Here goes nothin'... 16 ft aluminum Blue Fin, 1st timer!

EddyMoney

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Mar 24, 2016
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Well here we go... So, we've had this boat laying around up north for a while now, mostly collecting dust in our garage up north. My grandma bought it for the grandkids to use about 10 or so years ago, and it got a little action for a couple summers but for the past several years has sat around. Since my grandma's passing my dad has acquired ownership of the boat, and after pestering him for a little bit he has given me a green light as far as remodeling the boat goes.

I won't be able to work on the boat for a couple more months now until I finish school, but it should be a fun project to work on while making it a bit more aesthetically appealing and fishable/functioning. This is what I've come up with thus far as for the major undertakings for the boat:


1) Paint job - The camo needs to go. I believe the previous owner used it for duck hunting and thus went with the camouflage color (it actually works - me and my dad almost "lost" the boat one time - true story). I don't anticipate that I will be doing any duck hunting or spec-ops missions through swamps any time soon so I think I can go with a new scheme. (pics below)

2) Floor - the boat currently doesn't have any true structure of a floor, or it least any that I recall, and the one that does exist is basically just a number of random pieces of lumber laid in there. True flooring with some possible storage would go a long way.

​3) Seating - the current benches have been cut up and modified for storage purposes by the previous owner. Some of them are a bit flimsy, a little sharp, and overall unappealing and uncomfortable. One of them has accumulated a little bit of rust (I don't think this is the overall structure of the hull has but just underneath/inside the benches - I hope). In any event, I'd pretty much like to scrap the entire current assembly and start from scratch, which I think I'd have to do if I wanted to put in a true floor anyway. I'm not exactly sure what the future seating will look like - perhaps some legitimate seats, possibly some new benches, or possibly seats on benches.

There are a few other projects that need attention as well. The engine needs a little bit of work (I'm sort of considering that a separate project that will require special attention further down the road). It would be really cool to throw in a deck at some point. A legit steering unit would be fun too, but that may be well beyond my level of expertise here. On the positive side, the boat seems to be doing well structurally. We were able to take it out on the water last summer and I don't recall any problems with leaks, so that is a definite plus.

I'm not exactly sure what the order of operations will be here. The obvious first step seems the clean the boat as well as possible and remove any undesired existing components, but after that it seems like some people paint first, while others work on the interior construction first and paint last. So, I'll have to figure that out. I do intend on scrapping the entire interior and basically working from the ground up afterwards.


Anyhow, this should be fun! I'd like to iron out my plans and get a good feel for what I'm trying to do before I get started. I will gladly accept any help with this as I am pretty new to the whole process. I've searched the forums for a while now and have a feel for how I need to go about things, but could always use help with my train of thought or specific tasks. If you see an errors in my though process thus far, please feel free to help me!

I will upload some pics when I have a chance, sorry it's being a bit difficult at the moment.
 

EddyMoney

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Mar 24, 2016
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IMG_0696.JPG IMG_0697.JPGIMG_0699.JPG

Reposting of old photos
 

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EddyMoney

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Thanks TDF! Happy to be here.

​A couple more notes... We don't really know the exact model or year of the boat. The registration says that its a Blue Fin, which is pretty much our only piece of evidence for that as virtually everything in the boat has been painted over. I'm guessing its something like early 80s. If any part of this looks familiar to anyone feel free to let me know!

I'll try to get some more pics next time I'm up north.
 

Grub54891

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There should be a hull id plate someplace on the hull, normally the number is stamped, or a tag is riveted to the stern area just inside the transom. Most have the number on the outside of the transom up high on the stb side. The last 2 numbers are the year of mfg. If you have the title,( I hope you do) the number should be on that.
 

EddyMoney

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Mar 24, 2016
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There should be a hull id plate someplace on the hull, normally the number is stamped, or a tag is riveted to the stern area just inside the transom. Most have the number on the outside of the transom up high on the stb side. The last 2 numbers are the year of mfg. If you have the title,( I hope you do) the number should be on that.


Thanks for the advice, Grub.. My dad said the title doesn't specify the year/model, as funny as that may seem (it least that he is aware of). I will definitely take a closer look and see if I can find the ID plate somewhere. It's really not that big of a deal, but knowing that the previous owner made his share of modifications I wouldn't mind knowing what the boat looked like in its origin.


Thanks LRJ! Should be fun. It is a big boat as far as aluminum ones go, and there is a lot that I can do with it if I want.
 

EddyMoney

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Mar 24, 2016
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Just a quick question as I process some ideas... are there any major concerns that I should have with constructing a deck in a v hull like this? I've been hoping to put a small one in the front that would be near the current bench height.... but it seems like most true fishing boats have a flatter bottom, and are maybe a bit easier to stand on in the water. Just curious if anybody has any thoughts for how I go after this, or if I should at all. Obviously, if I'm not putting one in, it may change my plans a little bit...
 

Tnstratofam

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Aug 18, 2013
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One very important thing is no pressure treated wood any where in the boat. Marine grade plywood or exterior grade sealed with epoxy with a uv stabilizer, or Woodonglass old timers mix.

Also even though you don't like the bench seating I believe it provides structural support to the gunwales so if you remove them some type of support will need to be incorporated back into the deck design.

As to the deck whatever you decide remember as you raise the deck height you also raise the center of gravity making the boat less stable. I added a casting deck to the front of our Starcraft which is the height of the bow seating and when I'm standing there any rocking from the waves is amplified for me at the higher deck height.
 

jbcurt00

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Yep ^^^ to all that

Daves 16ft SS would also probably have more freeboard and beam then your utility style BlueFin Eddie, so its more stable then your BlueFin already.
 

Carpenter2486

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May 14, 2011
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should be a fun project, the aluminum 14 ft boats are a great time passer!
 

EddyMoney

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Mar 24, 2016
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Hey guys, so I'm finally back on the forum. I was able to go up north and retrieve the engine. We believe that it is about an '86 Mercury 20hp, but we don't know for sure. For various reasons I would like to remove the paint that is currently on the engine, see the original detailing and then possibly re-paint it. I was wondering if anybody has any experience doing this, or what is the best way to go about doing it? The top of the engine is a plastic cover with the majority of the rest being metal. ​I know that I have to be weary about damaging the plastic and can't use the same stripper as I do for the metal. Any thoughts, advice on my procedure/technique would be much appreciated!

engine_zps2g7tx8iq.JPG
 
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TruckDrivingFool

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I've seen anywhere from sanding smooth the gouges/chips in well adhered paint and repainting to to taking every nut/bolt/bit of hardware apart and sand blasting/wire brushing back to clean metal for a fresh start. It's all in how much time you want to invest.

From your pic and your stated goals it sounds like somewhat of the latter is the path you'll need to take to get the desired results. Keep in mid things like the LU don't need to be completely gutted but merely separated from the other housings and openings sealed (rags and tape) to get them sand blasted.
 

EddyMoney

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Hey guys, back on here for the first time in a while... still trying to get a handle for what I can do with this project and how to go about doing it. I think that the last month/half of summer might provide some fruitful work on this if it comes about. It could also stay in the hangar for another year so... we'll see. I'm hopeful something will work out!

Also even though you don't like the bench seating I believe it provides structural support to the gunwales so if you remove them some type of support will need to be incorporated back into the deck design.

As to the deck whatever you decide remember as you raise the deck height you also raise the center of gravity making the boat less stable. I added a casting deck to the front of our Starcraft which is the height of the bow seating and when I'm standing there any rocking from the waves is amplified for me at the higher deck height.

A couple of questions I have as this obviously restricts what I can and can't do and sets the direction of my project one way or another.

First and foremost, I would probably intend to leave the most front and back benches in the boat. Those are in great condition and I'm not sure if I necessarily see them interfering with the plans that I may have for the boat. I would remove the middle two definitely. Both were at one point modified for storage and walkability by the PO and I don't really love how they turned out, or it least their condition today.

With that being said, what exactly would mitigate the loss of structural support if I were to remove the benches? I do intend to put in a wooden floor, and actually pursue a project that looks a lot like this guys

Mod EDIT: link removed

(both with the deck and interior). Certainly the flooring should have a strong effect on the support overall, no?
 
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EddyMoney

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Mar 24, 2016
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I've seen anywhere from sanding smooth the gouges/chips in well adhered paint and repainting to to taking every nut/bolt/bit of hardware apart and sand blasting/wire brushing back to clean metal for a fresh start. It's all in how much time you want to invest.

From your pic and your stated goals it sounds like somewhat of the latter is the path you'll need to take to get the desired results. Keep in mid things like the LU don't need to be completely gutted but merely separated from the other housings and openings sealed (rags and tape) to get them sand blasted.

Not sure what you mean by the LU (ignorant boater over here). I have had a little bit of progress with this part of the project. I think what I will do in the long run is merely sand the majority of the motor, the bigger parts, and maybe sandblast part of the smaller ones/the parts that connect to the transom.
 

EddyMoney

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Mar 24, 2016
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LU = Lower unit

Thanks.

Here is what I intended to show in my last post. I believe that this guy's model best represents what I would like to do with my boat.

71C88F04-6EB5-4709-97F9-694DF0D6640E_zpsjahc0sgo.JPG 9F7AA25F-F73C-4380-9DFD-AFBB6B5C5043_zpsqcm6vae6.JPG 033E3059-70CC-4C2C-88DC-0FC780552C6C_zpsjfi5jw95.JPG 85D8E1C9-6000-47E5-8417-80FCEB71F794_zpszqshlupy.JPG E7D66D3E-0F5A-423F-8A25-7D4B64A8252B_zpss8t6d3i9.JPG 01BF916E-2E98-4E57-AC3E-F0AA01649C24_zpsuecwsavy.JPG

Ultimately, is this a wise undertaking with my boat? In my head this seems fairly simple (remodeling the interior of an aluminum boat, that is). I'm not asking for anyone to discourage me from doing this, BUT, you guys know well beyond what I do as to what these projects require...
 

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TruckDrivingFool

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That feller did a nice job of building a skeleton to replace the structure of the benches. You'll want to make sure you attach the hull sides to the skeleton to avoid flex cracks in the hull over time. I can't tell for sure from the pics but I think they accomplished this by tying in the original bench mounting tabs to the skeleton.
 
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