1976 AeroCraft Fishmaster - Complete Restore

[jbcurt00]

Yep looks/sounds like a decent plan.

 

[UConnMRB]

Thanks for the replies guys. WOG, I think I would have to do a lot more cutting and working with smaller strips which would be a pain. I think your idea is the ideal one, but, if I am being honest with myself, I know that if I do the boards the way I outlined, there is no way they are all going to fit 100% snug to where water wouldnt be able to move under the foam. If I really wanted I could cut strips of halved garden hoses (saw that on here from someones gas tank) and put the foam on those. That would allow a little bit of clearance for water to run around the hull without losing a lot of foamable space.

 

[Woodonglass]

After I thought about it, I remembered that another iboats member layed his down flat and discovered that he had ample space for drainage so I think you'll find the same thing. Sorry for My SimpleMindedness!!!:facepalm:

 

[UConnMRB]

Hey guys (and girls). It has been a long crappy winter here in Connecticut. I swear it never got above 20 degrees and seemed to snow every other day. In November I was able to finish sanding the bottom inside of the hull. I am ready to check for leaking rivets/seams and finally get the Gluv-it down.

I know some people favor doing an "on the water" test for leaks, but I plan to just fill the boat with some water and test it that way, unless someone aggressively suggests otherwise. My question to y'all is, I have a few holes on the lower part of the transom (you can see on post #51, before I removed the transom) the largest being the hole for drainage. I am having a tough time figuring out the best way to plug those holes for the water test. I am leaning towards just using bolts and washers on each side with some silicone just to provide a temporary seal to stop water from getting out. Anyone have any better ways of doing it?

 

[Woodonglass]

Welcome Back!!! I'm pretty sure Ace Hardware will have bolts washer and rubber washers that'll do the trick.

 

[UConnMRB]

AHHH, didnt even think of rubber washers, thanks (as always) Wood

 

[Watermann]

Welcome back from the ice age!

For just doing a leak test I would use some Gorilla tape over the holes. It will hold more than long enough, just be sure to put it on the inside... :lol:

 

[Woodonglass]

Now That ^^^ IS a Great Idea!!!

 

[jbcurt00]

Gorilla duct tape is to typical duct tape what duct tape is to no name 'house branded' brand scotch-tape. Talk about stout and sticky, that stuff isn't messing around.

It'd probably be ok even from the outside over the bilge drain hole, but I'd still put it on the inside.

 

[UConnMRB]

I took watermann's advice and bought some gorilla tape. That stuff is legit. I taped up all holes below the water line and let the hose run for a good while until the boat was full to the waterline. The tape held pretty well, a small leak by the drain hole, but thats fine. All rivets are solid. I do, however, have some leaks by the seam where the transom skin meets the bottom of the full. I plan to use GluvIt (maybe coat it for the cost). Is there anything else I should do, know the seam leaks? I am wondering if the GluvIt is good enough to be a permanent fix. The only good news is that the transom does not go all the way down, so any water that comes in from that seam doesnt come in contact with wood and it will just trickle into the bilge.

 

[UConnMRB]

Do I need to remove all the rivets around the seam and completely remove the transom skin and then put some sort of sealant in between the bottom of the hull and the lip on the transom skin and then redo all the rivets (with 5200) and then GluvIt on the inside? Or will just Gluvit do the trick? I might just take it on the water for a water test to see how much actually comes in. Maybe if it is only a little bit, slowly, then I would feel comfortable with only GluvIt.

 

[Watermann]

No way on the rivet removal, it would end up worse and I believe the gluvit will work to seal up a trickle. Seams are the main reason gluvit is used because it's about all you can do to seal it up. Now if you have some loose or damaged rivets in that area where water was seeping then replace or rebuck them.

 

[UConnMRB]

Alright thanks. I guess worst case, after I gluvit and if it fails in a few years, that area is exposed so it would be easy to re-treat it.

 

[UConnMRB]

Hey guys, I havent updated in a bit, but I have been plugging along. I put JB weld on some of the corrosion spots on the inside of the hull. I made the mistake of leaving the JB Weld tubes in the garage, in 40 degree weather. That made the stuff really hard to mix and really hard to spread thin. I just slabbed in on there pretty thick and I am not too worried about it because it wont be seen. I still have a lot more to spackle on there and I have large tubes coming via Amazon.

I have a question regarding motor. I currently have a 35 HP evinrude Long shaft. The motor is a 1980, so it is not original from the boat. Are long shafts typically for transoms that, more or less, run straight across? The only reason I ask is, there is a guy locally who has a 70 HP 1977 Evinrude Short shaft. It runs and he wants $500 for it with controls. Sounds like a killer deal. I have no measured it yet, but, by the looks of it, would a short shaft work?

The transom (and the whole boat actually) looks similar to a lot of sea nymphs and starcrafts on this forum and I am wondering if any of you guys use short shafts on yours?

 

[UConnMRB]

Hmmm....just confirmed the transom is 20'' and a short or standard shaft is 15''....it appears this deal will not work out for me. I dont know if I feel skilled enough to modify the transom to use a short shaft. The guy is going to measure....here is the ad if anyone wants to give it a look. Looks like a standard shaft:

https://hartford.craigslist.org/bpo/4995347613.html

 

[Jeep Man]

You don't want to cut down the transom. It was designed for a long shaft so stick with a long shaft. It is now more of the norm for newer motors. Have you measured your transom BTW to confirm it requires a long shaft.