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Kismet

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 21, 2012
Messages
1,399
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74
Location
rural SW Wisconsin
So, I thought about doing something more physically active as I age, or have aged.

Fishing! That'll do it. Get a little boat, a fishing rod, go out to the few near-by lakes, and catch a bunch of fish. Be healthy and not expensive, AND, I'll get some food out of it.

Got a 12ft semi-v boat, with trailer and 3.5 hp engine. Tinkered a bit, registered it, took it out, worked pretty well, even with the chop on the windy early Spring day.

Came to this site, read a bit, asked a bit, and pondered. Hmmmm <---me pondering.

Went Craig's list shopping and came up with a 5.5 hp Evinrude. By golly, that's the ticket!

Took it out, chop was there, exaggerated by the weight of the heavier motor.

Pondered. Hmmmm<---me pondering again.

Read some more. And more.

Figured since I had a 5.5 motor, it could work to power a bigger boat.

Just came home from picking up a 14ft Alumacraft F, last registered in 1995, and carefully stored outside in the rain, snow, and other beneficial elements. Didn't quite fit on the trailer, but I made do. Some modifications are in order.

Seems big. Deep, wide hull, needs transom work, and some of that aluminum cleaner-upper stuff from BassPro. Heavy sunnavagun.

Found myself thinking...you know, this boat would probably really like a slightly bigger engine.

OK. THIS is a trend. I now have two boats, two new-to-me motors, one trailer that wants some mods, and now I find myself looking at the renovations that the craftsmen who post on this site have done.

Think I should have taken up bridge.

:?
 
I feel your pain! In Feb, I got laid off... Immediatly sold my 17ft saltwater boat.
Missed fishing badly... Off to Cragslist...
Bought a Gheenoe with broken 1958 10hp outboard, paddled it for three months...
Got tired of paddling... Off to Craigslist... Bought trolling motor...
Used it for 3 months... Battery dies too fast... Off to Craigslist...
Bought 6hp Evinrude outboard... Ah, just perfect.
Tinkered with 10hp over winter, got it running.
Figured needed bigger boat... To Craigslist..
Looking for 14-16ft V-hull Boat, but bought rough condition 1960 Larson runabout to restore (with 50hp Johnson)
Said "scr*w it, cant fish from it" and cancelled restoration project... Back to craigs list...
Bought 14ft V-hull with 15hp Johnson... using old boat while I fix up and register this one...
Got tired of unused flyrods laying around... Back to craigslist... Rods for sale or trade...
Traded one rod for a 7.5 Gamefisher outboard...

Within past year (or so), I have bought 3 boats, 3 trailers, 1 trolling motor, and 4 outboards. If I come home with another, all of the above may be available at my estate sale... :shock:
 
Kismet said:
Seems big. Deep, wide hull, needs transom work, and some of that aluminum cleaner-upper stuff from BassPro. Heavy sunnavagun.

We need to see some pics of this boat!

Congratulations on the new boat... you'll soon own a fleet of fixer-uppers. :wink:
 
Welcome to my world! A half finished 15' bass boat sitting in the disaster called my garage that I brought last year for a song. Traded a 25hp Merc for a 70hp Johnson to put on it & did (even brought a new prop for it). Was going to tackle BB in late winter/early spring BUT...purchased a newer pickup truck. Better gas mileage but, not near the pulling or horsepower of the old. Then gas shot up to almost $4.00 a gallon (thank you Mr. Obama & company! :evil: ) & I found it economically infeasible to use on a regular basis (i.e cost to tow & use on the lake). So it'll be going up for sale asap on Craigslist. Ditto for a 11' Sea Sport tri-hull Boston Whaler knock off (which my friend affectionately refers to as "the ******* boat"). Because I can't seem to find any 20-25hp outboards (non-tiller) with a long enough shaft to extend at or below the cavitation plate. Just bought a 10.5' Sun Dolphin pro 110 for $350.00 two months ago (no seats or trailer) to replace a paper-thin aluminum Jon boat (slightly modified) I had just sold. SD needed some work (new base plates & electrical switch replacement) & I put a casting decking on it up front along with a Anchor Mate wench (river & pond/small lakes). Now, I am currently working on a 14' Meyers Semi-V aluminum I brought about 6 weeks ago to replace the Bass Boat. The 25hp from the "******* boat" is going on that. And on & on...So far the wife has been pretty tolerant but, not towards the neglect of other 'to do' projects needing attention NOT related to boating or fishing. :?
 
Yea lets see those pics!

I know what you mean i was just like you on picking out a boat. My two man boat was slowing running out of life. First i thought get a new two man and get back to fishing... dang kinda expensive. Then i thought for that price i could get a nice flat bottom jon boat, and have some more room and do a little customization. Already got a trailer i can fit a 12' boat on there. Then i decide if i am gonna customize i want a casting deck for sure. oh dang 12' is to small, ok no biggie lets go 14' and have more room and i'll get one with a trailer plus go with a V style if i want to get on bigger waters... sweet found a boat, bought that sucker... did i say 14'? Oh well 16' is much more roomier. Yup barely fits in the garage so i can work on it daily. hehe
 
OK. Here we go. These shots are, variously, from after the second, third, and fourth scrubbing, debris removal, lichen scraping, and elimination of the general miniature wetland recreation program that the boat maintained over the last fifteen years of backyard exposure. I took no pictures of original state--it would be like viewing a highway accident.

aluma1995registrationsticker.jpg


alumamodeltag.jpg


alumalengthwisefromrearafter2cleanings.jpg


alumalengthwiseaftertwocleanings.jpg


alumatransomafterearlycleaning1.jpg


alumatransominteriorafterearlycleaning.jpg


alumainteriorafterfirst2cleanings.jpg
 
Ahh the Alumacraft. Might be a '59? I think that was the year they went with the bracing from front to back. Nice looking boat there, and I would say a 9.9-15hp would be perfect!!
 
Last wash. This is stuff used by dairy farmers to clean the lines in their stainless steel milk lines. Contains both sulfuric and phosphoric acids. I DO NOT suggest anyone use this. I've read that after use of sulfuric acid washes, the acid continues to etch into the metal, and that a rinse of baking soda is necessary. But I had it around for many years, investigated other washes, and opted to apply it. I diluted it a LOT. I used gloves, and rinsed it many times. I didn't price it, but I'm sure it is much less expensive than some of the other washes. Anything someone does with it is at their own risk.

acidwashbottlemilkstoneremover.jpg


acidwashbottleprecautions.jpg


alumaaftertwocleaningsbelly.jpg


alumarearbottomaftercleanings.jpg


alumatransomafterearlycleaning1.jpg


alumaafteracidwashfullrightsidehull.jpg


alumaaftertwocleaningsbelly.jpg


So then, there we are today. I'm in pain. Takes longer for old men to recover from too much labor/repetitive motion. :) Moving this thing around, flipping it over, and general toting and fetching has had its toll on my joints and back.

I'm not going to paint the boat, nor am I going to try to bring it to a shine and then apply $160 Gatoraide...no, wait...Sharkhide, to cover the metal. Right now, the remnants of the interior deterioration have defeated me. I expect to rally, but not for a while. Doubt that I would "deck" it, but might put some wood/support platform between the seats. This is a little different from the boat that James did such a great job on. The ribs run longitudinally, not transversely. Should not need 2xs or such. I have no idea of the year of mfr. I've combed the transom and can find no stamped serial number on it.

I've got oar locks on order, and am looking around for some old oars to toss in there. Got an anchor. Will work on the transom; already have the spar urethane. A lot of stuff has been sealed on the boat. I will judiciously remove and repair them. Part of the boat's history is that it was cartopped up to Canada, with a boat buddy lifter. Dunno. I bought it from the 55 year old son of the owner.

Bow eye is almost worn through, and it is integral. I'll figure out something.

I blame James and Hanr, and others for this arriving at my shed. In fairness, they should come and fix it up for me. :wink:


Edit: On the transom BRACE is the serial # F20061.
 
Bigkat650 said:
Ahh the Alumacraft. Might be a '59? I think that was the year they went with the bracing from front to back. Nice looking boat there, and I would say a 9.9-15hp would be perfect!!

You're a BAD man, Bigkat.

Get thee behind me.


:?
 
The only other thing I see that needs doin' on that boat is the transom wood needs to be replaced.

A 197? 18 hp Johnson would be perfect on that boat, still lots of them around and you can usually find one for reasonable if you keep your eyes open.
 
I have nearly the same boat, but mine is an f-7. You will love it, they are built like a tank for their size and weight. If your keeping the benches, a great idea is build floor sections for between them. Mine had those before i went all out on mine the past few months.

I wish i had a complete picture of my floor with the benches still in it, but here is a picture of my old floor. It worked very well. Some of the basic design concepts are: floor was notched for the ribs so each piece couldnt slide back and forth. Each piece was bigger than the actual space between the benches to minimize things falling under the floor. You had to stick one side in and under the bench so you could get the other side in and slide it forward on the opposite end of that particular piece. Took a little bit to jimmy each one in but it was nice having each piece go under the benches.

It was made of 3/4 inch plywood but also had a 1x3 going from side to side under for a little extra support on each end of each piece. These were not mounted to the boat in any way, just held in place by the rib cutouts which worked great.

The floor lasted about 20 years (as you see it in the picture its about 20 years old). Was easy to take out once or twice a year to hose off and clean each piece. Made the boat much quieter and easier to walk on and set stuff on a flat surface.

If you need any questions answered about my old design or my new one (link in my signature) feel free to message me. Ive spent most my life fishing out of this one boat so i know it pretty well.

That being said good luck and hope to hear lots of updates! Ive read most your other posts and i am rather enjoying your new obsession :)
 

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Sounds like many of us are in the same BOAT...... :lol: I am bringing home a 21' Reniell on Saturday because a friend of mine's wife told him he needed to get rid of it. So for $150 bucks I got a boat that runs just fine with a 250 straight six I/O but I really don't need it. How could I say no though?!?! It is like a deer that shoots itself and then straps itself to the roof of your car, you got to take it home and eat it RIGHT?

So now I have 2 boats, 4 outboards (30hp, 30hp, 15hp, 6hp), 5 trolling motors including the bow mount on my 14' tin and misc fishing gear coming out the wazoo...... Still haven't told the wife about my most recent purchase since she is still cooling off from my last buy a month ago #-o

I need to sell this one though so I can justify my next purchase, which will be a 18-21' tin :lol: I am so glad there are others out there with the same sickness :p
 
Kismet .... awesome awesome awesome!!!

You are living the dream man! Living the dream.

Excellent work cleaning up that boat. It looks fantastic.

If you work hard, keep your focus, and push yourself to the brink of exhaustion ..... maybe, just maybe, you could achieve the ultimate success of having multiple boats in various degrees of brokenness in your back yard simultaneously. Also, it is important to remember that you must have MORE broken outboards than broken boats at all times.

If you fail and end up with just one properly functioning boat and motor, your access to this forum will be revoked.
 
Some of the basic design concepts are: floor was notched for the ribs so each piece couldnt slide back and forth. Each piece was bigger than the actual space between the benches to minimize things falling under the floor. You had to stick one side in and under the bench so you could get the other side in and slide it forward on the opposite end of that particular piece. Took a little bit to jimmy each one in but it was nice having each piece go under the benches.

That's sort of what I was thinking, Dman. Glad to know it is practicable. Thank you.


A 197? 18 hp Johnson would be perfect on that boat, still lots of them around and you can usually find one for reasonable if you keep your eyes open.

Jigngrub? Feels like I'm over-emphasizing the issue, but I'm just not physically capable of horsing a heavier motor around. Also, repair on an engine that size demands an qualified repair. Usually, I can eventually figure out some stuff on motors, but I am not mechanically talented. Money is also an issue. So far, I figure I can get back what I put into the boats/motors if things get tough. I'm not complaining, it just is what it is. By many standards, I'm a very lucky guy. I just have constraints on what I can do physically and financially.

There's an old homily I keep in mind: "Use it up, Wear it out, Make do, Do without."

And, since I'm getting personal, I am pretty convinced, I am more interested and involved in bringing these things back to life and utility than I will be in fishing from them. Goofy, huh?
 
I hear ya...last august I didnt have a single fishing/boating item. Now I have 2- 15HP motors, one brand new the other I rebuilt (1962) also a 1.5hp cruise n carry. got my 12' boat and a nice trolling motor with I pilot. It is an addiction!
 
The saga continues:

Equipment for wire-brushing and the attack on the petrified mastic. I've shied away from using electric stuff, fearing errors of enthusiasm on my part.:
masticattacktools-1.jpg


Brushed and scoured but a lot just would not be affected. Decided that mastic is water-soluble (since the paint stripper stuff had no effect on the remains of the rubber backing or mastic, and brought out the hose, figuring if it is ?hydroscopic?, it will absorb and soften. Starting filling the boat:
hoseinboat-1.jpg

Seriously considered turning the sunnavagun into a Koi pond, and forgoing the whole "boat" thing:

Koipondinsteadofboat.jpg

This scraping is painful
scrapersinboatunderwater-1.jpg


Did very little. Some loosened, but other stuff will be there after the nuclear holocaust, providing some nice texture for the surviving half-dozen cockroaches and the 4 breeding pairs of mosquitoes. But, I did what I could, first with the cup brushes on the drill, then the water soaking, then the scraping.

Stripped the old wood transom off, destroying an historic carpenter ant community, est. 1995.
carpenterantbackoftransomwood.jpg


Went after the transom, taking out the rusty and frozen bolts and screws. I stopped counting at 26. Maybe 6 or 8 were necessary. Go figgur. Finally took the sanding disc to the electric drill, and scoured some serious corrosion, but mostly discoloring and physical damage by the wholesale screwing that went on. (Gotta be a better way to put that.) Washed down, dried, wiped with rubbing alcohol, and took out JBweld, my forever friend. I'm letting it set for a couple of days, the weather here being unsettled, with alternating cold and warm fronts.
backofboatwithtransomoffandjbweld-1.jpg



more...
 
continued...


Cut the exterior plywood for the transom to size. Then noticed a piece of plywood sheathing and started screwing around with that.

Just as an experiment, cut one piece to size, looked around the shed for other stuff. Found some pool noodles I'd used as sponsons for a canoe, and some closed cell foam for insulating pipes. Supported the belly of the "decking" with the noodles, and slipped the pipe insulation over the edges. Fit snugly and didn't move when I stood on it. The sheathing was only .45", and obviously unsuitable, but I think the concept may be sound. Maybe a tab at the end to lift it up, some glue to hold the pipe insulation (which I think comes in a few different colors) on permanently, and a tack of some adhesive to keep the noodles in place. Spar varnish and some rubber decking on top. Should be simple, relatively inexpensive, and easily cleaned--just lift them up and hose 'em off.
floorideawithnoodlesunderandinsulationonsides-1.jpg

poolnoodlesupportidea-1.jpg

pipeinsulationfloorsidecushion-1.jpg

micktestingflooridea-1.jpg


Still thinking about it.

Ordered some stuff, and maybe did some serious damage to left knee. Time to take a break. :)
 

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