16ft Lowes Boat

[GetJiggy]

I am restoring my old 16ft lowes boat and have made quite a bit of enhancements so far. I sanded down the old OD green manufactured paint and went with a Eurothane based paint which wasnt cheap for 2 quarts. I also decided to use 1"x11.5" thin steel tubing for platform support which is lighter than wood and would last longer. I would have went with aluminum but did not want to spend a fortune. Here are the pictures of what I have completed so far. I plan on installing a helm, 3.5 ft platform on the rear bench seat and spot lights on the platform for night gigging. If anyone has suggestions feel free to let me know.

 

[arks]

Re: 16ft Lowes Boat

First, Welcome to iboats! Please take a moment and fill out your profile so we know what part of the world you're from.

The steel framing won't last long if you boat in salt water. Even freshwater will corrode it if it stays wet. Protect it with a proper paint job. Also, anywhere the steel touches the aluminum you should add some type if insulation to prevent galvanic corrosion.

What kind of helm are you planning? I have a 14 foot Lowe BigJon with a small side console.

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: 16ft Lowes Boat

Welcome to iboats

What did you use to prime the aluminum?

Yes the steel tubing will create a battery effect and go into an accelerated galvanic reaction and I see you use pressure treated wood........ are you aware that the chemicals in the pressure treated wood will eat aluminum?

I can see based on the attention to detail real nice work however, we want to see it last.

 

[GetJiggy]

Re: 16ft Lowes Boat

Hey thanks for the information. I used an FP401 Acrylic Primer from ACME automotive refinishing. I dont plan on putting it in salt water and I will definately insulation to protect it but what would be the best kind of insulation for it?And I did not know the chemicals in the wood will eat aluminum. What kind of time frame would it take?

 

[cc190cc]

Re: 16ft Lowes Boat

Preassure treated will only eat aluminum if it gets wet with salt water. If you really are not going to put it in salt water i dont think it will be a prob, but if it does get salt water on it it will quickly destroy your boat.

Also, if you use regular ply wood sealed with epoxy, it will outlast preassure treated. Also if you ever plan on selling this to someone that may have it in salt water that would be crappy for the person buying. A general rule is to stay away from preasure treated in a aluminum boat.

Chad

 

[Jeep Man]

Re: 16ft Lowes Boat

Preassure treated will only eat aluminum if it gets wet with salt water. If you really are not going to put it in salt water i dont think it will be a prob, but if it does get salt water on it it will quickly destroy your boat.

Also, if you use regular ply wood sealed with epoxy, it will outlast preassure treated. Also if you ever plan on selling this to someone that may have it in salt water that would be crappy for the person buying. A general rule is to stay away from preasure treated in a aluminum boat.

Chad

This is NOT totally correct. Pressure treat will eat the aluminum without the help of salt water. You will likely see damage within a year or two. Also, resin does not bond well to PT wood

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: 16ft Lowes Boat

As per the MSDS on your primer....it did not contain any chromates at all ........ we can hope that the paint stays "stuck" on the aluminum.

Yes PT wood will effect aluminum fairly quickly...... and steel will too. Stainless steel fastener's or aluminum are the only metals to mix with an aluminum boat. I would suggest stripping out the PT wood and replacing it with exterior plywood (laminate a few pieces together) covered with CSM (chopped strand mat ......not the CSM you were just thinking of ) and fiberglass.

Ft Bragg.......

 

[GetJiggy]

Re: 16ft Lowes Boat

Hey guys thanks for all of the imput. I do not have the wood fastened down to the boat yet so I am just going to replace it,(all the wood was for the support to the steel tubing so it's not a big deal for me to take it out). Now would the poly wood work? I dont know the proper name of it but it's the fake wood that is mostly "composite", its a little more pricy but its worth it because I would like for it to last for a bit. I believe they sell them in 2x4 selections. Good thing I do have the pressure treated wood because the Bassat hound of mine is beggin for a dog house.

 

[GetJiggy]

Re: 16ft Lowes Boat

By the way I am using 1.5" aluminum fasteners with aluminum rivets. Now since I have aluminum fasteners to steel I take it that that will also corrode? if so I will replace the steel tubing with aluminum. It's only like 3 extra bucks to upgrade and I have more steel tubing than I needed so I will return those and get aluminum. I really do appreciate the advice because this is my first time im doing this, and a correction about the primer and paint, it wasnt eurothane but a one stage enamel primer and paint used for vehicles. I did a mix of 8 parts paint, 4 parts reducer/clear, and one part hardener. I was told that is a good mixture for aluminum because it is more flexible and will last a little longer because I didnt want to go to lowes and grab a bunch of spray paint because it would look terrible (so I think anyways)

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: 16ft Lowes Boat

Trust us.... forget the composite decking material and use exterior plywood

 

[GetJiggy]

Re: 16ft Lowes Boat

ok will do . And should I use some kind of protection measures for the plywood(for the floor)? And that will actually work out perfect because the plywood(support spacings) will even act as walls for the floor storage compartments. Im going to carpet it with 16 oz rubber back for the floor and if I protected the wood will the carpet adhesive/glue hold when I apply the carpet?

 

[ezmobee]

Re: 16ft Lowes Boat

Depends on how long you want it to last. In order of good to best:

Porch & floor paint
Epoxy resin
Epoxy or polyester resin & glass (polyester by iteself is no good)

And of the three will seal it up enough to keep your carpet glue from getting absorbed and the glue will adhere fine.

 

[GetJiggy]

Re: 16ft Lowes Boat

ok Gents,

Well I decided to go ahead and completely strip out the pt wood and steel tubing and went with non treated plywood and angled aluminum.

 

[ezmobee]

Re: 16ft Lowes Boat

Good deal. It would have been a shame to go to all the work and end up doing hull damage.

 

[arks]

Re: 16ft Lowes Boat

ok Gents,

Well I decided to go ahead and completely strip out the pt wood and steel tubing and went with non treated plywood and angled aluminum.

Good decision. Doing the job correctly will make it last much longer.
One other tip: no matter what you've heard, boats are not 'waterproof' and should not be left uncovered if stored outside.
Plan to protect your investment with some type of cover- even if it's just a plastic tarp.

 

[GetJiggy]

Re: 16ft Lowes Boat

Yes I agree, I keep it stored in my garage and I also will be geting a waterproof boat cover for when it does get left outside.

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: 16ft Lowes Boat

You will not regret the decision. Just keep the bow high and the plug out while parked

 

[GetJiggy]

Re: 16ft Lowes Boat

Ok,

Since my last post I have measured out the ply wood and cut to the proper length and I will be treating it today before I order the carpet and adhesive. Now as far as a live well what do you think would be the best for it? Meaning what should I actually use for a live well without going out to a Marine store and purchasing an expensive one?

 

[ezmobee]

Re: 16ft Lowes Boat

iboats member dozerII made a pretty sweet one out of a cooler. Check out this thread (scroll down close to the bottom) to see it http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=391548

 

[GetJiggy]

Re: 16ft Lowes Boat

Yeh I checked it out and its pretty cool. and I plan on carpeting the boat this weekend and would a simple advanced premium outdoor carpet adhesive do the job such as a HENRY 663. Its an outdoor carpet adhesive so I dont see why it wouldnt work... And its readily available at lowes.