CrappieReaper
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- Joined
- Dec 21, 2008
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I've been wanting for sometime to get back to an aluminum boat. I've been content with fiberglass for awhile, but I couldn't pass the deal up. This is my first post on this forum and thought I would share with you my current restoration of an aluminum boat from the dead. Thanks to CrappieDentist, who let me know about this place. He's one of the good guys, some might dissagree, but he's ok in my book.
The story...Another friend of mine had called me one day to let me know a customer of his asked him if he wanted a boat....FOR FREE! He doesn't fish and called me about it. After he described it, I told him to air up those tires and drag it home. It came with titles for the boat and the motor. I went over to have a look at it and it was a 15'5, 1980 "Traveler". Complete with a 12v 43lb Motor Guide foot control and a Humminbird LCR 4000 with ducer. I went over to have a look at it and it looked a lot like a Bass Tracker. Perhaps it was the predecessor to the Bass Tracker, just a guess. Anyway, I walked around it and just said, dang....dang....dang! They GAVE this to you??? He asked me what it was worth, I told him what the motor might sell for, the trolling motor, and even the Humminbird. I also told him that the guy he got it off of had most likely taken on more than he could handle. My friend had most of his guns in the pawn shop and wanted to get them out. I glady paid his pawn tickets, and hooked the thing up and hauled it over to my house.
The boat before pictures...
The first thing I did was connect a water hose to the motor, put some fresh gas in the tank, hooked it up to a battery. I turned the key and VARRRROOOOM. Fired right up! Ran ragged for about 30 secs then she smoothed out and idled like a sewing machine. I was happy. The last year the boat and motor had a legal sticker was back in '02.
After looking the thing over, I had to remove an interior aluminum plate on the transom prior to replacing the wood. The only way to remove the aluminum was to drill out all the rivets in one corner of the back of the boat to be able to pull it back for enough to slide the aluminum out. I did just that. Now the transom is accessible.
I them gutted the rest of what I wanted out for now. I want nothing interfering with a future "leak test". This way everything is still accessible.
She's now stripped of what she once had in her hayday.
After cleaning her up, I took it down to the carwash. I've fabricated a front live well for it and have it installed, but still need to create a drain for it.
I've built the new transom for it.
I used solid oak 1" x 12" along with oak plywood. The Oak will be strong, but will also want to crack, the oak plywood will give the solid oak strength from splitting and cracking. I used waterproof wood glue and plenty of 1 1/4" drywall screws. I then gave it two coats of commercial exterior gray primer. It's now ready to install, I've just been waiting for the right weather, and the time to do it.
I've been buy goodies for this boat for over a year now and recently have add 4 new Tempress High back Nav chairs, a Lowrance 520c, a Garmin gpsmap192c, and have two humminbird 300tx's in the wait. Ones a spare unless Jake buys it.
I hope you enjoy my progress, as well as my first post on this forum. I have no clue when I'll be able to get back into it, but plan to have it ready for it's rebirth voyage by the end of January.
Craig
This rig came with an aluminum console, aluminum sidewalls for the storage areas, two livewells in the back, and an aluminum floored storage under the back deck seat. I have a '98 60hp Merc tiller that I love. My plan was to eliminate as much clutter inside the boat as possible. My pnuematic drill was about to get a workout. I drilled out all the rivets holding the console and removed some topside aluminum as well.
I got busy in the last couple of days of November removing the console and other things. I discovered why the previous owner had given up. The backwash tray had separated from the transom allowing a whole bunch of water to enter the back of the boat whenever he shut her down. The factory plywood transom was also completely rotten.
The story...Another friend of mine had called me one day to let me know a customer of his asked him if he wanted a boat....FOR FREE! He doesn't fish and called me about it. After he described it, I told him to air up those tires and drag it home. It came with titles for the boat and the motor. I went over to have a look at it and it was a 15'5, 1980 "Traveler". Complete with a 12v 43lb Motor Guide foot control and a Humminbird LCR 4000 with ducer. I went over to have a look at it and it looked a lot like a Bass Tracker. Perhaps it was the predecessor to the Bass Tracker, just a guess. Anyway, I walked around it and just said, dang....dang....dang! They GAVE this to you??? He asked me what it was worth, I told him what the motor might sell for, the trolling motor, and even the Humminbird. I also told him that the guy he got it off of had most likely taken on more than he could handle. My friend had most of his guns in the pawn shop and wanted to get them out. I glady paid his pawn tickets, and hooked the thing up and hauled it over to my house.
The boat before pictures...
The first thing I did was connect a water hose to the motor, put some fresh gas in the tank, hooked it up to a battery. I turned the key and VARRRROOOOM. Fired right up! Ran ragged for about 30 secs then she smoothed out and idled like a sewing machine. I was happy. The last year the boat and motor had a legal sticker was back in '02.
After looking the thing over, I had to remove an interior aluminum plate on the transom prior to replacing the wood. The only way to remove the aluminum was to drill out all the rivets in one corner of the back of the boat to be able to pull it back for enough to slide the aluminum out. I did just that. Now the transom is accessible.
I them gutted the rest of what I wanted out for now. I want nothing interfering with a future "leak test". This way everything is still accessible.
She's now stripped of what she once had in her hayday.
After cleaning her up, I took it down to the carwash. I've fabricated a front live well for it and have it installed, but still need to create a drain for it.
I've built the new transom for it.
I used solid oak 1" x 12" along with oak plywood. The Oak will be strong, but will also want to crack, the oak plywood will give the solid oak strength from splitting and cracking. I used waterproof wood glue and plenty of 1 1/4" drywall screws. I then gave it two coats of commercial exterior gray primer. It's now ready to install, I've just been waiting for the right weather, and the time to do it.
I've been buy goodies for this boat for over a year now and recently have add 4 new Tempress High back Nav chairs, a Lowrance 520c, a Garmin gpsmap192c, and have two humminbird 300tx's in the wait. Ones a spare unless Jake buys it.
I hope you enjoy my progress, as well as my first post on this forum. I have no clue when I'll be able to get back into it, but plan to have it ready for it's rebirth voyage by the end of January.
Craig
This rig came with an aluminum console, aluminum sidewalls for the storage areas, two livewells in the back, and an aluminum floored storage under the back deck seat. I have a '98 60hp Merc tiller that I love. My plan was to eliminate as much clutter inside the boat as possible. My pnuematic drill was about to get a workout. I drilled out all the rivets holding the console and removed some topside aluminum as well.
I got busy in the last couple of days of November removing the console and other things. I discovered why the previous owner had given up. The backwash tray had separated from the transom allowing a whole bunch of water to enter the back of the boat whenever he shut her down. The factory plywood transom was also completely rotten.