I had a setback...
After 10 months she finally started to leak, and boy was it a good amount.
It seems some of the JB Marine Weld repairs I did did not hold up. Sanded everything down and now I am in the process of using aluminum brazing rods to patch up 2 really bad areas.
Wish me luck.
I decided to leave all of the dents in place. I fixed any holes with either an aluminum welding rod or JB weld. I rebraced the inside of one area with aluminum angle iron. So far so good - no leaks. To minimize the dents I used a satin oil based paint since gloss shows dents easily.
I fish...
Finished boat:
Very long, hard work. Took about 2 months and about $600. Looks good and doesn't leak.
If you do your boat add a hardener to the paint. My paint job is not as durable as I'd like.
Yes it is. It's pretty stable, others disagree, but I'm not 6'4 and 250# so maybe that has something to do with it. Be prepared for other boats wakes and try to keep the bow turned into the wakes. That will help with any issues.
I'm doing a deck on mine and others on here have as well. Look...
Self etching primer in the auto section at Walmart - $6 a can, I used 4 cans
I did not want gloss because of the poor condition of the aluminum on my boat. I bought an outdoor oil enamel at Sherwin Williams in satin and tinted it the color of red I wanted. Cost about $30 for 2 cans.
Prep is...
At the very least put in decking on top of the ribs. You'll be glad you did when hit the water the first time and you can move thru the boat without tripping over the ribs.
Do you have a source for this or experience, or is this just what "you've heard." I haven't found this to be the case in my experience. Not calling you out I just want to get the correct information out there.
I know others will say don't sand blast it, but after using one on some parts of mine this is they way I'll do my next boat. if yo go easy and use just enough pressure to take the paint off without harming the aluminum you'll be fine. Make sure you use a medium grit abrasive and not a coarse...