too deep here, I think I have said enough. But consider this, this is how scientists can determine for example the temperature of the Suns surface, by its color alone.

I think bedliner is a good idea, but then again I have no experience with it in a boat. Yes it is rough, but that is kinda the point, to keep yourself from busting your ___ , I don't know about you but I don't plan on rubbing my fishing line on the floor of my boat, and don't really so how it would happen very much or at all even. Lots of people and companies seem to be using it, its in all your expensive duck boats and such, which are built with aluminum floors etc typically similar to what you are doing. Just my thoughts, again, I don't have any experience, but maybe stay away from herculiner I guess haha.

 

[MeanMouth]

And you are absolutely right, I don't have a PHD but I am almost positive that how hot it is going to get when your out on the water basking in the sun depends entirely on the color, not the composition of the material. Don't believe me, look up "black body radiation laws," the most important specific black body law which relates to this question is called the "Stefan-Boltzman Law" A quick summary below, don't read the next paragraph it you don't want to hear some complicated scientific junk.

To sum it up, an object looks the color it does because of the wavelength at which it radiates energy, with different wavelengths corresponding to different colors. Energy corresponding to light and heat. It has to do with the absorption and radiation of electrons, I'm getting way too deep here, I think I have said enough. But consider this, this is how scientists can determine for example the temperature of the Suns surface, by its color alone.

I think bedliner is a good idea, but then again I have no experience with it in a boat. Yes it is rough, but that is kinda the point, to keep yourself from busting your ___ , I don't know about you but I don't plan on rubbing my fishing line on the floor of my boat, and don't really so how it would happen very much or at all even. Lots of people and companies seem to be using it, its in all your expensive duck boats and such, which are built with aluminum floors etc typically similar to what you are doing. Just my thoughts, again, I don't have any experience, but maybe stay away from herculiner I guess haha.

Thanks for the opinion.

Upon researching some more (and having it in the bed of my truck), I'm convinced it will be a good choice, especially with the light grey color.

Two local marine stores recommend it, and a few different projects on the internet have given it good reviews. I don't fish barefoot, so that's not an issue and I'm not really concerned with it damaging the line on my rods.

I might not apply the Herculiner on the sides of the interior, but the flooring and deck will certainly be covered in the Light Grey Herculiner. The bedliner in my truck is very easy to clean with a quick powerwash, and provides good grip when wet. The only question left to be answered is the heat.

With black bedliner in my truck, I can tell you the sheet metal of my Dodge is much hotter than the bedliner. Guess I'll report back this summer :wink: