18' Smoker Craft Restoration

[riverboat]

Hi, I have been lurking here for a couple weeks reading articles and gaining knowledge. Thank you for this great website! I recently purchased an 18' Smoker Craft. It came with a decent trailer and a forty horse Yamaha tiller for $1,500.00. I do allot of duck hunting along the Columbia river and have been looking for a deep V that could handle the rough conditions in the lower Columbia. The floors were a complete goner and as I began taking things apart I have discovered more corrosion than I have ever seen in an aluminum boat. I would like to save this boat if possible but only if I know when I get done it will be safe. I have attached three pictures of the inside of the hull. All of the wood and foam has been removed. The transom needs some repairs but is not too bad. My anxiety starts when I look at the pitting on the floors. So after reading the never ending posts with the word corrosion in them this is what I'm thinking is the plan of attack but I am open to any comments both negative and positive. Although I have been around boats for a very long time I have never been in this situation.
1. Remove all the corrosion with a flap wheel or stainless steel wheel or brush. I looked into soda blasting just the transom and floor of the boat but the quotes were $450.00 and $600.00, I do not want to throw good money after bad.
2. Treat the area 50/50 vinegar and water and then topcoat with Por 15
3. Epoxy the pitted areas. I know G-flex 650 is the recommended product but this is a pretty extensive restoration. Are there any good alternatives? (I have almost a gallon of West System 105 from another project, but I understand this is not a flexible product and it may fail so probably not a good choice)
4. Prime, paint and then begin the fun part of deciding the layout in my new boat.
5. This really should have been first, leak test and mark any areas that need attention.

Thanks... Any input is appreciated!

 

[dearl]

Wow, yep that's pretty ruff. O.k. speaking from experience here cause my Grumman was eat up with corrosion. You want to kill the corrosion, mechanical removal will get some of it, but not all. I used a stiff brass wire brush on a drill to get most of the surface corrosion off, then a mixture of 50/50 muriatic acid and water. work in small areas and work it In with a hand held stainless steel wire brush. After 3 - 5 minutes rinse really good with water. I'd stay away from a stainless cup brush on a drill or grinder, they will put large swirls In the aluminum, their pretty aggressive, and don't use carbon steel ones, the bristle break off and get between your stringers and rust, causing more corrosion later. Once the corrosion is gone you can fill the voids with JB weld and sand down flush. it works really well, adding a little acetone to the JB will thin it out and allow you to work it in real good. Once all the corrosion is gone, you can use Gluvit on the seams and rivets from the inside, but once it dries you may wont to put a good coat of primer on top of it, Gluvit is not UV resistant, and may break down before you get the decks and inside back together. Good Luck, looks like your off to a good start. Here's a link to what I started with and were she's at now.

https://www.forum.tinboats.net/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=40421

 

[Johnny]

Welcome Aboard !!

River - have you looked at the POR-15 products ???

although they are a bit pricey - you get what you pay for.
look over the spec sheets and you might find something
that will work best for you. https://www.por15.com
I have used their products in a multitude of projects
and have had very good results.

stay far far away from that spray seal stuff you see on TV !!!



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[DaleH]

I like brass brushes to remove corrosion, vaccum & rinse w/ fresh water. Then a straight vinegar wash ... don't dilute it! You should zinc chromate prime spots before epoxying. For any area subject to flex, I'd use the GFlex ... it goes a lot further than you think and around here the kit is only $20, so for 2 maybe 3 kits, man you'd be using a superior product IMHO.

If any corrosion does goes thru the tin skin, you need to completely get rid of any "white" showing in the layers, as that is indicative of a inter-granular precipitate attack. Such an attack feeds on itself like a cancer, and it must be completely cut out! I see this on saltwater boats. And like a cancerous tumor, it too would be completely excised ...

Be AWARE I once started w/ BB-sized holes that had the chloride attack ... and once drilled out beyond the boundary ... those holes were now 1/2" holes or bigger. I ended up completely REPLACING my transom skins, as shown in my profile posts.

 

[Stumpalump]

The part of the country you are in has companies that build and maintain large aluminum fishing fleets. Send them pics and let them blast, weld and coat it. That boat in good shape is worth a fortune up there so doing it perfect is not a waste of money. Pick it up with a hull that's ready for your next 20 years. Where will you be with corrosion, pin holes and weak spots in 3-4 years if you do it yourself? 18' is a lot of hull to get right.

 

[riverboat]

First, Thank you for your comments, they have helped. So after doing some research I have a new and better plan.
1. I have tested cleaning a small area with a drill and an 80 grit nylon wheel. It seems to do a good job, I am still searching for a brass wheel but the three stores I checked only had steel wheels in stock. (See the attached photo)
2. I read the technical information on the POR 15 products and called their customer support.
3. I plan to remove the corrosion and treat with undiluted vinegar.
4. Prep the aluminum with POR 15 Metal Prep and then apply POR 15 Rust Preventative Coating.
5. Epoxy with G-Flex
6. Topcoat with paint (I have not decided the type yet)

 

[Johnny]

River - I don't know about your Big Box Stores where you are,
but, I bought the rotary "brass" brushes at my local Lowe's store and
after using them for a bit, I found they are not solid brass wires.
only stainless steel wire that has been "brass plated"
I have already discarded the package they came in so I don't
know if this was mentioned in the small print on the back of the card.
read the package when you go to the store.
either genuine brass or stainless will work well with your project.

as for the POR-15 products, wear latex gloves . . . if that stuff gets on you,
and it is not removed right away with a hot solvent, you have to "wear it off" if it dries on your skin
..... on your clothes - well, they are your painting clothes now.
after you paint the black coating, don't throw your brush away . . . set it aside and
let it dry. then you will have an understanding of how hard it is when it cures.
it is a "moisture activated urethane" . . . so the higher your humidity, the quicker it cures.
also - remove ALL the paint from indside the rim or it will weld the lid closed !!!


Please continue to document your progress !!!!!!

good job !



Read, Understand and Follow the instructions on the label of all products you use.
Pay particular attention to the safety notes and heed the warnings accordingly.
any rags used in the prepping/painting process that have solvents, oils or paint on them,
should be layed out in the open to completely air dry prior to discarding them.





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