# Aluminum project boat



## Stormchaser (Feb 10, 2013)

OK, fooling around with a little aluminum hull I picked up from my nephew, hoping to make a decent little boat out of it.  This thing is a mess.  Whoever had it before he did used galvanized on aluminum in several places, and put holes all in the hull attempting to plumb a livewell.  Then whatever they used for the transom wasn't worth a crap and rotted along with the front deck.  The nephew made it worse by adding a floor made from 5/4" deckboard, and including two 2X12s he mounted pedestal seats on.  I stripped it of all that and am about to remove the transom.  This process is made difficult by the fact that the hardware is corroded to the point I had to cut some of the bolts out.  
My brother and I had a poling platform we got with the intention of putting on the old bay boat, but it didn't fit and we never put it on there.  It seems to fit perfectly on this little boat, so I'll be going with it.  

I have a guy that's going to help with the transom, and I haven't decided how I'm gonna do the front deck and rear deck/seat.  I may go all aluminum with his capabilities, but I'm still kicking ideas around.

Here's some pics of how it looks now, with the rotten front deck and floor removed.  



















Trying out the poling platform to see how it fits...










Boat will be powered with an 80s model 25 Johnson I already have.

Wish me luck lol...


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## TTSam (Apr 24, 2009)

You might get some ideas from www.tinboats.net 
I also run an aluminum boat. Cheap and does what I need it to do.


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## Stormchaser (Feb 10, 2013)

Thanks Sam. I'll look into that link for ideas.


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## DuckNut (Apr 3, 2009)

I hope you're not planning on using thos rail road rails ;D

You will have fun after you get it done.


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## Stormchaser (Feb 10, 2013)

Haha, no...that is what the floor *WAS*. That's what I pulled out of it. I have actually not decided on a flooring material. In fact, I haven't TRULY decided on a deck material, either.  I go back and forth on it, and would love some ideas. As you can see from the pics, the boat is stripped, so anything is possible now that it's completely bare.


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## DuckNut (Apr 3, 2009)

Make sure you feel around under the inner skirts to see if the foam is wet or dry. If wet, you know what you gotta do.

For the floor on a tin, epoxy coated wood screwed to the ribs is most common.


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## Stormchaser (Feb 10, 2013)

Foam is dry, so that's a good thing. I am certainly leaning towards a wood floor. I priced plate aluminum tonight and suddenly like the idea of wood better...


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## Stormchaser (Feb 10, 2013)

Transom is OUT!  I was trying to think of an easier way to do this.  GRINDER!  The problem was all the corroded nuts and bolts and screws going thru the transom, which responded nicely to a 5" angle grinder. 

I also used a reciprocating saw to dispatch of the corroded transom brace, and once that was out of the way, the remainder of the transom came out with a little pressure with a pry bar. 

So what I figured would be the worst part is over!  Now I'll use the angle grinder with a wire brush attachment to get rid of some of the corrosion, replace the transom wood, and bring it to my friend who will weld up all the holes in the boat that need to be welded.

More to come...


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## Stormchaser (Feb 10, 2013)

> For the floor on a tin, epoxy coated wood screwed to the ribs is most common.


Regarding the floor, I've decided on epoxy coated wood screwed to the ribs, after installing foam panels flush with the ribs.


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## Stormchaser (Feb 10, 2013)




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## Stormchaser (Feb 10, 2013)

The last couple of days have been spent going back and forth about what I wanna do and how I wanna do it. I've changed my mind a couple times lol. I have spent some time with an angle grinder and wire brush attachment trying to get rid of the corrosion on the aluminum. Then today I did a leak test, and found 5 rivets with minor leak issues. Surprisingly, every one of them was on the bow. None of the floor rivets leaked, so that was good. Still, need to get that resolved. 
Considering I have a buddy that welds aluminum, should I go that route or peen the rivets? Right now, I'm thinking have him weld them and be done with it. 
I've decided to go with wood on the floor and the decks, and will be getting the wood and foam by next week. Also still haven't replaced the transom, as I've had a couple different ideas there as well. That's actually gonna happen before the floor and decks are built. 
I'll update and include photos as they happen.


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## morrisjoshua (Feb 27, 2013)

FH.. 

I've done lots of aluminum hull aback in Oregon . Yes you can weld , but welds break and on those flatbottoms the nose is the high stress area. Welding is expensive but if you have a buddy who you trust that's a option. 


Another is lining the bottom . Rhino or lineex . It will seal the inside and is like glass to repair, then roll the hull and buy "glove it" bottom coat. It's a graphite epoxy that creates a super slick bottom . Not only does it slide better on the trailer but if you bottom it on a flat is slicker than alum .. It also gives you an extra sealing layer. Rivet boats often do the Line x and coat it option in the pacific nw

The glove it is nice . Drift boats use that stuff since they run in very shallow rivers and aluminum Tends to "stick" to rocks . They pain the bottom of their aluminum drifters so they Just slide over the rocks 

ORS


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