Here are the before pictures of my first build. I have gained a wealth of knowledge from this site and plan on making a nice but simple little fishing boat for my wife and I to enjoy.

My plan in this order.

1. Remove the transom

2. Grind all the old silicone and glue reminants of both the inside and outside.

3. Get all the leaky seems welded and all whole patched.

4. Steelflex the bottom to about half way to up the side walls.

5. Steelflex the inside floor.

6. Cut out the middle bench like Bufford did and store batteries and utilities in there.

7. Wire out the trolling motor and running lights.

8. Deck the front level with the benches. I plan on decking past the middle bench to attach to the nearest support rail.

9. Deck the rear bench and area around transom.

10. Apply decking in all the floor areas.

11. Tweak as needed along the way.

Any help is much appreciated.

Step One is almost completed.

How should i repair these holes? There is one that is really big,should I patch it with a piece of alluminum while I am welding it? Any ideas?

Thanks,

Jason

Looks like an aluminum patch would work good there. No need to weld it on, unless your hyper-sensative about cosmetics and are trying to make the hole disappear. Otherwise, pop rivets and some 5200 should do the job nicely. Make sure to check out bassboys mod on his Yazoo if you haven't already and you will see the patch I am referring to. I checked with him not so long ago about how his patch was working on the boat, and he replied that he had no leaks and no concerns with doing it again.

I am not worried about cosmetics that much at all. I did want to reinstall another outside transom because the allumunim is thin on the transom and I wanted to re-enforce it. I should be able to install the outside transome over the patch right?

I'll tell what would be slick is a 1/4" thick piece of aluminum cut in the same shape as that outer transom that was made of wood. Take that and use some 5200 and some counter sunk hex SS #10 to bolt it through that transom. That would take care of your problem and look cool at the same time.

So there is no need to weld it to the boat just some bolts through the inside transom? That would give me a stronger transom as well. I need to find a place that sells alluminum now.

Anybody in the Gwinnett area know of any aluminum dealers?

Try Metal Supermarkets in Norcross. They are at I-85 and Pleasantdale. Measure out the size of the piece you need and let them know. I'm interested to hear what they quote you for it. You could still put plywood on the inside to beef up the transom, but I agree the .25 on the back would look slick and serve a good mulit-purpose of covering the hole, looking good, and strengthening the transom all in one.

You can also try Ryerson's. I believe they are in Lawrenceville.

Another option is just to replace the wood on the outside and use aluminum epoxy on the hole inside and out. Not sure where the hole is in realtion to the waterline. If it's above the waterline, I'd use wood and epoxy and call it a day.

And to answer your question, no, it wouldn't need to be welded on. Bolts and 5200 would do the job.

Thanks Brine. I'll check that out..... I believe its above the waterline so i may just go that route or get it welded on when I get the seems fixed.


Thanks Guys. I love this place.

https://www.metalsupermarkets.com

Do I need a plate or a sheet? Just a plate right?


For the plate of .25" for an 18" x 12" its nearly 50 bux.. Wowzers.

An aluminum square of 12" is only 7 bux. Its looks like the value is in the square. I'll just have to make a square work.

Welcome to the world of Aluminum...

Check the thickness of that 12 x 12. I wouldn't think it would be that much less. If it is correct, it must have something to do with fall-off. I have given up trying to find recyling/scrap yards in or near Gwinnett that will sell to the public, so my last option has been...bite the bullet and pay for new, or a product called ACM which Ryerson has that's like an Aluminum/Ply. It can't be welded, but it should have the same life expectancy as aluminum.

If it's above the waterline, I'd have no issues of just using wood on either side and sandwiching aluminum epoxy or 5200 over the hole.

Thanks Man. I'll look into it. It believe it is above the waterline but I really wanted to re-enforce the rear transom too for a potential outboard.

The wood and any transom braces (knees) are what make the transom stronger; a little piece of 12 x 12 Alu. isn't going to do anything really, no matter how thick it is. You would need to run it from member to member (side to side and top to braces) to give it any real strength.

I say just patch the hole and put in a good solid transom board and if you are worried about additional strength for an outboard install some transom braces.

I talked to my welder and he is going to brace up the back transom and replace the outside transom for me. I am having him hit up all the leaky spots, all the seams, and re-enforce/patch the transom for 100 bucks. If I get all the leaks sealed I wont need to use Steel Flex and can avoid that expenditure.

Jason

Would you ask him how much he would charge me to:

1. Attach a bow eye.
2. Patch (2) 1.25 holes in the hull

I'll do as much prepwork as I can with a flapper disc.

I have pics in my Rhyan Craft thread of each issue.

Thanks!

What do you all think about repairs to something like this. I can trade for it for really nothing so if it cost 100 bux or so thats fine really.




I have an old Sears outboard motor, 7 horsepower. It won't start right now, because it is not getting spark. It probably needs a magneto. It has great compression and ran strong before this spark problem popped up. Anyway, I don't really need it anymore, so I have not been motivated to fix it.

The motor has an internal gas tank, but also has the connections for an external tank. I'll throw in an external tank, hose and pump with the motor. You can even have the sawhorse it's sitting on, if you want it.

I would love to swap it for a ping pong table. First choice, by far.

However, if you have something else to offer, send it to me. I don't need any computer stuff, but other than that, I'm pretty open. Guy stuff, power tools, Ferraris...whatta ya got? I'm just ready to get this out of my garage, at this point.

Made some progress today. Stripped the transom and grinded all the silicone and jb weld off so that the welder can weld the seams. Also got about half done with the bottom so I can paint it or steelflex it. I think even after its welded I am going to seal it with steelflex.

Pics to come.....

Progress made so far.

Desgined and cut and sealed all my decks. Waiting for them to dry and then I will carpet them.

The boat will get welded on Friday and then steelflexed asap.

After that install the decks and seats and its time to fish.


What kind of paint should I use on the interior? I want to lay some kind of base coat down to reduce corrosion and so forth.

The welder is fabbing up a support and patch for the rear transom. Here are some pics so far.

The problem he is running into is that the seems on the stern have taken a lot of time to weld and it will be another week before I get it back. So my question is will the steel flex be enough to seal these leaky seems or should I get him to finish the job and wait for the boat....

i would personally get it finished and done rite

looks like he's doin a good job so far

You're getting the job done the correct way, so if money and time permits, then continue on with the welding route. You'll be happy knowing the fixes are strong and will last the boats lifetime.

Yeah, its still 40 degrees here so I am not rushing to get on the water. I'll let him finish then. I just want to get back to my new obsession.

Newest progress. This guy is so honest. The job turned out to be more than expected but he refuses to take anymore money from me.

Transom is all better. However, some of the seams on the stern were unweldable due to all the junk and silicon that was applied over the years. I plan on removing as much of it as I can and steelflexing the entire outside of the boat and inside where the seams meet. This should more than seal the boat for the rest of its life time.

Here are some pics of the work the guy did.

I shouldnt need to add a wooden transom to the outside right?

I wouldn't think so... only add it if you plan to put a huge motor on the back of it to strengthen it up even more.

He did a good job with the welding... you'll be out on the water in no time!