1977 Lowe 16' extra wide/deep flat-bottom...2nd build

Getting started on the second round for this boat. I built this boat up about 4 years ago using all of the wrong materials (treated wood and deck screws!) Needless to say, nothing lasted. Thanks to this site, I'll be rebuilding this boat the correct way. I've got a lot of ideas for this (mostly from other posts here).

Well keep us up dated with the new mods (LOTS OF PICs)

Currently cleaning out the inside of the boat. Have to get rid of all that rot!!! Starting to plan out the paint. I'm throwing around the idea of covering the inside with herculiner (or similar product). Anyone have good/bad experiences doing this?

Still planning a lot of this build yet. After reading a few posts, I have decided to use regular plywood and do several coats of polyurethane for the decks. I'm hoping that will last a bit longer than treated plywood.

Some new photos. Got most of the removal done. Getting anxious to start the fun stuff!

Not sure of the best way to fill the holes in the aluminum. JB Weld?

Know anyone with a Tig welder and knows how to weld aluminum? I bought a stick of some stuff called Aluminum-Weld it was some sort of epoxy they had at the boat shop. I thought it would be good as it is a log and you just cut off pieces and mix it. The 1st batch setup wiil I was mixing it, suppose to have 14 minutes working time, The second try after 2 days was stilll soft. So I wouldn't recomend using it on the holes. J-B Weld should be a good choice.

Looks like while you have it appart you might as well replace the transom. It looks like it has seen better days.

Planning out the paint: Thinking of painting the whole boat black. It currently has some great "shark teeth" painted on the sides. I either want to update it or do something new. Here are some of my initial ideas. I'd like to hear everyone's thoughts on these. Or if anyone has any other ideas.

If you had treated plywood rotting in only a few years, water must be trapped and can not drain out. The big don't with treated, has to do with alum reaction to the treated chems. But, it shouldn't have rotted in such a short time.

I'm with ya FuzzyGrub. It never held water, but was always humid under the casting decks. I am in Iowa after all, home of humid/hot summers and long cold winters (with this winter being the exception). And thinking about it further, "Rot" may be the wrong word. Warping and separation were the main problems. I didn't try putting anything on the wood to prevent moisture from getting in and that's where I went wrong. And after learning about the aluminum reactions, I realized that I had to start over from scratch. My friend's pontoon boat reacted the same way using identical materials in the same amount of time.

danlva said:

Currently cleaning out the inside of the boat. Have to get rid of all that rot!!! Starting to plan out the paint. I'm throwing around the idea of covering the inside with herculiner (or similar product). Anyone have good/bad experiences doing this?

Click to expand...

I "tried" to do Herculiner on my build. The product sucks! Don't bother. It's the consistancy of kitty litter in rustoleum that's almost too dry to spread. It's too think for spray on applications. The "rubber clumps" are too large to grab a roller. Yer stuck dabbing with a brush, multiple coats. There's no catalyst or hardener. Expect 5 day+ curing time. I had used 2 quarts $80+tax, and a whole bunch of materials on mine. I got as far as a 2-3" "strip" of build across all my seams, and enough to cover my transom pads. Calculating square footage per the label, I should have been able to do this in one quart can. I had barely enough to do it in 2 quarts. Gallons were a little over $100 at the time. This product requires multiple layering, and you have to add the layers in a certain time frame after the last layer. Layers must adhear to tacky lower layer. If you choose to use it, you better have an entire weekend to devote to the painting process. I'm thinking that a gallon would have been enough to cover just my seams and ribs...and entire floor or deck would be out of the question in one gallon. And, the consistancy would be garbage.

I have watched a buddy use Duraliner on a Jeep. Duraliner requires a hardener. As soon as it's mixed, you have to put it down. This one will roll. It costs more. It has better coverage.

Try yer google-fu at finding a Line-x Franchise around yer neck of the woods. They will mask and spray a truck bed, black for $250....which is a heck of a deal after you look into the prep time, masking, and labor to come out with a desirable finish. They generally charge an extra $175 for tinting...in any color you want.

Duraliner and Herculiner don't hold paint very well...I hope you like black.

My strong reccomendation is pay the professional. It will come out the way you want it, the color you want it, it can be "used/fished" quicker, and it comes with a warranty.


Oh, and my vote is for the shark graffics.

Thanks for the info Frogman. I actually went and bought 2 gallons over the weekend. They've got a mail in rebate right now that made them $50 a gallon when all is said and done. I'll most likely return and call line-x tomorrow. I had my f150 done by line-x a few months ago and it looks great. I was hoping to save some dough on the boat and do it myself though. You get what you pay for then, huh?

Trust me, it ain't worth the agrivation! #-o Return the stuff ASAP!

Go with Line-x!

danlva said:

Planning out the paint: Thinking of painting the whole boat black. It currently has some great "shark teeth" painted on the sides. I either want to update it or do something new. Here are some of my initial ideas. I'd like to hear everyone's thoughts on these. Or if anyone has any other ideas.

Click to expand...

I like the shark teeth! Looks like a paint job from an old P51 Mustang : ) way cool in my opinion. I really like that boat ya got there. I usually don't have much interest in flat bottom due to the impracticality of them where I live and fish but that is a nice boat ya got there. Looking forward to watching your re-mod.

line X is great when applied correct... I had a line x done in my truck and two months later chipped right out... but to be fair i called them and they re-did for free and it has held up great for about five years now.... I think either the prep or the mix was not right, either way they did the right thing and made it right for me... I used herculiner in my other truck an old ramcharger and it has held up great.... it was easy to roll on.... I did take it to lowes paint department and had them shake it for me to mix it real well... It went on nice nd even and has been good for me so far..... I coated the outside fiberglass gheenoe that had a faded gel coat with a roll on urethane durabak and it has worked great, expensive stuff though about $150 a quart 6 years ago...

I found the Herculiner to cover well, the consistency was fine for me and I got it in a gray color for about $100 a gallon. The gallon was enough to cover the entire bottom of my boat on the inside with 3 coats. The roller worked well for me and I just bought a paint mixing attachment for my drill for about $5-10 to mix it. However, it did not adhere very well even though I followed the directions to a "T" and spent hours and hours on prepping. So in other words, I have to disagree with the above negative review in some aspects but I'd say go with the Line-X if you can. Had Line-X put in my Tacoma several years ago (8+), and even now when I see the new owner driving around, it looks great.

i like the black shark teeth

Pulled apart the transom today. As it turns out. Someone had extended the transom by 4" at some point. My guess is to accommodate the long shaft motor. They put about 30-40 holes in the real transom in the process... More holes to patch! The wood is fairly rotten as well. It came off in handfuls. So much for having a template to cut the new one.

was your boat a retired military? I was at a recent government auction for boats and such and on the back of the jon boat they had the same "danger prop" stenceiled on the transom???

Go with the sharks teeth. Reminds me of my dad's old USCG station rescue boats at Shark River in NJ.