1982 Fisher Marine 15' Complete Re-Do

Hey guys, I've been lurking and using this board as a resource for years. I've re-built two fiberglass boats, built a skin-on-frame kayak from scratch and re-built many cars and Jeeps. This is my first foray into aluminum boats so here goes!

My project is starting with a 1982 Fisher Marine 15' Jon boat. It looks much nicer in the pictures than it really is.



I completely stripped it and leak tested. Fail.

Looks like a great boat to start with. Where's it leaking from?

One pin hole near the bow, one missing and one loose rivet (at least). One of the POs slathered some kind of sealant around all of the rivet holes and installed a bilge pump. I don't think he made a real effort to actually find the leak though. The sealant has hardened and is coming off in most places. I'm probably going to wire brush it off and attempt to do it right.

Use a Nylox or stainless steel brush, wheel, cup on aluminum.

Got a couple of stainless wire wheels from Amazon and went to work. I found the pin hole in the bow and the loose rivet and I'm in the process of fixing them. This was a salt water creek boat from the Charleston SC area and it's got some pitting. Is there a product that's best for filling pitting before I paint? I was planning to use Rustoleum aluminum primer. What paint would be best to put over it? This boat will probably get used 5-6 times per year in fresh water only.

Before:


After:


What thickness of plywood should I use on the floor? I'm going to run a 2x2 down the center and I'll have an unsupported span of about 18" on each side of it.

I didn't take any detailed 'before' pictures of the trailer but I'll try to get some progress pics tomorrow to show where I'm at and what I've done. Like I said, this was a creek boat and there's lots of rust on the nuts and bolts so I'm opting to replace anything that's questionable.

The bunks were mostly rotten and two of the brackets were broken. I happened to have two carpeted bunk boards leftover from another project so I just replaced everything down to the frame. It needed a bow roller and the winch mount was all bent up. I took it off, beat it flat, re-mounted it with good hardware and added the bow roller. The winch strap was held in place with a finish nail so I took the strap off and re-wrapped it correctly. The screws holding the lights together were so badly rusted that I couldn't tell if they were phillips or flat-head. In addition, two of the lenses were broken. Lights are fairly cheap so I just went ahead and completely re-wired it with new lights.

The safety chains were so rusted that I doubt they would have held anything and I was able to replace them with hardware and chain I already had.

There are several options for what to do with this boat once I'm finished with it. I have a buddy who loves to fish and only lives a couple of miles from the boat ramp. I might leave it over at his house with the understanding that he can use it whenever he likes in exchange for storing it under cover. I also might keep it or give it to my son in a few years but it's unlikely that I'll be selling it any time soon. I'd rather go ahead and make sure it's right than worry about it coming apart on the road.

Next up will be new u-bolts, spring plates, hubs, wheels and tires.

Use JB Weld, Water Weld to fill in the pits.