1976 Tom Boy Boat, 1976 40 HP Johnson Outboard and who knows what Trailer

[sphelps]

Glad to here your BIL is doing well with recovery and your back must be feeling better with doing the yard work and all ...

 

[gm280]

Okay finally some pictures of progress. I had to make a decision today. The weather was really nice and I have tons of yard work to do, and of course the boat to finish as well. So I had to choose which one gets the attention this time. Well I decided to go with the boat and forego the yard work. So here is the run rails finished ready to be removed now.

I started with some really aged nicked up scratched up even bent up aluminum rails. I removed the insert and it was in pretty good condition and I will use it after it gets reworked as well. However, I wanted to polish up the rub rail itself before removing the rivets to finish both the inside and the outside of the hull. Then rivet it back on. And I guess I could have waited to clean the rail up after removing it. But I though while it was attached, it would offer some support to work them oven. I thought the rail would flop around more trying to sand and polish it while it was off the hull. :noidea: Well that is my plan anyway. Here are a few pictures of that effort...finally! :facepalm:
This is what I started with. Not very pretty, but I had hopes.

I honestly thought I could work all the scratches and dents and gouges out.

So I started out with a simple Dewalt random orbital sand using 60 grit disks. Yes that does seem course, but those are some serious issue to get out too. Headphones had to be worn because the hull worked as an amplifier and the noise was deafening.

I finished with the 60 grit and went to 120 grit and then 240, then 320, 400, 600, 800 and finally 1200. Not the funnest job I've ever done, but it was either try to clean there rails up, or buy new ones. The price of new ones will make you work a little harder some times.

As you can see, the aluminum gets smoother and more even the finer the grit. Off course that is what it is supposed to do.

This is a shot after sanding with 1200 grit. Not bad, but not what I was wanting yet either.

Now we are talking a very nice finish. This is after one pass using, Mother's Mag and Aluminum Polish. WOG suggested it and since I was at Wal-Mart, I thought what the heck. I did a section using Flitz polish and honestly, it is a toss up in my book. Both offered the same amazing finish.


I say pretty darn good from what I started with. And so now they are finished and I like them.

Until next time, Hope you all have a wonderful day... :thumb:

 

[Tnstratofam]

Super nice job there gm.:encouragement: I know that's not an easy job, but the results are amazing.

 

[sphelps]

Looks like new chrome !
And I know your glad its done .... :lol:

 

[Woodonglass]

Yup, I'd say Well worth the effort!!!:first:

 

[kcassells]

phfff! Wow! They realy turned out GREAT!:yo:

 

[gm280]

Ha, thanks guys. Yes I have to say it does look like chrome now. I started with some really questionable aluminum that had dents and so many deep gouges, that I honestly wasn't so sure everything would work out. But with a few ball peon hammering and of course sanding, they look better then anything I could have imagined.

I started with an angle grinder with a polishing pad. and while it was working, it was now the easiest to handle. So I swapped to the Makita variable speed polisher and that was 100 times easier to work with. And the rest is history now. YEA!

Now I can drill out all the rivets and remove the railing and then fiberglass that area and flip the hull for paint. :humb:

 

[TruckDrivingFool]

Nothing like some nicely polished AL

Great job GM!

 

[gm280]

Nothing like some nicely polished AL

Great job GM!

Thanks TDF. It actually came out better then expected. And I have since started drilling out the rivets now to remove them so I can lay a strip of 1708 around the top of the hull before flipping it over for paint. But the weather has turned pretty cold now and it is hard staying active when you can't feel your hands when working. Yes I do have it in my shop, but I haven't broken out the heater and set it up yet. Lazy comes to mind. :facepalm: So I pick the nicer days to work on the boat. If I can get the temps up to 50 degrees, the shop is workable. It is insulated and usually is warming then the out side 50 degrees. I'm good to go at about 60 degrees inside. I know...pansy...

 

[nurseman]

If it wasn't for a heated and insulated shop, the winter would be looooong indeed! But my heater has been seeing duty for a couple of months already. I like to get it to about 50 in the shop for just general working.

 

[gm280]

If it wasn't for a heated and insulated shop, the winter would be looooong indeed! But my heater has been seeing duty for a couple of months already. I like to get it to about 50 in the shop for just general working.

Nurseman I hear yea. My biggest problem is I just don't get up and go out to the shop and fire up the heater. I wait until the afternoon to let the sun heat the shop. I need to just push myself to go out to the shop (connected via a breezeway to the house) and fire up the K1 heater and let it warm up. But like I said, I'm kind of lazy when the temps are in the 20's now. :facepalm:

 

[Decker83]

I work outside and 20's will keep me in all day long..:faint2:

 

[gm280]

Decker, 20 degrees will not work for me either. That is when you will make huge mistakes and/or get hurt really bad. So I have to wait for warmer temps. While I would love to have my boat ready for the spring Crappie Spawn, if I have to do it in 20 degrees, it isn't going to happen. :facepalm:

However, I did manage to get some more work done today. I drilled out the millions of rub rail rivets (okay probably 50 or 60) I removed them and decided to grind the area for the 1708 tape installation. So even though I thought all my fiberglass grinding was well behind me, it really wasn't. I took my 2" angle grinder with a 36 grit disk and started to grind the area that I couldn't get to with the railing installed. And even though I wasn't planning to get much finish today, I actually grinded the entire hull in prep for the 1708. What a STUPID idea that was. I had eye protection on and even a standard dust mask, but no tyvek suit. And I started just to do a little section just to see how it would look, I decide, wrongly, to do it all. Now the shop, boat and myself were covered in white fiberglass dust. So even though it is prepped, I itch even after a good scrubbing shower. Lesson learned...again!


white fiberglass dust everywhere. :facepalm:



But ready for 17o8 around the side top section to strengthen it up before I drill the new rivet holes to install the rub rail after the hull gets painted.

So progress anyway. :thumb:

 

[sphelps]

Itchy snow !

 

[kcassells]

Well maybe a lot itchy...scratch scratch....but sure looks nice gm.

 

[Woodonglass]

GM, as usual, outstanding work!!!

 

[gm280]

Ha thanks guys. Today I plan to vacuum up all the white itchy snow out of the shop. So while the temps are up, the rain is coming down as well. Hard to get nice temps and dry weather this time of the year. But I'll take what I can. I need to have at least 60 degrees before 1708 and poly is applied, so we will see.

 

[gm280]

Okay, I did get all the White Itchy Snow out of the hull. But the temps are just too low to actually do any serious 1708 taping around the top presently. I did finally get my American Wick K1 heater out and fire it up, but Unless I can get the shop to around 65 - 70 degrees for a few hours, I am not going to push the poly/1708 effort. I'd rather wait then have it not cure properly. And so I am trying to do other things in the mean time. They are predicting mid to upper 60's in the next few days, so maybe I can do the poly then. We'll see.

Also, I drilled through the front of the hull to install the bow eye. And I think I have that all worked out as well. I can say that fiberglass and PB is some tough stuff to drill through. I will leave the bow eye out until I get the hull painted. Same with the rear through hull fittings as well.

How do you all do those thing? Do you install them and tape around to paint, or leave them out and paint and then install? :noidea:

 

[bonz_d]

gm. these winter temps have me at a standstill also. I'm lucky to get my garage above 40deg. and I can't tolerate working in the cold anymore. Good news is only about 6 more weeks od this and the worst will be over.

 

[gm280]

gm. these winter temps have me at a standstill also. I'm lucky to get my garage above 40deg. and I can't tolerate working in the cold anymore. Good news is only about 6 more weeks od this and the worst will be over.

Yea bonz_d I do know what you are talking about.

I can use my kerosene heater and it will get into the mid 60's in a few hours. And while I can easily work in those temps, I'm not so sure if everything is at that temp to be able to mix the poly and have it cure properly. I read a lot of info on polyester and cold temps. And they say that it will cure in the low 60's, but not as hard as if it were in the upper 60's or lower 70's. And since I know the heater probably doesn't get everything to that temp, I have to wonder if it is worth the try. :noidea:

And a few folks talked about polying (I know not an actual word) at 60 degrees and it not curing for days. And the manufacturer stated that it probably is not cured properly and may need to redo it. I'm not looking for redoing anything. So I am waiting.

I also realize I can use heat lamps and such, but I don't have heat lamps. Only the kerosene heater (23500 BTU size) and a really small electric space heater. And I am sure I could leave the heaters running to cure the poly after applied, but I don't like not being there with any heater running, so that is out also. They are predicting upper 60's and 70's in a few days. I can wait 'til then. :thumb: