Craigslist find - Alumacraft '50s 12 ft

New here to the forum - just picked up the craft below on Craigslist. The boat, a 7 horse Sears motor, and trailer for $170. Included was a box with amazing quantities of paint, stripper, two part epoxy, lights, wire wheels, etc. Poor guy was moving and had to get rid of it. He obviously had this planned out.

Said his wife bought him the boat as a birthday present. Should have asked if she had a sister, or at least a close cousin...

I was hoping that some one here could take a look and tell me what I am working with. The transom has no markings at all. The only thing resembling a model number you will see below on the bow.

I have already started framing in the fore deck. Not sure about where else I want to take this. One limitation seems that the boards that serve as seats must be mounted as prescribed, as they provide the structural integrity width-wise. (Found this out tightening the ratchet straps without them - no damage done.)












Looking forward to this build. Thanks for checking in.

Before you put a lot of time and money into it, why not check with parks and wildlife to be certain that you can register the boat in your name.

Some States, you would be out of luck. Hope you have, at least, a bill of sale. richg99

Rich? He's in Wisconsin and the hull has an old sticker, so he should be ok for registration with DNR.

They've been really quite courteous when I've called asking about registration.

Looks clean--empty--but clean.

Keep us updated.

13X....what you have there is a late 1950's ALUMACRAFT, model 'EZ', 12 footer.

Yea, when I was up there, Wisconsin was Sooooooo very much easier to deal with than the thieves in Illinois. richg99

Rich, thanks for your concern, but got it registered online in about 2 minutes. I am a stones throw from Illinois and am aware how much fun they can be down there.

Toot - thanks for the information. Google images has now given me an idea of what she used to look like. Couldn't figure out the holes for the transom for the life of me.





Kismet - she is indeed very empty. I am planning on putting in a front deck, but am not sure how much farther I want to go. I have major concerns about overloading her.

Got the trailer lights installed, so that is going to be it for the day. Cheers.

Nice. Go easy on the deck in a 12ft semi-v. Gets real tippy real fast--there's this whole "center of gravity" thing that is SO annoying!. (Apparently, gravity is the law. go figgur.)

Glad the registration went smoothly.

Gonna be fun.

=D>

Kismet - I think we are going to get along just fine.

The oars need sanding and staining and spar varnish, but they are a treat, especially if you've seen the dreck that is being offered in stores these days. I don't get out enough to know for sure, but I have this sense that younger folks don't consider rowing as an important function of boating, and have no regard for the craftsmanship that can go into something as simple as an oar.

The oars I have I made for my first boat - a 11'6" (didn't have to register in WI...) wooden rowing skiff that I built from marine ply and left over cedar. Nothing but an angle finder, a plane, a rasp and a weathered eye with some beers and my good lady reading trivia questions. The bloody corporation that I worked for at the time made taking vacation mandatory at the end of that year and ten days later... I'll post pictures when I find them. Thing that scares me about this forum is that it is all tin and glass. If anyone knew how addictive wooden boats were, there would be a major problem...

Related: I searched oar mounts / mounting on this forum and didn't see anything useful. Poor searching? Any thoughts? I would like to keep them outboard, but accessible.


(Edit: I know ships get named, boats do not. I don't care. )

My former father-in-law was in submarines and I am with you. They are 'boats' yet deserve names. 'Cricket' is my working title, as I have been forbidden from naming her after girlfriends that she reminds me of. (Too noisy, too needy, too temperamental - and I assure you that I have names for all of those)

My wife and father-in-law put in at Fountain City and camp on the islands in the Mississippi twice a year. Where are you in SW WI? I love fishing there, as the northern are fierce, feisty and hungry. :lol:

In other news, I tried the aircraft stripper/pressure washer to no avail. Some paint wants to leave, yet most spots stays as tough as iron. Sanding and muscle are all I have left, and as an older guy - this doesn't bode well...

I'd call a number of truck liner manufacturers and tell them you need to know how to remove their product. The answers may all be similar, no matter what product you actually have.

Wooden boats forum.

holes in the transom look to be from the wood on the backside of yours kinds like the one in your google search. If those are the holes you are talking about.

JB Weld is your friend.

Moving along at a pretty good pace. More pics to come soon. I created the exterior transom mounts for the motor and TR out of an old oak kitchen cutting board. Being dishwasher safe makes me believe that after sanding it will be fine after a couple of coats of West Marine 2 part epoxy.

Question - any thoughts on mounting the oars to the side of the boat when afloat but not in use? I've searched no forum and haven't found a reference to anything like that. Thanks in advance.

Question 2 - from what I know about working with wood in exterior applications I've been under the assumption that sealing green wet wood (fresh, but not non-pressure treated) keeps all of the moisture in and increases rot from the inside. Due to cost, I am using standard construction lumber, more than likely pine. My front deck can be removed. Would it be better to keep it off the boat and dry when not in use and seal after the internal moisture has gone in a season? Any thoughts would be appreciated.

re keeping the oars..

do a Google search on "paddle keepers" for kayaks. There are couple of systems or gadgets that might help. richg99

Question - any thoughts on mounting the oars to the side of the boat when afloat but not in use? I've searched no forum and haven't found a reference to anything like that.

Click to expand...

You mean hang the oars OUTSIDE the boat? Hmmmmm.... :? You wouldn't want them to rattle, nor fall off, but be secure but not an eyesore? Hmmmmm. And they have to be accessible when you want to shove off from a dock/tree/shore.....

So...you'd probably need a sheath-type holder, fixed to the hull, for the blade part, which--in a perfect world--might be lower, support most of the weight and have a natural tendency to support the oar and angle up for the hand grips to fit into some sort of clamp, which would hold them securely, but be easy to open. But not too lower, maybe parallel because it would look better.

Hmmmmm.... :?

Gotta be a way to do that.

You'd be surprised at how well the shock cord system works. You could put two separate ones in, or even double the cords up.

They also make a plastic clip that the paddles snap into, but I can't be sure the circumference of your oar will fit.

richg99

Seeing your tin really brings back memories; my dad bought virtually the same hull new. I fished a ton on it with him, and another ton after he gave it to me. I gave it to a fellow a couple of years ago who was hooked on small boats but never had one of his own...the hull was still water-tight. Dad used 6 ft. solid wood oars and was able to slide the blades under the seat supports on either side. Yours looks to be different, but still enough room to use a shock cord system. You might also look at the clips used for gaffs or similar deck hardware. That is an easy and fun boat to row. I will be watching your thread with interest!

Have checked these out?

https://forum.tinboats.net/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=25185&start=15

I am still giving the oar mount some thought and will keep you posted. I will say that being an eyesore is not really a concern of mine. My thinking is that it is a fishing boat, not a piece of furniture. :wink:

In the meantime, I got her out on the water over the weekend, and she is a dream to row. The trolling motor that I had tucked away really threw her around the lake as well. There was a minor failure concerning my temporary transom configuration, but no need to go into all of the details...

The bottom is sanded and ready to paint. Pics as soon as the weather clears up. Cheers!