All hands on deck, need input pelase!

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Nevillizer

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Ok, so I traded my 1978 1432 Alumicraft to my brother for A 1976 1546 MOD-V Somthinanother. (?) It had been modded by a previouse owner. Floor deck, trolling motor mount, battery box, 3 swivel chairs. Here are some pictures:
IMG00230.jpg

IMG00231.jpg

IMG00232.jpg

IMG00233.jpg

IMG00234.jpg

IMG00239.jpg

IMG00238.jpg

As you can see, it needs some work, and some more work, and maybe a littke work after that. It was obvious that the transom was in need of replacing. After I pulled out the old floor out and upon closer inspection (see last photo above) 90% of all the rivets have been replaced WITH BOLTS. In fact the only intact rivets appear to be the ones that attach the gunwales. It does not appear to be leaking, i suspect that may change after I sand it.

Need some thoughts? Should I remove all the bolts and re-rivet? Should replace the bolts with new stainless bolt / galvanized bolts? Many of the bolts are baddly corroded so what should I do? This is ground zero so I must start from here and move on.
 
All that steel needs to come out of there.It is corroding the aluminum.Either re-rivet the hull or use stainless steel hardware sealed with 3M 5200 marine sealant.Also remove the wood and replace it with exterior grade.Don't use pressure treated wood,it has traces of copper in it and will cause corrosion.
 
x2. Get anything that is not aluminum out of there ASAP - just going to kill your boat. There is a pretty detailed post on here about corrosion and how to stop it I think. If not, sand it all down, bare metal primer, or self etc, then paint. You'll be surprised how much of a difference some paint will make.
 
I guess this is the price I am paying for a wider bigger boat without just buying one. I don't mind the work and look forward to the challenge. So, next question: I have never worked with rivets before but have access to a rivet gun from a body shop guy I know. Should I rivet or use other hard ware? If I choose to rivet what size? If I choose to replace the bolts what type? (I know I have heard mention of using stainless steel) and where do I get them? Can I pick them up at a typical hardware store / Home Depot / Lowe"s or is there another resource? I have a project deadline of end of August so I need to get hopping. Thanks in advance for the help.
 
Rerivet. Not only will you go broke buying all that stainless hardware, the rivets are a much better fix. They are not hard to put in. Quite simple, will just tire you out. On the rivets, I would go one size larger than the bolts you have in there right now. Once you get the bolt out, you can drill it out one size, and hopefully that will get you to fresher aluminum, as you will find some corrosion around the bolt. Not much, provided the boat was used in freshwater, and not marina stored, but bolts come zinc coated if not specified otherwise, and zinc and aluminum are dissimilar, so some corrosion will likely be present.

That boat looks like a candidate for leaving the benches in. I don't see the right bracing present to be comfortable removing them.
 
Definatly use rivets. You won't be changing those out for a long time if ever and like bassboy said you will spend a whole lot more on stainless hardware. I don't know if you have an Ace hardware near you but I have been happy with their rivets. They don't carry the really big ones but I have used their 3/16" rivets on all of my boats so far and I have not had a problem.....remember aluminum not steel and a little bit of 5200 sealant on each one :D
 
I bet most of the bolts in his hull are 1/4 inch, so getting the hole to fresh meat would involve 5/16 rivets. Or, if they are smaller than 1/4, one would need to get the hole at least to 1/4, so the Ace will probably not have them. I usually get mine from Grainger Industrial Supply (grainger.com), in 100 count packages for a reasonable price.
 
I know you have a lot of work ahead of you, but that's going to be a nice boat when your done. Keep the progress and pics a coming.
 
Well, it looks like I will be replacing the old bolts with rivets. Also, after closer inspection it looks like the boat originally had another bench seat in it. It appears the two middle benches were removed. One was left out and the other was replaced in between the old mounting posistions. This means I am one seat shy of what was supposed to be in it. If you look at this picture you can see the locations where they used to be, detailed in red (you can sea the old location of the rivets and the discolored paint.
IMG00239-1.jpg

Since I don't have access to the old bench that is missing I was thinking of moving the original bench forward to its intended location. Then decking from it back and allowing the supports for the decking to add structual integrity to the boat. The decks will be flush with the height of the benches.

Also on this picture you can see the brace made for a trolling motor is very solid. It is not aluminum. I was thinking of placeing a buffer material inbetween it and the boat so the steel is not in contact with the boat.
IMG00231.jpg


Will be going today to get the rivets, probably just gonna a buy a rivet gun too. Probably will be a handy thing to have from here on out. Oh, one last thing this boat will not fit on my trailer. It over hangs about 3 1/2 feet off the rear. So I will be swapping trailers as well.
 
Corection - It is a 1970 1542 and according to the title it is a Make = Flatbottom. Thats all it says. Really curios about the manufacturer.
 
Ok. I am about 1/2 done with replacing the bolts with rivets. I have romoved both the bench seats amd the trolling motot mount. I will be replacing the transom this weekend. Should be able to paint by next week. I plan on mocking up my foors, live well, and dry storage prior to painting. Alot of work ahead. On a good note. I was passing through the Crocket and stopped at a my borthers house to stretch my legs. I picked up a rolling cooler that the lid popped off of ( it pops back on real easy) and a side mount alunimum console for FREE. Gonna probably use the cooler for live well and probably install the side console on the boat. You gotta love free!
livewell.jpg

console.jpg
 

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