Rhyan Craft: Now BRINE CRAFT

[russ010]

good catch waterwings... but for some reason, I can only see 8 holes in your drawing... #-o

 

[bassboy1]

Waterwings is right. Those bolts are for the knee braces, and are there from the factory/very important. The only other option would be replacing the screws with long rivets (2 guys, and 2 small sledges are all that is need for those) if the flat head would be better than the bolt head.

For the console holes, go ahead and use whatever Russ010 mentioned. I don't usually recommend using something that dries hard in an aluminum boat repair, but since it isn't important/structural, and since you are anal about cosmetics, it would work just fine in this case.

For that gusset on each side of the transom, you may try getting a flapper disk on an angle grinder to grind that smoother, and use some sort of putty to fill in the low areas (as much as I don't like doing such like that - bondolike substances and boats never mix).
Or, another option is an aluminum abrasive disk on your angle grinder. You won't find these at Lowes/Home Depot. Do NOT use a standard abrasive, or any disk that has EVER ground on steel. A disk shattering at 10,000 RPM can happen with the first instance, and a thermite reaction (ever seen the Hindenburg episode of Mythbusters) with the second.
https://pro.woodworker.com/cgi-bin/FULLPRES.exe?PARTNUM=120-875&search=Abrasives - Detail&smode=

Waterwings, you wouldn't believe what I had to go through to find those stupid things. And, I have yet to find a cutoff disk, just a thick grinding one. But yes, you were right. :wink:

 

[Brine]

Thanks for the replies. I don't know if you can tell from the pictures, but those gussets were obviously pieced in by someone because the weld looks like poo and the pieces cut look like some hack job. Can I just cut them both out? Also, what do I repair the crack in the top of the transom? The same stuff as the gunwale?

 

[russ010]

I would use that aluminum epoxy... when that stuff cures - you can't break it. I blew a hole in a radiator in an old ford explorer a few years ago and used some of that stuff to fix it.. I drove another 5 hours after an hour cure and it held up. I think it's still going today, but not by me. I will NEVER buy another one of those POSs... (for those ford lovers out there, sorry... now the newer fords are not as bad (trucks) and the 250s are some of the best. Especially diesels)

 

[Brine]

What Have I Done??? :shock: I used to have a decent looking boat. :lol:

Well, I took out the decks yesterday and spent this morning cleaning out the boat. The front deck was actually 2 pieces of 3/4 which explains why it felt fairly solid up there. It was heavy too. The floor was 3/4 and sat on the ribs with foam underneath. The floor was a little soft, as I assume the bilge was not working correctly, and I think the boat was holding a fair amount of water at times. The rear deck (at the transom) was a mess. Obviously, water sat back here for a while. Unfortunately, you will have to take my word for it, because I didn't take a picture of what the boat looked like under the decks. I did notice that if you go to one of my previous pictures of the transom floor, you would see that where the drain is, the floor is completely black. After I removed the decks, I discovered about 1/2" of sludge on the floor back there. I spent roughly an hour scraping it out with a plastic putty knife. The rest of the floors were fairly nasty as well. Not sure how the boat could ever drain if it needed to, because of the amount of mud/foam pellet mortar that was in the channels. There was foam between the ribs on the floor that basically crumbled when I went to remove. When I got towards the back of the boat, there was about 1/4 piece of foam sticking out from under the livewell. The livewell was riveted on to the sides as well as the bench seat at the back. Knowing how much crud was under the deck, I had to remove the livewell to make sure it was clear of any obstructions and so I could see under it when it's time to test for leaks. Not sure If I just created more problems than solved tho....pics to follow.

Took the boat to the carwash with a bottle of Simple Green and 1 hr later, the boat is cleaner, but still looks dirty on the inside. Onto the pics and next series of questions.

1. What's the best product to clean the hull with at this stage? (sidenote-the livewell is removed from these pics) What's mainly left are stains in the aluminum where there was no paint. I plan on painting the whole boat eventually.

Here's how the livewell was situated before

Once Removed

Outside of Boat

Basically, once I removed the rivets that attached the livewell I was able to pull it out enough to allow clearance for my reciprocating saw to cut the two pipes. Cracked the weld on the outside of the boat in the process . Now that I've done that, I will have to figure out a way to either patch the holes, or replumb the livewell using the same holes.

The Bench behind the livewell appears to be full of the pellet foam. Sure would make a nice place to put a hatch or two for storage. What do you think?

Questions, Comments, Concerns all appreciated!

 

[russ010]

As far as cleaning the hull goes... if you are going to paint it, use a brillo pad... As far as the outside, use a sanding pad thats intertwined wire which you can get from Wal-Mart. It will scuff it up enough for your primer to adhere to.

As far as the rear bench - Cut out the top... Leave about an inch along the front and rear as a lip, and then on the sides it's best to make those cuts parallel with the floor.. Get rid of the foam unless you think you're going to flip the boat over - that's all it's good for anyways. Almost forgot.. If you put your seat back there, leave about a 15" wide platfor for your seat to go on. You can screw a piece of 3/4" ply over it to mount your seat to (always good to have a strong base there)

It looks good so far.. are you planning on using this in your first tourney in Feb??

 

[bassboy1]

That little bit of foam in those benches isn't going to float that if swamped. Pull it out, or it will end up in your bilge a few pieces at a time for a period of a few years. That pellet foam shouldn't be allowed in boats.

 

[Brine]

Thanks Russ/Bassboy.

Bassboy, as resident tinbender, what do you suggest about the holes on the side of the boat from the livewell. How should I replumb this, or should I?

I really don't understand the logic of why it was plumbed this way in the first place. There was a hose going out the back of the livewell, through the bench and then out the transom next to the drain, then these two (in the pics on the side). What Is the top one supposed to be an overflow? If so, it doesn't seem to leave enough water in the well. The holes are maybe 5" off center.

 

[Brine]

Also, where do I buy that black stripping to go aournd the opening of the livewell?

Does anyone have a better solution?

Thanks.

 

[Brine]

Brine the boat looks great so far. As far as plumbing the live well again. If you are going to reinstall it i would drill out the current holes to the size of a thru hull fitting and replum the hole thing. https://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10151_-1_10001_8029?cm_mmc=froogle-_-225-3-5-_--1-_-38-502-364-00&hvarAID=froogle&mr:trackingCode=FD957E21-11EB-DD11-80C2-001422107090&mr:referralID=NA
Something like that. That way you dont have to worry about the old fiting leaking. If you have more questions Id be more than happy to explain more in depth. Are you looking to use the livewell it sounds like you arent sure whether you want to install it again or not.
Joe

Thanks jirwin. Yes, I think I am going to reinstall it, I just don't understand the layout of the holes. The fittings you showed look like they will do the trick if they are the right size. I will have to measure and make sure they are bigger than the current hole. I thnk I will either need to grind the current welds flat or cut bigger holes for the plumbing or else nothing will screw down evenly/flush with the hull. Thanks for your help!

 

[russ010]

Also, where do I buy that black stripping to go aournd the opening of the livewell?

Does anyone have a better solution?

Thanks.

You can use automotive weather stripping... https://www.jcwhitney.com/-FLEXIBLE...MS/GP_2008663_N_111+10201+600003824_10101.jcw

 

[Brine]

Thanks again Russ, that looks good.

Does anyone know how to best split the weight in the boat for max hull speed? The electric only guys always stand at the front of their boats when making runs I assume to get the back of the boat as high as possible. Figured I would ask before I start planning out battery placement.

 

[bassboy1]

I had this issue when pulling a livewell out of an 18 foot Alumacraft bass boat sitting in the backyard awaiting restoration. I didn't follow yours to see what you were talking about, but here is how most went in the 80s. My Yazoo was the same way.

Basically, you have a pump at the transom, feeding a hose that leads to the top spray bar. You also have a drain in the bottom of the livewell, that goes through a hole, also to the transom. The third hose is a larger one, from the top, heading out the side. Supposedly, the way it worked is the drain is left open when fishing. That way, there is always a little water in the livewell at rest, so you can put a fish in water immediately. But, when you aren't carrying fish, it empties out as you get up on plane so you aren't carrying a load of water with no fish. When you put a fish in, you are to put the bottom plug in, and turn on the pump. This constantly puts lake water in through the spray bar, and it drains out the overflow. You just have to turn it off before making a run. Later on, and in the pricier bass boats of the time, they had a recirc. pump as well, so the fish get fresh oxygen on a long run.

The way the new ones work, is you have the same general setup as before. You have a pump filling it, with a spray bar, and an overflow. And, you have the same drain, but it has an electrically controlled valve on it. Lastly, you have an aerator. You set the valve (lever at the console) to "fill," and it shuts the valve on the drain, and sends lake water through the spray bar. When it is full, and you want to just recirculate, or you are going to make a run, you change to "recirc." This turns off the fill pump, and turns on the recirc pump, so you can give the fish fresh oxygen while running down the lake. When set to "empty," both pumps are off, and the electrically controlled valve is opened, allowing the livewell to drain on the trailer. Also, when you don't have fish in the livewell, with it set on "empty," it allows a small amount of water in the well while you are fishing, so you don't put the fish in a dry container.

Here, play around on this site.
https://www.flow-rite.com/marine/buildersguide.html?open_menu=1&sub_menu=1
Load the builder's guide, and click interactive system builder. Will give you everything you need to know about livewells.

 

[bassboy1]

Thanks again Russ, that looks good.

Does anyone know how to best split the weight in the boat for max hull speed? The electric only guys always stand at the front of their boats when making runs I assume to the back of the boat as high as possible. Figured I would ask before I start planning out battery placement.

They do that because they are too lazy to walk to the back. Not really. :lol:

Often, they do this because they want to maximize the thrust available on the boat. With outboards, we pull the bow motor up when making a run. But, they want to add that power to the "outboard." (transom mount motors). Thus, they have a switch for their transom motors in the bow, and they lock them straight. They use the bow one to steer. That way, all the power on the boat is used, and they still have a fishing motor in the bow.

Somewhere on Bassresource flukemaster posted something about battery placement. I didn't look to hard for it, but I didn't see it. He posted a long thread on his build of a 16 foot bass tracker into an electric only rig for another member about 2 years ago, and in that rig, I think the batteries are in the stern.

I can say from experience, that you don't want too much weight in the bow. You will spin around like a daggum lazy susan while trying to fish. I would say that since you lack an outboard, put your batteries astern, and your livewell just back of the middle, or vice versa.

On my 1542, with 2 batteries just forward of the middle, and 200 pounds of outboard and fuel in the stern, when I am fishing alone, it does seem to have a little more boat in the water in the bow. With 2 people in, with this same setup, it sits about level. If you are putting 4 or more batteries in, and have no outboard on the back, there is no way you would want them up front with you.

 

[Brine]

Had a chance to work on the boat today. Been busy filling holes with the aluminum epoxy. As far as using that stuff to fill screw holes below the waterline goes, I think I will be drilling them back out and using a rivet. Once I sanded it down I realized that the epoxy was roughly .09 x 5mm and I started thinking that I would prefer to have it sealed better. I guess if you put the epoxy in heavy and didn't sand it, it would seal better. You guys correct me if I'm wrong. Also spent some time on the wood at the transom. I decided to leave it and work with it rather than replace it, because the wood was fairly solid, and I didn't see a way of getting it out without taking out the braces that connect the bottom with the transom. After sanding and filling, I think I will be ok with it. Tomorrow I will sand the filler and put on spar varnish. Even after taking the boat to the spray car wash, it still has too much gunk on it for my liking, so I will be pressure washing it as soon as I have plugged all the holes and completed the leak test. Still got plenty to do before then.

Ok, I had mentioned cutting out the top of the rear bench. I need some more insight here. As a refresher, here is a pic before the deck was out.

Here it is after I removed the deck.

In the first pic, the pedestal in the back is actually not on top of any bracing. The decks were doubled up 3/4 ply. The seam on the piano hinge sat about 2" in from the edge of the back of the bench, and the pedestal was "floating" off the edge of the bench. I am going to cut into the bench to get out all that pellet foam, and am trying to figure out the best way to do this. If I don't mount the pedestal on top of the bench, would it be ok to cut out the entire top of the bench? maybe leaving a 3" lip around the whole thing? The bench is 56" long at the top, 42" at the bottom, and 20" wide. I'm wondering if I should leave some meat in the middle (have 2 cutouts instead of 1) for some rigidity.

Whaddaya think?

 

[bassboy1]

If I don't mount the pedestal on top of the bench, would it be ok to cut out the entire top of the bench? maybe leaving a 3" lip around the whole thing? The bench is 56" long at the top, 42" at the bottom, and 20" wide. I'm wondering if I should leave some meat in the middle (have 2 cutouts instead of 1) for some rigidity.

Whaddaya think?

Leaving a 2 - 3 inch lip around it would be adequate, and the divider in the middle would be all that much better. Plus, two separate hatches are great for organization's sake.

 

[switchback]

Looks good so far.

 

[russ010]

I cut the tops out of my bench, but I didn't put a pedestal or a bench on it... on the rear bench (which I haven't cut out... YET) I put a 3/4" ply so I would have some meat for the pedestal to go into. I didn't have a pin pedestal though... only one of those black ones with a pipe like you can get at wally world.

Good job so far - as far as the epoxy - I sanded the outside smooth, but when I put it on the hole, I extended it about an 1" all the way around the hole (inside and out). I haven't had any problems with it in the years I've been fishing the boat. I had bullet holes as well from where I shot a snake who was hiding under one of the benches

 

[Brine]

Ok, well I am finally getting around to post some pics of what I did last weekend. First thing I started on was the wood on the transom.

Started like this:

After Tear-Out, Some Wood Filler and Sanding:

Then 2 Coats of Spar Varnish:

Then those cruddy braces/weld job at the top of the transom...

Before:

After flapper disk and aluminum epoxy:
(This pic doesn't do the work any justice, but it turned out better than I thought as far as being smooth in person. I feel good about painting it now and it not looking so bad) Still a little more sanding left

I then moved to the rear bench and decided to cut out the seat a little smaller than will probably be the finished product, but my main goal was to get the foam out. WHAT A PAIN THAT IS! But after a few curse words, I got through it :lol: .

Before:

After:

Still haven't decided how to handle the livewell and would like to hear your thoughts. As you know (if you read earlier posts) when I removed the livewell, I cracked a weld as shown:

Per the advice from the board, I drilled a larger hole (1 1/4") and now am left with this:

Orginally, the livewell was positioned here:

I'm now considering moving it towards the bow to about here:

My thought is that by doing so, I have extended the stern deck about another foot or so and created more storage. Also, I could put both the "pump-in" pump here as well as mount the livewell aerator on the back of the livewell and have easy access to them both. This would require cutting new holes in the back of the livewell and patching the ones currently drilled on the side. Not sure how I would plumb the drain yet.

Either way, I now have (2) 1 1/4" holes cut in the side of the boat, which I think I will need to enlarge to 1 3/8" after looking at the "standard" size fittings. All of the pumps seem to be set up for 3/4" hose, so I will have to use some type of coupler on each one best I can figure. If anyone has any suggestions on this (livewell location and plumbing) I would appreciate it.

Also, I got to pop my first rivet! I like it. Don't have any after pics, but shot about 30 in areas around the inside of the boat to fix things like this:

I got a little rivet happy and forgot that if I ever want to use Gluv-it on the side of the boat behind that paneling, they will all have to be removed again. #-o

Lastly, here's a couple before and after pics of the outside of the transom.

Before:

After:

I know it was alot, but let me know your feedback on any part of it so far.

Thanks Again

 

[Hanr3]

Not sure its worth teh effrot to move teh livewell a foot. If you were moving it 3-4', that might be worth the effort of patching those holes.

nice work so far! =D>