J. Studebaker Boat ? A Rare Find

[bigdoug]

Re: J. Studebaker Boat ? A Rare Find

Our laws are similar to NC. Boat number remains. Only 4 digits then. Today it's 11 digits or mixed alphabet.

My kids are going to help and will receive extra credit from their school for learning how to restore an old boat. So we are trying to document their work in pictures and text, as well as what I am doing to the boat. It's quality time with the family either way.

Here is an updated YOUtube video of what we did today.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfdrO13fum8

D

 

[JimbC]

Re: J. Studebaker Boat ? A Rare Find

bigdoug Very nice find sweet Ole' Boat. Don't use sand paper on that gem. Use steel wool and stainless steel brush(in the hard to get crevices) and a aluminum polish and cleaner. Here is some links for references. The sharkhide looks like some good stuff it has a cleaner and a polisher. Also on the holes left from the unneeded screws why not get them welded?
http://gordsaluminumpolish.com/
http://www.overtons.com/modperl/product/catalog.cgi?cname=Cleaners-Wax&r=browse&aID=601L1
http://www.chemical-supermarket.com/Alumiprep-33-Aluminum-Cleaner-p365.html
http://www.sharkhide.com/acinfo.html

 

[bigdoug]

Re: J. Studebaker Boat ? A Rare Find

bigdoug Very nice find sweet Ole' Boat. Don't use sand paper on that gem. Use steel wool and stainless steel brush(in the hard to get crevices) and a aluminum polish and cleaner. Here is some links for references. The sharkhide looks like some good stuff it has a cleaner and a polisher. Also on the holes left from the unneeded screws why not get them welded?
http://gordsaluminumpolish.com/
http://www.overtons.com/modperl/product/catalog.cgi?cname=Cleaners-Wax&r=browse&aID=601L1
http://www.chemical-supermarket.com/Alumiprep-33-Aluminum-Cleaner-p365.html
http://www.sharkhide.com/acinfo.html

Thanks Jim,

I just bought some mothers mag at walley world. I already have an orbital buffer and pads that have a gentle cycle.

As regards not sanding with drywall block: Is it harmful to the metal? Would steel wool embed into the aluminum?

Thanks for the links. Gords looks like a great product as well as does Sharkhide. I just thought they looked to good to be true. Elbow grease has no substitute

However, I would love a short cut


D

 

[wrfalpacas]

Re: J. Studebaker Boat ? A Rare Find

I used 120 grit to strip paint, 180-220 to prep for polishing, 400 grit and Flitz polish to finish up. It won't take too much aluminum off. I think you would be spending forever with steel wool trying to get 50 yrs of aluminum oxide off that boat. I have used this on big as well as small projects. For example, A couple of steam engines I built from Bar stock and finished this way.

 

[bigdoug]

Re: J. Studebaker Boat ? A Rare Find

Wow Bret - that looks great! Thank you so much for the experienced tips.
It looks like we might get above freezing tomorrow for about two hours, so that I can scrub the boat.

From what I read here, just use bleach mixed with dawn soap.


D

 

[wrfalpacas]

Re: J. Studebaker Boat ? A Rare Find

Doug,

That will do a good job, get a toilet brush to use in the nooks and crannies

 

[WizeOne]

Re: J. Studebaker Boat ? A Rare Find

..... I would check around and see if there is someone local who can use a media/soda blaster on it........

Extra double dittos to this. The absolutely only way to go with tinnys. Not only will it give you a better finish and not degrade the surface, it will get into the corners of the seams and around the rivets, leaving all smooth, clean and ready to prime.

 

[tbirder]

Re: J. Studebaker Boat ? A Rare Find

I also read info here on using Sharkhide? Some say it is good - yet it is not a wax? Closest dealer is 168 miles from here...lol

Well, I have more research to do here before we leave today to purchase some products to start the job. Any tips or links to tips before we start would be very welcomed.

D

Hey there bigdoug,
That's a KILLER find. In all the years I've been dealing with restorations on older boats, I've never even heard of a Studebaker.
To let you know up front, my name is Clint and I own the company that produces the line of Sharkhide products. I'm not here to try to sell you anything, but I hang around here in the shadows just in case I can answer any questions you folks may have about my products.
So if I can answer any questions about the Cleaner, Polish or Protectant, please fire away. I'll do my very best to help.
Clint

 

[bigdoug]

Re: J. Studebaker Boat ? A Rare Find

Extra double dittos to this. The absolutely only way to go with tinnys. Not only will it give you a better finish and not degrade the surface, it will get into the corners of the seams and around the rivets, leaving all smooth, clean and ready to prime.

Thanks Wiseone,

I was just hoping to do it myself...lol To purchase a soda blaster is a little outside my pocket expense this year. I just bought a new T/C muzzleloader for late season

Clint,

Will Sharkhide work on heavy oxidation? I was going to sand the boat first (kids to). Also, will it act like a wax. I really want to keep the mill finish but I don't want to have to buff every week.

And further, I live in the 44410 area code. Nearest dealer is 168 miles. Whats the best way to order your product?

Doug

 

[tbirder]

Re: J. Studebaker Boat ? A Rare Find

Clint,

Will Sharkhide work on heavy oxidation? I was going to sand the boat first (kids to). Also, will it act like a wax. I really want to keep the mill finish but I don't want to have to buff every week.

And further, I live in the 44410 area code. Nearest dealer is 168 miles. Whats the best way to order your product?

Doug

Hi Doug,
The Sharkhide Aluminum Cleaner will without a doubt remove heavy oxidation and leave the boat a "uniform off white" finish. But you need to be sure what you're seeing on your hull is oxidized aluminum and not mineral (lime,calcium etc.) deposits. Sharkhide Aluminum cleaner won't react with anything but aluminum. I'll attach a before and after shot of how the Aluminum Cleaner works.
Once you've reached the finish you want on the hull, you can put a couple good coats of the Sharkhide Metal Protectant on and it will keep the hull from staining, oxidizing and discoloring for years.
If you cant find a dealer in your area, you can order from the web site. I ship out of here every day.
Hope this helps,
Clint

BEFORE

AFTER SHARKHIDE CLEANER

 

[Huron Angler]

Re: J. Studebaker Boat ? A Rare Find

Nice rig Doug! Welcome to iboats, you have found a great source of info on all that is boating.

Many folks have used a 1/2 water 1/2 vinegar solution for cleaning up an old aluminum hull. I'm aobut ready to do that to my 16' tin can that I'm working on.

Good luck with the project

 

[bigdoug]

Re: J. Studebaker Boat ? A Rare Find

Thanks Huron and Clint,

I went ahead and scrubbed the boat with bleach and joy soap with the kids today. We had a short window to use water with a temperature of 39 degrees.

What we found by scrubbing was a very light paint coat on the inside floor of the boat. So light it melted away with a gentle scrub. After removing most of the dirt and mold, we could see heavy oxidation along with brown stains. However, no holes in the metal.

I think I am going to sand the heavy corrosion off and then use sharkhide. Unless, I don't have to sand and the sharkhide product does it all. Need Clint to help me on that one. I don't mind the off-white look if it will restore the quality of the metal.

New video of us cleaning the boat outside my office. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v9d0CXL7QrU

Doug

 

[tbirder]

Re: J. Studebaker Boat ? A Rare Find

Hey Doug,
I watched your video clip and frankly I have no idea how in the world you do it. How were you able to get your kids to work????? LOL
Seriously, I would avoid useing sand paper if at all possible. That will leave tons of scratches that you may regret later.
The Sharkhide Aluminum Cleaner will do all the work for you as far as removing the oxidation and corrosion. But where ever you have a small pit, there's not a lot you can do. That's actually missing metal, and to get them out, you have to remove all the surrounding material down to the depth of the pit. It's a ton of work and if it's just on the bottom, I'd leave them alone.
Once you've cleaned the hull with the aluminum cleaner there is a method I use (hand rubbed finish) to get a real soft silver finish. I could teach you the process if needed.
Here's a link to a utube video on how to apply Sharkhide Cleaner.
Let Me know if I can Help.
Clint

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=au-GMGcQ2kg

 

[bigdoug]

Re: J. Studebaker Boat ? A Rare Find

Ok Clint I am sold! I hate sanding anyway

I watched the video and that's what I will do. You have seen my boat, so how much of the cleaner do I need and how much of the protectant?

Also, can you give me a direct link to where to buy it. I would rather not use amazon.



Doug

 

[tbirder]

Re: J. Studebaker Boat ? A Rare Find

Ok Clint I am sold! I hate sanding anyway

I watched the video and that's what I will do. You have seen my boat, so how much of the cleaner do I need and how much of the protectant?

Also, can you give me a direct link to where to buy it. I would rather not use amazon.



Doug

Hey there Doug,
Just one 1/2 gal of cleaner and one quart of the metal protectant will be more than enough.
And like I tell all my customers, please feel free to give me a ring (all my contact numbers are on my web site) 24/7 if I can answer any questions at all during your project. I'm allways more than happy to try to help.
Here's the link you need to order. www.sharkhide.com
Best of luck on your project
Clint

 

[tmcalavy]

Re: J. Studebaker Boat ? A Rare Find

Nice boat and nice project/kids but you need to reset your video camera...the white balance and exposure in your Utube vids is way off...can't see how nice the boat is built or that it's even aluminum.

 

[bigdoug]

Re: J. Studebaker Boat ? A Rare Find

Hey there Doug,
Just one 1/2 gal of cleaner and one quart of the metal protectant will be more than enough.
And like I tell all my customers, please feel free to give me a ring (all my contact numbers are on my web site) 24/7 if I can answer any questions at all during your project. I'm allways more than happy to try to help.
Here's the link you need to order. www.sharkhide.com
Best of luck on your project
Clint

Just ordered your suggestion. $114.00

I will post videos of how it goes as soon as I get the product. I have 1500 patients, many of whom like to fish like I do. If it works for me they will be loyal to your product to...lol

Tomorrow is our second gun season on deer. I will be using T/C Omega muzzleloader and the wife will be using H&R 20 single that she 5/8 groups at 100 yards

Doug



Doug

 

[bigdoug]

Re: J. Studebaker Boat ? A Rare Find

Nice boat and nice project/kids but you need to reset your video camera...the white balance and exposure in your Utube vids is way off...can't see how nice the boat is built or that it's even aluminum.

I really need help with that to. Can I blame my wife?



Doug

 

[bigdoug]

Re: J. Studebaker Boat ? A Rare Find

Well, we have had a lot of fun so far cleaning up this 50-year-old boat. We had to grind a lot of bolts and nuts off as well cut cables and remove old wood. My goal in the beginning of this project was to keep the metal from getting worse and clean up all the main issues so as to get it seaworthy for fishing.

I mostly fish for crappie and walleye on small lakes and this old Studebaker fits the bill. One thing I learned is that the boat is made from 3/16 gauge aluminum. So even though you see pitting in the aluminum, it has a whole lot of metal to go through in order to leak.

Instead of grinding down the metal to have a perfectly smooth surface, we decided to just use Sharkhide cleaner which etched the metal and removed the surface corrosion. We also discovered a thinly vialed layer of paint on the floorboard.

The sharkhide cleaner helped expose the layer but did not remove it entirely. We really don't want to remove it because it is almost unseen by the naked eye and causes no issues with the integrity of the structure. Because we started cleaning the boat is 27 degree weather, the chemical froze and we therefore had to stop and go indoors the next day. Leaving the cleaner on overnight (frozen) still etched streaks into the metal (overnight).

We used a torch to heat up the garage and tried to respray to correct the look. However, it still had minor streaks. Lesson learned? Don't clean a boat with water when the low is going to be 20 degrees...lol

All and all, we are very pleased with how clean the boat became from the sharkhide cleaner. This boat was very corroded and now looks healthy again. We applied the Sharkhide protector over the freshly cleaned aluminum at the high temperature of 22 degrees. It worked great and really soaked in.

I will re-coat in 5 days so as to get the most from my newly protected boat. Here is a video of me finishing the job.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQ-6ZAeTEgg

Thanks for all the tips,


Doug

 

[bigdoug]

Re: J. Studebaker Boat ? A Rare Find

Just ordered the rimes and tires on Ebay. It was amazing how hard it was to find lug-less rims on 4.80-8. I will upload pics of the trailer as we go to.

I think we will keep the original color on the trailer.


Doug