# 1984 16' Bass Attacker Complete Rebuild



## Bigwrench

New guy to the Forums from SWVA/East Tn area . Have spent hours the last few days reading through some of the amazing posts on the site so thank you all in advance for a great resource ! 
I belong to a fishing website and after several recommendations to come here for info , I decided this is the place to ask questions about my project. Hopefully I can help someone else who is looking for guidance and learn a few things along the way. I apologize in advance if this is in the wrong section and Admin feel free to move it if so. Thank you 
I got this 1984 Bass Attacker by Sea Nymph boat off of my neighbor by trading 5 oil changes on her SUV ! We had kicked around a price for a couple years and she decided that's what she wanted so it is now mine with very little initial investment. It has a 55 HP Nissan 2 Stroke that runs great ( more on that later). 








The boat had about 18" of water in it when I hooked it up to move it so found a steep hill and drained it , it was full of leaves and junk and all the wood was rotted and the foam was saturated. 
My ideas are to strip it down to the aluminum check it for leaks and repair any issues that are present . Im not sure if I want to replace the floor with wood or aluminum yet . I would prefer Aluminum with some sort of Non Slip coating just for ease of cleaning it. The boat was seriously neglected by her teenage boys and is in need of some serious TLC.
I started out by removing all the floor decking and anything that had to be removed to get me to that point


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## Bigwrench

Got everything off of it last night and I'm down to the metal floor and the foam 


I found rot in the transom wood so tonight the motor comes off and ill start working on removing that as well 






As well as removing all the water logged foam and getting it ready for a good cleaning and pressure washing inside. What do you guys recommend ? I've read aluma bright (acid) and saw on here someone used CLR ? I thought maybe purple power and let it soak in and then pressure wash it off but wanna do it right.


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## smackdaddy53

Sandblast it! Gets in the cracks and crevices. Definitely the way to go if you have access or know somewhere to get it done.


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## Bigwrench

smackdaddy53 said:


> Sandblast it! Gets in the cracks and crevices. Definitely the way to go if you have access or know somewhere to get it done.


That would be best , I'd bet it would look clean too maybe a media blast like walnut shells or some fine sand ? May have to buy a sand blaster now lol. Also wanted to ask you about your riveting tool the solid rivet one "Bucker?" I have several air hammers and might need to look into this. Also have a pneumatic riveter and a "Big Daddy" so I should be good on regular rivets. Looking for a local source for alum plate now. Thanks again , your post gave me a ton of ideas lol. Right now I want to get it stripped , get it clean and them come up with a plan 
This will be my Muskie,Striper,Crappie and Walleye rig that I can troll or cast for bass or whatever either on the lake or the river. Also exclusively for 2 lakes with no gas rule at 3500+ feet elevation on top of mountains locally here that are impossible to get up to with the Ranger.


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## smackdaddy53

I took a cheapo air chisel from Harbor Freight Tools and cut the end off one of the chisels, drilled the end with a 1/2" drill bit, buffed it smooth and it has a perfect concave tip to fit solid rivets. I drilled a few indentations in a $7 log splitting wedge and used that for a bucking bar. Works perfect


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## Bigwrench

smackdaddy53 said:


> I took a cheapo air chisel from Harbor Freight Tools and cut the end off one of the chisels, drilled the end with a 1/2" drill bit, buffed it smooth and it has a perfect concave tip to fit solid rivets. I drilled a few indentations in a $7 log splitting wedge and used that for a bucking bar. Works perfect


That's awesome ! Gonna work on that tomorrow at work lol. I have about 30 different types of chisels and hammers and punches for my air hammers. Thank you yet again !


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## JMichael

If you look through my build and see how well it worked for me, you'll understand why I'm a big fan of the Alumabrite. It's tremendously cheaper, unbelievably faster, and an order of magnitude easier than doing it with a sandblaster. Of course you can always ignore all of those facts and just go with the fact that it's a darn good excuse to go buy another tool. I mean what man in his right mind would turn down the opportunity to buy a new tool??? :lol: I am a tool nut after all. :mrgreen:


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## Moondog

[url=https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=347132#p347132 said:


> smackdaddy53 » 01 Apr 2014, 21:26[/url]"]I took a cheapo air chisel from Harbor Freight Tools and cut the end off one of the chisels, drilled the end with a 1/2" drill bit, buffed it smooth and it has a perfect concave tip to fit solid rivets. I drilled a few indentations in a $7 log splitting wedge and used that for a bucking bar. Works perfect



This sounds like an excellent way to tighten up rivets.


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## Bigwrench

Time to update .
Removed all of the foam got the motor off and rotted out transom is history. 

Down to a bare aluminum hull and I have a pressurized sand blasting tank and just have to acquire some media that will not be too harsh on the hull. 

Getting pretty excited about the build as it is now in the cleanup, seal/paint stage and then I need to come up with a design. 
Smackdaddy, I also used your advice and made a bucking tool for my air hammer. Thank you , I'm sure it will come in handy soon. 
Id like to figure out a way to create my design on the computer so I can play around with storage placement and get an idea what I'm looking at. What programs do you guys suggest or use ?


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## Bigwrench

Wow I just realized it's been over a year since I posted !!! Several life situations have happened and also I'm a big procrastinator with too many projects and irons in the fire lol but there has been some progress, So I'll try and update over the next couple days ! 
Adding pictures as time allows. 
Here is what I have to work with



Playing around with ideas 


The hull has been stored upside down in the yard . 


I decided to start working on the trailer first since this is where my skills are the strongest. 
I stripped it down to just the frame, repaired some cracks where the slipper spring on one side has pushed through. 
Installed some new wheels and tires








and drove it to a local media blaster who took it down to bare metal and refinished it in an industrial black that supposedly will outlast the trailer lol. 


New wiring harness and lights






He also welded in some supports and straps around the slipper springs to stop them from breaking through again. 
Tonight I decided to just work on the outside of the hull so we covered the trailer with old blankets and placed the hull on the trailer frame , bottom side up . Since my play money has dwindled some due to a couple fishing trips this fall I'm just roughing up the outside with a wire brush . My plan is to brush the entire outside , acid wash it and then take it to work to our body shop for final sealing, prep, priming and painting in one of our booths to bake it on good and thick. The outside will be a desert type camo. I also have a portable pressurized blasting tank and a couple different types of media I'm playing around with 
I'm still going to media blast the entire inside of the hull (professionally) when the budget allows , having him blast the inside and the outside just isn't in the budget right now. I will be going back with aluminum plate decking and lots of compartments and plenty of foam. Gonna be a long process but I'm determined to see it through if it takes 5 years lol.


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## bonz_d

It's easy to understand how projects sometimes get pushed aside. I myself have 2 projects sitting here. The one I hope to finish first is the Sea Nymph Pike Attacker that I picked up this summer for a song and was supposed to be a quick turnaround. 

So far yours is looking promising.. I'll keep a watch out for your progress!


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## Jim

Welcome back bud!


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## Bigwrench

I uploaded some pictures of progress but somehow they got out of order. Most likely because I'm using tapatalk. I'll try to organize them on the computer today , I may have to try and upload them one at a time until I figure out the issue.


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## JMichael

Bigwrench said:


> I uploaded some pictures of progress but somehow they got out of order. Most likely because I'm using tapatalk. I'll try to organize them on the computer today , I may have to try and upload them one at a time until I figure out the issue.


If you upload your pics to one of the free hosting sites like photobucket/tinypic/etc then you can attach your pics with the img code in any order you like and there's no size restrictions when you do it that way.


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## Wyatt

Yea tapatalk can be a pain in the hind end sometimes. Can't wait to see more progress on this rig. Keep up the good work!


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## Bigwrench

OK gonna try on the pc here at work :- lol 
I think the other ones are in order now 
Last night we decided to strip the aluminum as I had said so we flipped the hull over onto the newly painted trailer , it puts it at the perfect height for working on the hull bottom and sides and is still moveable. I placed old blankets on the trailer to protect the finish while working.
Im using a very aggressive wire wheel I'm going to look for a less aggressive one , this one is so stiff it has a tendency to jump around and I feel a less aggressive brush would do what I need but give me better control 

Just trying to remove the oxidation and get a rough surface for now




Started removing the Old Stickers off the side with a sticker scraper


I tried rebuilding the jack but it turned out to be more than I cared to deal with so its getting a new one


another picture of the original slipper spring damage


my temporary fix, I suck at welding lol 


My redneck Jack


Redneck Alignment LOL


Looks Good for now but will recheck when fully loaded


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## Bigwrench

Did some more hull stripping/roughing up today in between rain which is still going on at 12:45am! 
Bought 4 more types of cone brush wheels to try out. Absolutely need to find some aluminum plate supplier close to home. 
A few more pictures


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## Bigwrench

Here's another trailer photo I forgot to add above , (seems something has happened with the way photos upload with tapatalk since I was last here) not sure what the fix is to make sure they get in order that you want them posted but anyways I'll move em around on the PC at work when I get time if they seem out of place 


Here's the frame support he welded in and the slipper spring strap.


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## bonz_d

Coming along nicely. 

Had a Spartan trailer that had slipper springs on it and it had a 1/8" steel pad welded on it that was about 3" long between the spring and the frame rail. Looked original to me.

Keep the pictures coming!


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## Bigwrench

bonz_d said:


> Coming along nicely.
> 
> Had a Spartan trailer that had slipper springs on it and it had a 1/8" steel pad welded on it that was about 3" long between the spring and the frame rail. Looked original to me.
> 
> Keep the pictures coming!


I had actually talked about a sacrificial plate going in there with a buddy of mine and it just completely slipped my mind when I dropped the trailer off and we were going over what I wanted. 
I'm thinking now I could probably cut a couple of longer pieces and just bolt them in with a couple bolts . 

Need to make a decision on sealing this hull up , there's a lot of rivets and some rubber type gasket materiel in between the riveted panels. Earlier in the year I put the plug in when we had some torrential rains and only had a couple drips coming from the front bow area where they seamed the center piece in. 
I have the homemade Bucker tool that smackdaddy suggested and plan on hitting all those rivets in that area but also would like to somehow seal the outside and the inside before painting if possible for added protection. 
Just not sure if I should use Gluvit, 5200 or whether to do both sides or just one side lol. 
Lots of decisions to make I guess.


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## bonz_d

I haven't had the need or opportunity to use Gluvit yet though I know many that have and it's worked amazingly. I believe if you tighten up the bow area and then apply the Gluvit you'll be golden.


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## Bigwrench

Finished up with the wire brushing of the outside hull tonight. When I was satisfied that it was good and clean I then went over half of it with a 3m scotchbrite pad with dish soap just to give it a cleaner (white) look and remove any oils and dirt that remained , I'll do the other half tomorrow night after work. All the stickers are removed and it's time to start bucking rivets (neighbors are gonna love me lol) and then planning the sealing and painting process. Weathers turning cold fast here so just in case I don't get anything on the hull in the next few weeks is there a way to preserve the work I have already done ? 
Prevent further corrosion from the elements to the freshly stripped aluminum ? 
Thought about coating it in some sort of oil but also figured it might be hard to remove all traces and cause adhesion issues later on in the process. 
I need to work out a weekend with our body shop manager when there aren't any cars in the booths so might take me a bit to get that worked out so I can have a booth for the whole weekend. Also have a tournament coming up on Lake Norman in Charlotte so it's gonna be a busy couple of weeks for me. 
Suggestions , criticisms or just plain old encouragement welcome on any stage of the upcoming processes  thanks again for following along.
There were a couple of rough spots in the hull where the bunks were in contact with the hull that appears to be caused from the previous owners using treated lumber. The same type of corrosion is present inside also wherever there was wood contact.


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## bonz_d

Two products come to mind, JB Weld or Marine-tex filler.

I'm in the same boat now with the weather. Supposed to drop into the 40's tonight and low 50's the rest of the week So my painting has come to a halt. 

Good luck in the tourney!


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## Bigwrench

I think I'm ready to seal and paint this hull ! 
The wife and I bucked all the rivets on the front section where I saw water .... 170 of them !! 


I have to mention that she ended up using the air hammer and did a fabulous job while I was inside the hull with the backing weight. Team work !!! 
You could really tell the difference once they were bucked and you could see where the gasket material in between was pushed tighter. 


Now some questions - 
The wife and I have decided that we want to try Duralux Marine paint that can be purchased through several of our local hardware stores , at a price we can live with right now . Has anyone used this paint ? 
The exact base color will be 
Duck Boat Drab 



I will be using Gluvit for the sealing process for sure. We are going to order 1 gallon. (8lbs) 

I was thinking of using 3M 5200 for all of the through hull sealing of bolts and stuff like that but also found this locally at Home Depot (who also sells the Duralux) 


Is this essentially the same thing ? 
Would make it easy just buying it all at the depot (free shipping to store ) 

For the rest of the paint process as far as the camo design will be done with spray cans 


Which can be purchased at the local walmart.
I also want to thank Smackdaddy for all the help with making my own Bucking tool ! It did a great job and I really appreciate you sharing your knowledge !!


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## bonz_d

I haven't tried either of those 2 products though the paint looks interesting. Still looking an am undecided as to a color on the exterior of my Nymph. Toss between a red or dark blue. I do have a qt. of Rustoleum Marine Red but not sure if it is the color I want to use.

Also I'm just finishing up painting the interior of this Nymph and am using a Latex Rustoleum product to see how durable it will be.

If you decide to use this Duralux paint I'll be very interested in seeing how it comes out.


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## Bigwrench

My 10 year old scored a nice anchor for us over the weekend on one of his scavenging trips while we were at the camper ! 


Thanks TVA for dropping the lake 30' for winter lol !


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## surfman

I am surprised that carabineer clip holds that anchor, I wouldn't use it, the clip that is, okay for your keys on a belt loop.


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## Bigwrench

surfman said:


> I am surprised that carabineer clip holds that anchor, I wouldn't use it, the clip that is, okay for your keys on a belt loop.


Yep whoever lost that anchor wasn't thinking straight for sure ! I have a use for the carabineer but wont be to hold the anchor for sure


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## DaleH

Looks great! NICE trade to boot. but that's too much HP for your boat, so I'll drive my 40hp Merc down to you and we'll swap even ...


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## BeerMe

Bigwrench said:


> I think I'm ready to seal and paint this hull !
> 
> Now some questions -
> The wife and I have decided that we want to try Duralux Marine paint that can be purchased through several of our local hardware stores , at a price we can live with right now . Has anyone used this paint ?
> The exact base color will be
> Duck Boat Drab



I used this last week. Same color too. I like it. I tried to spray it but I don't know what I'm doing and couldn't get a good spray. Too small of a compressor and the paint was too thick. I added thinner twice and still wasn't getting good results so I rolled it. I like the color. Doing second coat tonight. I have some pics on my build thread. 1957 Lonestar V Hull in the Jon boats, V hull conversions section.



Bigwrench said:


> I will be using Gluvit for the sealing process for sure. We are going to order 1 gallon. (8lbs)



I got some West System G/Flex Epoxy 650 Toughened Epoxy 16oz off ebay. It was like $35 I think. Worked great for sealing my seams.



Bigwrench said:


> I was thinking of using 3M 5200 for all of the through hull sealing of bolts and stuff like that but also found this locally at Home Depot (who also sells the Duralux)



My brother found the 10 oz I believe tube of 5200 at home depot locally for me (Owasso, OK) even though it wasn't listed on their website. If you have a store close to you, might call them and ask if they carry it.


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## Bigwrench

A little update 
I spent the day yesterday cleaning out the garage so I could move the boat inside . 
Let it warm up overnight and will be sealing the seams this afternoon 
Got my paint in and decided to use the Amazing Goop Coat It instead of Gluvit mostly due to price. Picked up a couple tubes of 3M 5200 at the local lowes. 
Also picked up some rubber weatherseal at lowes , while it was on sale (local store closing and moving to the Bristol Cabelas location) everything was 40% off with the additional veterans discount


Hopefully I'll have the seams sealed this evening and get it ready for primer and paint next weekend. 
Placed a space heater under the hull to warm the aluminum.


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## bonz_d

Very nice. I too just got my Sea Nymph into the garage so maybe progress will pick up. Also looked into that Duralux paint after you posted it. Wish they had it in a dark blue.


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## Bigwrench

Got it all sealed up from bow to stern , had just enough with the 2lb kit to do all the seamed areas. 
First thing I did was wipe the areas I wanted to seal down with acetone 


The air temperature inside the garage was a balmy 85 


I applied with a disposable brush being sure to get into the seams by scraping the bristles across the seam. 


I would then thoroughly coat the rivets holding the seam in a couple directions.


I had to work quick due to a 30 minute working time. 

I had to go back and recheck everything every 30 minutes to clean up the runs to keep it as smooth as possible to cut down on sanding time. 








I will seal all the inside seams as well before painting. Pretty happy with how it came out though so far. 
I'm going to add pictures but most likely will have to move them around in sequence on my desktop tomorrow so they will make sense lol


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## lckstckn2smknbrls

The sealer goes on the inside.


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## Bigwrench

lckstckn2smknbrls said:


> The sealer goes on the inside.


 I decided to do both sides just in case, have seen it done both ways so decided to just cover all bases 
The Coat it Product actually can be used on the outside also , I just wanted maximum protection unless I'm reading it wrong on their website ? 
"• Practical – enables boats to glide smoothly over debris and rocks " 
I'll email them to clarify but here's the entire description 

"Coat-It is formulated with ceramic beads for abrasion resistance, graphite to give it slip or lubricity and Kevlar[emoji768] fiber for extreme toughness. It's a superior, waterproof epoxy sealer that will protect your boat bottom or truck bed. Coat-It can be applied to aluminum, fiberglass and wood surfaces with ease. 

• Easy to use – just pour, stir and apply 
• Tough – reinforced with Kevlar fibers for superior strength 
• Practical – enables boats to glide smoothly over debris and rocks 
• Fast drying – sets and dries completely in 10-12 hours 
• Waterproof 
• Seals small leaks and splits in a single coat"

Thanks for following along


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## Bigwrench

Gonna sand this baby tonight and get it ready for the paint booth . Hopefully I can work it out with our Body shop manager this week and get it into one of our booths Friday night to warm over night. All depends on if there are customers cars in them though so keep your fingers crossed


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## Bigwrench

Got some more work done this evening lightly scuffing the Kevlar Sealer , cleaning up any drips or runs and just smoothing it all out. 
Real thick spots 


I use a razor blade like a cabinet scraper


and scrape it on down and then scuff it with sandpaper


or a scotchbrite pad 



Taking care around the seams and those rivet shoulders


or I'd just be defeating the purpose of the sealer. Around those areas I will lightly scuff with the pad by hand just enough to remove the "Sheen" 


Really , really happy with this product. I think of it as a "Marine Bondo" lol 
The Kevlar is tough as nails and easy to work with. 
A final wipe down with acetone and I will wash and degrease it one more time before moving it into our Paint Booth.


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## Bigwrench

Also going to remove this livewell hose pass thru this week and either use Alumiweld to fill it or get our NASCAR shop manager to Tig it up for me , it is said that he can "Weld The Crack Of Dawn" lol so I will see if he has time . If not I will try the Alumiweld trick that I read about here in a recent thread.


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## lckstckn2smknbrls

Sounds like it's more like steelflex.


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## Bigwrench

lckstckn2smknbrls said:


> Sounds like it's more like steelflex.


 Wish I knew what it was like just to compare and give everyone a better idea but have never used it. This Coat It seems to to be pretty tough though. Hopefully it will hold over time, I will definitely post updates


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## bonz_d

I'll be paying attention to your results with this product as I have no knowledge of it. I don't think many others do either. I also think many people are reluctant to try new products over things that they know have worked in the past. But how do we find other products that work if nobody tries it?

Example, I have taken some heat on another site because I've decided to try something very different for painting the inside of my Sea Nymph. The paint is a Rustoleum DTM acrylic latex enamel. As far as I know no one has yet tried to used a water based latex paint on a boat. Well I'm trying it and will gladly take the heat. No I also have no intention of trying this on the outside.

If this works I will be happy about it. If it doesn't, well then we have all learned something and all I'm out is the time it took to paint it and then the time it will take to remove it. BTW, this paint costs me nothing.


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## Bigwrench

bonz_d said:


> I'll be paying attention to your results with this product as I have no knowledge of it. I don't think many others do either. I also think many people are reluctant to try new products over things that they know have worked in the past. But how do we find other products that work if nobody tries it?
> 
> Example, I have taken some heat on another site because I've decided to try something very different for painting the inside of my Sea Nymph. The paint is a Rustoleum DTM acrylic latex enamel. As far as I know no one has yet tried to used a water based latex paint on a boat. Well I'm trying it and will gladly take the heat. No I also have no intention of trying this on the outside.
> 
> If this works I will be happy about it. If it doesn't, well then we have all learned something and all I'm out is the time it took to paint it and then the time it will take to remove it. BTW, this paint costs me nothing.



Thanks for the supportive words ! I am new to this stuff also but not new to trying different things and hard work, The main factor with this product is it was like $32 shipped to my door , I did research it a lot and it appeared to be similar to the other products description that most are using. Hopefully it will work out, either way I will try and remember to let everyone here know good or bad. Hindsight is I probably could have went over these areas with a foam roller before it fully set up and smoothed it out some more 
I too would use that DTM just to see if it worked especially if it was FREE  I have always been taught that surface prep and following the directions exactly is 90% of the battle. Working where I do I have tons of help and lots of FREE stuff that I can experiment with. 
I locked in the Paint booth for this Friday and Saturday so hopefully the paint and priming process pictures will be up here in a few days !
I also have a line on Aluminum sheets in a 60x80 size so hopefully they will be what I can use and be able to pick up locally 
getting excited now ! 
The last few weeks I have been trying to come up with a solid inside design plan but still struggling with it , hopefully I can figure out just what I want to do and stick with it, it seems the more I do or see others do on here to theirs the more I wanna change things around lol


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## bonz_d

Not a problem. Always willing to listen to anyone with an alternative perspective or another way to accomplish something. One thing I've learned at this stage in life is that many times there are no right or wrong ways of doing some things just better ways.

For instance, I wish I had access to a spray booth that would be a better way but I don't. Wish I had more expertise in using a spray gun but I don't. Wish I had a welder and could weld aluminum but I don't and can't.
Wish I had more money to just buy a new boat every few years instead of wasting fishing time rebuilding.

The other thing I've learned is there is no such thing as the perfect boat. My Pike Attacker may be perfect for the small lakes I fish but there is no way it will work well as a deep water salmon troller on Lake Michigan or pull skiers.

The paint that I am trying will be in many ways like the sealer that you are now using. It will take time to determine just how well it will work or how durable it will be. In my case I plan on being around for a while in which case I will be posting updates and observations on this product. Whether the results are good or bad. I also would hope you will stick around to report back in time to follow up on this product.

I do this because I enjoy it not because it is necessary. This is the 3rd boat that I am rebuilding and have another that this time that is in the middle of a rebuild. Each one gets a little better as I learn and gain ideas. I'm using this one as a learning tool, stepping stone on painting techniques. So I will be better prepared when I move on to the Alumacraft Classic 16 that is waiting for me to finish this one.

Sorry for the rant! Will be waiting patiently to see your paint job.


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## Bigwrench

Ok got a ruling back on the Coat It product being used on the outside hull 

Rick, this product was designed to protect the outer hull of boats, although it can be used on the inside also.

Thank you for your inquiry.


Vicky P.
Eclectic Products, Inc.
Tech Support
Ph.: 800-767-4667
E-Mail: [email protected]
Website: www.eclecticproducts.com

So that's a good thing ! 
Got a lot of work done on the boat and a ton of photos of the process last night , I'll have to try at work Monday if I can't get the Tapatalk feature working . This thing looks sweet with paint though ! Stay tuned.


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## Bigwrench

Ok so here's a quick test drive of the new feature Jim added to the Tapatalk for the site , thank you Jim ! 

Took the old girl into work yesterday and learned there's much more to a painting process than I care to try by myself lol. Thankfully one of our painters had volunteered to hang out and he took the reins and run with it .... I owe him big time. 
So let's get this party started with some pictures. 
Waiting outside on the Doctor 





Using a big eraser to remove some sticker residue I left 




Lots of wiping down with wax and grease remover , gloves for protection 








A final scuff of the entire boat 




Protecting that new trailer 




The Doctor working his magic , it is amazing how scientific (precise) the paint process really is 
Primer 




"Stirred not Shaken "




Catalyst




The recipe for perfection!


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## Bigwrench

I'm going now to pick it up after baking all night at 75 degrees I'll update when I get back with more pictures. And there is a nap in my future this afternoon lol. Was a long night ! 
Took 5 minutes to post that and have the photos where I wanted them ! Thanks a million Jim !


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## Bigwrench

Ok painting and priming process continued .... 

Weighing out the ingredients of the etching primer per the recipe above 




The "boss" stopped in to check on the progress while waiting on her new car to get detailed for final delivery ... My better half and best friend Tammy 




The ride lol 





Back to paint lol 
Doctor Slim working his magic on the mixing table 




Quick dusting of the etching primer 








Shake rattle and roll before use 




Bringing out the Big Gun 




Notice the color (lightness) after shaking 




A neat tool to pour out the exact amount without making a mess 




A first pass with full PPE on using a 1.4 nozzle 




Turns out a 1.4 worked great but had to crank up the pressure , I painted this back section just to say I did something lol. 




3 coats with 10-15 minute "flash" time at 79 degrees in between coats 








And low and behold the final product after cooking all night at 75 degrees 




















I'm so excited , it really looks great and can't wait to get started on the inside. Hope you have enjoyed this detailed post and feel free to ask any questions and I'll do my best to answer or find the answer 
I realize not everyone has access to a paint booth but wanted to document step by step in case you decide to go that route. 
The one change he wants to make before we paint and apply the non skid media to the inside is a different cap that goes on top of the plastic paint cup . This is some thick stuff and it is not recommended to thin it so he had to turn the pressure up on his gun he said "way high" to get the spray pattern and coverage he wanted.


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## bonz_d

Bigwrench that is really coming along nicely. Now you can flip it over and start on the fun stuff. You've moved way ahead of my progress =P~ :LOL2:


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## Bigwrench

bonz_d said:


> Bigwrench that is really coming along nicely. Now you can flip it over and start on the fun stuff. You've moved way ahead of my progress =P~ :LOL2:


Yes sir , I'm pretty stoked to get back on track and finally feeling like I'm making some real progress. 
My plan now is to flip the boat and "hang" it from my garage rafters, back the trailer under it and start working on the trailer bunks and the ride height of the boat while on the trailer. I saved all the old bunks and hardware just to use as a pattern but imagine I will be using all new hardware. 
Originally there were 2 bunks on the bottom and 1 guide bunk on each side. I'm thinking I may want to us 4 bunks on the bottom just to spread the weight out some. 
Once the bunks are in place I'll start working on the inside design 
I have some new media that I want to try on the inside in my blasting tank before I spend the money to have the inside blasted. Just in case this new media works better than the sand I tried out already. 
I'm going to cover the top rail that was also painted with masking tape to protect it some while working on the inside. We left a blend line that can easily be taped and blended with the outside when we paint the inside. 
Lots to do that's for sure.


----------



## Wyatt

Great work on that paint job!! How's that trailer coming along?


----------



## Bigwrench

Wyatt said:


> Great work on that paint job!! How's that trailer coming along?


Haven't done anything to it since my last post. I have flipped the boat over and gently sat it on the trailer. It is backed into the garage now but that's as far as I have gotten. Tomorrow 5-60"X80" sheets of 1/8 aluminum are supposed to be delivered at work so hopefully that will go as planned.


----------



## Bigwrench

Aluminum sheets never showed , supposed to be Tuesday now  
I need some ideas on attaching the deck aluminum to the boat. 
I want to make the panels removable & My thoughts are to screw the aluminum down with Stainless bolts/screws. I would like to bevel the holes so the screw heads are flush with the deck . I'm thinking of using Rivnuts in the aluminum stringers and probably some LocTite on the threads. Does anyone see an issue with doing it this way ?


----------



## Oldfart9999

Hey BW! Fancy meeting you here. Boats coming along nicely.
Rodney


----------



## Fishfreek

Becareful with countersinking the screw holes if you go that way to attach your aluminum. 1/8th" is pretty thin and the edges of your bevels will be even thinner. If the boat flexes much you could see a lot of spider cracks.


----------



## Bigwrench

Oldfart9999 said:


> Hey BW! Fancy meeting you here. Boats coming along nicely.
> Rodney


Good seeing you Brother ! 
I'm itching to get back on it but I'm sure the progress will be slow through the holidays, seems like every weekend we have something going on once Basketball season started up.


----------



## Bigwrench

Fishfreek said:


> Becareful with countersinking the screw holes if you go that way to attach your aluminum. 1/8th" is pretty thin and the edges of your bevels will be even thinner. If the boat flexes much you could see a lot of spider cracks.


Yep your right , I hadn't considered that ! Glad I asked , the 82 degree bevel needed to flush the screws wouldn't leave much meat to hold it.
These were what I was going to use


----------



## Fishfreek

Something like a stainless or coated LATH screw would work. They have a low profile head that is rather large in comparison to the screw shaft diameter.


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## Bigwrench

:evil: Still no aluminum so I am going to work on the trailer bunks and Transom build starting tomorrow. Hopefully I can make some real progress this weekend in between Christmas Shopping, Chinese Christmas and Basketball games !
I remember reading several posts about sealing the transom wood with the special formula but wonder if this can also be done to the Trailer Bunks ?
I am under the assumption that I do not want to use Treated Lumber anywhere on the build, is that right ?
Can I just buy good quality 2x4's and use the same treatment method for the bunk boards ?

My plan is to use non treated exterior grade plywood for the transom like BigTerp used on his build on page 4 
quoted here 


BigTerp said:


> Thanks again Dave. I'll be sure to check out the Coat-It before I make a decision.
> 
> So my local lumber yard has Marine grade plywood bot only in 1/2" and 3/4". Pretty pricey as well, $67 and $85. So I asked if they had any non-pressure treated exterior grade and they do have 5/8" A-C Fur for $35 for a 4x8 sheet. I'll be going with this. Not quite as nice as the marine grade, but I'd have to buy 2 sheets of the marine grade for about $150, doesn't make sense. Plan on picking up the plywood tomorrow morning and getting it cut and glued later this week/weekend.
> 
> So when glueing my 2 pieces together do I want to glue the "C" sides together or glue an "A" side to a "C" side?


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## bonz_d

Bigwrench the formula I use can be used on the bunk boards though I just usually give them 3-4 coats of exterior house paint and then when I cover them with carpet I leave the bottom open because then it drains the water out faster and the wood doesn't hold water next to it.

I've been using 3/4" Premium ACX from Menards glued together with Tite-bond 3. I then jack plane the edges to fit and smooth then seal with that formula and it's been working well for me. I mate the 2 C sides together.

This is in my Sea Nymph which is as describes above.


----------



## Bigwrench

bonz_d said:


> Bigwrench the formula I use can be used on the bunk boards though I just usually give them 3-4 coats of exterior house paint and then when I cover them with carpet I leave the bottom open because then it drains the water out faster and the wood doesn't hold water next to it.
> 
> I've been using 3/4" Premium ACX from Menards glued together with Tite-bond 3. I then jack plane the edges to fit and smooth then seal with that formula and it's been working well for me. I mate the 2 C sides together.
> 
> This is in my Sea Nymph which is as describes above.


Thanks brother that's exactly what I was looking for ! And your formula was what I want to use. I'm gonna try Lowe's this weekend and if they don't have it I'm gonna try the Depot. My concern is the width of the slot for the transom board is 1.5" which means I need 2 pieces of 3/4" but they are showing actual size thickness as .710 instead of .750 will it really matter if I am .080" thinner on the transom or do I need to laminate something in between the two pieces to get the exact thickness ? 
Maybe I'm overthinking it lol


----------



## bonz_d

I haven't run into a problem yet with the thickness. The Nymph actually has a transom that's only 1 1/4" so I had to use a sheet of 3/4" and a sheet of 1/2". Luckily I had some 1/2" for another project that I could spare and didn't have to buy another full sheet.

I pour the glue on liberally and then spread it with a fine notched trowel and then kind of slide the 2 pieces around on each other to bed it in before clamping. I also keep a few pieces of heavy angle that I use while clamping to help spread the force of the clamps out a little better.


----------



## Bigwrench

Aluminum never showed and still not sure what the deal is with that but to keep moving towards splash day I started working on the transom and bunk boards for the trailer. I decided (I think) to use 2x6's for the two bottom bunks and then the same size as before (2x4's) for the side bunks/guides Leftover Cabelas black carpet to cover them with and I'm going to treat all the lumber with the secret formula  (mineral spirits, linseed oil and spar urethane) before covering 





Also picked up 2 stainless U bolts to replace the old transom tie downs. 
Made me a template out of cardboard and when I was happy with the fit I laid the pattern out on my plywood. 












Hopefully I can find something out on the aluminum this week


----------



## Bigwrench

The red plastic pipe will be run up the chines to route wiring to the front.


----------



## bonz_d

Bigwrench, from the size I see of that transom I would guess that 12oz. of that formula is going to be enough unless that wood is really dry.

Just remember to dispose of whatever rags you might get this on because the rags can self combust once it is mixed just like any solvent can. I store whatever leftover material in as small a glass jar with a screw on lid as possible. 2 reasons, it reduces the chance for combustion and reduces the amount of air and having the liquid start to skim over. 

I have yet to have a problem with wet rags but thought I'd throw it out there as a precaution.

That plywood looks really clean with some nice tight grain. What store did you find it at?


----------



## Bigwrench

That was bought at Lowes at the new store in Bristol , VA next to the new Cabelas. It was really nice plywood one side was primed already $47 a sheet IIRC 
Thanks for the tips on the rag storage. I'm constantly working with all sorts of chemicals at work and this is definitely a hazard that I often forget. Since I don't usually work with these chemicals I am glad you brought it up because I wouldn't have thought of it otherwise. I'm going to cut 2 of the transom patterns tomorrow evening hopefully , if it's not raining. 
Would a mason jar work for storage ? 

I may just stick a sheet of Walnut Burl (bought a 4x8 sheet about 10 years ago to redo my dash plate on the old 1990 Ranger 330v ) laminate in between the two pieces of plywood to make up the extra .080" thickness but I'm going to dry fit everything first to see how it fits. Just had that leftover sheet laying around and need to get rid of it somehow lol
Oh and I have gorilla glue and also have a large bottle of titebond II glue do you think these will be sufficient or should I get the titebond III ?


----------



## bonz_d

What ever jar you can come up with. Small fruit jar, jelly jar. I try to fill it to within an inch or less. I've done that a number of times and have left it for a few weeks and was still good to use.

I've read plenty of times of people using Titebond II w/o issues though I believe the 3 formula is more water resistant from what I've read and the Gorilla glue is questionable.

At one time on another forum I was talked out of using 3 pcs of 1/2" ply because of proper bonding issues when trying to glues 3 pcs together. Unfortunately we cannot generate the same working pressures that the manufacturers can. So keep that in mind also.


----------



## onthewater102

Stupid question - but one that arises from my own inexperience ordering freight materials - with the aluminum being shipped freight are you sure it was to be delivered to your house and not the local depot for the freight carrier?

I wasn't aware of this arrangement when I ordered a 1/2 cut car and ended up having to drive an hour away to pick it up on my trailer after it showed "delivered" in the tracking.


----------



## Bigwrench

onthewater102 said:


> Stupid question - but one that arises from my own inexperience ordering freight materials - with the aluminum being shipped freight are you sure it was to be delivered to your house and not the local depot for the freight carrier?
> 
> I wasn't aware of this arrangement when I ordered a 1/2 cut car and ended up having to drive an hour away to pick it up on my trailer after it showed "delivered" in the tracking.


It was ordered from a local company that builds toolboxes, through an employee that is a friend of my boss and he was dropping it off on his way through but the problem seems to be who to make the check out too LOL . We don't understand it either because we were going to provide cash on delivery if needed but then they wanted a business check so we had that all worked out and now they wont let us know the exact total and who to make the check out to........ evidently they buy their aluminum sheets on Consignment if that makes sense ?


----------



## Bigwrench

Cut two panels to laminate together tonight , while not a perfect cut they will work. What I'm going to do now is screw them together, pull them out together and then trim up the edges a little to make them more even with my jointer . I forgot to figure in the angle of the transom in my cuts which saves me some trouble because now I can really smooth them out at the right angle with the jointer and have plenty of meat to cut off. (Phew) 
I'll unscrew them long enough to glue up and then screw and clamp them back together to set up 


















The fit is tight so I don't think I'll have to worry about the .080 lol.


----------



## bonz_d

Looks like a good fit from here.


----------



## Bigwrench

DaleH said:


> Looks great! NICE trade to boot. but that's too much HP for your boat, so I'll drive my 40hp Merc down to you and we'll swap even ...



To be honest I'd rather have a merc lol


----------



## Bigwrench

Still no aluminum but the show must go on , so I just went ahead and glued up my transom board . 




I ended up using a 4oz bottle of the waterproof gorilla glue. 




Spread it out with a inexpensive squeegee 





Used 5 clamps and 8 screws , had great squeeze out all around and this is the expanding type so it was easy cleanup with a damp cloth and a razor knife once dried. 




I set my transom angle on the jointer and it came out fantastic! 
















In the morning will start the sealing process and hopefully by the end of the week it will be in place permanently. I will also be sealing the bunk boards at the same time.


----------



## Bigwrench

Got some more supplies as Christmas gifts 
For sealing up the inside seams. 





Trailer tie downs


----------



## Bigwrench

Ok so I have been busier than a one armed piano player trying to hammer out Jerry Lees "Whole Lotta Shakin" but there has been some progress 

Last week (maybe week before , days running together) I sealed up the transom and the 4 trailer bunks
"Secret Sauce" lol 




Laid it on thick and let it soak in 




Making sure to get all the edges extra heavy 












They have been drying all week and almost ready to final seal in paint and install or cover with carpet 

The greater news is I FINALLY have Metal!!! 




5 sheets 60X80 with plastic protective covering. 

Since I have the decking now I'm itching to get to work so tonight I made my ankle biters help me stack it in the boat




and I got to tearing stuff up 
I decided to remove this front section 








because I'm not sure what I want to do up here but this aluminum is thinner than my 1/8 and I wanted to get access to the inside hull there to seal it up good with the Goop. 
I ground the heads off with a cut off disc 




and punched the rivet shanks through with a pin punch









It is now off 




And there's a ton of space up here that I need to design up into a sweet Bow control panel 




I'll probably cut this panel off flush with the deck stringers 





I'm thinking of coming out 4-6" and then putting a panel down to the deck level (which is a 7" drop) to mount switches and graph into flush. 
Ideas and suggestions always welcome so put your thinking caps on and let's build this baby lol


----------



## bonz_d

Coming along nicely there Bigwrench. So about how much sealer did it take you to do that?

The plywood panel that I used for the decking in my Sea Nymph had been sitting in my garage for about 5 years and I'll tell you that it was dry. It was about 3/4 of a sheet and it took about a 1.5 qt. to do each side. It was soaking it up about as fast as I could put it down.


----------



## Bigwrench

I ended up using 32oz so far , wasn't sure if I should mix another batch and see if it will soak up more. Seems like the 2x6's soaked up the most , they were like that also. I started out just pouring it on and then spreading it with the brush at first . The plywood of the transom took about 18oz of that 32 . 
I still plan on painting the bunks before covering with carpet and have halfway considered using fiberglass resin on the transom and sliding it in place while wet (basically glueing it in the transom slot of the boat) there was some corrosion and pitting of the aluminum transom piece and I thought that this might help seal that up as well. Although once its in and set it would never be able to be removed again lol.


----------



## bonz_d

That sounds about right for coverage. From my experience I don't think you'll have to worry about that transom again for another 25 years.


----------



## Bigwrench

I want to do this type of layout up front 
These are from a RT188








From the top of the round tube its 7" to the upper deck area so I'm pretty sure I'll have a wider front panel than these do to mount switches and maybe flush mount a graph or Hydrowave in there. 

If I use the existing floor framing there are rivets sticking up that my aluminum sheets will sit on top of. Basically holding the entire sheet up about 1/8" off the stringers. I'm thinking this would cause a lot of rattle noises . Do you guys have a suggestion for an "underlayment" before I lay the aluminum decking down ? Or should I just take whatever's in there out and put flat angle or tubing in for framing ? 
I thought about some sort of liquid nails lol but that might be a dumb idea, and would defeat me wanting the deck to be removable. Maybe a thin rubber mat ? 
I'm going to have to get someone to weld flat stock to the round tubes to have that flat area to mount the TM to. Hopefully I can get a lot more done this weekend since we won't be lake bound due to weather


----------



## Bigwrench

Anyways no matter how I design the front deck the show must go on. 
So today started out beautiful and my son wanted to "work on the boat" and work we did ! 

We started out by removing the old wood hatch hinges that were too high for the Aluminum. 
I ground them off and he punched the shanks through 




I had about 3/4 of a gallon of Fiberglas resin and had these spots on the transom aluminum that I wasn't too happy with




so I made the decision to glass my transom in , don't know if that's right or wrong but it's in there now and I highly doubt it will ever rot or absorb water. 
I hand sanded the aluminum , cleaned it with acetone and then I mixed up 24oz of resin and catalyst. 




We taped all the holes to prevent the resin from running out on the painted surface 




and then my boy applied it with a roller to the inside 








Once he got the initial coat on the boat , I laid a sheet of glass in and saturated it in place 
We coated the treated transom wood surfaces and slid it into the slot. 








Once everything was centered and square with the aluminum we clamped it in place.


----------



## Bigwrench

At this point my helper had had enough work lol so while it was still warm I decided to seal the inside seams with the Goop Coat It 
I wire brushed all the seams and then cleaned with acetone 
Once the surface was clean I mixed up a 2lb kit and started laying it on thick. Unlike the outside the inside doesn't have to be pretty cause it won't be seen when done but it had to seal 




The red tube is for wiring from the starting battery 








Used the whole 2lbs on all the seams and had just enough. 
If this thing ever leaks it's gonna have to be a hull breach lol 
I also played around with mounting a TM and still undecided about the front deck but here's a few pics of just putting a mount on and moving it around to get an idea


----------



## Hanr3

Looking good.


----------



## Bigwrench

Had a few hours this morning so I checked on the sealant and it has set up solid , that Kevlar sure is some tough stuff ! 
I started mocking up the front bow area using the thin piece I cut off as a template (I also made a copy of this piece onto one of the new 1/8" sheets using a scribe just to have a reference point later) and a copy onto cardboard to play around with a bottom for that area also. 
Here's some random photos of that process 





















And here's a drawing of what I want to do up front. My plan is to use this thinner piece to mock up what I want and then have one made up out of 1/8" maybe 1/4" on the top square area for strength. Then drop it in and have it welded in place.


----------



## Hanr3

Plan sounds and looks good. Couple things to consider, box/structure to mount the trolling motor too. Didnt see it on the diagram but assumed you have it. 
One other thing I recommend is a dual purpose 12volt outlets, USB/12volt outlet. I use mine to charge cell phones and power my GoPro camera, and the 12 volt for night lights, fillet knife, etc. Better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it. And will be hared to add after the build is complete.

Do you anchor up? If so you may want to design in an anchor box too.


----------



## Bigwrench

Hanr3 said:


> Plan sounds and looks good. Couple things to consider, box/structure to mount the trolling motor too. Didnt see it on the diagram but assumed you have it.
> One other thing I recommend is a dual purpose 12volt outlets, USB/12volt outlet. I use mine to charge cell phones and power my GoPro camera, and the 12 volt for night lights, fillet knife, etc. Better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it. And will be hared to add after the build is complete.
> 
> Do you anchor up? If so you may want to design in an anchor box too.


All very good suggestions ! Thank you , I was going to box in the TM mount on the left and thought about adding a door to the inside for some storage. I hadn't considered the extra power outlets and that's a great idea because I use the GoPro and cell phone a lot on the water. I definitely want an anchor box up front and still trying to figure out where to put it . I wish I could figure out how to use a CAD program to make an accurate blueprint of that area . In my hand drawn version it looks skinnier than it actually is up there. 


Bass Fishin and Banjer Pickin !


----------



## Hanr3

My wife thinks I'm nuts. I spend plenty of time sitting on my seat on a 5 gallon bucket staring at the boat. At least that was her view. Sometimes for a 1/2hr at a time. What she didn't see was the thoughts running through my mind. I would move gear around and see how it fit, how it would work while fishing, and then determined if I could make the space work.


----------



## Bigwrench

Got a little accomplished today when I got home and the kids and grand baby stopped by so I called it an early night. I mocked up the front in cardboard to get an idea what I want and here's what I came up with so far 
















I tweaked it some from the original design and made room for a 12" graph if I want one lol. 
I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. Tomorrow hopefully I can cut that one stringer with the oval hole off flush with the deck and extend the deck forward to get my angles right on the vertical pieces. Looks like there is going to be a lot of room to play with.


----------



## Bigwrench

Got a little more done last night on the front bow Mock up. 
Removed that one panel and smoothed all the edges out. 




Then started trying to figure out the angles 
















All sorts of math lol





























I really had to dig way down deep in my smarts to get it all figured out lol 
But I'm pretty happy with the layout so far. I'm sure I will tweak some things before I get to cutting metal but it's really starting to come together ! 
Hopefully I can find someone to weld all this stuff up for me or just fabricate the whole front section and drop it in place.


----------



## onthewater102

It wouldn't be the end of the world if you had to do those sections out of sealed & painted plywood. Hell, you could apply enough epoxy to the plywood that you could just paint it the same color as the interior sides of the boat and no one will visually be able to tell the difference.

I really like the way you've got that bow laid out - especially how you're able to keep the deck lower relative to the gunwale. I used to fish with my dog with me in my fiberglass boat, but he's too excited for the 14' I've got now especially now that my 3yr old son wants to be going with me. I've got a similar 80's vintage 16' tin myself ('85 Tracker III) I'm planning on re-working starting in the spring. Hopefully if I do something similar both of my boys can safely be out with me.


----------



## Wyatt

That layout turned out much better than I thought it would have looking at your earlier cardboard rendition. Like Onthewater stated, It would still look good if you just jointed some wood up there and painted it or maybe even carpet it. The extra weight of the wood may be either a positive or negative pending the rest of the layout of the boat. Nice work so far!


----------



## Bigwrench

Thanks guys ! I actually considered building it out of wood and glassing it in ! There's a whole lot of angles to consider and I'm really surprised at how well it turned out ! I like the deeper decks also because my son fishes with me more and more. I know I could work the wood and glass easy enough myself but really had my heart set on using aluminum but may change my mind if I can't get someone to help me out. 


Bass Fishin and Banjer Pickin !


----------



## Bigwrench

I am also going to have trouble matching up the sides to the floor to make it look nice and was thinking ant dragging a protractor along the edges with a sharpie on the floor and hopefully that will make a real nice clean joint there 


Bass Fishin and Banjer Pickin !


----------



## bonz_d

Bigwrench that really opens up the front of the boat nicely. I like it.

I have never worked with aluminum when it comes to bending it but have done a lot with sheet stainless.
If you could find someone with a box brake bender it would be easy to fab that up with stainless in two pieces and then rivet them together in place. Though that method may be a bit costly. Might be worth checking into.


----------



## Bigwrench

Here's something I'm kicking around as far as what I want 




What do you guys think ?


----------



## Hanr3

I think it looks like a well thought out plan. Good job!


----------



## onthewater102

What? No coffee maker????


----------



## Wyatt

Coffee maker goes on the console. 

I like the positioning of all the controls but I'm curious about seeing the mounting of the TM. I reckon before anything, I'm curious of seeing the deck/control area formed and fitted.


----------



## Bigwrench

Wyatt said:


> Coffee maker goes on the console.
> 
> I like the positioning of all the controls but I'm curious about seeing the mounting of the TM. I reckon before anything, I'm curious of seeing the deck/control area formed and fitted.


Yeah I can't wait to get it all done up. I found a local machine shop that may be able to help with my ideas . Would definitely love a Keurig at the console lol


----------



## Shoedawg

Man, looks like my boat project. A lot of work!!! :LOL2: :LOL2: :LOL2: Looking good man. I plan on using cardboard for making templates for the design I want, like you did. Just not quite there, but getting close. Keep the progress going. My goal is June! :shock: :shock: :shock:


----------



## Wyatt

Any more updates for us?


----------



## Bigwrench

Wyatt said:


> Any more updates for us?


Lol I somehow deleted my response to you Wyatt but there has been a little but I won't be able to glue the front like I wanted too. I'm back to having it all welded , up there but am determined to use the glue somewhere on the build lol 
I did get a jack for the trailer but I'm not real happy with it so will probably return it for a different design. 
Once I was finally able to bend that front center piece none of the other pieces would match up so I cut the bent part off even and flipped it so the bent part was down in the hull. 
As soon as Uncle Sam deposits my remaining contribution to society in my bank account its game on again lol


----------



## Bigwrench

Well sadly I have to put this build on hold temporarily. Blew my 200 Merc today on the lake and have a trip planned for May so I'm gonna have to put all funds and emphasis on getting the Ranger back on the water asap ! To be continued .....


----------



## Bigwrench

The Bass Attacker restore/rebuild will continue most likely the first week in June so stay tuned , I ain't giving up on this build unless I'm pushing up daisies !


----------



## onthewater102

if you're using aluminum for the decking and want to use aluminum for the bow controls area you could rivet the aluminum & glass over the riveting just like you would compound drywall...best of both worlds - clean final product, with the permanence and durability of the aluminum...you'd need to paint everything but if you're using a roll-on floor coating over aluminum decking that shouldn't be an issue.


----------



## Bigwrench

Just wanted to drop in and let everyone know I'm still kicking and that the Mercury rebuild is taking more time and money than I anticipated 
I'm almost done but it has been a nightmare from the start lol 
Finishing up the wiring this weekend 





Hopefully getting the lower unit on tomorrow and maybe a test run here in driveway if all works out ok. 
I'm not giving up on the Tin rig for any reason short of The Good Lord calling me home so stay tuned 
If Jim will allow it there is a complete rebuild thread on the 200EFI rebuild (Nightmare) on another site I can link to so you guys can check it out.


----------



## Bigwrench

Mercury nightmare rebuild is DONE ! It runs like a new one ! My sons playing in The All Stars baseball league and our schedule this weekend is crazy but hopefully I will get the tin rig back in the garage Sunday !


----------



## Bigwrench

Ok so had a couple hours tonight and decided I absolutely had to make some progress on this thing ! 
I should point out that during the Mercury build the tin rig was outside covered with TWO boat covers and still somehow took on water , was pointed bow down and there was like 2-3 foot of water in it ! Good thing was it did not leak a drop anywhere so this thing is sealed up really good ! Bad news is I had to really clean everything up again and wash it all down ! Rusted up a lot of stuff and all my cardboard templates were
Ruined  but that's ok cause I got a running Merc lol 
Right now I can't spend any more money but I have a lot of stuff already here and ready to go so I started working on things that I can do and put the stuff off that's gonna cost me more money (Front Deck Welding)! 
Started out taking measurements of my back deck area, it is one flat sheet and relatively easy to cut so I cleaned up everything and got to work 




Laid one edge in square and marked the height of the deck against the sides. I should also note that with all the decking out of the boat the sides sorta spread apart so I had to account for that. Once the piece is cut square I will fasten one side and then pull the other side up tight with a ratchet strap to make sure the rear sides of the boat are square with the transom. 








I had trouble keeping the jig saw cutting straight because the little blade has a tendency to walk or bend easily so I tried to leave a sharpie marker tip width for my cut line tried using a 2x4 as a guide . It worked ok but I think for long straight cuts I will use a skill saw and have a helper spraying lubricant. 




The cut wasn't as nice as I wanted it but here's where I got creative and using the piece I cut off I flipped it so the factory edge was even with my mark , clamped it to it and filed, sanded and ground it flush until I had an almost perfect cut 




Close up 




Using several power tools 












It took a little more time and effort but I'm happy with this piece 








Installed 




I'll get the splash well area cut out next and the start working on locker cut outs.


----------



## Bigwrench

Squared up that piece and clamped it , also used a large ratchet strap to pull the sides together tight. From underneath the panel I marked all the available access holes and seat post hole. Also marked the front (seat back area) cut lines and using a skil saw and plenty of protection I cut that front area out .




Clamped it back in place so I could smooth out all the sharp edges. I'm going to file or sand all the sharp corners and edges smooth and round and hopefully it will look like it seamlessly joins the floor joists at the edges. 
Now that all the access holes are marked I need to decide where to put the storage and what type of storage I want to have. I also have to take into account my gas tank height which will be in the middle , more to the front against the seating area back panel. 
I do not want the storage compartment lids sticking up above the deck so most likely need precut aluminum "boxes" that have a flange on top for riveting to the deck and then will need a frame for the lid to fit flush. If that makes sense? They will need strength to be able to walk on them. And of course long hinges that are hidden if possible. I'm going to have to search ch trough some of yalls builds and get some ideas.
So throw them ideas or suggestions my way. I'm going to try and draw up a plan for the rear deck tonight.


----------



## Bigwrench

Made a lot of progress last few days 
Rear deck area tentative design 




Got some help from my little buddy ! 




Armed with a sharpie and a flashlight he traced out the two remaining compartments 




Making sure he isn't asleep lol 




He was afraid of spiders  




Great job , flipped it over and started laying out my cut lines for the splash well 




All perimeter cuts for rear deck finished ! 




Dry fit ! Looks great ! 








Time to make some hanger brackets to "float my boat"




















Redneck ingenuity!


----------



## Bigwrench

Trailer time again 
LED tail light upgrades








Soldered , heat shrink and then taped up wiring 




Let's see if they work 








Laying out bunk boards and making a list of needed hardware 
















Bow winch and strap location 




Need to order some mounting hardware today and probably run by Lowe's and get some SS bolts . 
Gonna get down to business in a few minutes and cut the main deck lower floor out ! Got all day to play with it so let's get to it !!


----------



## Bigwrench

Think the time has come to get started back on this protect  
Apologize that it’s been so long but as some know there have been some major challenges to overcome in my life the last couple years. 
We are slowly getting back in business and will be limited on what can be done by myself but will have others who can do some of it too. 
With that being said I need TIG welding advice so if any of y’all are serious Aluminum TIG Welders message me
Please if you have time. 
Stay tuned for more
Progress soon


----------



## New River Rat

Great build and thread! Looks like changing oil in vehicles does pay off.... =D> 

I like that your "helper" is in there with you learning as he goes, and baseball and tinboats are a great way to learn some life lessons. Good luck on everything.


----------



## Bigwrench

New River Rat said:


> Great build and thread! Looks like changing oil in vehicles does pay off.... =D>
> 
> I like that your "helper" is in there with you learning as he goes, and baseball and tinboats are a great way to learn some life lessons. Good luck on everything.


He is definitely growing too fast for my comfort but I’m glad to be able to share these experiences and pass on what I can.


----------



## kalninm

Just subscribed to your post, can't wait to see how it finishes up!!!


----------



## ckhenshaw4

Great build. Can't wait to see the finished product. 

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk


----------



## Bigwrench

Ok so back in business there’s several updates since the last couple posts. I’m still limited on what I can do myself but getting stronger by the day so I’ll attempt to get caught up to where I am now on this project. 
All 3 main pieces of the deck flooring are now cut to size and installed. 












Center floor area installed and playing around with a rod locker configuration. 





All the bunks are built and installed. 




3m 5200 on all through bolts with all new mounting hardware 




Slotted the heads to make it easier to countersink the bolts 




Excess bolt length cut off to allow the bunks to swivel on the brackets.















Installed and adjusted to the boat hull.


----------



## Bigwrench

Installed a new trailer jack 




Winch strap 




Winch is temporarily backwards so I can work with the location of the hill on the trailer without hitting my jack. 
Had to make a new sleeve for the new front roller and just used an old spare tire lowering handle out of a Chevy. 








Worked perfectly 




Installed and adjusted temporarily until I can figure out the front bow stop situation


----------



## Bigwrench

Also should add that this build just went to a whole new level [emoji3] 





Getting ready to start making some serious progress with unlimited options real soon. 
Stay tuned and thanks for hanging around throughout my long recovery time.


----------



## Bigwrench

After some cleaning and organizing the garage we got to work cutting out storage areas.









Nice clean cuts and then started making a pattern for the drop ins.


----------



## Bigwrench

Mocked up some seating arrangements 




Installed the rear lower deck flooring 




Cut out another rear access door today and pulled everything back out done some hull cleaning/vacuuming 




and laid down some foam. 








Ran a couple sets of wires up through the chine tube


----------



## Bigwrench

Need some ideas on a permanent below deck fuel tank. 
There’s this one available fr m
Several locations that is 12 gallon plastic 




And this one that is more of a street rod auto type, Aluminum 17gallon that I think would work fine also. 





What have you guys done or do you have a preference pros/cons? 
I do know that I do not want a portable tank setup so just kicking around ideas


----------



## Bigwrench

Have decided to just go with the Moeller since it is specific to this application and meets the coast guard requirements. Cleaned up the old seat bases and orders replacement bushings





The transom corner caps were pretty rough so I clamped them together and trimmed the broken/cracked stuff off to make them uniform 












Ended up building a new transom and entirely glassed it in


----------



## Bigwrench

Not much else to report except that I have been gaining seat time with the new Lincoln. 
Started the day out like this 




Learned all about heat warpage 




Different cup sizes and argon flow rates 




Tried to get a little dirty with 1/16 




And had a major blow out 




But at the end of the day there was a little progress showing 





I’m almost disappointed it’s Christmas Eve and I know I’ll have little to no time to practice until Tuesday. Really having fun and with my medical/spinal issues I have found that sitting down to practice has been “bearable” so with all the time I have on my hands nowadays this might be the perfect way to pass the time and learn something useful. 
Thanks for hanging with me through all this and Merry Christmas from the Olson Clan and hope everyone is happy and safe throughout this holiday season , God Bless !


----------



## Bigwrench

Got the refurbished fenders installed today, added some traction tape to the top of both 




Repurposed some of the floor framing that came out of the front deck originally. Cut the longer channels in half and now have several framing pieces that can be utilized for hatch layout and support. 




Ground the heads off the remaining rivets in the seat base area, so the deck will sit flush to the floor framing. 




Everything under the front deck will be welded solid and reinforced in several locations. 




Ran another tube up through the port side chine for extra wire runs. Everything that isn’t inside a pipe will be covered with conduit to prevent any rubbing against aluminum. 




Played around with several different rivet configurations 




Decided on 2 possibilities 




And then tested them out to see how they looked installed 




And the gripping ability


----------



## Bigwrench

Got the rear lower floor notched out for bilge pump mounting 




Played around with some layout options again 




Tried the 31 series batteries in different locations 








Got the Center deck reinstalled with a rubber membrane between the Aluminum deck and floor joists. Riveted down and it’s solid as a rock and very quiet !


----------



## Bigwrench

Started sanding on the inner hull today and prepping for the self-etching primer. 
Put Dad to work with the electric sander 




While I hit the rear areas in the other side with a DA, wire brush and a good vacuum and acetone wipe down. 




A real light coat of the self-etching primer to see how it lays.


----------



## Bigwrench

Pulled the Center rear lower deck today and started cleaning up the metal , decided at the last minute on whim to use Bed liner on the hull area which will not be seen anyways .








Worked extremely well and was a lot faster !!! As soon as this is set up I’m going to reinstall the flotation and then close this area in and start working on the battery location and the bilge pump mounting and wiring. 
Have a HVLP sprayer en route to finish out the rest of the inside area etching primer and paint. 
Also played around with some padding on the Center floor area to see how I liked it.


----------



## Bigwrench

After drying overnight the Bedliner spray turned out fantastic on the rear lower deck. It almost has me wanting to do the entire inside hull in it. 




Last few days have been spent cleaning up the inside hull. 
Had a “wish I woulda thought of that sooner” moment when I realized I had several old Hook & loop type DA sanding pads leftover. 




Just laid them on top of a 3m scotch-brite pad and trimmed with scissors








This works extremely well for cleaning and prepping large areas of aluminum very very fast with minimal damage to the surface. I just attached the DA pad to my cordless drills and went to town. 








We installed the console


----------



## Bigwrench

The console is a little flimsy for my liking and I will be using his area in front to build a dedicated cooler which will strengthen the console also. 




Top view 




I was playing around with the windshield and IMO it is way too tall, almost reminds me of a center console type 








So I’ll probably be trimming that down at some point, once I get the seats in place and positioned. 
Went ahead and laid out the front deck and cut all my access holes 








Spent a couple hours just practicing my welding skills. 
Hoping to start laying beads on this baby soon. 
Going to work on closing in the transom area the rest of the week. Have to get some sheet bent and then it’s time to install the motor.


----------



## Bigwrench

Need to figure out where to install the new waterproof fuse block and get the battery trays framed out and installed today also.


----------



## Bigwrench

Got a double battery tray framed out and installed today. Going to play around with different securing techniques and for the moment there is one of those pads cut and installed below them but most likely will change it out to a thin rubber mat, glued in place. 









Going to install this breaker and thinking of just gluing a piece of cutting board material to the inner storage walls and bolting it to that 




Went ahead and sealed up some of the front hull also.


----------



## SeaFaring

Beautiful work! You’re making great progress too. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Bigwrench

SeaFaring said:


> Beautiful work! You’re making great progress too.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Thank you ! I’m just glad to be able to make some progress on this thing again, it’s been way overdue !!


----------



## Bigwrench

We ended up getting a ton of work done today . 
Stripped down the inside and outside of the original seat base/livewell and removed the old wooden lid and cut and installed a aluminum lid for it. 
















I also will be adding some extensions to each side of the box that will mount to the hull sides and this area will now have 2 outside seats and one center jump seat that has the step up padding in the back which will be mounted to the center lid. This seat will flip up for storage. 













Using he specs off of the gas tank I ordered I laid out the footprint for that on the rear floor and decide there will be some nice storage behind the seating area as well. 




Also as it turns out there is additional room under each seat for a storage compartment as well 




Got the piece set in for the rear splash well and will be getting this piece bent at a local shop as well as a few other pieces I need a metal brake for, going to take them all at the same time to save money/trips. 




Tried out a Fishing seat on the front deck and think there’s going to be plenty of room for a recessed TM tray 




Gas Tank, NOCO 3bank ,Edge trim and black cutting board type material are on the way. 
Should be a busy week next week !


----------



## Bigwrench

Need to start designing the console area 




This is what was originally installed 
















I’m thinking of just cutting a 1/4” plate or even a diamond plate type pattern to mount the gauges/switches and steering wheel to.
Possibly another piece of cutting board material or I could even bite the bullet and use the leftover wood I have from the transom build. 
What are y’all suggestions ? 
I wonder if the difference in thickness between the old wood and the new aluminum plate would affect the mounting of the teleflex steering controls ?


----------



## Bob9863

My 2c worth is metal beats wood every time.
Its stronger and longer lasting, the only reason I see to use wood is because you don't have the equipment to work metal, it seems you do so go with metal.


----------



## Bigwrench

Bob9863 said:


> My 2c worth is metal beats wood every time.
> Its stronger and longer lasting, the only reason I see to use wood is because you don't have the equipment to work metal, it seems you do so go with metal.


Yeah that’s definitely the way I feel about it but my worry was do I need 3/4-1” thickness there to make sure I can reuse the original steering control mounting hardware I guess ? 
Didn’t know if I had to sandwich a 3/4 square aluminum tube between 2 pieces of aluminum plate to create the proper thickness for the steering control mounts?


----------



## LDUBS

FWIW, that part of my metal console the holds the steering bracket, switches, etc is backed by plywood. On the inside of course.


----------



## Bigwrench

LDUBS said:


> FWIW, that part of my metal console the holds the steering bracket, switches, etc is backed by plywood. On the inside of course.


That makes sense then. See I did an experiment today with the old rotting out dash plate and a new sheet of 1/8 5052 aluminum here’s the results 













That’s what I was afraid of with the thinner dash plate. 
So now I will have to beef that area up from the back side to make the steering wheel mount look halfway decent. Might add a piece of 1/2” cutting board material. I will be using a different steering wheel setup and may just have to buy a complete steering kit with cables (if they are available that way), instead of buying new cables and a steering wheel separately? 
So today I worked on just framing out one compartment (the anchor & rope locker), trying to get an idea how I want the doors finished out. Looks like I’ll need to get some U or C type channel to also attached to stop the doors from falling inside and prevent rainwater from going directly into the compartments. This was very tedious work and I need to figure out an easier method , since there are several access holes that need lids made lol. 




Also cut and installed a dash plate 








Played around with some gauge locations


----------



## Bigwrench

Also wanted to add that with the new plate installed to the console it is very solid now. Worst case scenario I could add another 1/8 sheet to that one , doubling he thickness and some bracing in the rear to prevent any bending or flexing when pulling up with the steering wheel.
Or just find some 1/4” anyways since I have to make a TM mount and was going to use 1/4” for that.


----------



## Bob9863

Most ally boats I know use a transom plate of some description, and/or a brace or some description.
That should be easy enough to do, a mate made his own transom out of 10mm ally plate.


----------



## Bigwrench

Bob9863 said:


> Most ally boats I know use a transom plate of some description, and/or a brace or some description.
> That should be easy enough to do, a mate made his own transom out of 10mm ally plate.


That’s would probably do the trick for sure.


----------



## Bob9863

It definitely did, he also had two triangular supports made of the same stuff going to the hull.
It was so he could put a 60hp on a 12ft tinny, I told him at the time it would probably kill him, but supprisingly hes still alive and kicking.
But damn, that little boat puts jet ski's to shame. :lol:


----------



## Prowelder

I just checked out your whole thread and all i can say is wow. You have some serious time in this thing. Years. I wish you were closer to me i could have helped you save tones of time with the metal work. I will say you got the job done one way or another tho. I've rebuilt 2 boats for myself and 6 for customers over the last couple years. If you get a second check out my tracker build. I definitely catered to my kids. 2 boys 7,4 and a girl 3. I used the best carpet and seats i could find. I also built a saftey rail that can be cut off later on down the road if need be. What are your plans for the interior?












Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk


----------



## Bigwrench

Prowelder said:


> I just checked out your whole thread and all i can say is wow. You have some serious time in this thing. Years. I wish you were closer to me i could have helped you save tones of time with the metal work. I will say you got the job done one way or another tho. I've rebuilt 2 boats for myself and 6 for customers over the last couple years. If you get a second check out my tracker build. I definitely catered to my kids. 2 boys 7,4 and a girl 3. I used the best carpet and seats i could find. I also built a saftey rail that can be cut off later on down the road if need be. What are your plans for the interior?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk



Yeah unfortunately this has taken way longer than I ever imagined , I pretty much lost all of 2016 and the majority of 2017 !! 
I won’t go into all the excuses/reasons but I would be lying if I didn’t say it was probably the hardest couple years we have had to endure. 
The good news is I’m “somewhat” back to a normal routine now. I still have major medical limitations but no longer have to punch a time clock and as long as The Good Lord wills it, I have plenty of time to work on this beast. [emoji3] 
Now all that craziness aside, I have been following your posts and very much enjoy them and have gotten a ton of ideas reading through them. 
Lol, just this morning I talked to Mindy at R&R and ordered 3 hatch lids to see how they will work with my front deck. 
Since I have so much time on my hands now I decided about 6 weeks ago I guess to buy a welder and learn how to TIG, I figured since I won’t be able to do much like I used to, I can pretty much sit and spend some time under the hood, which will also help me with this project and I’ll have another life skill to fall back on if it gets tough enough where I have to try and make a living again. 
I practiced a couple hours today on my outside corner welds (to make my own dry boxes), this was my first attempt and surprisingly enough they turned out pretty decent! I went to a #8 Stubby gas lens and a 3/32 tungsten and with both 1/8 & 1/16 filler they turned out sweet but I got so excited that I tried to run a couple beads beside it and got it too hot lol. That’s been my biggest problem is heat control ! I’m starting to learn to feed filler pretty steady and been using my foot control more lately to taper off and things like that. I’ve been practicing like crazy and soaking up everything I can, every chance I get. I know it’s just going to take time lol. 
And YES I wish you lived closer also LOL. 
The interior is going to be painted and I was thinking of a non skid surface for the floor but I also have been considering that padding type material, I’m just undecided about that still lol. I’d like to do a Camo paint scheme but that’s still up in the air but may just go with Camo seat covers lol. 
I want to put a “jump seat” in the middle of the two tempress frames , one of those was off my Ranger and another I bought from a local garage sale that came off a Stratos. Worked out perfect where I had 2 matching seat frames like this one has 




found a jump seat for the center that has a step pad built into the back when folded down similar to this 




I am going to get eventually. 
I want to box in a insulated cooler in front of the console maybe with couple tool holder slots there for pliers and stuff. 
On the port side wall I want to put a set of those newer type rod rack holders that swivel out of the way when not in use like in the newer aluminum, like this one on a Ranger RT188. 




The front bow area I wanted to do like the earlier renditions in this post but I think I may have to just stick to this type for simplicity in the welding process 



unless my skills get better within the next 3 months. 
If my doctors release me to fish again I am hoping for a April road test !!!! But will have to play that by ear and I am putting the front bow design off as long as possible lol. 
My gas tank and NOCO charger will be here tomorrow, bilge pump on Thursday. 
I have the fuse block,battery kill switch, TM breaker, a couple digital voltage gauges , LSS module and a bunch of other small items I need to figure out so hopefully I can start wiring everything up maybe tomorrow. Have a couple early doc appointments and then I got the rest of the day to work on it. 
I need to fabricate a transom cap and install a plate to the rear for the motor to mount through. That’s all that’s holding up the motor being mounted back on it. 
I’m going to attempt to bend a 90 on a 56” Long piece of 1/8 5052 and then hopefully I can weld the remaining piece to make a U channel and fit it to the transom since it’s 2 bends so close together ( 1 1/2” apart). 
Tomorrow I am going to play around with bending some curves so I can build my own trolling motor tray but I want the curved front design much like some of the factory bass boats used to have. 
I also need to find me some 1/4 to make a TM mount out of but have thought I could just weld 2 1/8 sections together if that would work. I have a lot of aluminum left but also been practicing a lot and it’ll probably go faster than I realized. I went below a 1000 on my argon bottle today lol. It’s going fast !! 
Anyways I’m rambling brother ! Thanks so much for dropping by and can’t wait to see how your latest build turns out.


----------



## Prowelder

That 5052 is going to be tricky to bend. It will probably crack. I use 3003 for everything. Its softer and bends easily. Get a thumb control for your welder. It makes it easier for tight spots. Good luck man

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk


----------



## Bigwrench

Got several things accomplished today 
Created a frame system for my new gas tank 




Fits like a glove 




Went old school GM on the strapping system and created these babies. 




Wrapped up nice and tight 




Matching pair 




Installed some foam padding to the tank frame and coated the inside 




Installed some J-Nuts 




Strap length is critical for this process and it turned out fantastic! 








Installed a starting battery tray and most likely will just weld up another aluminum like I did for the TM batteries up front but for now we can start running wires. 








Stay tuned ! Many different things tomorrow to be updated.


----------



## Bigwrench

Well didn’t get as much done today as I wanted to. 
Mounted the charger under the drivers seat. 




Still not 100% sold on it being here so may end up moving it again before the final teardown and paint and reassembly. 
The way it is now I would have to make extension cables for the trolling motor battery charging leads. 
Used a zebco 202 to make a mounting bracket for the bilge pump lol. 




Fit perfect lol. 








Got the charger adaptor plug installed


----------



## Bigwrench

Made some changes and some progress lately. 
Wired in a 220v drop for my welder and built an extension cord also 




We are HOT now [emoji3] 




Got the gas tank walls built and installed. 








Cut out the area for the recessed TM tray 












Built a starting battery tray and hold down system. 








Double battery tray for TM redo




Welds getting better 




Installed 




Installed a tray liner in the bottom 




Preparing to weld up the double tray hold down bracket system. 




Relocated the 3 bank charger 




Relocated the remote 110v connector for the charger 




Cut out the fuse block mounting location


----------



## Fire1386

Enjoying watching this renovation Bigwrench, nice work!


----------



## PBRMINER

Amazing Work!


----------



## Bigwrench

PBRMINER said:


> Amazing Work!





Fire1386 said:


> Enjoying watching this renovation Bigwrench, nice work!


Thank you both! 
It’s been fun for sure and just glad to be making some progress again. 


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


----------



## Prowelder

Nice to see you making progress looks good!

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk


----------



## Bigwrench

Some updates to share. 
Decided I didn’t really like the TM tray so I started over with a floor pan style I preferred and just wrapped it around using one long sheet and notching the aluminum to keep the continuous sheet and make it easily bent. 























Welded up a thicker area and drilled and tapped for a drain hole 








Attaching it to the deck using a laser for precise location 

















Flipped it and welded the topside , cleaned up and smoothed out all the edges 




Etching primer 








Extremely happy with it and glad I started over [emoji3] 
The final inside coating will be heavy duty bed liner material like used in the rear hull/bilge area 
Thanks for following along.


----------



## Bigwrench

Started framing out the anchor locker and lid 




















Very happy with the outcome so far. 
Started framing out the rear battery compartment door in the same fashion. 




Will try to get it finished up tomorrow after another doctors appointment if I get done in time. 
Stay tuned.


----------



## dogwillhunt

Nice job on the recessed tray. It'll look really good with the bedliner.


----------



## Bigwrench

dogwillhunt said:


> Nice job on the recessed tray. It'll look really good with the bedliner.


Thank you, can’t wait to get it all framed out and painted . I really liked the way the rear bulge area turned out with the bed liner so I’m hoping this will turn out the same. Almost tempted to do the whole boat in something similar.


----------



## dogwillhunt

Yeah, I'm not a fan of carpet. I painted the floor/deck on my previous boat with oil based rustoleum mixed with silica sand. It lasted a good 5-6 years in the AZ sun before it needed to be re-done. I'll probably go the bedliner route once I get to that project.


----------



## gatorglenn

Yall should check this product out. I’ve used it in the past. And plan on doing my PT175 this spring.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


----------



## Bigwrench

gatorglenn said:


> Yall should check this product out. I’ve used it in the past. And plan on doing my PT175 this spring.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


May have to look into that. The stuff I have been using so far has been rattle cans and the first can used in the rear bilge area was solid as a rock overnight and very nice finish. The second can I used in the TM tray wouldn’t cure to save my life. I tried everything. I think the Can was defective or something. Thanks for the suggestion for sure.


----------



## dogwillhunt

Looks like good stuff. They'll send out free color chips samples too.


----------



## Bigwrench

More compartment lid fabrication and fitment 





























Had to modify the original hinges that were used in the 5/8 plywood deck, they were originally 2 L brackets with the Hinge between them. 








After some “tweaking” they are now useful [emoji6] 












Gonna start on the dry box inserts tomorrow and finish up the built in cooler fabrication. Thanks for hanging out with me on this epic adventure.


----------



## Bigwrench

Dry box insert first try went very well and couldn’t be happier if I won the power ball lol. 
Started out with a remnant sheet I found at a steal of .063” made a cardboard template of the rear hull and made a couple end pieces to match the bottom of the frames I made. Wasn’t sure if I’d like the thinner material or even if I’d be able to weld it without burning through but it worked perfectly! 




Wrapped that sucker up and tacked it 








Then laid the heat to em and made em water tight (I hope lol) 












Very very happy with it and will be doing all the other compartments now in the same fashion as soon as I can go pick up some new sheet material and some more argon LOL that stuff goes quick !!!


----------



## Bigwrench

Lots of progress the last couple weeks. 
Been working mostly on finishing up the front deck compartments and framing












Will post more later this week.


----------



## gatorglenn

Man this is turning into a super build [emoji106]


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


----------



## Bigwrench

gatorglenn said:


> Man this is turning into a super build [emoji106]
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


Thank you very much. It’s been fun to say the least ! 
Today I started adding the dry box inserts to the 3 R&R hatches I ordered for the front deck when I started back on this beast. 
Got both side lockers tacked up and fit properly 








They were kinda tricky because of the different angles and the added wire-run tube I put on the starboard side but really happy with how they turned out. 












Tomorrow I am going to start working on the large Center access door for the two trolling motor batteries. Originally this was going to be all storage but since the two batteries wouldn’t fit forward one section the door I ordered really seems too big for the area the batteries take up. 








If I leave it the way it is now I will only have about 5-6” of access through the battery compartment to the storage areas on each side. 
So either I cut the R&R door smaller and weld it back together, weld in fill panels to each side and then add 2 more doors to each side or I leave the center area the way it is and cut 2 more holes on each side area and make dry boxes for them and isolate the batteries from
Those areas.
Gonna sleep on it tonight but don’t want to do anything else on that until I figure out this battery door issue. 

Another issue I am having is still trying to figure out the front bow configuration. 
Originally I was going to use this setup 




It’s such an oddball height to the deck and a lot of angles. 
So then I made this sheet up to see how I liked that setup 








I think this is a little wide and may angle it back like this with the straight edge laid at the cut angle 




Also whether to lay the angle low like this 




Or more straight up and down like this 




So many decision lol. So lay them ideas on me  and thanks for following along 

I’ll sleep on this situation tonight and hopefully it will fall into place tomorrow.


----------



## kalninm

Not sure about the battery box, but looking at the bow I would go with the more simplistic "V" shape and probably lay them in there at a 45 degree-ish angle. Just my preference, I think the deck would look like it flows to the bow a little better, it wouldn't be so abrupt.


----------



## Bigwrench

kalninm said:


> Not sure about the battery box, but looking at the bow I would go with the more simplistic "V" shape and probably lay them in there at a 45 degree-ish angle. Just my preference, I think the deck would look like it flows to the bow a little better, it wouldn't be so abrupt.


I think your right, I’m definitely leaning more towards the V configuration. 
I really need to get that portion finished so I can start making my TM mount and storage inside of that. I’ll play around with that setup some today and see if I can find a happy medium.


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## Prowelder

I like the first idea not the v. It is going to be a little bit harder to make your vertical pieces but hell you've already got the top cut out

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## Prowelder

Those R&R hatches are the truth. Only issue with them is that if a you get liquid in them they will fill up in the trough around the hatch and overflow into the compartment. If you are concerned about it I would drill a hole in the corner of the trough and Weld a small pipe to it. Then you can sleeve over the pipe with a rubber hose and run it to the bottom of the boat. Just some food for thought if you ever leave the boat uncovered or get caught in a rainstorm

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## Bigwrench

Prowelder said:


> I like the first idea not the v. It is going to be a little bit harder to make your vertical pieces but hell you've already got the top cut out
> 
> Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk


Thanks Brother ! Didn’t know if you had an idea or not on this part. The biggest factor in the beginning was welding all the angles but I feel comfortable enough now to make it happen and paint covers a lot LOL.


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## Prowelder

Bigwrench said:


> Prowelder said:
> 
> 
> 
> I like the first idea not the v. It is going to be a little bit harder to make your vertical pieces but hell you've already got the top cut out
> 
> Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks Brother ! Didn’t know if you had an idea or not on this part. The biggest factor in the beginning was welding all the angles but I feel comfortable enough now to make it happen and paint covers a lot LOL.
Click to expand...

If you do decide to go with the V it would probly looking a lot better if you've cut it back on an angle like you are thinking about. I have faith in you I think you can make you with the more complicated front. It would really give it a lot more character. 

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## Prowelder

Bigwrench said:


> Prowelder said:
> 
> 
> 
> I like the first idea not the v. It is going to be a little bit harder to make your vertical pieces but hell you've already got the top cut out
> 
> Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks Brother ! Didn’t know if you had an idea or not on this part. The biggest factor in the beginning was welding all the angles but I feel comfortable enough now to make it happen and paint covers a lot LOL.
Click to expand...

I have faith that you can do it. Just take your time and when you're welding, cool it as you go with a wet rag to keep it from warping. Just make sure you dry it well before re-welding.Make lots of tacks 1st. When you are welding something solid make sure you move around to different areas to keep the heat down. If you decide to go with the simple v. I would definitely Taper it back on the sides like you have with the ruler on it.

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## Bigwrench

Prowelder said:


> Bigwrench said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Prowelder said:
> 
> 
> 
> I like the first idea not the v. It is going to be a little bit harder to make your vertical pieces but hell you've already got the top cut out
> 
> Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks Brother ! Didn’t know if you had an idea or not on this part. The biggest factor in the beginning was welding all the angles but I feel comfortable enough now to make it happen and paint covers a lot LOL.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> I have faith that you can do it. Just take your time and when you're welding, cool it as you go with a wet rag to keep it from warping. Just make sure you dry it well before re-welding.Make lots of tacks 1st. When you are welding something solid make sure you move around to different areas to keep the heat down. If you decide to go with the simple v. I would definitely Taper it back on the sides like you have with the ruler on it.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

 Thanks for the tips on warpage control , I actually had to deal with that today, was just getting ready to post about that lol and I didn’t think about the wet rag! I did use scrap aluminum panels with heavy steel billet cutoffs on top of them to sorta heat sink away from the weld areas. I cranked the amps up to 130 and after tacking it I would weld for like 4-5 inches and then stop and let it cool and move to another area entirely just jumping back and forth. I still had some issues but I think they are fixed now with the wet rag issue if I run into that again. Thank you !


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## Bigwrench

Ok so today’s adventures ... had foot surgery on one foot and then shots in the other .... so I was glad to sit down at the table and weld all afternoon [emoji3] 
I decided his morning to tackle the battery box issue and boy did I ever [emoji3] 
I decided to use a smaller door for the TM battery tray compartment . I removed the hold down system, rotated the batteries “sideways” in the hull and using the anchor locker door I made (which fit perfectly with just a little tweaking) decided to go for it and fill in the panels on the main deck and start over there [emoji3] 
Door installed over the batteries with deck removed. Pop riveted the door in place temporarily to see how everything “worked” and made sure the batteries would actually come out if needed at a later date (that woulda sucked later if they wouldn’t come out LOL)








Placed the deck back in place and marked the area of the door access hole with the other doors installed to make sure everything fits at the same time. 




Using my table on one half and my truck tailgate on the other half of the deck I rough fit 2 scrap panels to fill in the sides to make the hole smaller. 












Welded up the bottom first , hotter than I normally weld to get good penetration. 
Used backing plates to prevent “blow out” at corners and tried to fight the warpage from heat with scrap sheets and heavy steel weights. Everything was clamped as tight as I could with what I have available. 




They may not be pretty but that’s the bottom and I had great penetration on the top side . 
Flipped it over and sanded the area real good to make a sort of 
Concave groove section, cleaned with SS brush and acetone wipe. I had to beat out some warpage and turned amps down to 100 and slowly worked my way around a little at a time very gently ! 




I also thought why not use my air nozzle to blow this thing cool after every small pass. Problem was I didn’t think of that until the second side lol. It worked really well after that and as I am new to welding I’m just glad to learn as I go and enjoy a challenge. [emoji3] 
Once I had those 2 filler panels welded in on both sides I sanded down the welds on the top deck real gently [emoji3] 




Marked areas with a sharpie that needed attention and then hit it with various grit on a DA sander. It came out pretty nice ! 
I also slapped some filler on there while it was still warm lol 








Now this part was just me being silly I guess because after thinking about it the filler probably won’t hold up to human foot traffic and may chip away at a later date [emoji3] but I’ll hit those areas in the morning with a long board in-line sander and then the DA again but since the final finish will be thick and textured and of a flat color I don’t think that anything would be even visible lol but anyways we will see how it goes tomorrow ! I will be using prowelders tip on heat control for warpage in the future !! Thanks brother ! 
Now I will be cutting my brand new R&R hatch (the big one) exactly in half , welding ends on them to match what they made (after receiving them and looking them over I know I can duplicate what they have and not “waste” the new door) and installing these 2 “new” doors on each side of the battery compartment for true dedicated storage areas with lots of room and access ! Trust me when I say I am truly happy with R&Rs hatch lids but didn’t wanna waste what I ordered and may just order the anchor locker lid from them now to keep everything more uniform. The one thing I wondered about with their doors is the hinges stick up more than I expected. Is it a game changer ? No not in the least but the ones I built were extremely flush but took every ounce of “smarts” I had to make happen lol. Definitely recommend R&R designs for your hatch needs [emoji3] 
I have a little more framing to do to the deck to make it solid and to add the supports for the 2 additional side locker doors. I will then smooth out my greenhorn welds and make sure the deck lays flat and does not rattle (that would drive me batty on the water lol). 
I will also add drains to each hatch door , even the ones I built with U channel to drain them to the bilge area also thanks again Prowelder !!! 
I will make another door for the anchor locker up front and still need to add a water draining system to my built in dedicated ice chest/cooler !! 
The front bow panel should be this weekend if I don’t run out of argon again !!! I am at the point where I have to decide on it and get started [emoji3] 
Thanks for all the great tips, encouragement , ideas and just hanging out !! 
After spending 7 months in a traction device I can’t tell y’all how glad I am to be mobile and doing something with my hands again even if it isn’t what I have been doing all my life (wrenchin). Stay tuned this could be epic !!! Ha Ha !


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## reelfunnm

Very nice!!


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## Bigwrench

Got some more locker and framing done lately, made 2 hatch doors out of the big one I ordered originally 




















Had to match the profile exactly on these 
















2 doors all ready to go [emoji3] 
















Test fit from the bottom section 




Installed some bracing to facilitate the new locker placement 




Everything installed and ready to roll. Made another hatch door from scratch today and it turned out so nice I decided to use it for the TM battery location and put that one back with the anchor locker up front.




Testing out a graph with one bow design 









Scored a whole bunch of aluminum stock today from a local recycling center at $.80 a pound !!! Don’t forget to check with your local recycling yards, had to pick through a 20 Foot pile of aluminum but really got some nice thick aluminum plate today ! Going to finish the remaining locker dry boxes tomorrow and close in the batteries up front center section. 
Going to get Dad started sanding down all the deck and locker surfaces for priming and paint. 

Getting very close to having the hard stuff done ! 

To do list: 

Transom board cap and connect to corner caps. 
Engine support plate (seriously considering making a manual jack plate but need ideas,photos, dimensions) 
Weld up 2 pass-thru holes that were previously used for livewells. 
Install Motor !!! 
Bow panel design, framing.
TM bracket design with integrated storage.
Tie down cleats. 
Purchase complete steering system and install.
Lots of “Fit & Finish” work still. 
Prime/paint interior. 
Need ideas for fuel fill neck location/install. I am considering installing it in the rear deck, port side sorta recessed into the deck and angled for easy access from the outside while filling. 
Fuel tank plumbing/vent install. 
Dash gauge layout and install.
All wiring front to rear.
Interior lights and music install. 
Float test and foam install.
Lots of work to do still! 
Thanks for all the ideas and for hanging out !


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## Bigwrench

Been busy,busy,busy here lately but here’s some updates [emoji3] 
Removed the deck and started framing out the front section, added a plate to each side for support 








That Kevlar sealant was a PITA to remove for the welding areas lol. 








1” hole saw worked for perfectly to get the proper angle for 90 degrees to the deck surface. 








Added a cross bar








Made a coping device to get the 1” square stock to meet the 1” tube. Worked slick ! 








At this point I had to make a decision on the bow design before I could finish up the framing up there so I decided to go with the harder design , which was my original plan anyways. 
Also used a laser on the center seat framing to make sure all my crappy welds were smoothed out with a flapper disc to ensure the deck lays flat in all directions. 
So here goes some of that process. I did make one small change on the fly, I added a 3” vertical rise 90 degrees from the deck first. [emoji3] 
Laid the top panel on the deck and transferred my lay lines 




Then just started trying to slowly make each angle as nice as possible. 




Welded up the Center section first and then sanded it to make it look completely factory bent. 




Worked my way out from the center. The angles were a little tricky but once I had that figured it went a lot smoother using the chop saw for clean cuts 








Tacked up the sides and I am pretty happy with it now. The transition panels are not as wide as before , the angle is not too steep either. 








Tomorrow I will finish up the two outside panels, remove the deck and weld it all up on the back first and then weld the front and smooth all those out to again make it look like factory bends and transitions.
The top plate is not attached yet 




So I now have all my angles pretty much figured out and can finish up the critical support framing for the panel and the TM support system. 
The 3” rise will transition down to the deck at an angle on the two outside edges. 
I also drilled all my hatch lids and Beveled the holes to match the R&R hatches. 
Just glad to be getting closer to a float test !!!


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## Bigwrench

Got a little bit done this afternoon , medical appointments keeping me busy this week. 
Made a cardboard template 




Got it pretty close




These are all scrap pieces since I’m low on 1/8”’sheet and had a cut in this one that popped the corner off when I hammered it in lol. Easy fix though. 












Going to cut the tacks at the deck surface tomorrow after Another docs appointment and take that entire section to the welding table and work it over real good. I don’t want the front to look welded at all if I can help it so it will be easier to work with at the table, since I don’t have a torch switch and have to rely on the foot pedal for amp control. 
Kinda hard to stand on one foot and lean my 290lbs over the edge of the boat and weld lol. 




This one was a little dirty but they are getting better and easier. 




Should be able to finish up the front bow bracing that will support this and also figure out where the wiring needs to be located now .


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## Bigwrench

Going to have to throw in the towel on this build and sell it as soon as I can figure out a price and the logistics of it all. Definitely hate to let it go but don’t see any other options at this point. Too many medical problems piling up to be able to see it through till the end. 
Thanks for following along and being so patient over the years.


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## Jim

Sorry to hear it man.


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