12' 1960s AeroCraft restoration

[jcsercsa]

Re: 12' 1960s AeroCraft restoration

Hey thanks John Have you put up the glastron for the deep freeze yet?

That photo is from that one day last week we had where it was in the mid-60s with no wind at all...what a day I just got some more gas mixed up for the '55 Johnson to sip on so I will be out a few more times before the lakes freeze.

I will make sure to check out your pics too! Michigan is still an attractive state in most places LOL

Yep she in the garage now !! Got a little work I want to get done on her!! I will post here soon !!

Ohh yea the colors are great !! yea in most places !! lol

If my leg wouldnt have froze I would still be going!!

post some more pics when you do go again !!! john

 

[Huron Angler]

Re: 12' 1960s AeroCraft restoration

Another photo from last week...I'm going to try to get out today if the rain holds off. I need to wet some lines before the deep freeze and deer season takes up all my weekend time

Also need to move ALL the stuff out of my garage so that the 16' SS will fit. Not a small job, but it is a labor of love

 

[jcsercsa]

Re: 12' 1960s AeroCraft restoration

Red sky at night sailors delight !!! cool huron !! I will post mine here tue !! John

 

[Huron Angler]

Re: 12' 1960s AeroCraft restoration

Just wanted to give an update...the 12' rig is stripped of all wood including the transom and is flipped like a turtle shell on the trailer out back amongst some evergreen trees.

I now have three trailers for this little boat I'm going be using one that I traded for that has splashguards, sits nice and low, great leaf suspension and perfect size for a 12' tinny.

It's at my girlfriend's grandfather's farm and as soon as it warms up I'll be spending a day rebuilding the bunks and getting it squared away.

I will be keeping this boat and while I'm working on my Starcraft I can still be on the water this spring

The 5.5hp Johnson will be my kicker for the 16' boat too, but I'll be switching it to "The Loon" whenever we need it for our shallow water spots as well.

 

[PaulyV]

Re: 12' 1960s AeroCraft restoration

HA Just read this whole thread...Great 12'tinny. I have 12' 1961 sc sea scamp so i hear ya about getting to the hard to reach areas noone knows about. I really like the stained wood...and the look of your sons face as he spends that quality time with Dad. Fishing w/ Family = fond memories!

Great work!

 

[Huron Angler]

Re: 12' 1960s AeroCraft restoration

HA Just read this whole thread...Great 12'tinny. I have 12' 1961 sc sea scamp so i hear ya about getting to the hard to reach areas noone knows about. I really like the stained wood...and the look of your sons face as he spends that quality time with Dad. Fishing w/ Family = fond memories!

Great work!

Thanks for the kind words Pauly...it is great to get the little ones out on the water. My oldest son(4) is always ready to get out on the boat when I ask him

BTW...didn't know you have two Starcrafts! That puts you in elite company with wrfalpacas and North Beach

I think Chinewalker might own three

 

[PaulyV]

Re: 12' 1960s AeroCraft restoration

heres the little rig..an a few pics that prove it catches fish..thanks for the hi jack

By paulyv, shot with KODAK Z650 ZOOM DIGITAL CAMERA at 2010-02-10

Opening day..19.5" 4#..the lure was a piece of copper my grandfather made!

By paulyv, shot with KODAK Z650 ZOOM DIGITAL CAMERA at 2010-02-10

My Dad..love his smile..

By paulyv, shot with BlackBerry 8350i at 2010-02-10

 

[Huron Angler]

Re: 12' 1960s AeroCraft restoration

Nice pics Pauly Those little boats can be tons of fun and cheap to own and operate. I will never get rid of my AeroCraft.

Is that a 9.9hp Johnnyrude? I like the low-profile OB's for fishing

 

[PaulyV]

Re: 12' 1960s AeroCraft restoration

Thats a 6hp Johnny..early 70's. My motor of choice is the 1956 7.5 Rude..it planes the boat in no time and trolls all day long...the 6 hp just barely planes depends on weight distribution.
After reading your thread tryin to find the little merc..I may sell both of mine and look for a merc kicker for the SS.

My dad has a 15 HP 1956 Johnny...He built a kit boat back in late 50's. They use to ski with that motor. That 15 FLIES on the 12'..but its too much weight with gas cans and the motor and my 190lbs all in back!!:redface:

My fav lake around here has an 8hp limit from memorial day to labor day, so unfortunately..i will only get to stare at the 15 in my garage.

 

[Huron Angler]

Re: 12' 1960s AeroCraft restoration

Thats a 6hp Johnny..early 70's. My motor of choice is the 1956 7.5 Rude..it planes the boat in no time and trolls all day long...the 6 hp just barely planes depends on weight distribution.
After reading your thread tryin to find the little merc..I may sell both of mine and look for a merc kicker for the SS.

My dad has a 15 HP 1956 Johnny...He built a kit boat back in late 50's. They use to ski with that motor. That 15 FLIES on the 12'..but its too much weight with gas cans and the motor and my 190lbs all in back!!:redface:

My fav lake around here has an 8hp limit from memorial day to labor day, so unfortunately..i will only get to stare at the 15 in my garage.

My 12' is rated for 7.5 and I'm gonna paint it blue and grey, so I'd love to have a 7.5 'Rude on her someday. Those old OMC outboards are so easy to deal with and reliable that I'd like to have a complete set from 3hp right up to 25hp

 

[PaulyV]

Re: 12' 1960s AeroCraft restoration

Ok..Ok..ya got me...I am very very PRO JohnnyRude. I am a bit nervous about runnin the 70 hp merc. Growing up they never seemed to be as reliable as JohnnyRude. (my paranoia) I haven't really looked at the insides of the Merc, but I know what makes the JohhnyRudes tik.

 

[Huron Angler]

Re: 12' 1960s AeroCraft restoration

Time to dust off this old thread and get the project completed. Here she is after her winter slumber. Still dirty from last fall's fishing and all the wood removed.

This will be the last time we see her on this rickety old box trailer(it's about time) and her new wheels will be perfect. The new trailer is 40 minutes away at the farm and I'll be picking it up in a week or two. I can't wait.

I'm going to give my $50 trailer that I bought for this boat to my buddy. His trailer broke in october on the last trip of the season. When I say broke I mean it broke in half and we barely got it home.

She's gotta be jealous of all the attention that the Starcraft's been getting so I decided to give her all new aluminum rivets on her bow cap. I'm hooked on this rivet gun, fun stuff.

 

[Huron Angler]

Re: 12' 1960s AeroCraft restoration

We took her out yesterday on the river and had a great first run of the year. I bolted on the transom for the excursion but I plan on building a new one this spring.

The stain/sealer I used really doesn't cut it. I will epoxy the new plywood and paint it grey when I paint the boat. I'm going with a much larger interior piece that will provide plenty of strength for the old girl.

The new transom will be bolted with stainless and 5200 so I will no longer be removing it

Can't wait to get the new trailer, launching and retrieving will be much easier since the boat will sit much lower and float in shallower water. I launch this little rig where there are no docks or paved anything so this is a good thing.

The little 5.5hp ran like a champ

 

[PaulyV]

Re: 12' 1960s AeroCraft restoration

ohhh new rivets..spreadin the love.. Good to hear you were out on the water..i'm jealous..

 

[Huron Angler]

Re: 12' 1960s AeroCraft restoration

This is the new exterior transom piece. It's 3/4" ply and I will be applying two or three layers of epoxy resin before painting it to match the boat.

I rounded the bottom corners to follow the lines of the bottom of the hull and the '55 Johnson cowling. It's much thicker than the original piece that was probably 1/2".

This is a shot of both transom pieces. I will be redoing the interior piece since I failed at my attempt to make it cover all six bolts by about 1/16":redface:

The new piece will be similar but won't have the same V shape to it.

 

[Huron Angler]

Re: 12' 1960s AeroCraft restoration

The little AeroCraft got a coat of gluvit on the exterior rivets and seams, since I had some leftover after coating the interior of my Starcraft(don't tell her that).

I was able to get both boats inside for the night...didn't want the gluvit to get hit by the inevitable spring dew and get thinned out.

We have still been getting frost on our windshields in the morning(those of us who park our boats in the garage) so it is nice to keep warm after the gluvit.

 

[Huron Angler]

Re: 12' 1960s AeroCraft restoration

Well i know she doesn't look like much right now...but this old trailer is gonna be perfect for my little tin can once we're done with her

We've got a pair of brand new 13" tires to throw on...some new bunks and maybe a couple new keel rollers, new light kit and we're on our way.

It's also gonna be sprayed with a black paint that is great for coating rusty steel and preventing it's spread.

We might have to drop the cross beams below rather than above the tongue to ensure that the boat will sit as low as possible, best for easy launching and aerodynamics on the road

 

[wrfalpacas]

Re: 12' 1960s AeroCraft restoration

HA,

I am all about those aerodynamics BTW Both My Wife and I have been getting plenty of frost on the winshields while the boat is nice and toasty

 

[Huron Angler]

Re: 12' 1960s AeroCraft restoration

Well I spent this past weekend wrestling with trailers

I got my cheapo $50 trailer all ready to sell for $150 on friday and then discovered that a bearing is completely shot

So my grandfather-in-law volunteered to have his parts guy locate the proper bearings. We thought we may have to weld on a new axle but then he was able to find the #'s on the part

Part II.

On sunday we drove down to the farm for easter egg hunts and ham

I spent the bulk of the day rebuilding my other trailer I scored for $50. After muscling the rusty old bolts off using "quick creep" I got the horizontal beams lowered below the axle so my tinny sits lower.

I got the winch stand mounted(wow this trailer is fancy), self-centering keel rollers bolted on with old bolts and new washers, well ok some new bolts too.

Then I realized that a bearing was shot on this trailer as well(see a trend?)...grease is cheaper than new bearings but that is too much for some people to handle apparently.

I will be getting a new bearing for this wheel hopefully on wednesday. My fishing buddy helped me set the AeroCraft on last night and we got all the bunks, rollers and guides adjusted to fit the old rig.

This trailer has leaf-spring and shocks so she pulls like santa's sleigh on fresh powder. I will be buying a new light kit and license plate and hopefully wire brush and paint soon.

I keep telling myself that I will not be doing this work again once its done right to keep me on task. I am starting to hate trailers with a passion

 

[wrfalpacas]

Re: 12' 1960s AeroCraft restoration

This trailer has leaf-spring and shocks so she pulls like santa's sleigh on fresh powder.

Only someone from Michigan would come up with an analogy like this