1949 Aerocraft DD 14 aluminum

[Stratusair]

Hi all, forum nubie here. Couple questions for the aluminum boat folks. My son and I bought a (I think) a 1949 Aerocraft DD last fall as a project. We began striping the old paint but it quickly became too cold to finish that process, so will pick that up again early spring. In the meantime I'm going to make a few complimentary mods.... I know I can already hear some diehards groaning. It's simple stuff though like extending the bow deck back 10" or so then move the steering bulkhead to match. Also planning to add a seat back and small curved deck to the rear seat which will match the front seat. I'm considering adding stiffeners to the rear bulkhead incase I add extra horse power for tubing etc. Lastly I'm going to polish as much as practical. My back ground is aviation, both mechanical and pilot for decades. So with a name like Aerocraft and sheet aluminum and rivets, I'm right at home. My intention is to make all changes look and match original lines and good looks. I have scoured the other Aerocraft threads and seen some really cool restorations, but I'm missing some info.

1: original brochures discuss the aluminum skin as being .051 thick and non weldable. has anyone determined what type it is and is it clad or bare? I'm thinking it's 2024-T3 (because non weldable) not sure if it's alclad?

2: brochures list max H.P. @ 25. Will this plane out with that?...tubing? Have some people hung larger HP on them for those purposes? I'm leaning toward newer engines possibly a 4 stroke for quieter rides. I notice some of the 15 footers have some much more power while being only one foot longer.

3: Any wisdom you want to pass along my son and I appreciate. We have some initial pics on my old phone which we'll try to post or just take new ones.

Hopefully I'm posting in the right area. Thank you!

 

[GT1000000]

Re: 1949 Aerocraft DD 14 aluminum

Welcome to the Iboats dry dock...tin division
I am far from a tinny expert and know even less about old boats, but I would like to come aboard and see what develops and help out or just cheer you and your boy on, in any way I can...
The real tin-folk around these parts will chime in soon and give you a ton of good advice.
Best of luck and have fun!
GT1M

 

[Stratusair]

Re: 1949 Aerocraft DD 14 aluminum

Thanks GT1M, feel free to chime in anytime.

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: 1949 Aerocraft DD 14 aluminum

Hi all, forum nubie here. Couple questions for the aluminum boat folks. My son and I bought a (I think) a 1949 Aerocraft DD last fall as a project. We began striping the old paint but it quickly became too cold to finish that process, so will pick that up again early spring. In the meantime I'm going to make a few complimentary mods.... I know I can already hear some diehards groaning. It's simple stuff though like extending the bow deck back 10" or so then move the steering bulkhead to match. Also planning to add a seat back and small curved deck to the rear seat which will match the front seat. I'm considering adding stiffeners to the rear bulkhead incase I add extra horse power for tubing etc. Lastly I'm going to polish as much as practical. My back ground is aviation, both mechanical and pilot for decades. So with a name like Aerocraft and sheet aluminum and rivets, I'm right at home. My intention is to make all changes look and match original lines and good looks. I have scoured the other Aerocraft threads and seen some really cool restorations, but I'm missing some info.

1: original brochures discuss the aluminum skin as being .051 thick and non weldable. has anyone determined what type it is and is it clad or bare? I'm thinking it's 2024-T3 (because non weldable) not sure if it's alclad?

2: brochures list max H.P. @ 25. Will this plane out with that?...tubing? Have some people hung larger HP on them for those purposes? I'm leaning toward newer engines possibly a 4 stroke for quieter rides. I notice some of the 15 footers have some much more power while being only one foot longer.

3: Any wisdom you want to pass along my son and I appreciate. We have some initial pics on my old phone which we'll try to post or just take new ones.

Hopefully I'm posting in the right area. Thank you!

1) Beyond my scope, sorry.....

2) HP ratings were/are based on several factors.
Hopefully this guide will help you calculate the maximum amount of H.P. your boat can be insured for.

- This is to only be used as a guide.
- You can round your final HP number to the closest multiple of 5. (31 HP would round to 30 HP. 33 HP would round to 35 HP)


Step One - Compute your Factor

A. Length of Boat x Transom Width (measure in feet: 14, 15.5,16, etc).



Step Two - Compare your factor to H.P. rating

A. 0-35 = 3 hp
B. 36-39 = 5 hp
C. 40-42 = 7.5 hp
D. 43-45 = 10 hp
E. 46-52 = 15 hp



Step Three - If your factor is over 52 (Choose only A or B)

A. With Remote Steering (steering wheel) and at least 20" transom height

Maximum HP = (Your factor x 2) - 90

Example: 19' 6" long , 7 feet wide = (19.5 x 7 x 2) - 90 = 183 (Round up in multiples of 5. This boat's max is 185 hp).


B. With Tiller Steering (hand or extension) or less than 20" transom height (Choose only 1 or 2)

1. Flat bottom, or hard chined boats (hull has hard angles)

Max HP = (Your factor x 0.5) - 15

2. Soft chine, rounded hulls

Max HP = (Your factor x 0.8) - 25
​

If it's a 1949 DD, perhaps this info will be helpful:

Don't know how well it'll pull a tube, but that depends as much on the size of the tube & the tuber as it does the boat. W/ a larger tube & tuber, a 14ft'rs stern might be tugged around a bit if it's a soft or rounded chine hull.

Is your DD front or rear steer? Weight balance fore & aft will affect the way the hull planes. And the balance can be adjusted to allow for any of your changes, size of the fuel tank you want to carry and the number of people you'll be hauling around when you want the boat to plane.....

Welcome to iboats & good luck on your project.

Looking forward to seeing some pix...

 

[Stratusair]

Re: 1949 Aerocraft DD 14 aluminum

Thanks for the speedy reply jbcurt00. I ran the math using the formulas, somewhat subjective cause I have less than a twenty inch transom but do have remote steering. This rounds to the 25 HP as listed in the brochure, slightly more if I convert to inches first then back to feet, cheating?
The boat appears to have had the helm originally at the back seat but somewhere along the way was switched to the front, better balance I assume. I plan to keep it at the front. I would like to hear what other barrel back owners have done with different HP and layout combinations. I'm wondering if I have to float it at my dock and add different weights (people), fuel tank etc. To see how it sits.
Cam (10 yr old son) and I just finished drilling out the 30 or 40 rivets that bond the front deck to the front bulkhead or dash if you will. I will get a pic of that. the plan is to add a new section of curved sheet by slipping the edge under the edge of the old sheet And drill reusing the old holes and existing bulkhead and buck new AN rivets. I'll then form a new bulkhead about 10 to 12 inches back which will become the new dash / helm. The goal is to have it look like it came from the factory that way.
Any recommendations on reusing the cable steering v.s. Updating to newer style? I wouldn't mind having the beautiful vintage boat with updated systems.
Thanks.

 

[kfa4303]

Re: 1949 Aerocraft DD 14 aluminum

Neat little boat! You can go either way with the steering. While there are modern conversion kits you could use, brand new cable & pulley systems are also readily available. I think half the fun of having an old boat is all the funky old tech. This may help.

Cable Steering Hardware

 

[Stratusair]

Re: 1949 Aerocraft DD 14 aluminum

Great link kfa4303. Agreed there is a coolness factor to the old steering systems that the new style lacks. Were going to keep an open mind for now.
I'm going to try to attach some pics from my phone now

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: 1949 Aerocraft DD 14 aluminum

I didn't ask before, but, why are you adding 10" to the fore deck/bow cover?

Currently, from your pix, it does appear that the 1 bench seat is fairly far from the dash. But before you commit to adding 10", you might consider finding (or reinstalling) a steering wheel. And sitting on the bench to see how the steering wheel's depth & the bench seat height fit you while at the helm.

I'd bet it's not as far as it appears.

 

[kfa4303]

Re: 1949 Aerocraft DD 14 aluminum

I love the covered bow. Are you going to paint it a separate color from the hull? It's like a floating Mini Copper. Glad the kids are getting in on the endless sanding, I mean "fun", too They should be able to drive it around the lake this summer with any luck.

 

[Stratusair]

Re: 1949 Aerocraft DD 14 aluminum

Ok, first couple pics show it with all hardware, lights, steering etc. Removed. We did try the forward seating with the wheel installed and the wheel was way to forward even for me. Cam had to sit on the forward edge of the seat and could barely reach with outstretched arms. So the choice was to move the whole front seat and center deck forward or extend the bow deck back. The seat really looks like it adds strength to the hull more than any other component in that area, also with the curve of the hull it would be tricky to modify the seat and center console to fit right. The easier choice ( I think ) is to extend the deck cover back and fab a new dash. Yes it will be the new Mini Cooper on our lake which is hilarious because that was my wife's previous car, well loved by us. But the plan is to polish and not paint at this point. You can see in two of the pics where we hit it quickly with the polisher on one side of the bow deck cover and one side of the console cover. Still needs paint stripper there and everywhere. I was just trying to get an idea what the material is and how the battle scars my look when polished. Personally I think the scratches and scars add to the testament of it's 65 years and I'm ok with them showing after polishing. Last couple pics show the row of rivets carefully drilled out and removed so we can reuse the same holes for the extension. Basic tools there, #30 (1/8 inch, close enough) drill bit, 1/8 punch and a center punch. Trick is not to drill all the way through the rivet, instead use the punch to snap off the head. This way the hole doesn't become enlarged. Square piece of scrap slid into seam just to show how the new sheet will slip in. Yes it's great to have helper or two!

 

[kfa4303]

Re: 1949 Aerocraft DD 14 aluminum

Shiny is good! Don't worry about the occasional dint or ding, that's what gives these old tinnies character.

 

[Jeler]

Re: 1949 Aerocraft DD 14 aluminum

Great looking older Aerocraft, looks like a fun project.
You might be able to find some use full information here also.

AeroCraft Boats

 

[Stratusair]

Re: 1949 Aerocraft DD 14 aluminum

Hey Jeler thanks for the link, good pics and info there. Thanks to kfa the mini cooper nickname is sticking within our family. Here is a pic of what we would like to do with the boat if possible.

 

[kfa4303]

Re: 1949 Aerocraft DD 14 aluminum

As long as you have a decent +20hp motor, you should be able to pull the kids without any problems. There are even some vids on youtube of teenagers skiing behind jon boats with little 15hp 2-strokes.

 

[Stratusair]

Re: 1949 Aerocraft DD 14 aluminum

That's a great idea. I think we'll check out some you tube vids and see what others are doing with similar size boat / HP combos.

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: 1949 Aerocraft DD 14 aluminum

My suggestion would be to either widen the bench top, via a piece of upholstered/padded Plywood or fashion some sort of seat that would place you closer to the helm. Extentending the Bow is a bit "Over Thinking" it IMHO. This Drawing illustrates my idea...

 

[Stratusair]

Re: 1949 Aerocraft DD 14 aluminum

Hi Woodonglass. I think your design wins in terms of time invested. I actually was thinking along those lines at first. You might be able to see in one of the pics that the center console and center deck serves as the seat "back" to the front seat. So I would have to build that out with the ply as well. Or at least a really thick back cushion. It might be tough to make that all look somewhat original? It's full on winter here so I have some time before the lake thaws out, plus I drilled out a whole row of rivets already, so I'm going to run with the deck extension for know. But... Feel free to say I told you so, later! Seriously though, all suggestions appreciated. Anyone venture a guess on the aluminum type yet?

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: 1949 Aerocraft DD 14 aluminum

I guess I'm confused...Is the helm going to be in the back of the center console as shown in the Pic, and as it was originally or are you wanting to move it to the bow dash?

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: 1949 Aerocraft DD 14 aluminum

I think this is the foreward dash:

In the bottom left corner you can just make out the former halo left behind something mounted to the dash.

It can't be seen in this pix:

Which is the rear steer dash. I think this boat's been used as both foreward steering & rear steer.....

And I think in his description earlier he mentions the center deck section (above & fore of the rear steer helm) would also have to be moved forward to compensate for the wider bench you proposed, because it's the helm's seat back.

 

[Stratusair]

Re: 1949 Aerocraft DD 14 aluminum

That's all correct. Originally helm at the rear seat, then sometime long ago moved to the front seat. Person must have had arms like Edward Longshanks. I'm planing to leave at the front seat for balance. Also have the steering cables set up for the front if we end up reusing.