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mbchilton

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I bought my first boat last month!

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It’s a 1971 Balko 14’ v bottom. It came with a stern mount trolling motor and a decent little sonar. There’s a small deck at the bow build on a wood frame.

I added a 1968 6hp Johnson tiller that runs very well. I removed the rod holders that were mounted to the middle bench and blocking the drain. I rewired the trailer with new LED lights and 7 pin adapter. Next, I’m going to add some PVC to the trailer to help with backing up. The trailer seems a touch short for the boat, and is ridiculously hard to back up when you can’t see anything behind you. The PVC will at least allow me some visual.

The boat has some issues.The keel has a considerable dent, but no cracking. It lets in some water from the bottom and I’ll add a picture for reference.

Photo-Aug-30-2-39-32-PM.jpg


I took this picture after power washing the boat from the inside. It had standing water (it doesn’t drain well, though it does much better now that I removed all the old leaves and dirt that prevented water from moving to the stern). The water doesn’t look like it’s coming from one specific rivet, but all along the rib. I believe the first course of action should be to rebuck the rivets. After that, should I apply a flexible epoxy inside?

The inside of the boat looks like it previously had a carpet laid down. But I also see this dark material along the seams. What is this? Should I sand it off?

Photo-Aug-30-2-39-54-PM.jpg


Thanks for the help! I look forward to sharing more.
Michael
 
Does anyone have advice on how to better drain this boat? The interior ribs block the flow of water, and it just sits in the middle instead of going to the stern where I had planned to install an auto bilge pump.

Is the dark material over the rivets and ribs someone's prior attempt to seal the boat?
 
mbchilton said:
Does anyone have advice on how to better drain this boat?
Without a central channel, you have few options. Drain holes in nautical terms are called 'limber' holes. On similar hulls, tin or frp, I have successfully cut new limber holes. I use a Dremel tool or long 6-8" drill bit (1/8" then 1/4" or more!) to make the hole as centered and as close to the bottom of the hull as you can. Go as LOW as you can without puncturing the running bottom. And for drainage holes, the bigger the better!

The reason for the long drill is so the chuck and drill body don't prevent you from getting 'low'. All depends on the hull, but sometimes I drill and cut the hole or slot or tunnel or whatever bigger with the Dremel, or vice versa, but you get the idea. You're drilling/cutting into anything vertical that is stopping the water from flowing aft, as I myself would not cut across any rib panel that was horizontal or lying on the tin bottom, as it is there for a reason - strength. Yeah, that means you can't get the limber hole as low to the floor as possible, but it is the best for that hull construction IMHO.
.....
Is the dark material over the rivets and ribs someone's prior attempt to seal the boat?
To me it looks like where they used contact cement to adhere outdoor carpet. Unless ugly, I'd leave as is or clean what you can without disturbing any of the rivet heads, as that likely might be helping them seal.

Question - Is there a drain plug in the stern of the boat?

BTW, nice family pics there too - enjoy it with them young'ins, and be safe, but have FUN!
 
Thanks for the help Dale! I’m a visual learner, so I’m not sure I completely understand your instructions. I don’t suppose you have any pictures, or could point me to another thread on this forum? The boat does have a drain in the stern.

My dad got his first boat when I was about my daughter’s age. I’m really excited to pass on my love for the water and fishing to both of my kids.
 
Ok, I did a forum search and figured out the limber holes. I think it has a small hole under the rib now. Not much. I’ll run some water through tomorrow and play around with it a bit more. It does already have a small deck on the bow, where I eventually plan to mount a foot controlled trolling motor. I would like to install a (very low) deck on the back 2/3 of the boat. If nothing else, just to have a flat surface to walk on. I fly fish quite a bit, and I’m really partial to standing vs seated. Even when I’m throwing conventional tackle. A deck doesn’t seem plausible without a well draining boat.
 
I used a short awl and a flat head screw driver to lift up the ribs and clear the lumber lines. It’s not as good as I’d like, but the water does drain to the stern. Next will be installing a bilge pump with through hull fitting. Oh yeah, found an old bee hive when I took off one of the bench seats.
 

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