'75 Crestliner Admiral Restoration - Duck Boat

[wijohnson]

Well, I have finally pulled the trigger and purchased a boat to fix up for duck hunting open water on Green Bay. It is a 16' 1975 Crestliner Admiral. As far as I can tell, there were two models that year; a standard and a deluxe. I cannot tell which one I have as the stearing consol has been removed, thus removing the manufacture information. I was able to find a number on the stern, but I think that just identifies the hull. I do believe the 75 indicates that the boat is a 1975 model year.

I am going to gut it, clean it, and then figure out what to do next. I do have couple quick questions if anyone cares to help me out. First, apparently there are a couple pinhole sized leaks by the back bench and one rivet that is leaking. I am going to use Gluvit to seal them up. Do I have to get it down to bare aluminum first? Second, eventually I am going to paint the inside and out battleship grey. It seems to me that most people are interested in getting down to bare aluminum. Is that really necessary? Can I just scuff up the original paint with some sandpaper, prime it, then paint?

I was going to attach a few pictures to show what I have to work with, but I can't seem to get them to load. I'll work on that.

Thanks in advance for any help and suggestions.

Later,
wijohnson

 

[wijohnson]

Here is my second post.

 

[wijohnson]

And third.

 

[wijohnson]

Got it figured out.

 

[64osby]

Welcome to the site.

If the paint has good adhesion then you should scuff it and then prime and paint.

Looks like a nice hull.

Check the transom wood and replace if it is questionable.

Might look at replacing the foam and filling up those seat boxes as well as new foam under the floor. Gluvit works best on clean alum as I recall.

At this point the model doesn't really matter, you can make it as "Deluxe" as you want.

Have fun.

 

[wijohnson]

64osby,

Thanks for the information.

The paint does have good adhesion so I think I will just scuff, prime, and repaint. At any rate, that's a ways down the line.

I was planning on ripping out the foam in the seat boxes and then giving the inside a good scrub next.

Then I have to get it in the water and check out what I have for leaks, their locations, and how severe they are.

After that, I'll rip out the transom because the wood is in so-so shape.

I'll post as I finish these tasks and let you know how things are going.

Later,
wijohnson

 

[wijohnson]

No Title

Made some headway on the boat today. Took advantage of the nice weather before our potential snow storm. Wondering if I should reuse the old non waterlogged foam or put something else in its place when I redo the seats. If something else, what? Suggestions? The last picture is of the boat scrubbed up and ready to go for a water test. That probably won't happen for a while. I saw no water dripping from under the boat as I was washing it out today. Good sign, I think. Later, wijohnson

 

[wijohnson]

No Title

Well, the weather has not cooperated lately for a water run to check for leaks. I do have a container of Gluvit waiting in the wings however.

I moved my boat over to my buddy's house and decided to move ahead and get the decking and seat tops measured and cut out. We decided to forego putting floatation back in the seat boxes because we are going to use them for storage. The entire front and back seat tops will be hinged to open. I'll post pictures when I get around to completing that part of the project.

Nothing is screwed/bolted down yet. I need to be able to remove it all for the water test which will hopefully happen next week.

I just have to say it was nice having a couple of hunting buddies helping with the boat today. Lots of ideas being thrown around, which will make for a nicer boat in the end.

Later,
wijohnson

 

[jbcurt00]

I'd:d suggest you reconsider putting the flotation foam back in the seats and since you:re putting a deck (floor) in, foam below it too.

That isnt pressure treated pluwwod you used for the deck is it?

 

[wijohnson]

We did use pressure treated plywood for the decking. I know that is not considered the best for decking, but based on my budget and the fact that it's going to be a duck hunting boat, that's the way I decided to go. What are the drawbacks to using pressure-treated plywood?

As far as the flotation goes, I have been pondering the decision to turn those into storage. I have read from others on the forums that if you are diligent in your safety precautions you can get by without putting flotation in. Obviously, the best idea is to have it in there, but I need storage too.

Thanks for posting and let me know your thoughts.

Later,
wijohnson

 

[64osby]

Pt wood will leach chemicals that will eat your hull.

 

[classiccat]

Thanks for posting and let me know your thoughts.

Later,
wijohnson

Welcome to the forum :welcome:

You found yourself a really nice hull! :thumb:

It's a bummer you didn't come here sooner; that PT deck would likely be a death sentence for it.

I've seen it 1st hand eat a hole almost completely through a buddy's transom skin in less than 1 season of use (motor pad).

 

[wijohnson]

Thanks for the information on the pressure-treated plywood. I must have read the other posts wrong about it being okay to use that as decking material.

I'm just going to throw an idea out there. Once the pressure-treated plywood dries and I can paint it, if I put a rubber membrane on the stringers that go across, do you think that will that prevent the chemicals from the pressure-treated plywood from eating away at the stringers/hull?

It's not that I'm being stubborn, I just don't want to waste the money if I don't have to. At the same time, I know that anything worth doing, is worth doing right the first time (to late for that already...but...).

If I do replace it, is AB Marine Plywood what I should put on there or can I buy regular plywood since it's going to be painted anyway?

Thanks again for the help and I look forward to hearing back from you, or from new people who have an opinion.

Later,
wijohnson

 

[jbcurt00]

Storage in the benches wont keep the boat afloat.

They're called Accidents for a reason, diligent safety precautions or not. Ask those left behind when a boat went down WITH flotation foam over the weekend, and only 1 of 2 aboard barely survived, if they think the survivor would have preferred to have extra storage instead of flotation foam.

But, yep, its yours to do as you think best.

If you need more room to store stuff, buy a bigger boat.

 

[classiccat]

Thanks for the information on the pressure-treated plywood. I must have read the other posts wrong about it being okay to use that as decking material.

I'm just going to throw an idea out there. Once the pressure-treated plywood dries and I can paint it, if I put a rubber membrane on the stringers that go across, do you think that will that prevent the chemicals from the pressure-treated plywood from eating away at the stringers/hull?

It's not that I'm being stubborn, I just don't want to waste the money if I don't have to. At the same time, I know that anything worth doing, is worth doing right the first time (to late for that already...but...).

If I do replace it, is AB Marine Plywood what I should put on there or can I buy regular plywood since it's going to be painted anyway?

Thanks again for the help and I look forward to hearing back from you, or from new people who have an opinion.

Later,
wijohnson

It it were mine and I were on a tight budget, I would bite the bullet, lick my wounds & rip that PT stuff out. Use it to cover a wood pile or something :lol:

You don't have to buy Marine PLY...that's big bucks. Exterior PLY is fine for decking...probably have a similar cost as to trying to band-aid the current situation.

 

[wijohnson]

Storage in the benches wont keep the boat afloat.

They're called Accidents for a reason, diligent safety precautions or not. Ask those left behind when a boat went down WITH flotation foam over the weekend, and only 1 of 2 aboard barely survived, if they think the survivor would have preferred to have extra storage instead of flotation foam.

But, yep, its yours to do as you think best.

If you need more room to store stuff, buy a bigger boat.

I hear what you're saying. It's a good point. Thanks.

Later,
wijohnson

 

[wijohnson]

It it were mine and I were on a tight budget, I would bite the bullet, lick my wounds & rip that PT stuff out. Use it to cover a wood pile or something :lol:

You don't have to buy Marine PLY...that's big bucks. Exterior PLY is fine for decking...probably have a similar cost as to trying to band-aid the current situation.

I'd rather not "band-aid" it. So unless I hear objections from others about exterior plywood, I'll probably go that route.

Should I treat it (if so, with what?) and then paint it, or just paint it?

Later,
wijohnson

 

[classiccat]

I'd rather not "band-aid" it. So unless I hear objections from others about exterior plywood, I'll probably go that route.

Should I treat it (if so, with what?) and then paint it, or just paint it?

Later,
wijohnson

PLY for your aluminum boat can be treated in a number of ways depending on what you're willing to spend/expend:

$$$$ Epoxy & fiberglass cloth (bomb-proof)
$$$ Epoxy Only
$$ (1) Spar Varnish + (1) Boiled Linseed Oil + (2) Mineral Spirits (WOG's Old Timer's Formula)
$ Spar Varnish

Also, here's a pretty extensive collection of aluminum boat restorations: Starcraft Rebuilds and Restorations.

 

[wijohnson]

Well, we decided to remove the pressure treated plywood and put in three-quarter inch exterior plywood. Our plan will be to spar varnish it sometime in the near future, prime it, then paint it. I think that should seal it enough for a handful of years.

In the meantime, we need to remove the decking so we can get this hull in the water and see if and/or where it is leaking. I will post the results after we do the water test.

Thanks again for the information about the pressure treated plywood leaching into the aluminum and possibly wrecking the hull. That was very helpful.

Later,
wijohnson

 

[classiccat]

lookin' good! :thumb:

Your hull is smiling.

You have a ton of workspace. What motor will you be pushing her with?