Project Overkill (front deck waterproofed 8-15)

Hello, I'm brand new to the site, and wanted to let you all see what im working with. My father in law gave me this boat a couple years ago, but I haven't done anything to it until now. It is a 1975 PolarKraft 1440. It was fully outfitted as a bass boat when i got it, but it was sitting without a cover for six or seven years and the decks were rotted along with the carpet. Its not structurally set up the way a normal Jon is, as it has a livewell on the port side, a wide open deck, and had stick steering up front as an original option. It came with a non-running 25hp Johnson, but that was way too big for any of the lakes around here, which have a 10hp limit. I traded it straight up for a sweet '69 johnson 9.5hp with 15hp carb. It needs a new impeller but other than that it runs well. As for what Iv'e done, I took all the old deck, floatation, wiring, and seats out. The flotation is was just stacked 1/2" sheets of styrofoam in the bottom between the ribs, and was so waterlogged when it came out that each peice had to weigh 5 pounds. Some friends and I have stripped the boat over the last week or two and have gotten it about 95% of the way done. I work as a Gov't contractor on Navy boats so I was able to take some of the aluminum angle that we make false deck supports out of. It's 2"X2.5", and 3/16" thick (thats where the overkill comes in at). One of my coworkers is going to welding school and they are going to be welding all of my braces in for free (as a class project ). I also have sheets of 1/8" aluminum that I am having rolled into half tubes to be welding along the bottom outside hull for added stability. They are being fabricated at the Fab shop my work owns. I guess somebody there owes one of my bosses a favor, and he's doing that no charge also. After that all gets welded, My Boss owns a Powdercoating shop as a side business. He has a 8'X8'X20' foot oven, and said he would Powdercoat it for $200. Hopefully this all happens kinda soon, seeing how fall fishing season is about underway. I will try to post a pic or two to let you all have a look at what I'm working with now.
Mike D.

Welcome to the site. I am anxious to see how the powdercoat comes out. I thought about doing that to mine.

So, essentially, when the extra flotation is welded on, it will be somewhere around a 1446-47. Hopefully it floats nice and high because we have some decent inshore fishing around Virginia Beach, and redfish can get up in places that scrape the bottom of kayaks; so as long as I can get anywhere near that, I'll be happy. Has anyone powdercated an entire boat before? I tried to search for it, but couldn't really find anything. I'm wondering how it holds up. I also have a trailer for the boat, which is in decent shape. I might strip it and paint that to get it looking new. I would like to build the deck to the level of the livewell, or maybe an inch higher, and make the decks flush all the way around, which I think would make it look nice. It should also hide all wiring, and the livewell recirculator. Im planning on running a bilge pump with the recirculator for the livewell, LED's from bluwater, along with a CD player and two speakers, a foot controlled TM, running lights, and a fishfinder/gps. I imagine 2 batteries would suffice, just not sure how to hook them up, or what sizes to use... The boat will be bright blue with a possibly gray carpet, with blue and gray seats, and gray or silver vinyl graphics (will describe those later). It will be called "Sea Bee". I'm having a lot of fun on this project, and having fun just browsing the site, but if anyone wants to give an opinion on anything, feel free!

Mike D.

Hey BLK, thanks for the welcome, I actually just saw you project right before I posted this. Nice job! I hope mine ends up that clean, just wish I took pics of before I started stripping it. It was pretty gross. It was fun stripping it though, watching three grown men running around shreeking like little girls when the stripper got on them. that stuff is no fun when it gets on your eyelids...

SVOMike86 said:

Hey BLK, thanks for the welcome, I actually just saw you project right before I posted this. Nice job! I hope mine ends up that clean, just wish I took pics of before I started stripping it. It was pretty gross. It was fun stripping it though, watching three grown men running around shreeking like little girls when the stripper got on them. that stuff is no fun when it gets on your eyelids...

Click to expand...

Hah! With a urinal trough surrounding you on three sides I think a hole heck of a lot of beer can be consumed while your fishing!!! =D> :mrgreen: Welcome, I am excited to see the powdercoating too. It should stand up to any abuse you can throw at it.

NICE project boat you got there. I would imagine you will be the first (here anyway) to have a completely powder coated hull. Can't wait to see how it comes out. I have no idea how it will hold up on a boat, but when I used to build hotrods, powder coating was the way to go when you had something that you didn't want to paint to come off of.

Welcome and keep us posted on your progress.

danmyersmn said:

SVOMike86 said:

Hey BLK, thanks for the welcome, I actually just saw you project right before I posted this. Nice job! I hope mine ends up that clean, just wish I took pics of before I started stripping it. It was pretty gross. It was fun stripping it though, watching three grown men running around shreeking like little girls when the stripper got on them. that stuff is no fun when it gets on your eyelids...

Click to expand...

Hah! With a urinal trough surrounding you on three sides I think a hole heck of a lot of beer can be consumed while your fishing!!! =D> :mrgreen: Welcome, I am excited to see the powdercoating too. It should stand up to any abuse you can throw at it.

Click to expand...

I think we only planned on using the port side as a urinal trough, starboard is for fish scales and catfish slime...

The bottom of your boat doesn't look abused at all,nice boat.
Besides the powercoating,I have never seen anyone weld homemade aluminum tubes along the sides for more stablity,going to be interesting,I hope you get the results your looking for.
Welcome to the site.

Well, provided the weather holds out, we should be able to scribe the metal for the bracing tonight. I don't know if I'm gonna be able to make the decks low enough to be flush with the livewell, which would suck, but we'll see. As far as the side flotation goes, hopefully is does work as I'm planning. They will start out as a 10" sheet, that will be bent in a brake in very small increments, which will end up in a half circle. They should be a hair over 6" high, so they'll stick out right about 3". When they are done being welded, I'm planning on drilling a hole in the rear cap of the tube and filling them up with 2 part foam. Same concept as a pontoon, I guess. I can't see how this wouldn't help stability, which is what I'm aiming for, as well as being able to add a little extra weight to the boat.

Mike D.

I have sent out gil brackets to be powder coated. It is not a very durable product in my opinion. Yes it will stick and yes it will look good. But I'm guessing that taking it in shallow water is going to scratch the heck out of it and I wouldn't be surprised if it started flaking off.

I'm interested in how it turns out and the durability of it.

The sponsons will definitely add stability. And rolling them like you are will do two things:
1) They will add quite a bit of initial stability while at rest, and in the water
2) They will be out of the water while on plane, for the most part, and will help keep chine tripping to a minimum (if at all)

When filling with two part foam you will need to drill several holes along the sponson, tilt the bow of the boat up a little and fill from stem to stern through the holes. How are you going to fill the holes in the sponsons after you pour the foam; weld 'em up?

i am rebuilding a '77 PolarKraft right now, they are built like tanks.

As far as powdercoat goes, I haven't seen it peel off of too many things, but in my experience, if you scrape anything enough, it will scratch. That being said, I don't think I will actually run up into that shallow of water, but if it happens, I'm hoping it will be more durable than paint.
I didn't know my little pontoon floatie thingies had names... Sponsons, huh? What I had thought of doing was drilling a hole on the very back of it, then welding a nut, standing the boat on its nose, then filling it up with the foam. I'd probably get a plug similar to a pontoon's to close it up when I'm done. If you don't think this will work, please let me know. By the way Rat, I think what you are doing to your boat is awesome, and if I had a connection with free fiberglass stuff that's exactly what I would do...

Mike D.

I think the sponsoons will be cool but I dont think you will need them I fish the flats in south fla and my 1436 draws around 6 inches I can pole it were ever the reds are.

SVOMike86 said:

Hey BLK, thanks for the welcome, I actually just saw you project right before I posted this. Nice job! I hope mine ends up that clean, just wish I took pics of before I started stripping it. It was pretty gross. It was fun stripping it though, watching three grown men running around shreeking like little girls when the stripper got on them. that stuff is no fun when it gets on your eyelids...

Click to expand...

Your welcome. I do recommend doing a rod locker of some sort if you can. Thats the only thing I wish I did, Thats why I am thinking of redoing it and then powdercoating.

I can't figure out the rod locker... I would like to make one at least seven feet long, but dont know if I can build it on the side with the livewell. There's not but maybe 3 inches behind the livewell so it'd be a little tight.
The boat did float high with the way it was when i got it, and I saw the waterline to prove it,but my father in law is a normal sized guy, and all his normal sized friends fished in it. I'm a little "husky" as they say, but my wife and all my friends are normal sized so... a little more floatation would help

IMO a proper done powdercoat job is the most durable finish you will ever apply.. I seen the powder coater himself wack a 2000.00 chassis that was fresh from the oven with a hammer, because the guy was worried about scratching it up when they loaded it on the trailer... As i stood in Aw, he was laughing at me, asking what i was worried about...

Maybe the one's I've seen weren't done that good.

SVOMike86 have you thought about placing PVC pipe behind the livewell. That would give your rod tips a safe place to rest and then just figure out something for the back.

Also I've poured plenty of two part foam and unless you have a BIG hole it won't go in fast enough before it starts to foam up. I would suggest something in the 1 1/2 to 2" range. I have poured in a smaller hole, but it was a challenge. Perhaps a hole that you could put a piece of aluminum over and seal it off with 5200. That would give you the big hole needed to pour and a way to seal it of afterward.

SVOMike86 said:

So, essentially, when the extra flotation is welded on, it will be somewhere around a 1446-47. Hopefully it floats nice and high because we have some decent inshore fishing around Virginia Beach, and redfish can get up in places that scrape the bottom of kayaks; so as long as I can get anywhere near that, I'll be happy. Has anyone powdercated an entire boat before? I tried to search for it, but couldn't really find anything. I'm wondering how it holds up. I also have a trailer for the boat, which is in decent shape. I might strip it and paint that to get it looking new. I would like to build the deck to the level of the livewell, or maybe an inch higher, and make the decks flush all the way around, which I think would make it look nice. It should also hide all wiring, and the livewell recirculator. Im planning on running a bilge pump with the recirculator for the livewell, LED's from bluwater, along with a CD player and two speakers, a foot controlled TM, running lights, and a fishfinder/gps. I imagine 2 batteries would suffice, just not sure how to hook them up, or what sizes to use... The boat will be bright blue with a possibly gray carpet, with blue and gray seats, and gray or silver vinyl graphics (will describe those later). It will be called "Sea Bee". I'm having a lot of fun on this project, and having fun just browsing the site, but if anyone wants to give an opinion on anything, feel free!

Mike D.

Click to expand...

The powder coat should hold up great. Kinze manufacturing in Iowa has the nation's largest power coat facility. They actually powder coat entire planters. Now grated the planters aren't generally stored outside during the off season, nor are they submersed in water, but it holds up great.

Yeah, I kinda figured the powdercoat would hold up. I've got a 7 year old Snap On toolbox that's powdercoated and the only mark on it is from a coworker that tossed a brake rotor on the ground and it happened to roll right into the bottom edge of it. I might be able to find an aluminum bung and plug from a 55 gallon drum... I think those are 2" or so. Hopefully I can find an aluminum one. Unfortunately I'm pretty busy thru next weekend, so I'd be happy to get just an hour or 2 on Sunday.

SVOMike86 said:

Yeah, I kinda figured the powdercoat would hold up. I've got a 7 year old Snap On toolbox that's powdercoated and the only mark on it is from a coworker that tossed a brake rotor on the ground and it happened to roll right into the bottom edge of it. I might be able to find an aluminum bung and plug from a 55 gallon drum... I think those are 2" or so. Hopefully I can find an aluminum one. Unfortunately I'm pretty busy thru next weekend, so I'd be happy to get just an hour or 2 on Sunday.

Click to expand...

I have never seen an aluminum 55 gal drum. You might have an easier time just ordering the bung. I normally get mine from McMaster Carr out of Chicago. They have a website and are pretty reasonable on prices.