# Auzivision’s 12’ Sea King Restoration Project



## Auzivision (Apr 12, 2012)

Just a little rambling about my boat along with a lot of pictures. I’ll keep this as a record of the restoration process and switch it to the modification forum if/when it warrants that.

Thanks to all the members and enthusiasm I saw on this site, I decided to get a little tin boat. Primary criteria had to be small enough to load and unload myself and store in the garage. Neighborhood associate forbids outdoor boat storage and no plans on moving anytime soon.

Long story short… found a 12’ Sea King with a little trolling motor on Craigslist for $125… too cheap to pass up. Later on found a little 6 hp Johnson and some oars to help move it along.






























Plans:
1)	Register boat
2)	Alumabrite and powerwash hull (Done)
3)	Replace transom wood 
4)	Remove and sand/strip/possibly replace benches (Done)
5)	Strip and sand oars (Done)
6)	Stain and treat all wood with Spar Urethane (Done)
7)	Build a simple cart to transport around house
8 )	Row pond out back and check for leaks
9)	Fix any leaks and paint inside (light tan/taupe)
10)	Check out trolling motor operation (Done)
11)	Build rack for truck and method for loading/unloading solo
12)	Test Johnson make sure water is pumping (Done)
13)	Make sure all is working at local reservoir
14)	Take my brother fishing

That should keep me busy for a little while. Any tips, ideas and suggestions are always welcome.


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## Auzivision (Apr 12, 2012)

First project, refinish the oars. Much of the paint came off with a wire wheel and light pressure, then a palm sander, then some old fashion elbow grease. The hardware is soaking in transmission fluid and will get a turn at the wheel.

















Not sure what (if anything) to do about the small cracks. Should I try to fill these with something before refinishing? Other than paining, I don’t have much wood refinishing experience. What would you use?

Got denied for registration at the BMV today.  Apparently the old registration and home made bill of sale wasn’t good enough for them. They require an ‘official’ bill of sale… which I could have easily forged in the parking lot… :lol:


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## Frogman Ladue (Apr 12, 2012)

> Not sure what (if anything) to do about the small cracks. Should I try to fill these with something before refinishing? Other than paining, I don’t have much wood refinishing experience. What would you use?



Fill with marine epoxy, pin with dowel, clamp it down for a few days.


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## Loggerhead Mike (Apr 12, 2012)

The cracks add character


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## Auzivision (Apr 14, 2012)

Hoisting a boat to the ceiling wasn't too hard... storage solution solved.











Actually, the winch was already inplace from a previous ambition... still working on securing for longterm storage.

https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=48015

Picked up a couple ideas from this guy I might try to incorporate into my design... LOL, this might be me in a numbers of years.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Idjas7esg0w

Anybody else around here store their boat up high?


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## Bigkat650 (Apr 16, 2012)

Sweet little project! Looks like you got a great start to it too! =D> 

Ohh, and you may want to plan on upgrading your battery in the near future. A 'starting battery' like the one pictured next to your trolling motor is not ideal for running a trolling motor. A deep cycle marine battery is going to suit your needs better. The Starting Battery will work for now, but you will not have nearly the reserve or the longevity of a deep cycle battery.

Depending on where you run though, you may be better suited to get a small 3-5hp gas outboard... they can run all day on just a gallon or two of gas, and you can find old classic ones that still run for about the price of a new deep cycle battery (If you look hard enough!)


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## Jay D (Apr 16, 2012)

I HAD ONE OF those. when I was 22 or so. painted a neighbors 1968 vw bug in exchange for it. The best of 6 paint job career and also the best boat I ever had. Ive had bigger better but that little 12' I had some great times on. lots of trout and bass caught with a little 17 lb thrust min kota and later a 4hp and then a 9.9 on it. You will enjoy it and bet alot of use out of it. have fun =D> :mrgreen:


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## Auzivision (Apr 17, 2012)

Got my motor running!!! 

Check out this video:

https://youtu.be/5IgyD0uAnt8

Most important question... is the water pump working properly? My guess is yes based on the outlet and amount of water movement in the trash can while in neutral. What do you think?

Second question, seemed very smoky. I used 50:1 mix from by snow blower which if I error the mix it would be a little extra oil. Is there a much difference between weed eater/snow blower 2 cycle oil and marine 2 cycle oil? 






Last question... what is the rich lean knob for? I understand what it does, but how do you use it? Do you lean it out for better fuel economy or higher altitudes, maybe rich it up for cold ambient air or warm up. Accept in a Cesena Skylane, I've never seen a fuel/air mixture adjustment. 

I need to find an owner manual for this motor... I mean engine.

Speaking of motors, it is working too. Not sure how far or fast this will go, but it should push/pull the bow around short distances:
https://youtu.be/nl-jzQJgsZQ


They guy told me he had a battery for the trolling motor and didn’t notice it was a Marine Starting battery instead of a deep cycle until I got home. Oh well, should be decent backup in addition to the oars.


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## Auzivision (Apr 24, 2012)

Not a lot of progress this week. Picked up a life vest and tinkered around a little. 

One, I couldn’t resist not trying to fix the oar with wood epoxy. Never heard of this stuff and man has my list of potential purposes for this stuff grown. Sort of like JB Weld for wood, but much easier to use/form. Thanks Frogman… Great stuff!






Second, I’m working on a MacGyver version of a collapsible boat dolly made out of two old gold carts collecting dust in the attic. 






Then again, found a set of wheel that I might be able to just temporarilly mount to the transom to roll around the yard. 

Almost ready for the maiden voyage.


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## Auzivision (May 10, 2012)

As part of this project I want to learn how to refinish old wood; hopefully graduate to a couple antiques we have inside someday. 

Lesson number one, epoxy is good stuff but doesn’t stain well. Brown magic markers helped, but the label says best if color is added to putty before hardening. Never was one to read directions first… that’s boring. Anyhow, I say C+/B- on the first attempt…

Note epoxy not taking stain:







Brown ‘furniture’ markers came in handy (little bit red):







Finished product not too bad:







Next up are the benches.


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## Kismet (May 10, 2012)

I LOVE the golf cart trolly system.

You gotta keep it. Perfect "what do I have that will work?" creation!


:lol:


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## Auzivision (May 13, 2012)

Thanks to some tips I read around here, I decided to try using a heat gun to remove this old decal.







First, apply heat to sticker







And it will scrape off easier than scaling a fish







To remove the adhesive residue, I wasn’t sure what to use and set up a little “test”







First up were Goo Gone and WD-40, they both worked okay, but required more elbow grease than expected. 







Once I tried Acetone, in my case anyways, it was the hands down winner. Didn’t get around to trying anything else. 







The scary part is now I need to clean the rest of the boat to match.


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## Auzivision (May 14, 2012)

Spent some time with a wire wheel.

Before:





After:





With new hardware:





I’m guessing since a magnet sticks to these they’ll need some sort of rust protection now. I might try some clear engine enamel since I have a can already, but am open to ideas.


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## Auzivision (May 17, 2012)

Pulled the benches out and started contemplating how to restore them. Testing these clamps proved they weren’t capable for the job… not enough clamp force.







First up… work on getting what’s left of the old finish off. Sanding was taking too long, so I jumped to a brush cup with a light touch. Wore eye protection, should have worn a breathing mask in hind sight. It was very dusty.







Borrowed some better clamps and learned how to use a plainer… not as easy as it looks. Trick for me was setting the blade to shave the least amount possible and use multiple light strokes







Gluing boards together on edge was more challenging than expected. Tips I learned along the way, set up a dry run first, have all your clamps approximately set, have rags and water handy, work over drop cloth, use a small paint brush, don’t go hog wild with the glue, and clean up any messy right away.







Do you know what gets 100% of ground in dirt, grime, and deteriorated varnish off 52 year old wood benches? Nothing… I tried sanders (several types down to 60/80 grit, Murphy’s oil soap, power washing with desk cleaner (oxalic acid). 







Eventually gave up before I ran out of material and sanded smooth with some 150 grit… not too bad







Applied multiple layers of Spar Urethane








After 6 or so coats, with hand sanding and mineral spirit rubs and lots of drying time, this is the end product.







A wise old friend once told me to do your best, strive for perfection, then step back, have a beer and accept a little less. 

Okay, next up is hull cleaning


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## Dragonman (May 17, 2012)

The oars turned out great and the seats..... Absolutely Gorgeous!!!!! =D> =D> =D> =D> 

Keep going, you are doing a wonderful job, be proud, be proud.


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## Auzivision (May 18, 2012)

Kismet said:


> I LOVE the golf cart trolly system.
> 
> You gotta keep it. Perfect "what do I have that will work?" creation!
> 
> ...



Gave half of it a quick try tonight, worked great. 







I think two will be nice when slightly loaded... main goal is to keep in manageable for one person without a boat ramp.


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## wcbond4 (May 24, 2012)

Wow those seats are awesome! Absolutely beautiful. I love restoring old wood things instead of going new! =D> The Gentleman!


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## Auzivision (May 30, 2012)

The old girl didn’t clean up too bad... and the tin didn't do too bad either:






Red car is for making noise and going fast… tin can is for relaxing 

Half way through Phosphoric acid bath… this stuff made quick work of the grime:






One tank of fuel for in a big boat like the Formula across the street cost about as much as I have wrapped up in my entire project (hull, engine, tank, motor, batteries, oars, and life jackets).






I agree... there is a certain sastifcation gained from refurbing old stuff instead instead of buying new. Which reminds me that old 92 pickup is next on the list.


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## Auzivision (May 30, 2012)

Bigkat650 said:


> Sweet little project! Looks like you got a great start to it too! =D>
> 
> Ohh, and you may want to plan on upgrading your battery in the near future. A 'starting battery' like the one pictured next to your trolling motor is not ideal for running a trolling motor. A deep cycle marine battery is going to suit your needs better. The Starting Battery will work for now, but you will not have nearly the reserve or the longevity of a deep cycle battery.
> 
> Depending on where you run though, you may be better suited to get a small 3-5hp gas outboard... they can run all day on just a gallon or two of gas, and you can find old classic ones that still run for about the price of a new deep cycle battery (If you look hard enough!)



Check one:





and Check two:


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## radgumbo (Jun 5, 2012)

Great job on your boat. It cleaned up very well. I'm going to be cleaning mine soon...not sure what I'm going to use yet. Most likely Toon Brite or Sharkhide aluminum cleaner...did the acetone bring out that shine after you removed the fish sticker? I bought a gallon on acetone to clean between paint coats etc. Good job man.


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