My First Boat = My First Restore

[Recruit]

Alright, like most people i seem to have this found this website after i started my first build when i was looking for advice. There for, i have already got some work done on my boat before i started this thread. i will use this first post to fill in the blanks before i start posting pictures and asking questions. I am 19 and got my first boat for free about a month ago. it was my uncles old boat that he had bought to use for quick trips when he didnt want to use the house boat. it was in really bad shape when he got it because it looked like the PO had tried to redo it and it was horrible. unfortunately i dont have the pictures of that . my uncle had always planned on redoing the boat but because he is working on restoring his first house he doesnt have time for a 14' foot aluminum boat. i am not sure what the boat is or what the original color of the boat was. it is this of yellow now and none of it was the original boat besides the hull (which was in good shape). my uncle has used it as a trailer for movign his stuff from minnesota to his new home in wisconsin, which included alot of landscaping things so the boat was filled to about two feet with mud, and old boat parts which i uncovered as i wiped the mud off. i spent about a day cleaning the mud and parts from the boat with a spade shovel. i have removed all the wood which is completely rotted (will post pictures). i have cut and carpeted all the new wood and had just finished that when i found this site. i am saving money now but am working on getting the foaming and paintign done. everything must be redone including the rusted wiring and the boat needs a new gas can and battery ( didnt come with the boat). i have a 15 hp evinrude to get runnign which will be the outboard for this boat. im sorry for the long post but i will be posting pictures ASAP.

 

[wildmaninal]

Re: My First Boat = My First Restore

Being that it is an aluminum boat it really should be an easy restore, and should clean up nice and easy. I'm in the middle of a deep V aluminum boat restore myself, but am trying to get the boat registered before I finish the restore.

Is the boat bradded together or welded? Either way once you get the old deck out I would put the bare hull in the water or fill it with water and check it for leaks. This way if it has any leaks you can tend to them before you install a new deck. A bradded boat tends to leak around the brads.

 

[Recruit]

Re: My First Boat = My First Restore

i am going to take the bare hull into the nearby lake and check it for leaks. i amde sure everything i put together comes right out so i can remove things quickly.

 

[Recruit]

Re: My First Boat = My First Restore

good news and bad news! i have pictures! and i dont know why but they are 1mb+ sized files that i cant figure out how to make them small enough to put online. anyone know how to change this?

 

[tmcalavy]

Re: My First Boat = My First Restore

Search the web for a free photo program called Irfanview, download it and it will explain how to downsize the pix. You need to resize them down to about 4X6 and knock the resolution down to 72 dpi/ppi to work on sites like this. Or you can go to photobucket or one of the other sites, open a free account, upload and store them there in an album and then just like to the photos when you post here. Here's one place to get Irfanview:
http://www.tucows.com/preview/194967
assuming you are running Windoze.

 

[Recruit]

Re: My First Boat = My First Restore

thank you, will do and hopefully have pictures up soon

 

[Recruit]

Re: My First Boat = My First Restore

OK. i finnally have pictures and alot of them. i have pictures of the boat stripped, the rotted wood, the newly carpeted boat, the engine, and a little bit of painting i did with the rattle can to see if i liked the colors. tell me what you think!

 

[Recruit]

Re: My First Boat = My First Restore

Here is the new carpet.

 

[Recruit]

Re: My First Boat = My First Restore

here are some before and afters

 

[Recruit]

Re: My First Boat = My First Restore

I am about ready to paint my boat and was trying to decide on colors. looking at other boats here i think i like the black trailer and white boat with some black stripes. i bought two rattle cans to paint a section of the boat and trailer to see what it would look like. here are the picks.

 

[Recruit]

Re: My First Boat = My First Restore

here is the rotted wood. i thought you guys would like to see how bad it was before it got the new wood and carpet!

 

[Recruit]

Re: My First Boat = My First Restore

Here are the pictures of the 15 hp evinrude i got with this boat. i do not know if this is the original engine. the boat has been redone badly before me. I am not sure of the make or model of this boat. the seat has the sea nymph logo on it and the year on the papers say 1985. if anyone knows what this boat is could you please tell me? thanks guys!

 

[ooldschooll]

Re: My First Boat = My First Restore

You can find the motor year and info if you have sr# at http://www.marineengine.com/manuals/evinrude/ good luck

 

[tmcalavy]

Re: My First Boat = My First Restore

Looking good. Keep the pix coming. One of Tashasdaddy's earlier restorations had a real nice set up. Nice seats on each bench seat and outboard controls and stick steering mounted for the pilot in the center seat. I was gonna try that with my older, smaller boat then a guy came along and made me an offer I couldn't refuse. Your paint and refit looks good so far.

 

[Recruit]

Re: My First Boat = My First Restore

thanks guys, I have it flipped off the trailer upside down and im preping it for painting. i am going to strip the remaining paint off and bring it to bare aluminum. do i need a special primer since it will be bare aluminum? Also, i am repainting the trailer. there are a few rust spots on it that i will brush off but i dont plan on bringing to the metal. can i just sand over that and paint or do i need to prime that also?

 

[tmcalavy]

Re: My First Boat = My First Restore

If the old paint on the hull isn't flaking off and is otherwise sound, you can rough it up a little with fine sandpaper or steel wool and clean it with 50:50 vinegar/water and just paint over it. Zinc chromate/phospate primer is the preferred self-etching primer for aluminum, but it is pricey in the rattle cans...something like $6 a whack. You can sand/clean the trailer metal and then seal it over with Rustoleum rust-killer primer and then paint it with whatever. I did my trailer with oil-based rust-killer primer and then some oil-based white, both from Rustoleum...two quarts of paint and lots of cheap disposable brushes and I did the trailer paint job for less than $40. Kinda messy, but it worked and looks/wears good. Problem with the painting is you get one thing done and something else then looks worse, so you have to keep on repainting until it all looks right. If you're stuck on taking the hull down to bare aluminum, plain old oven-cleaner in the spray can is aces...but observe all the safety rules, nasty stuff.

 

[Recruit]

Re: My First Boat = My First Restore

i think i am stuck taking it to the aluminum. you can see it sanded down in the first photos i posted

 

[Recruit]

Re: My First Boat = My First Restore

here are three transition photos of the front. i dont know if i want to paint the area behind this bench or if i want to make a short wall between the two carpeted areas with a door in it where i could put the electrical. an opinion anyone?

 

[Getting_started]

Re: My First Boat = My First Restore

Is that carpet on the seat in the front? I'm doing a similar project and can't decide what to put on the seats. The boat will sit in the open without a cover and I was worried about the carpet staying wet all the time.

Nice project - I hope mine turns out as good.