Unknown 1449 Total makeover

[Kinja]

I have fished this boat before, but it leaked pretty badly and I let it sit for a couple years. But now I have finally started making progress on upgrading it.



First was the removal of lots of dissimilar metals including a brass drain fitting in the bottom, rusted steel screws and bolts, some stainless bolts and two oar locks that seem to have been made of potmetal but installed with stainless bolts.

Next came sealing the bottom. I bucked all the below-the-waterline rivets and applied some West Systems G-flex where needed. There was also the problem of the hole left after removal of the brass drain.



DaleH gave me some advice about sealing it. I cut a circular piece of 5052 aluminum to fill the hole and two rectangular pieces, one for each side. I cleaned the inside and out with acetone and vinegar then primed it with Zinc Chromate primer. That was followed by Wet Systems' G-Flex and rivets to hold the entire ensemble together. It came out pretty decently I think.




A leak test showed that I still had a decent leak in the bow where there are a lot of rivets. I added some more G-flex there, and then a few days later I turned it back right-side up and noticed some old silicone sealant in that area. I cleaned all of it out and then poured some Gluvit in that area and let that set. A few days later yet another leak test proved that the boat no longer leaked at all. Yay!

I primed the entire exterior hull with self-etching primer then added a coat of another thick primer for which I cannot remember the name (it was one of those that you had to mix in hardener) followed by Sea Hawk Aluma Hawk paint. I then coated the upper outer hull with Wet Edge Top Side. I much prefer the new look.





Next comes the inside.

 

[Kinja]

When in the water, this boat will spend most of its time in inshore Florida Gulf waters (saltwater) with my wife and me aboard for fishing and scalloping (by snorkeling). I want to have a full deck with all the accoutrements needed for fishing and such. I plan to frame it up with aluminum angle (mostly 6061 1/8" inch thick, some 6063 1/16" inch thick) and deck it with 3/4" plywood and a livewell and hatches made from plastic bins such as the tough ones sold by Lowes/HD, with plywood covers. It will also have a center console. My plan is to go from this:



to something like this:




The next step is to start framing it up with the aluminum angle. That has yet to be started. I will reply here with more info/photos as I go.

It is not clear from the plan picture above that the floor just before the console is a lower deck/subfloor, and that the console, seat, floor is wider than I drew, but I think you get the idea.

 

[LDUBS]

I have a few questions purely out of curiosity.

It looks like you removed the drain. Are you going to put in a new one?

Are you going to remove the benches? If so, it seems the angle framing and deck could be designed to replace "structure" that would be lost.

I see that you are moving the gaso tank up in front of the live well. I wondered why not keep it in the normal place back behind the rear bench? I can see how the live well could add a lot of weight and wondered if that prompted you to move the gaso tank.

Snorkeling for scallops is something I've never done but it sounds like fun not to mention scallops are good eating. Are you going to mount some kind of ladder? Something I would like to do and I have seen some good ideas here on TB.

Anyway, I look forward to following your mod's.

 

[water bouy]

Before starting the work it might be a good idea to lay plywood on top of the benches and put in on the water see if it's stable at all.

 

[LDUBS]

Before starting the work it might be a good idea to lay plywood on top of the benches and put in on the water see if it's stable at all.

IMO, this is about the best advice you can get at this stage.

 

[Kinja]

That is a good point about trialing with loose plywood before going too far in changing the structure. I will do that, but first I need to replace the transom wood and then hang my old motor on there to get close to the loaded weight with the new Merc 20. I can do all of that without much fuss, so good idea!

I do not plan to add a drain, instead I will rely on a bilge pump or two and manual bailing should the need arise. The boat will be under cover when out of the water so it shouldn't get excess water in it. If I do end up removing the benches I am thinking just like you suggested that the framing should make up for the stiffening of the hull. I have the gas tank forward just to even out the weight. During the stability trial mentioned above I will determine if the tank should be in the stern instead. If so, I will just turn that forward area into another storage hatch.

Regarding the boarding ladder, I was thinking of going with one of the temporary/removable ones and just stowing it below when not needed.

Thanks for the questions and ideas!

 

[LDUBS]

"I do not plan to add a drain. . . . . "

Well, it is not something I would do. But, as the saying goes, each to their own.

On the positive side, you eliminate the problem of forgetting the plug at the ramp.

 

[Kinja]

"I do not plan to add a drain. . . . . "

Well, it is not something I would do. But, as the saying goes, each to their own.

On the positive side, you eliminate the problem of forgetting the plug at the ramp.

Thanks for the feedback. I will have to think about that drain - it would be nice to have one even if I don't use it that often.

 

[Kinja]

After pondering the input from you guys I have modified the plan. I think I like this better.

 

[Kinja]

I finally got around to doing the stability test today. I loaded up the boat, in the water, close to operating weight including the plywood decking and with two people standing up on the deck (not permanently attached yet) it was quite stable and should make for a good fishing platform. I will now proceed with the aluminum framing.

By the way, I did some more searching and I think this is a Sears boat, but that is as far as I could get.

 

[WV1951]

Depending on the spacing between you aluminum bracing/joists, 3/4" may be overkill. If spacing is close enough, lighter material may work and cut down on the weight.

 

[sunshine]

Check out the EVA foam for the decking (SeaDek knockoff) that you can find on amazon and ebay. I used it on my Lund build and am really really happy with it.

 

[RiverBottomOutdoors]

You need a drain plug if you're going to trailer it unless you plan on running your bilge pump traveling down the highway in a rainstorm....if the battery is dead or bilge pump has problems maybe your wife can ride in the boat down the highway with a bucket. :shock: If your boat fills with water on the highway, you become a safety hazard for all of motorists because of the increased weight on your trailer and tow vehicle and easily cause an unbalanced loading affect of the trailer. I have seen bilge pumps overwhelmed in rainstorms, it's common. The drain is also used to flush out the bilge in case of fuel leakage or even dirt/sand/mud.

 

[Jim]

following! :beer: We will add this to the list as it gets closer to completion.