1960's 14' aluminum sears restore

ChaseMaine

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Feb 8, 2011
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I just bought a 1960's 14' aluminum sears v-hull, it came with a 1969 25 hp johnson and trailer. I plan on documenting this project as I go and any help or input would be helpful because this is my first boat. My plans are to set it up like a bass boat, put a casting deck in the front and a floor through out the whole boat. Haven't decided on the final layout so any ideas are welcome. I will post pictures of the boat as soon as the weather gets better.
 

kfa4303

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Re: 1960's 14' aluminum sears restore

sounds like a perfect set up. the tin boat should be super rugged and easy to work on. no nasty chemicals to fool with like on fiberlass boats and the '69 25hp Johnson is a great motor and will easily push the boat along. you can replace the points condensers (i.e. tune up kit), impeller (waterpump), and get a carb kit for under $125-150 right here from iboats. there are tons of threads on in the johnson forum on how to bring the classics back to life. check the Top Secret and Sticky file at the top of the forum. as for your boat, there are tons of restorations/conversions of aluminum boats here and at aw siter called tinboats.net, which specializes in aluminum boat stuff. one key bit of info, before you start. don't ever use pressure treated wood on an aluminum boat as it will cause an adverse cehmical reaction with the aluminum hull and cause oxidation. good luck. keep us posted. we love pics.....
 

Bondo

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Re: 1960's 14' aluminum sears restore

My plans are to set it up like a bass boat, put a casting deck in the front and a floor through out the whole boat.

Ayuh,... Welcome Aboard,...

A word of Caution,...
Your tiny tinny has a rather low Weight Limit....
All of the deckin', 'n plywood yer puttin' in it, takes Away from any weight it can carry....
Don't go building yerself a boat that's Over-weight as soon as you step into it....
 

robert graham

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Re: 1960's 14' aluminum sears restore

What Bond-O said, and top-heavy/unstable, with wooden deck could cause boat to be tippy....don't want to get dumped in the creek trying to catch shrimp/bait...Good Luck!
 

ChaseMaine

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Re: 1960's 14' aluminum sears restore

Yeh I've been reading around theses forums for a while and have been getting alot of ideas, Do you think I should change the impeller and tune it up before I try to start it?
 

ChaseMaine

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Re: 1960's 14' aluminum sears restore

I've was thinking about the stableness of the boat with a deck in it but i'm not to worried its a pretty wide 14' footer and looking at the other boat mod posts I feel confident, Ill post pics soon but we just got 9" of snow!! I cant wait for spring
 

ChaseMaine

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Re: 1960's 14' aluminum sears restore

022.jpg



Any ideas on how I should fix this?
http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m489/chasemaine1/024.jpg[/IMG


[IMG]http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m489/chasemaine1/025.jpg

028.jpg
 

ChaseMaine

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Re: 1960's 14' aluminum sears restore

024.jpg



When i said any ideas on how to fix this i meant this ^^^
 

ChaseMaine

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Re: 1960's 14' aluminum sears restore

Any ideas how to fix the eye hook with out damging even more?
 

Bob_VT

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Re: 1960's 14' aluminum sears restore

Easy stuff :) First get a new bow eye (I am partial to the dual shank) http://www.iboats.com/Attwood-Twin-...88500659--**********.494252642--view_id.48332

Mount it with a piece of aluminum plate (old street sign HINT HINT) and a block of hardwood. Remove the old eye and when you re-mount the new one...... mount the piece of aluminum (do not use steel unless it is stainless steel) inside the hull bent to match the bow curve and a good layer of 3m 5200 between the metal and the hull...... then the wooden piece and tighten it up.

The slight damage if any left on the outside of the hull in that spot can be repaired with gray marine tex or jb weld.

If it was in my yard (which also has significant snow ;)) I would use my angle grinder and just cut the old one off.
 

ChaseMaine

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Re: 1960's 14' aluminum sears restore

I know I didn't document my progress at all but I did end up finishing this boat and fished in it all last summer. I ended up removing the middle seat and decking the front and back of the boat, I added a rear compartment for the gas tank and battery. And added a cooler/compartment in the front deck. I had a blast building this boat and just bought another to clean up for the summer!
 

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rivermouse

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Re: 1960's 14' aluminum sears restore

I can say for sure that deep vs are tippy when they are that small. Standing up is not safe .
 

jigngrub

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Re: 1960's 14' aluminum sears restore

Neither one of those 2 small boats are deep V's, they're modified V's.

I'm not a fan of removing the factory benches of those small boats, it weakens them and will cause problems in the future.
 

ChaseMaine

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Re: 1960's 14' aluminum sears restore

The boat wasn't to tippy,less stable on the front deck than the rear. I didn't have a problem standing up in it but I was fishing on a pretty calm lake/pond. I wouldn't recommend standing if it was choppy out, than you might go overboard. As for removing the seat I definitely agree that it weakened the structure of the boat. I put a brace up front you can kind of see it in the pictures, and screwed the braces from the seats to the deck. I probably wouldn't remove another seat again, but Its a learning process
 

ChaseMaine

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Re: 1960's 14' aluminum sears restore

Oh and they are the same boat, just before and after pictures.
 

kfa4303

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Re: 1960's 14' aluminum sears restore

Good job Chase. I have a nearly identical set up (14' tinny with 20 hp Johnson). I agree that your boat should be/is pretty stable. My 14' semi-v runabout turned fishing boat has a casting deck up front that I installed and it's very stable. I stand up there all the time with no problems. I think having a bit of weight in the bow helps keep the nose down, especially when you're out alone and virtually all of the weight is aft. The deck also makes getting in/out at the dock much easier. Great job. Sounds like you've got the boat bug.

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