Re: 81 Glastron SX-190 Transom and Engine- PICS Galore Update 11-8
Last spring I helped a buddy redo an old aluminum Starcraft Mariner just for crabbing. He was on a super low budget and the boat was a mess. He brought the boat over on a car trailer upside down.
I cut a new transom from double 3/4" ACX plywood, cut new deck panels out of 1/2" ply, and slapped it all together over two nights and some beer.
He brought over some MAB Rust-O-Lastic paint and a bag of sand. We quick sanded the outer hull, wiped it down with gas, and rolled on a heavy coat of paint. We let it dry overnight, then did the inside. I caulked all seams, then dumped a gallon or two on the deck and spread it around till it was well coated, then sprinkled down some sand all over the flat deck areas, then rolled on a quick second coat.
The goal was to just make it usable as fast as possible, with little concern for appearance. He ran a tiller motor, we cut away most of the splashwell and built a rear bench seat/storage box and added a forward fish box set in the forward floor. The rest was just flat plywood.
I saw the boat the other day, and after being in the water all year, it still looks great, very little growth, no bottom coat was used, and the paint has no wear through marks after a year of pulling crab pots every morning.
I think my next boat will have just paint and sand for it's deck, I'll do more than just painted wood but that paint held up just fine, and he's not one to keep it clean either. It's got an 1/4" of mud and bait on the deck now, it's not slippery and not worn. I'm sure some of the sand broke free and wore off but nothing noticeable. He hauled it to the car wash, scrubbed it down and put it out back upside down for the winter. It most likely won't need anything for next season.
I've tried all sorts of rubberized coatings, pimple mat, coin mat, Nautolex, Tuff coat, and even bed liner, but it all has it's disadvantages or wears too fast. Vinyl and carpet hold water, plain glass and resin is too slick, pimple mat or any rubber or vinyl mat gets slippery when wet or covered with fish oil, and plain paint wears away. The way I figure, go with the cheaper option, and just re-coat it when it wears. Sand is cheap, paint is cheap. Even the best flooring material will look bad after a year of fishing, between the mud, bait, blood, and slime, the floor takes a beating. At least with paint it's an easy fix and it looks perfect again fast.
