1957 orlando 14 ft project

[stinkbait85]

I just got this boat from a neighbor. I sold it to him several years ago. since he has owned it he gutted it and added a wooden floor and platform all treated and heavy as lead. he covered it all with some kind of thick rubber mat stuff that is also very heavy. he bolted angle iron to the sides to mount rod holders on. my plan is to yank all the wood out and either do it again in wood but lighter stuff or do aluminum. not sure yet. I am thinking about leaving the angle iron in though. I want to build a deck on the front to the same dimensions as the one that is there now just taller and add a livewell and storage. here we go.

 

[simbelle]

I'm not one of the real experts on this site, but from what I have read you'll want to take not only the PT off but the angle iron also; any dissimilar metals in contact with aluminum is going to cause corrosion. Wood needs to be coated with polyurethane, paint , varnish or what ever., stainless steel fasteners should have Teflon washers, although this is not always done. Heck, I remember when I was laying aluminum sheet roofing on steel buildings we couldn't even use a lead pencil on it and don't you dare leave a penny on the roof.

Othere than that, it looks like you have a nice boat to modify; Good Luck

 

[stinkbait85]

thanks simbelle. I knew about the dissimilar metals corroding but didn't know about the treated wood. don't think ima go back with that anyway. angle iron either coming out or getting painted then re-installed. I think I will frame a floor and deck in aluminum and weld the joints and screw sheet aluminum to that. i can use the spool gun at work to do this. i want to cover it in carpet. anyways i drew up a sketch of what i am aiming for with this build. leave some feedback guys. thanks for looking.

 

[simbelle]

Looks like a nice simple plan, (they all are until you get in to them). It's great that you can weld aluminum and have access to the welder, that will make for a nice finish product (kind of jealous). I know others have put in aluminum decks and floors, but my question would be: If your carpeting over it anyway is it worth the expense over plywood? I know with plywood you would have to put out another 40 bucks to coat it; But I guess if your plan is to keep the boat 10+ years then I guess it would be.

 

[stinkbait85]

well my reasoning behind going with aluminum over plywood is weight. I spend most of my time on the water in a local river that gets pretty skinny in the later summer months. so the lighter I can keep the boat the better off I will be. the first time I owned this boat it had 2 benches in it. it had a bent up tracker side console in it and a 30 hp evinrude. boat was light as a feather and would absolutely fly!! I have the 30 still but it is remote steer and this time I want to go with a tiller steer. I am finding it impossible to find the parts at a reasonable price to turn the 30 back to tiller steer though. so ill probably sell it and get a 25-40hp tiller. I also have a 15 Johnson disguised as a 9.9 for the local 10 hp limit lakes. if memory serves me right the only problem I had with the boat before was I couldn't keep the front end from bouncing when stretched out. unless I had someone sitting on the front bench. so with that said I may use plywood to do the front deck just for weight distribution and aluminum for the floor in the bottom of the boat.

 

[stinkbait85]

ok boat is gutted. now gotta do a little work on the trailer so I can haul it to work and continue on.

 

[simbelle]

Put your battery up front, that is if your going to have a trolling motor...while your at it put that up there too. But I do understand your reasoning.

 

[stinkbait85]

What would be the best thing to use to clean the inside of the hull? i'm going to paint it before i start building so i need it to be good and clean? purple power? Wire brush? Both?

 

[stinkbait85]

had to take a minute to put some fuel to the ole 9.9 just to see if it still runs. I haven't ran it in like 3 years. hooked it to the tank and hooked the water hose to it. primed the ball pulled it twice and then sweet music. I was tickled pink for about 20 seconds until I realized that it wasn't pissin. that sucks!!! expected but still sucks. this little motor is a pain in the peepee to change the water pump. think I'll take it to the local outboard guru just cuz I don't feel like foolin with it. haha

 

[simbelle]

Tell me about motor issues! I have a 1975 Sea King 15hp on mine. It runs, have the idle adjusted all the way and still it's ify. Oil in the water tank during running that I think is coming from the lower unit, but really not sure. No chance on getting parts for this piece of excrement, but have to run it till I can get something else. Really want to get a Honda 9.9 hp with electric start around 3k; but may have to settle for a Tohatsu 9.9 for 2.2k; Yamaha, doesn't make an electric start 9.9 with a 12 amp alternator that I can tell.

As far as cleaning out the boat, I had to deal with old sealant, and over 4 coats of different paint. here is what I found:
1. Wire brush works best around rivets.
2. Aircraft Stripper was ok in removing paint, but you need at least lightly sand the area to give it some texture to help adhere paint.
3. Orbital sander worked OK and left a good finish, but it was slow...again, I had multiple layers on a 30 y/o boat.
4. 41/2 " grinder with a disk pad and 50grit paper and a light touch worked best for me with the multiple layers.

What ever you end up using be sure to clean it well and before priming wipe with acetone. Prime with RustOleum Etching Primer to give a good substrate for your paint to adhere to. You may want to wait on inside paint until you at least have your framing in if your going to make any new holes or welds.....or maybe not.

 

[stinkbait85]

Well i decided to go ahead and pull the ole motor down. few beers in me and we were ready. found the keyway that holds the impeller to the shaft was laying in the bottom of the housin. put her all back together and she pissin water like a brand new one. disaster averted.

 

[simbelle]

Sometimes the force is with you! 8)

 

[Pweisbrod]

Nice work yo.

 

[stinkbait85]

ok so this is pretty much what I want the boat to look like when all is said and done. I have an idea for a livewell. I want to use an igloo cube cooler. rip the top off. frame it into the front deck. seal it around the top and plump it with a freshwater pump, aerator pump, overflow and a drain. I feel this will allow the water to maintain a temp longer than a metal or molded tub. I have used one of these as a bait tank in the past with great results. leave some feedback. thanks. :mrgreen:

 

[simbelle]

Good plan. Wish my boat was bigger; I think my pedestals my be too high.

 

[stinkbait85]

that's also one of my concerns with this one. with a floor in it the bench aint high enough to put seats on top without pedestals and with its almost too tall. I am thinking about adding to the top of the bench to make it the right height without pedestals. I haven't had much time to work on the boat the past couple weeks because I am slammed at work. I maintain a fleet of 30 big trucks and trailers and currently have 3 c13 CAT engines tore down in different stages of total rebuilds. kinda got me swamped at the moment. probably for the next week or so givin I don't have anymore go down. :?

 

[simbelle]

Well I can't find the receipts for my pedestals and think I'm going to buy a couple 9": Now I have 2 12 to !8 adjustable ones with 9" base (all aluminum) If you have need I'll let you have 1 or both for 50 bucks each. (they were 69 dollars each) If not I just put them on Craig's list.

 

[stinkbait85]

simbelle you might as well go ahead and sell them as I am still unsure what I am going to do. the way things are shaping up it will be next year before the project is completed. thanks for the offer though. :wink:

 

[simbelle]

Ya, I know how that goes. Decided to keep them and just mount then below the floor, thus bringing down the hiegth > 3" up front and about 2" in the back. Just make for some tricky cuts in the floor and a cap piece to hide were the knob comes through.