1985 Alumacraft Bandit rebuild and gigging boat conversion.

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CaptainPJ

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Feb 20, 2019
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Location
Panama City Florida
Just started using this forum. Been a FG boat guy for the last 40 years. Got my first tinny a few weeks ago to rebuild. Hopefully the info on this site will be helpful in my new project.
I picked up a 1985 Alumacraft 18 foot Bandit with the intent of stripping it down, making any repairs needed and reconfiguring it for use as a flounder gigging boat in Panama City. The reason I went with aluminum is so I could get into skinny water and ease of effort when poling the boat around.
I have a 2012 Yamaha F70 4 stroke ready to be mounted. My plan is to keep the foreword deck the same size but use .100 6061 aluminum for the floor. The floor in the middle of the boat was attached to the ribs as wasn't flat. I want to add some aluminum channel and supports to flatten out the deck and add a center console. The back deck will be smaller than original and will have .100 aluminum sheet instead of wood.
Both foreword and aft live wells and going in the trash. The front one is easy as it was placed in between bulkheads, the back one was part of the structure that supported the floor so it's removal would require the manufacture of a bulkhead or two.
I'm also planning on making a poling platform for the back and 30 inch tall railing in the front to support lights and to provide the giggers with something to lean on.
The transom wood was rotted where in came in contact with the floatation foam. I removed it and have a new one made from 2, 1/2 thick sheets of Aquaplas III ready to trim and install. The Aquaplas isn't as stiff as the wood was so I'll need to stiffen it up using some aluminum L angle.
The hull has been stripped down to the ribs and cleaned with a pressure washer. I have some pretty bad pitting and corrosion in a few areas. My next step is to sand blast the corroded areas and coat with some Loctite epoxy (kick *** aircraft grade stuff) to fill all the cavities and pits. Once that's done I want to sand the entire inside of the hull and paint with some aluminum epoxy primer followed by a coat of colored epoxy.
After that its time to start building the deck. I have a friend helping me that welds and I own a tube bender. Mike and I have a ton of aircraft sheet metal skills and I have access to an Air force sheet metal and machine shop. I also have another friend that has a metal lathe and a CNC machine.
I am totally stoked about this project and looking foreword to many hours of boat building. If anyone reads this and has any quality inputs that might help I am all ears.
 

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Look forward to watching your project. I kind of envy the tools and resources you have available.

I had one thought while reading your comments and viewing the pic's. I can see the slight "bow" in the floor framing but it really doesn't look like it is a lot. If you didn't add channel to flatten the floor would it be all that noticeable? Not saying you shouldn't flatten it. Just thinking out loud.
 
There is a V to the boat hull. The original floor was aluminum sheet that followed the floors contour. I want to add 2" channel over the ribs with a center support to flatten the deck.
I pulled one of the ribs last night. It was located under a live well that was leaking. The draining areas under the rib were clogged so water pooled up and....well you can guess to outcome. The rib is repairable so should be an easy fix.
I have a lot of pitting in the hull under the forward live well and near the transom. Both of those areas had 2 part foam that trapped water. I'm going to sand blast the inside of the boat anywhere there is corrosion and anywhere I suspect paint adhesion problems. After blasting I will wash with a mild vinegar solution, let dry then alodine the entire inside of the hull. I'll repair alodine the removed rib separately then install prior to paint. After the alodine, the hull will be washed again to remove any alodine that isn't dry.
Next step will be to epoxy bog all the corrosion/pitting. I have some Loctite metal epoxy that is perfect for the job. Once the epoxy stiffens up enough to paint over the removed rib goes back in and the whole interior of the hull is getting painted with some Totalboat aluminum boat barrier epoxy primer.
Somewhere in there I have to make supports to flatten the deck. My ribs are hat shaped, 1.5 inches wide tapering to 1.75 where they are attached to the hull. I think some c channel might work. The problem I see is I don't have a welder it the house. My welding buddy is an hours drive away. I cant believe rivets would be strong enough to use to mount the C channel and center supports. I'm also contemplating making low profile bulkheads to go under the floor. I have access to a big *** metal shear and break so that might be the way to go.
 

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Sand blasted the inside, cleaned metal, alodined metal and epoxy bogged the corroded areas. Laminated three sheets of Aquaplas II and cut to fit transom. I installed the transom this weekend. Next up is installing one of the ribs I pulled out for repair then paint the inside of the hull.
I'm using Total Boat Aluminum barrier coat for a epoxy primer. I'll spray 4 thin coats then spray a couple coats of Epoxy top coat(Aircraft paint my buddy gave me).
Once the inner hull is painted I will start making and installing bulkheads which I will paint prior to install.
After the bulkheads I can figure out how to run conduits for hoses wires and cables. I will also work out battery placement and how to mount a center console. The boat had a side console which is going on the scrap pile. I like to stand up while I drive.
 

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Brushed on a couple coats of Totalboat Aluminum barrier epoxy primer then sprayed two successive coates of PPG Desothane polyurethane in matte gunship gray color. I like the look of the grey matte. Almost a shame to cover it all up.
Next step is to clean and paint the interior bulkheads and componants that were removed then make some floor supports to level the floor which originally followed the contour of the deck ribs.
 

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Nice work! Looks good so far. Have you decided on your light setup for the front? Are you going with LED or HPS/MH?

How many guys do you plan on gigging on the bow? Any more than two you may want to reconsider extending the front deck. I added 2' to mine and it was one of the best things I've done. I can have four guys with bully nets up there with plenty of room
 

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