My 1985 PolarKraft 1440 Restore

[dixie_boysles]

Note: All the info below I am copying off of another forum I'm on, so if timeline doesnt seem right, thats why...lol)

Finally posting pics of the jon boat I bouhgt last September. Its not pretty, but its NICE. its a 14'40" (wider than most) Polar Craft Flat Bottom Jon boat on a 16' Cox Breakaway (it can hinge to load off of hilly ramps). The trailer has new tires and wheels on it.

It has a welded spot on the front on the bottom. looks like a big puddle of weld. Me and the fiance took it out last Sat. and it leaked right there out of a TINY pin hole. we just took bubble gum and plugged it (We didnt have anything else and i wasnt about to load it back up and call it quits for the day). we fished for three hours without a drop of water coming in right there. i have to say i bought a NICE boat. It doesnt have any problems with it anywhere else ! its a good heavy duty thick guage aluminum jon boat!

when im finished with it it wont even look like the same boat! im going to paint it with Parker Coatings Duck Boat paint in Bay Grey (Cabelas carries it, but im ordering directly from company)

on to the pics, like i said it aint purdee (YET), but is nice:

http://i694.photobucket.com/albums/vv308/dixie_boysles/Pictures1001.jpg

http://i694.photobucket.com/albums/vv308/dixie_boysles/Pictures1002.jpg

http://i694.photobucket.com/albums/vv308/dixie_boysles/Pictures1004.jpg

http://i694.photobucket.com/albums/vv308/dixie_boysles/Pictures1006.jpg

http://i694.photobucket.com/albums/vv308/dixie_boysles/Pictures1005.jpg

 

[dixie_boysles]

Re: My 1985 PolarKraft 1440 Restore

UPDATE:

Took the boat and trailer over to my Papa's house yesterday about 12:00. i need to work on the boat trailer some. Evidentally, someone had jacknifed it somewhere down the line (its a 75' model trailer, in great shape though) and the tongue was bent at about a 15 degree angle. i finally notives it when i could see one fender really good and not the other! The trailer is a Cox trailer that can hinge to make it easier to offload. so the tounge was easily removable. we took it and put it on a 20 ton press, no luch with that tubing! so we took a portaband saw and cut three sides of it and straightened it outthen welded the 1/4' gap it left! We also fixed my saftey chains bu putting new clips on them and grinding them off the trailer cause someone had redneck engineered them. they WERE welded on the top right behind the ball goes; however only one chain was, the other one was bolted on to that. so we welded them on eacch side of the tongue. we also fixed the latch that holds the trailer from hinging up. its was all wrong as well. didnt get many pics bc we were so busy...but heres what i have...now all i have left with the trailer is to put some runners on the bottom and some guides on the side. then sand and paint trailer.

Here's Papa welding on safety chains:

http://i694.photobucket.com/albums/vv308/dixie_boysles/IMG00060.jpg

heres the trailer, you can see the ****ty runners is has now, heck even one is crroked! they're coming off SOON!

http://i694.photobucket.com/albums/vv308/dixie_boysles/IMG00061.jpg

Heres the revised saftey chain holder for the hinging part. its there incase the latch gives.

http://i694.photobucket.com/albums/vv308/dixie_boysles/IMG00062.jpg

heres what was done:

http://i694.photobucket.com/albums/vv308/dixie_boysles/trailermaitinance.jpg

(all this was done a few months ago, i am copying this from another forum im on)

 

[dixie_boysles]

Re: My 1985 PolarKraft 1440 Restore

Here is the paint Im using in Grey:

CLICKY

I'm gonna get it in Bay Grey and paint my boat and trailer with it! its 39.99 for it at Cabelas, but if you look on can, its says "Parker Coatings Inc", so I went to their site and its 32.99 there!

 

[dixie_boysles]

Re: My 1985 PolarKraft 1440 Restore

ok, got the spot grinded on and paint removed around it for welding today! There is also a lip on the front of the boat that was tore up so we cut that off and we're going to put a piece of aluminm angle there. We also removed two anchor tie downs because im going with new ones!

My buddy doing some grinding:

http://i694.photobucket.com/albums/vv308/dixie_boysles/SU1HMDAxNDAuanBn.jpg
Removing tiedowns:

http://i694.photobucket.com/albums/vv308/dixie_boysles/SU1HMDAxNDIuanBn.jpg

The spot in floor gining me so much trouble

http://i694.photobucket.com/albums/vv308/dixie_boysles/SU1HMDAxNDEuanBn.jpg

http://i694.photobucket.com/albums/vv308/dixie_boysles/SU1HMDAxNDMuanBn.jpg

It gets an aluminum plate welded to it today to strengen it as well as seat that area off.

then maybe i can start on some sanding and priming!

 

[dixie_boysles]

Re: My 1985 PolarKraft 1440 Restore

UPDATE:

Picked up some materials today.

-1 pack of 150 grit sandpaper
-2 fine grit (150 grit equiv) sponges
-1 tube of marine epoxy (to fill screw holes where thing have been mounted over the years.

Here is progress from yesterday:

Spot welded in floor awaiting aluminum plate for the other side of it

The other side of the spot baing grinded and cleaned for the new plate monday.

The trailer. I redid the bunks, but they are going to have to be Re-done. They are nowhere near tall enough because the boat hits front of trailer when loading. This time i will stack the 2x4s and extend them further up. Also, i have to pick up some 1x1 tubing to make some side bunks.

The trailer will also be painted using the same paint as the boat.

A leaky rivet, I guess ill hammer it together again and then put some kind of sealer around it (suggestions). i've never really fised them. I was told that i should just have them welded when i get that plate put on monday, but i dont know if i like that idea.

http://i694.photobucket.com/albums/vv308/dixie_boysles/IMG_0170.jpg

http://i694.photobucket.com/albums/vv308/dixie_boysles/IMG_0162.jpg

 

[dixie_boysles]

Re: My 1985 PolarKraft 1440 Restore

Feb 21 UPDATE:

I went this morning to work on boat some more. Started sanding at 10:30 am and didnt stop until 5:30 pm! I sanded the entire outside of the boat by hand with 150 grit sandpaper. Going today to sand the inside of the boat. Still undecided if i want to spot prime just where bare aluminum is, or just prime the entire thing :?: :? Also you can see where fishfinders have been mounted over the years...lol--there is a 2 1/2" by 2" rectange on the back with about 15 screw holes in it! I am going to have an aluminum plate welded to the back of that spot, then going to fill them in with marine epoxy. I also rebucked all the rivets up front with a sledgehammer on one side and hitting them with a regular hammer. I hope this helps some, but now have to decide if i want to have them welded or just use that marine epoxy around them as well. So many decisions! Also, you can see where i grinded off the sticker, they were really on there and even sticer remover wouldnt remove them---the grinder did! On to the pics, cant really tell its been sanded, but it has and now my arms are about to fall off.

.

^^one of the leaky rivets. You can tell its been hit and banged on before where its so depressed into the aluminum! What would ya'll guys do in this situation?

 

[dixie_boysles]

Re: My 1985 PolarKraft 1440 Restore

Picked up my boat stickers yesterday. Bought 4 Black Vinyl Die-Cut decals for $15.00 locally!! Everyone else want like $30 for the decals. Check out the name of the new boat. These are replacing the factory Polarkraft stickers


http://i694.photobucket.com/albums/vv308/dixie_boysles/SU1HMDAxNTYuanBn.jpg

They turned out great along with boat numbers

 

[dixie_boysles]

Re: My 1985 PolarKraft 1440 Restore

^^^Ok, this is all of my profress up to date. Today, going to try and finish sanding the inside of the boat and get some screw holes where things have been mounted filled with marine epoxy. Then it gets a good cleaning, then its ready for paint.

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: My 1985 PolarKraft 1440 Restore

Welcome to iBoats!!! Great little project you got going. There are a lot of posts on here for aluminum craft. You should do a search. One of the most mentioned products for painting an aluminum craft is Gluvit. You should check it out. It is not cheap but it is the premier product for sealing aluminum boats.

http://www.marinetex.com/gluvit.html



Good luck.

 

[dixie_boysles]

Re: My 1985 PolarKraft 1440 Restore

hey thanks man! yeah that is way to expesive for my blood, plus the boat wont leak when im done with it! It oly leaked a LITTLE bit, and it aint anything a dap of marine epoxy wont take care of. Thanks for the advice

 

[dixie_boysles]

Re: My 1985 PolarKraft 1440 Restore

alright, i picked up my flooring for the jon boat today! Its a bigass roadsign! No i didnt steal it, i bought it at local salvage yard...lol

I think this will be better than using plywood (ill neer have to replace it, thats for sure!)

Ill cover this in boat carpet and it will look awesome! I just have to get existing rivets out of it, clean it good, measure and cut and place in boat now!

 

[dixie_boysles]

Re: My 1985 PolarKraft 1440 Restore

UPDATE: 2/3/10

Got some more sanding done last night! Almost done with that crap! We also went ahead and cut out the middle bench to make even more room in the boat; I'm going to put a fixed pedistal in place of the bench with a swivel seat on it. I use AutoCad everyday, so at work today, im going to draw out my floor template with measurements i took last night and then transfer the template to some thin plastic sheets that we use for templates for granite. That way I can just trace it onto my sign and cut it out!

I'm a little ticked because when i was cutting out the becnh, we placed an old blanket down in the bottom so i wouldnt get bottom of boat dirty from my boots. Well, unknowing to me, the blanket had oil on it and got a little on the floor of boat. So now i have to sand that part again and make sure i clean it extremely well where the oil was!

 

[dixie_boysles]

Re: My 1985 PolarKraft 1440 Restore

UPDATE:

Me and my buddy got the support system for the metal floor im putting in. The boat ribs are not flat which poses problems when putting a flat floor in...lol. So I bought some 1x1 aluminum angle and ran it side to side capped on the ribs. It was still giving in the middle some (more than I liked) so i also put som vertical angle in to support the middle . The flooring system is very stout now! I am using a 3/16"-1/4" thick roadsing i bought at the local salvage yard for my floor. It is being covered in gray marine carpet i bought at Lowes. My friend there got me a deal on a remnant he had that was 8'-9 3/4" x 6' for $20!!! that is enought to do my middle floor, and back bench! I still need to buy about 10 more feet I think. on to the pics:

here you can see the vertical support in the floor, this made it VERY stout.

Also, where the floor butts up to the face of the back bench, there was no support, so i riveted some angle there to support there

 

[osborn159]

Re: My 1985 PolarKraft 1440 Restore

Dixie, good job, looks like this will be a fishing machine!!
that peice of angel on the rear bench to hold the floor may need a few more rivits if you get one of them corn feed fellas in there and he steps close to it it may pull them out.think id put 2 mor in each peice of angle to b safe,
are you gonna weld your braces and supports?, may be noisy if you dont at least tack them good. looks like you have the equip to do it anyway.
looks good, what motor you got for it???
good luck, D

 

[osborn159]

Re: My 1985 PolarKraft 1440 Restore

btw how far from asheboro, is mt airy, i hunt near asheboro.

 

[dixie_boysles]

Re: My 1985 PolarKraft 1440 Restore

Dixie, good job, looks like this will be a fishing machine!!
that peice of angel on the rear bench to hold the floor may need a few more rivits if you get one of them corn feed fellas in there and he steps close to it it may pull them out.think id put 2 mor in each peice of angle to b safe,
are you gonna weld your braces and supports?, may be noisy if you dont at least tack them good. looks like you have the equip to do it anyway.
looks good, what motor you got for it???
good luck, D

Thanks! I have a 50# thrust Minn Kota; no gas motor. most places i fish dont allow gas motors.

btw how far from asheboro, is mt airy, i hunt near asheboro.

1 1/2 hour away

 

[osborn159]

Re: My 1985 PolarKraft 1440 Restore

cool nice little electric, was just trying to get my NC bearings, curiosity you know?

 

[dixie_boysles]

Re: My 1985 PolarKraft 1440 Restore

Dixie, good job, looks like this will be a fishing machine!!
that peice of angel on the rear bench to hold the floor may need a few more rivits if you get one of them corn feed fellas in there and he steps close to it it may pull them out.think id put 2 mor in each peice of angle to b safe,
are you gonna weld your braces and supports?, may be noisy if you dont at least tack them good. looks like you have the equip to do it anyway.
looks good, what motor you got for it???
good luck, D

yeah...lol. I just talked to my boss and he has a 25 HP Mercry 2-stoke sitting in his garage not bieng used because he bought a new mercury last year. He said he will let me use it and possibly let me buy it down the road!

 

[dixie_boysles]

Re: My 1985 PolarKraft 1440 Restore

Saturday, me and the future father-in-law worked on the boat some more. We got a big step done! We got the floor and sides cut to size! That metal roadsign i bought now makes a nice floorboard! I have to cover it in boat carpet now that i have in my building. Also the sides that you see will be covered in boat carpet. The sign wasnt quite long enough, so we butted a trimming from the sign when we cut it up the the end we needed extedned and then put another peice under is and pop riveted it all together. Its VERY storong and will never rot!

i wanted to go with all metal floor, but i think im just gonna go ahead and make my front casting deck out of 3/4" plywood. I have to have a piece anyways to go on the back bench so that i can mount my swivel seat to it. Pretty much the whole inside of the boat will be carpeted except for the area behind the back bench. It sjust about ready for paint. I have to go this week to get some 1x1 alum. angle to frame the front deck.

^^^here you can see where we riveted it together

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: My 1985 PolarKraft 1440 Restore

Beautiful work. I really like to see people using the roadsign aluminum (my favorite stuff!)

I like the bracing for the decking too.

Had to remove your image codes ..... please keep the photos at 640 x 480 for size