# Rhyan Craft: Now BRINE CRAFT



## Brine

Well guys. Here ya go. I don't know much about the boat yet. I picked it up on Saturday and only spent about an hour looking it over. I immediately removed the steering console, and the seats pictured. The seats are in pretty good shape, so I will hold on to them. If anyone has a use for the steering cable/console, you can have it if you'll come get it. The seats were screwed down to livewell lids. I will post more pics the next time I can get out there and do some work. The decks are pretty solid, but I'm replacing them anyway, #1 because I'm fairly anal, and #2 they will probably both get extended. I would really like to get this thing entirely stripped down, take it to the lake, check for leaks, and start from there. I've never done this before, but I've been thinking about this for about 2 years now. I am really glad to finally get this project started. The little man in one of those pictures is one of the main reasons I'm doing this. I have 2 small boys, and if you saw the picture of my current rig, you probably understand that it would be very difficult to have a 5 and 7 year old in that boat with me. The new boat should help that a lot, and outside of tournament fishing, I am really looking forward to spending time on the water with them. 

Lemme know what you think of the new tin cup. I will do my best to post pictures of the progress. If anyone has any advice along the way, don't be afraid to offer it. I will probably be asking questions throughout the build.












Thanks for looking. Brine 8) 8)


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## russ010

Awesome rig... you're going to have fun with that rebuild. 

I almost bout the exact boat back in the summer from a guy in Hiram - but he decided not to sell when I showed up with the money. 

Do you have an outboard or are you doing electric only?


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## Brine

russ010 said:


> Awesome rig... you're going to have fun with that rebuild.
> 
> I almost bout the exact boat back in the summer from a guy in Hiram - but he decided not to sell when I showed up with the money.
> 
> Do you have an outboard or are you doing electric only?



Thanks for your compliment. 

Electric only for 80% of the time. We fish some of the state parks, so I will keep my eyes open for a 9.9 tho. I have a 5hp and a 15hp already. Might try to sell them both, or work a trade for a 9.9.


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## FishingBuds

Look Daddy's on the roof :lol: 

Yep, they make it worth while  

you gotta a great boat there, if I was closer I'd pick up the steering, of course it just hang in my garage :lol:


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## evattman

Cool Boat!!

Where in Ga are you? If its close, I may have to make a road trip!


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## russ010

evattman said:


> Cool Boat!!
> 
> Where in Ga are you? If its close, I may have to make a road trip!



if he says Lathem is the farthest from him - he's either far east or far south of Atlanta.. I'm only about an hour south of Chattanooga


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## Waterwings

Nice rig ya have there, and lookin' forward to the mods as you make them ! 8)


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## 92yj

instead of taking it to the lake to see if there are any leaks, risking it sinking. fill it with water and look for the leaks. i did this to mine and it worked awesome. found a lot of little leaks that i couldn't locate on the water. it will give you the ability to see under the boat. good luck.


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## Brine

92yj said:


> instead of taking it to the lake to see if there are any leaks, risking it sinking. fill it with water and look for the leaks. i did this to mine and it worked awesome. found a lot of little leaks that i couldn't locate on the water. it will give you the ability to see under the boat. good luck.



Ok. Sounds good. The previous owner said "doesn't leak a drop", so I would just like to make sure for my piece of mind. I was wondering about putting it in the lake after everything had been taken out and whether or not that was the right thing to do. Ideally, I would think you would want the boat to have a load inside to push out on the hull to be certain. I guess filling it with water will serve that purpose as well. Thanks!


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## Zum

Lol...up on the roof to get the perfect shot.
Looks like a great find,hope you and your family have fun with it.


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## ben2go

SWEEET!


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## ben2go

SWEEET!


Sorry for the double post.I been having PC problems.


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## baptistpreach

Great Boat! Hope you turn it into exactly what you want!


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## fishinchef

nice looking rig! Where in GA are you, and do you still want to get rid of the console?


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## Brine

fishinchef said:


> nice looking rig! Where in GA are you, and do you still want to get rid of the console?



Thanks. I'm in Gwinnett County, close to Bass Pro Shops in Lawrenceville. No, I don't want the console. This rig will be set up for electric only lakes. If you want it, you can have it. I don't want it laying around much longer.


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## RStewart

Dang. I was just in the Atlanta area yesterday. What year and make is your 15hp motor?


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## Brine

stew6371 said:


> Dang. I was just in the Atlanta area yesterday. What year and make is your 15hp motor?



Gamefisher. 1980 - something. If you are interested, I'll look it up.


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## Brine

Got a chance to take some more pics, and have a several questions for you all. 

As I mentioned before, I removed the steering console. Here is a different pic in case this makes someone wants it. :shock: 






First Question: What's the best product/process to fill holes like this in the gunwale. These are from where the steering column was riveted to the boat.





Second Question: What would you do with the transom. The board isn't really soft anywhere, but it isn't like new either. Also, the cosmetics of it are making me twitch. Don't think Picasso could touch this one up. What am I in for in trying to replace this board? Good Idea? Bad Idea? 













Third Question: This is apparently homemade reinforcement for the 50hp that was on the back. I will never have more than a 9.9 on this boat. Should I cut it out, or leave it? Again, the cosmetics are annoying me. 









Fourth Question: There is a crack at the top of the transom on the right side in this picture, hence the homemade reinforcements above I suspect. Suggestions on repair? No, I don't weld. All of these screws attaching to the plywood on the inside are really what is scaring me from messing with replacing the transom. Justified?





Apparently, this piece of angle iron was set on the transom when the big motor was on it.





Also, here are a few pics of the bow deck and how it was engineered. 





Hatch open showing support from underneath.





Lastly, here is a pic for all of you who are contemplating plywood decks. Not sure how old the boat is yet, but it was kept under an aluminum roof with open walls. I'm not saying plywood isn't the right solution for any of you, I just wanted to point out what can potentially happen with it, because I've seen it mentioned here numerous times without any pics.





ALL RIGHT GUYS.....HELP ME REBUILD THIS THING!
Thanks in Advance for the Advice.
Brine


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## russ010

Brine... here are a few things you could do to in reference to your questions...

1 - you can use some of that epoxy that comes in small tubes that you roll around your fingers then put on whatever you want to mend/put back together/fill holes... whatever. I've got some that is made especially for aluminum.. once it's cured, you can sand over and paint it.

Here's a link to what I'm talking about - https://www.outdoorsuperstore.com/p...4&gdftrk=gdfV2348_a_7c404_a_7c1148_a_7c252704.

2 - If you are going to redo the rest of your boat, you might as well do your transom too... go ahead and take care of everything at one time. If you are planning on painting the boat, then you can take all those screws out and fill them in with the stuff from #1, then sand it and paint over. But if it's really bothering you and the wood doesn't seem that bad, then get you a good deck stain/paint and go over the transom with that. You could also take care of the fabrication in step number 3 by covering the transom and the top edge of the rear in carpet. 

Moving on to #3.... If you have a side grinder you could plane those pieces down and make the cosmetics more appeasing to you. 

4 - again.. use the stuff from #1 and sand it down....

I'm not sure what color that stuff turns once it cures - what I used was green colored, but I didn't care because I was painting my boat. If you aren't planning on painting, I'm not sure what all you could do - especially since you're anal with the cosmetics (don't sweat that, I am too).


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## Waterwings

Just from looking at the inside and outside pics of the transom, you may not want to fill-in the ones I've drawn a line around. Those screws appear to go to the knee braces supporting the transom inside. If you replace the transom wood, you'll need to not fill those 9 holes, so as to reattch the knee braces.


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## russ010

good catch waterwings... but for some reason, I can only see 8 holes in your drawing... #-o


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## bassboy1

Waterwings is right. Those bolts are for the knee braces, and are there from the factory/very important. The only other option would be replacing the screws with long rivets (2 guys, and 2 small sledges are all that is need for those) if the flat head would be better than the bolt head. 

For the console holes, go ahead and use whatever Russ010 mentioned. I don't usually recommend using something that dries hard in an aluminum boat repair, but since it isn't important/structural, and since you are anal about cosmetics, it would work just fine in this case. 

For that gusset on each side of the transom, you may try getting a flapper disk on an angle grinder to grind that smoother, and use some sort of putty to fill in the low areas (as much as I don't like doing such like that - bondolike substances and boats never mix). 
Or, another option is an aluminum abrasive disk on your angle grinder. You won't find these at Lowes/Home Depot. Do NOT use a standard abrasive, or any disk that has EVER ground on steel. A disk shattering at 10,000 RPM can happen with the first instance, and a thermite reaction (ever seen the Hindenburg episode of Mythbusters) with the second. 
https://pro.woodworker.com/cgi-bin/FULLPRES.exe?PARTNUM=120-875&search=Abrasives - Detail&smode=

Waterwings, you wouldn't believe what I had to go through to find those stupid things. And, I have yet to find a cutoff disk, just a thick grinding one. But yes, you were right. :wink:


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## Brine

Thanks for the replies. I don't know if you can tell from the pictures, but those gussets were obviously pieced in by someone because the weld looks like poo and the pieces cut look like some hack job. Can I just cut them both out? Also, what do I repair the crack in the top of the transom? The same stuff as the gunwale?


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## russ010

I would use that aluminum epoxy... when that stuff cures - you can't break it. I blew a hole in a radiator in an old ford explorer a few years ago and used some of that stuff to fix it.. I drove another 5 hours after an hour cure and it held up. I think it's still going today, but not by me. I will NEVER buy another one of those POSs... (for those ford lovers out there, sorry... now the newer fords are not as bad (trucks) and the 250s are some of the best. Especially diesels)


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## Brine

What Have I Done??? :shock: I used to have a decent looking boat. :lol: 

Well, I took out the decks yesterday and spent this morning cleaning out the boat. The front deck was actually 2 pieces of 3/4 which explains why it felt fairly solid up there. It was heavy too. The floor was 3/4 and sat on the ribs with foam underneath. The floor was a little soft, as I assume the bilge was not working correctly, and I think the boat was holding a fair amount of water at times. The rear deck (at the transom) was a mess. Obviously, water sat back here for a while. Unfortunately, you will have to take my word for it, because I didn't take a picture of what the boat looked like under the decks. I did notice that if you go to one of my previous pictures of the transom floor, you would see that where the drain is, the floor is completely black. After I removed the decks, I discovered about 1/2" of sludge on the floor back there. I spent roughly an hour scraping it out with a plastic putty knife. The rest of the floors were fairly nasty as well. Not sure how the boat could ever drain if it needed to, because of the amount of mud/foam pellet mortar that was in the channels. There was foam between the ribs on the floor that basically crumbled when I went to remove. When I got towards the back of the boat, there was about 1/4 piece of foam sticking out from under the livewell. The livewell was riveted on to the sides as well as the bench seat at the back. Knowing how much crud was under the deck, I had to remove the livewell to make sure it was clear of any obstructions and so I could see under it when it's time to test for leaks. Not sure If I just created more problems than solved tho....pics to follow. 

Took the boat to the carwash with a bottle of Simple Green and 1 hr later, the boat is cleaner, but still looks dirty on the inside. Onto the pics and next series of questions.

1. What's the best product to clean the hull with at this stage? (sidenote-the livewell is removed from these pics) What's mainly left are stains in the aluminum where there was no paint. I plan on painting the whole boat eventually. 
















Here's how the livewell was situated before













Once Removed





Outside of Boat









Basically, once I removed the rivets that attached the livewell I was able to pull it out enough to allow clearance for my reciprocating saw to cut the two pipes. Cracked the weld on the outside of the boat in the process  . Now that I've done that, I will have to figure out a way to either patch the holes, or replumb the livewell using the same holes. 

The Bench behind the livewell appears to be full of the pellet foam. Sure would make a nice place to put a hatch or two for storage. What do you think? 

Questions, Comments, Concerns all appreciated!


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## russ010

As far as cleaning the hull goes... if you are going to paint it, use a brillo pad... As far as the outside, use a sanding pad thats intertwined wire which you can get from Wal-Mart. It will scuff it up enough for your primer to adhere to.

As far as the rear bench - Cut out the top... Leave about an inch along the front and rear as a lip, and then on the sides it's best to make those cuts parallel with the floor.. Get rid of the foam unless you think you're going to flip the boat over - that's all it's good for anyways. Almost forgot.. If you put your seat back there, leave about a 15" wide platfor for your seat to go on. You can screw a piece of 3/4" ply over it to mount your seat to (always good to have a strong base there)

It looks good so far.. are you planning on using this in your first tourney in Feb??


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## bassboy1

That little bit of foam in those benches isn't going to float that if swamped. Pull it out, or it will end up in your bilge a few pieces at a time for a period of a few years. That pellet foam shouldn't be allowed in boats.


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## Brine

Thanks Russ/Bassboy.

Bassboy, as resident tinbender, what do you suggest about the holes on the side of the boat from the livewell. How should I replumb this, or should I?

I really don't understand the logic of why it was plumbed this way in the first place. There was a hose going out the back of the livewell, through the bench and then out the transom next to the drain, then these two (in the pics on the side). What Is the top one supposed to be an overflow? If so, it doesn't seem to leave enough water in the well. The holes are maybe 5" off center.


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## Brine

Also, where do I buy that black stripping to go aournd the opening of the livewell?

Does anyone have a better solution?

Thanks.


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## Brine

jirwin6985 said:


> Brine the boat looks great so far. As far as plumbing the live well again. If you are going to reinstall it i would drill out the current holes to the size of a thru hull fitting and replum the hole thing. https://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10151_-1_10001_8029?cm_mmc=froogle-_-225-3-5-_--1-_-38-502-364-00&hvarAID=froogle&mr:trackingCode=FD957E21-11EB-DD11-80C2-001422107090&mr:referralID=NA
> Something like that. That way you dont have to worry about the old fiting leaking. If you have more questions Id be more than happy to explain more in depth. Are you looking to use the livewell it sounds like you arent sure whether you want to install it again or not.
> Joe



Thanks jirwin. Yes, I think I am going to reinstall it, I just don't understand the layout of the holes. The fittings you showed look like they will do the trick if they are the right size. I will have to measure and make sure they are bigger than the current hole. I thnk I will either need to grind the current welds flat or cut bigger holes for the plumbing or else nothing will screw down evenly/flush with the hull. Thanks for your help!


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## russ010

Brine said:


> Also, where do I buy that black stripping to go aournd the opening of the livewell?
> 
> Does anyone have a better solution?
> 
> Thanks.



You can use automotive weather stripping... https://www.jcwhitney.com/-FLEXIBLE...MS/GP_2008663_N_111+10201+600003824_10101.jcw


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## Brine

Thanks again Russ, that looks good. 

Does anyone know how to best split the weight in the boat for max hull speed? The electric only guys always stand at the front of their boats when making runs I assume to get the back of the boat as high as possible. Figured I would ask before I start planning out battery placement.


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## bassboy1

I had this issue when pulling a livewell out of an 18 foot Alumacraft bass boat sitting in the backyard awaiting restoration. I didn't follow yours to see what you were talking about, but here is how most went in the 80s. My Yazoo was the same way. 

Basically, you have a pump at the transom, feeding a hose that leads to the top spray bar. You also have a drain in the bottom of the livewell, that goes through a hole, also to the transom. The third hose is a larger one, from the top, heading out the side. Supposedly, the way it worked is the drain is left open when fishing. That way, there is always a little water in the livewell at rest, so you can put a fish in water immediately. But, when you aren't carrying fish, it empties out as you get up on plane so you aren't carrying a load of water with no fish. When you put a fish in, you are to put the bottom plug in, and turn on the pump. This constantly puts lake water in through the spray bar, and it drains out the overflow. You just have to turn it off before making a run. Later on, and in the pricier bass boats of the time, they had a recirc. pump as well, so the fish get fresh oxygen on a long run. 

The way the new ones work, is you have the same general setup as before. You have a pump filling it, with a spray bar, and an overflow. And, you have the same drain, but it has an electrically controlled valve on it. Lastly, you have an aerator. You set the valve (lever at the console) to "fill," and it shuts the valve on the drain, and sends lake water through the spray bar. When it is full, and you want to just recirculate, or you are going to make a run, you change to "recirc." This turns off the fill pump, and turns on the recirc pump, so you can give the fish fresh oxygen while running down the lake. When set to "empty," both pumps are off, and the electrically controlled valve is opened, allowing the livewell to drain on the trailer. Also, when you don't have fish in the livewell, with it set on "empty," it allows a small amount of water in the well while you are fishing, so you don't put the fish in a dry container. 

Here, play around on this site. 
https://www.flow-rite.com/marine/buildersguide.html?open_menu=1&sub_menu=1
Load the builder's guide, and click interactive system builder. Will give you everything you need to know about livewells.


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## bassboy1

Brine said:


> Thanks again Russ, that looks good.
> 
> Does anyone know how to best split the weight in the boat for max hull speed? The electric only guys always stand at the front of their boats when making runs I assume to the back of the boat as high as possible. Figured I would ask before I start planning out battery placement.


They do that because they are too lazy to walk to the back. Not really. :lol: 

Often, they do this because they want to maximize the thrust available on the boat. With outboards, we pull the bow motor up when making a run. But, they want to add that power to the "outboard." (transom mount motors). Thus, they have a switch for their transom motors in the bow, and they lock them straight. They use the bow one to steer. That way, all the power on the boat is used, and they still have a fishing motor in the bow. 

Somewhere on Bassresource flukemaster posted something about battery placement. I didn't look to hard for it, but I didn't see it. He posted a long thread on his build of a 16 foot bass tracker into an electric only rig for another member about 2 years ago, and in that rig, I think the batteries are in the stern. 

I can say from experience, that you don't want too much weight in the bow. You will spin around like a daggum lazy susan while trying to fish. I would say that since you lack an outboard, put your batteries astern, and your livewell just back of the middle, or vice versa. 

On my 1542, with 2 batteries just forward of the middle, and 200 pounds of outboard and fuel in the stern, when I am fishing alone, it does seem to have a little more boat in the water in the bow. With 2 people in, with this same setup, it sits about level. If you are putting 4 or more batteries in, and have no outboard on the back, there is no way you would want them up front with you.


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## Brine

Had a chance to work on the boat today. Been busy filling holes with the aluminum epoxy. As far as using that stuff to fill screw holes below the waterline goes, I think I will be drilling them back out and using a rivet. Once I sanded it down I realized that the epoxy was roughly .09 x 5mm and I started thinking that I would prefer to have it sealed better. I guess if you put the epoxy in heavy and didn't sand it, it would seal better. You guys correct me if I'm wrong. Also spent some time on the wood at the transom. I decided to leave it and work with it rather than replace it, because the wood was fairly solid, and I didn't see a way of getting it out without taking out the braces that connect the bottom with the transom. After sanding and filling, I think I will be ok with it. Tomorrow I will sand the filler and put on spar varnish. Even after taking the boat to the spray car wash, it still has too much gunk on it for my liking, so I will be pressure washing it as soon as I have plugged all the holes and completed the leak test. Still got plenty to do before then. 

Ok, I had mentioned cutting out the top of the rear bench. I need some more insight here. As a refresher, here is a pic before the deck was out.





Here it is after I removed the deck.





In the first pic, the pedestal in the back is actually not on top of any bracing. The decks were doubled up 3/4 ply. The seam on the piano hinge sat about 2" in from the edge of the back of the bench, and the pedestal was "floating" off the edge of the bench. I am going to cut into the bench to get out all that pellet foam, and am trying to figure out the best way to do this. If I don't mount the pedestal on top of the bench, would it be ok to cut out the entire top of the bench? maybe leaving a 3" lip around the whole thing? The bench is 56" long at the top, 42" at the bottom, and 20" wide. I'm wondering if I should leave some meat in the middle (have 2 cutouts instead of 1) for some rigidity.

Whaddaya think?


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## bassboy1

Brine said:


> If I don't mount the pedestal on top of the bench, would it be ok to cut out the entire top of the bench? maybe leaving a 3" lip around the whole thing? The bench is 56" long at the top, 42" at the bottom, and 20" wide. I'm wondering if I should leave some meat in the middle (have 2 cutouts instead of 1) for some rigidity.
> 
> Whaddaya think?


Leaving a 2 - 3 inch lip around it would be adequate, and the divider in the middle would be all that much better. Plus, two separate hatches are great for organization's sake.


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## switchback

Looks good so far.


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## russ010

I cut the tops out of my bench, but I didn't put a pedestal or a bench on it... on the rear bench (which I haven't cut out... YET) I put a 3/4" ply so I would have some meat for the pedestal to go into. I didn't have a pin pedestal though... only one of those black ones with a pipe like you can get at wally world.

Good job so far - as far as the epoxy - I sanded the outside smooth, but when I put it on the hole, I extended it about an 1" all the way around the hole (inside and out). I haven't had any problems with it in the years I've been fishing the boat. I had bullet holes as well from where I shot a snake who was hiding under one of the benches


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## Brine

Ok, well I am finally getting around to post some pics of what I did last weekend. First thing I started on was the wood on the transom.

Started like this:





After Tear-Out, Some Wood Filler and Sanding:





Then 2 Coats of Spar Varnish:





Then those cruddy braces/weld job at the top of the transom...

Before:





After flapper disk and aluminum epoxy:
(This pic doesn't do the work any justice, but it turned out better than I thought as far as being smooth in person. I feel good about painting it now and it not looking so bad) Still a little more sanding left





I then moved to the rear bench and decided to cut out the seat a little smaller than will probably be the finished product, but my main goal was to get the foam out. WHAT A PAIN THAT IS! But after a few curse words, I got through it :lol: .

Before:





After:





Still haven't decided how to handle the livewell and would like to hear your thoughts. As you know (if you read earlier posts) when I removed the livewell, I cracked a weld as shown:





Per the advice from the board, I drilled a larger hole (1 1/4") and now am left with this:





Orginally, the livewell was positioned here:





I'm now considering moving it towards the bow to about here:





My thought is that by doing so, I have extended the stern deck about another foot or so and created more storage. Also, I could put both the "pump-in" pump here as well as mount the livewell aerator on the back of the livewell and have easy access to them both. This would require cutting new holes in the back of the livewell and patching the ones currently drilled on the side. Not sure how I would plumb the drain yet. 

Either way, I now have (2) 1 1/4" holes cut in the side of the boat, which I think I will need to enlarge to 1 3/8" after looking at the "standard" size fittings. All of the pumps seem to be set up for 3/4" hose, so I will have to use some type of coupler on each one best I can figure. If anyone has any suggestions on this (livewell location and plumbing) I would appreciate it.

Also, I got to pop my first rivet! I like it. Don't have any after pics, but shot about 30 in areas around the inside of the boat to fix things like this:





I got a little rivet happy and forgot that if I ever want to use Gluv-it on the side of the boat behind that paneling, they will all have to be removed again. #-o 

Lastly, here's a couple before and after pics of the outside of the transom. 

Before:





After:





I know it was alot, but let me know your feedback on any part of it so far.

Thanks Again


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## Hanr3

Not sure its worth teh effrot to move teh livewell a foot. If you were moving it 3-4', that might be worth the effort of patching those holes. 

nice work so far! =D>


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## russ010

I like the idea of moving it forward a foot and using that space for pumps. You could also store other things in there that wouldn't be used that often, and wouldn't run interference with your pumps... life jackets, oars, ropes, etc..

I'm not sure on your plumbing.. Everything I've done is removable, so... I would figure out a way to have it drain to the transom, but without seeing it, I can't get the wheels rolling in my brain enough to help you out.


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## poolie

Boat's looking nice. I look forward to watching the progress. I can tell it's going to be a looker when finished.

-- Poolie


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## bassboy1

russ010 said:


> I like the idea of moving it forward a foot and using that space for pumps. You could also store other things in there that wouldn't be used that often, and wouldn't run interference with your pumps... life jackets, oars, ropes, etc..
> 
> I'm not sure on your plumbing.. Everything I've done is removable, so... I would figure out a way to have it drain to the transom, but without seeing it, I can't get the wheels rolling in my brain enough to help you out.



Russ, take a look at the livewell builders guide I posted. Play around with that for a minute, and it should come to ya.... :wink:


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## Brine

Quick update. No pics, but I filled some holes in the livewell, and found some storage totes (Cambro) from a restaurant supply for $12.95 that I think will work good where I cut out the seats. Didn't buy them, but now I know where to get them when the time comes if I don't come up with a better solution. Haven't tested the livewell for leaks yet, so I'll do that in the next couple days and I ordered the Steelflex on Friday. Picked up 4 sticks of 1.5 x 1.5 x .125 angle aluminum, but I need some aluminum sheet before I can go much further. Gonna go by the scrap yard this week and see what they got. If I don't see something there, I'm gunna have to bite the bullet and buy a sheet of 4 x 8 form Metal Supermarkets.

The more I work on the livewell, the more I question using it. It seems a touch on the small side. God forbid I ever have a 20+# sack to weigh in someday. It looks like it will be fairly tight. I haven't bothered to figure out how much water it holds yet, but if it's less than my 120qt cooler that I currently use, I may use the cooler instead and turn the livewell into storage. Hope to have some pics soon of some progress!


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## ben2go

I like the live well pushed forward.Centers the weight a little better when it's full.I think it's a killer rebuild.


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## Brine

Ok, got the Steelflex in last week. Haven't considered applying yet, cuz it's been too cold! I was told that I needed to have air temps above 70, so It may be a while. In the meantime, I'm still trying to figure out how to layout the bow deck. The picture shows what I am trying to accomplish. I would like to have a couple hatches (or one big one) for the 2 batteries up front, but don't think I want any in front or to the side of the pedastal. I'm 270# and am nervous about standing around lids all day. So, with that in mind, let me know what you guys think about the best way to support the deck. Not sure yet if it will be plywood or aluminum yet, but the framing will be aluminum angle. Would also like to install a well for the trolling motor pedal as shown. Still waiting on the funds for the 6061 on the floor before I frame anything. That red piece of aluminum will be close to a 4 x 8. #-o The ribs are approximately 14" off center and the floor is about 42" wide at the green framing.

Here's a pic of what I had in mind






And here is an orginal if anyone wants to play with the layout. hint...hint....


----------



## Hanr3

Looks good.

couple of questions.

Where is the livewell?
What are you using for the deck material on the front deck?
Any thoguht to rod storage or gear storage (wet weather gear, life jackets, etc.)?

Looks like you have the space on the front deck for gear storage.


----------



## Brine

Hanr3 said:


> Looks good.
> 
> couple of questions.
> 
> Where is the livewell?
> What are you using for the deck material on the front deck?
> Any thoguht to rod storage or gear storage (wet weather gear, life jackets, etc.)?
> 
> Looks like you have the space on the front deck for gear storage.



Thanks. 

The livewell is removed from the pic, but it will be installed approximately 12" in front of the rear bench. There is a picture of it installed against the rear bench at the beginning of this thread. Moving it 12" forward, I plan to use that space to house the pumps for the livewell, a battery to run all the accessories minus the front trolling motor and depth finder, an oar, life jackets, etc.... and will probably mount my switch panel inside that space on the outside of the bench. I made two cut outs on the top of the bench which should make for easy access to my wiring when needed. 

I'm still undecided about the deck material, other than the pieces at the floor that I will wait until i can afford the approximate 40 sq. ft of 6061 that I need. If I can afford aluminum for the bow and stern casting decks when it's time to do it, I will use it; however, it will probably be plywood until I can afford aluminum, so I would lke to frame it out to be able to transition to an aluminum deck with minimal extra labor involved.

As far as rod storage, I tried a couple times to design a box, but I felt like I would rather have the sides of the boat unobstructed between the bow and stern decks. I will put a couple of the bungee hold downs on the front and rear deck to hold the rods for when I trailer the boat. I guess becuase I haven't had one, I don't see the value in one yet. When I get home from the lake, I always take my rods out of the boat. 

I've also considered that I may someday deck the entire boat level with the bow and stern, and would proabably incorporate a rod locker at that time. For now, I think I like the idea of having the low spot in the boat mainly because of my kids and I also think it makes a good area to put things if it's windy.


----------



## Brine

Well, haven't had much time or the weather to do much to the boat until today. It's a beautiful day here in GA today. I took the boat off the trailer to start doing some prep work for the steelflex. I had already done a leak test, and used the aluminum epoxy to patch a coulple rivets, a small hole, and a seam in the transom. The boat has a factory paint job on it, and despite being beat up (presumably in the river) the paint is on good. REAL GOOD :evil: .

Prior to sanding















Here are the areas that got patched prior to sanding




















More to follow in a minute. Photobucket is being a pain in the neck :evil:


----------



## Brine

What I thought would be an hour or so process with the angle grinder and a 40 grit flapper disk is going to take closer to 7 hours unless someone can tell me a better way of doing this. HELP! Just this part took about 1 hour! 





Should this process take this long??? If I continue the same way, prep work will take approximately 7 hours worth of the angle grinder :shock: 

Also, I noticed this area back by the transom that I assume the river has added "character" to. 










Is it worth trying to pound these dents out, or should I just fill the low spots with a little more steelflex


----------



## 2007NNBS

great looking boat...and great work on it so far...mine looks about the same minus the back bench...where are you in GA...im near valdosta GA...maybe we can get together and help each other out if needed


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## Brine

2007NNBS said:


> great looking boat...and great work on it so far...mine looks about the same minus the back bench...where are you in GA...im near valdosta GA...maybe we can get together and help each other out if needed



Well, thanks for the compliment. I'm up in Gwinnett County near the Bass Pro Shops in Lawrencville, so the commute would be pretty tough. Thanks for the offer tho!


----------



## russ010

I don't know if you really need to take this thing all the way down sanding like you're doing - I mean it's good... but I'm just not sure it's required. As long as you etch it a little that steelflex should adhere.

As far as the dents - it's on the bottom.... and unless it has thinned out the aluminum, I honestly wouldn't worry about it. You can put a little more steelflex there, but doubt it would make that much of a difference.


----------



## baptistpreach

I'm with Russ, just etch it. I used the wire wheel that attaches to a drill and did my whole boat in an hour? couldn't have been much more. Your boat's hull is in good shape, and its not got layers of paint caked on, don't make it too hard on yourself.


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## Brine

Well, I etched it alright. Actually, this morning I called and spoke with Fasco and Jerry said to just scuff it up if I wanted to. As I wasn't so intent on removing every piece of paint, it took me about 3 1/2 more hours with the angle grinder (alot better than 7!) to get the boat ready for the first coat of Stellflex. After the sanding was done, I used the leaf blower to "dust" it off, then used a rag and acetone to wipe it down, and lastly a tack cloth for one final wipe. 

Today was a great day to do this outside. The temperature was about 75 for the majority of the day, with little wind which made this process tolerable. Otherwise, this part of the project has the possibility of looking like you've been tarred and feathered. At least with mine, because I used black colorant :lol: . Anyway, here are the pics. I only have pics of the first coat. After the second coat was put on, I moved the boat into the garage to cure and I have just pulled the tape off right before writing this. It looks good! I'll take some pics once it's dry and post up within the next couple of days.
















Here is Steelflex. Not pictured is the small container of black colorant that came with it 





First Coat















Close up





BTW, I realized why no one has action shots of applying Steelflex....Once you start applying it, the last thing on your mind should be messing with a camera. [-X Unless you've applied it, it's hard to convey. I'm thankfull to have gotten some feeback on a few mods from folks who had previously worked with this stuff. Otherwise, this could have been a disaster. I wish someone could have taken some pics of the process tho, cuz there were some funny scenes. Glad this part is done.


----------



## baptistpreach

Great job! I love seeing Black!!


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## daltonmcgill

2007NNBS said:


> great looking boat...and great work on it so far...mine looks about the same minus the back bench...where are you in GA...im near valdosta GA...maybe we can get together and help each other out if needed


i hunt near valdosta in echols county :lol:


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## Brine

Couple pics now that the Steelflex is good and cured.

Looks messy, but it is super slick, and I don't have to worry about any leaky rivets.











This pic shows where some dents were that I went heavy on the 2nd coat with. Still looks wet, but this is about 2 weeks old now.






The trailer is next! Woo Hoo!


----------



## Brine

pics of trailer
















Wheels











Spare











Misc































Carpeted Fender






Missing Carpet






Sanded this down just to see the metal.


----------



## Brine

Since the pics of the trailer were taken, I have removed the bunks and rollers and the accompanying mounting brackets. I then took the trailer to the carwash and sprayed the whole thing with engine degreaser, let it soak for a few minutes, then sprayed it off.

The pictures above this post show what the inside of the wheels look like. The carwash didn't do diddly to get the built up grease off. It literally looks like they weren't even touched. So...........A couple questions.

1. Why would the wheels have so much grease on them in the first place?

2. What's the best way to clean them?

3. What do I need to do to stop them from getting this way again?


----------



## grizzly

1. leaking wheel seals, can see it in your pics
2. scrape, soap, and scrub
3. new trailer bearing kits. comes with new bearings, races, and seals. and i'd get some new dust caps too.
nice looking boat. love the paint.


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## Brine

grizzly said:


> 1. leaking wheel seals, can see it in your pics
> 2. scrape, soap, and scrub
> 3. new trailer bearing kits. comes with new bearings, races, and seals. and i'd get some new dust caps too.
> nice looking boat. love the paint.



Thanks Grizzly.

I haven't painted yet tho??? The black on the bottom is Steelflex.


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## grizzly

yeah i know, i just meant the 'hardening liquid you applied that changes the boats color' looks good. i should have done something like that to mine. anyway, looking good. cant wait to see it done!


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## Loggerhead Mike

sulferic acid will take it rite off if you can find it. its mostly used in auto detailing

a rag and diesel fuel will also get alot of it off before you try washing it again

boats lookin good!


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## baptistpreach

My trailer looked a LOT like yours, and my wheels were exactly the same. check out my build and you can see how the trailer turned out. I've got a link in my sig, I used a wire wheel on the drill, and then used a scraper to get the spots that I couldn't get. I also primed and painted my wheels now they look like new aluminum rims.


----------



## Brine

baptistpreach said:


> My trailer looked a LOT like yours, and my wheels were exactly the same. check out my build and you can see how the trailer turned out. I've got a link in my sig, I used a wire wheel on the drill, and then used a scraper to get the spots that I couldn't get. I also primed and painted my wheels now they look like new aluminum rims.



Yes BP, I followed your build. I was one of your biggest fans! :lol: 

I hope mine will turn out 1/2 as nice as yours did. A couple more questions while I'm thinking of it. All of the nut's/bolts/washers that hold on all of the brackets are rusty. Can I soak these things in something and reuse them, or should I invest in all new hardware? The threads seem to be ok, although I let some WD40 soak on all of them before trying to take them all off. I'm guessing once I put the bolts back on, I shouldn't have a reason to take them off again anytime soon, and I can just put the Herculiner over them too. Anyone think that's a bad idea?


----------



## baptistpreach

If it was me, I'd get new hardware. You don't have to buy stainless, and its really not that much. I bought mine at Ace (which is always overpriced) and I spend maybe $10 for new everything. You could try to salvage it, but its just some nuts and bolts, and its REALLY nice when putting it back together when the bolts and washers go on nice and smooth. Kind of therapeutic after hassling with the rusty ones. 8)


----------



## Brine

baptistpreach said:


> If it was me, I'd get new hardware. You don't have to buy stainless, and its really not that much. I bought mine at Ace (which is always overpriced) and I spend maybe $10 for new everything. You could try to salvage it, but its just some nuts and bolts, and its REALLY nice when putting it back together when the bolts and washers go on nice and smooth. Kind of therapeutic after hassling with the rusty ones. 8)



I think you're right. I'm supposed to pick up the Herculiner on Wed, so I'll price out/buy the stainless hardware to replace. 

Thanks


----------



## Brine

Another trailer question. I stole this pic from Codemans build.







From what I have read, this is the best position for the bunks (to be between the outermost chines). Right?

My trailer bunks have a bracket mechanism that elevates the bunk above the cross supports and allows the bunk to swivel. Does anyone see the value in using them as opposed to what Codeman did by just laying them on the frame? I guess it provides a little softer impact on the hull when loading. Not quite sure what other benefits they offer. 

Also, I have 3 keel rollers that seem to be below the height of the bunks. Are these installed to allow for a different boat to be used on the trailer? I don't understand how the rollers are of any use if the bottom of the hull is flat, and they don't touch the rollers. I keep reading that they are there to aid in centering the boat, but again, I don't see how that would work with my boat. 

Here is the pic of what I'm talking about.


----------



## Zum

Although I only have one roller on my trailer,the center chime does go on it so I suppose it's helping me center the boat.


----------



## Brine

Wow. If only all of my weekends were 3 day weekends. \/ 

I only had 1 free day to work on the trailer, but work I did. First thing I did was take off the wheels, and start scraping.




And then used the drill and wire brush




And a final rinse





I then wirebrushed the entire trailer, used a scotch sprite pad where the brush wouldn't fit, blew it off, then wiped it down with acetone and it looked like this.









While I was using the wire brush, I uncovered a decal that evidently had been spray painted over  





The trailer then got 2 coats of Herculiner. Don't mind the wheel stand, I am replacing it.









Closeup 





I guess time will tell how it holds up. I really wanted to find something that wouldn't chip like my other trailer has. The trailer took about 1/2 gallon to put on two coats, and I will have some more to do like the place where the wheel stand is, the inside of the fenders, and the bow stop. It should also provide good grip to walk around on.

On to the next project!!!


----------



## Zum

That turned out real nice.
Way to put the time in.


----------



## bassboy1

In my experience, putting your bunks like Codeman has it is probably your best bet. That is the way I have them on a boat very similar to yours. Y'all have got it easy, seeing as you have flat crossbars. I wanted flat bunks, but I, of course, had dropped crossbars. Ironically, the Alumacraft I plan on working on soon, which has a modified vee, that continues to the transom, has flat crossbars. Just my luck.


----------



## Brine

bassboy1 said:


> In my experience, putting your bunks like Codeman has it is probably your best bet. That is the way I have them on a boat very similar to yours. Y'all have got it easy, seeing as you have flat crossbars. I wanted flat bunks, but I, of course, had dropped crossbars. Ironically, the Alumacraft I plan on working on soon, which has a modified vee, that continues to the transom, has flat crossbars. Just my luck.



Are you saying to not use the brackets as were originally installed? Not sure the bunks would clear the roller brackets (that are welded on) if I just fastened 2 x 4's directly to the cross bars. You can see them in one of the pics with the red decal on the trailer. Is there any other reason to reinstall those swivel brackets?


----------



## fullmoon

Brine, great looking so far. I am doing a 14'er and am interested in your console and 15 hp. If you still have them let me know. Thanks. I can be reached at 770-310-8080, Ed


----------



## Brine

fullmoon said:


> Brine, great looking so far. I am doing a 14'er and am interested in your console and 15 hp. If you still have them let me know. Thanks. I can be reached at 770-310-8080, Ed



PM Sent


----------



## bassboy1

Brine said:


> bassboy1 said:
> 
> 
> 
> In my experience, putting your bunks like Codeman has it is probably your best bet. That is the way I have them on a boat very similar to yours. Y'all have got it easy, seeing as you have flat crossbars. I wanted flat bunks, but I, of course, had dropped crossbars. Ironically, the Alumacraft I plan on working on soon, which has a modified vee, that continues to the transom, has flat crossbars. Just my luck.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Are you saying to not use the brackets as were originally installed? Not sure the bunks would clear the roller brackets (that are welded on) if I just fastened 2 x 4's directly to the cross bars. You can see them in one of the pics with the red decal on the trailer. Is there any other reason to reinstall those swivel brackets?
Click to expand...

I missed the part about those roller brackets. Sorry. I wouldn't put the swivel bracket back on. In your case, I would put the rollers on, then fab up new brackets (non swivel), that allow the boat to be on both the bunks and rollers equally. The rollers aren't going to really help much, but they won't hurt either, so putting them on clears any possibilities of the sharp brackets damaging something. It looks as if when laying a 2 by flat, you wouldn't need but another 1.5 inch or so of spacer underneath. I would just make a spacer, either out of wood, plastic, or metal, and through bolt through the bunk, spacer, and into the frame. 

Just my 2 cents worth.


----------



## russ010

ok man... it's been awhile - so what's going on with the boat/trailer???


----------



## Brine

I've been too busy *not* catching fish lately. I ZEROED last weekend in my tourney. :evil: 

I did get to fish out of a really nice alumacraft tho. Man that thing was sweet. If you go to our website and look at the tournament results, you'll see the boat I'm talking about. It says Alumacraft in big letters on the side. 

Before I put the boat on the trailer, I want to 

1. Put on new bunks
2. Put new tires on
3. Replace bearings/inspect the hubs
4. A little touch up left with the Herculiner

That's what's on the list anyway. I'll get to work a little on it this weekend. 

I have a feeling you will be done with your boat before I am done with my trailer. #-o


----------



## russ010

I'm just doing temporary mods - nothing is going to be permanent for the time being... I still have a few things I want to do and try and see if I can make it better.


----------



## baptistpreach

Have faith, it'll come, just keep at it


----------



## Brine

Into the hubs and bearings tonight. Need some input.....After taking off the hubs, removing the bearings, and cleaning.....I'm noticing the metal around the hub is kinda weird. It is thicker on one side than the other, and on the inside where the race seats, it is the opposite. The "lip" inside is almost flush with the inside of the hub on one side and gets thicker on the opposite side. Just like the outside of the hub, but the exact opposite of thick to thin. Both hubs are like this. Is this normal?

Hopefully this pic will explain it.


----------



## ben2go

Looks like a crappy casting and the machine work ended up being off because of it.


----------



## Brine

ben2go said:


> Looks like a crappy casting and the machine work ended up being off because of it.



Do you see anything wrong with reusing them? The only thing that makes me a little nervous is that inner lip not providing a "seat" for the whole diameter of the race. The fact that the axle/hubs had so much grease thrown all over it makes me think there might be a problem I don't realize. I know Russ replaced both hubs for about $85. I'm considering it now.


----------



## Brine

bump for the coffee drinkers.....


----------



## grizzly

from here it looks to be all on the outside of the hub, and i agree it looks like a casting flaw, but not one that will affect anything. as long as your bearings seat well and there is no play (after you bolt on the wheel hold the tire top and bottom and try moving it in and out, there should be no movement) i'd save your money. i run across many cast parts with similar flaws, usually brake rotors, and they suffer no problems. i'd also rotate the wheel and look to see that it is spinning true. if the hole is centered in the hub i see no problems. just my opinion.


----------



## Brine

grizzly said:


> from here it looks to be all on the outside of the hub, and i agree it looks like a casting flaw, but not one that will affect anything. as long as your bearings seat well and there is no play (after you bolt on the wheel hold the tire top and bottom and try moving it in and out, there should be no movement) i'd save your money. i run across many cast parts with similar flaws, usually brake rotors, and they suffer no problems. i'd also rotate the wheel and look to see that it is spinning true. if the hole is centered in the hub i see no problems. just my opinion.



Thanks Grizzly


----------



## ben2go

I agree.As long as everything rolls smooth and true,I would worry about it.


----------



## Brine

ben2go said:


> I agree.As long as everything rolls smooth and true,I would worry about it.



Would or Would Not?


----------



## ben2go

Brine said:


> ben2go said:
> 
> 
> 
> I agree.As long as everything rolls smooth and true,I would worry about it.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Would or Would Not?
Click to expand...


I would use them.It would be different matter if your boat was heavy like a fiberglass or one of the big all welded up and decked out boats.


----------



## Brine

Quick Update.

I decided to replace hubs. Went to Northern Tool and they were $29.99ea. I soaked/cleaned and reused the buddy bearings from the old hubs, then bought covers for them $4.99. So, new hubs with buddy bearings, and covers ended up costing me $65 + tax which I figured was a good investment. Also got a new wheel jack while I was there for $19.99.

The Herculiner is 99.9% done. I ended up flipping the trailer upside down, and doing every square inch of the trailer. The only part left is the bow stop which I wanted to position correctly first and then apply the liner. All total, I think I will have used about 4/5 of a gallon to do the trailer. The boat is now back on the trailer =D> and awaiting some engineering on the bunks. As mentioned previous, I am doing away with the swivel-brackets for the bunks and will simply mount them on the crossbars with spacers. I needed the boat back on the trailer to figure out the height of the spacers so that the boat uses both the bunks and the rollers. I think I'll still end up using a couple of the brackets at the bow because I need the height up there.

Trailer still needs lights, bunks, and tires before it is street ready. I've decided to buy $15 passenger tires from Discount Tire. I have a friend who will mount and balance them for free. I got fed up with looking for trailer tires, and I'm not spending $80/tire x 3 tires for a trailer that may get pulled 500-1000 miles/year. If I have a blowout, I won't be on the interstate and I'll have a spare that costs $15 to replace. My boat won't weigh more than a small compact car, so assuming I can keep the trailer from banging into curbs or pot-holes, I think I should be ok.

One other quick story to accompany the work. As I was applying the Herculiner to the bottom of the trailer, my kids were in the back yard with me playing ball and of course I tell both of them "DON'T TOUCH THE TRAILER". At some point while I have my back turned, my youngest......... The next thing I know, Grandma comes outside with him saying: "There's no reason to get mad, he's pretty upset already" as she shows me his hands that he was frantically and unsuccesfully trying to clean inside the house without me knowing about it. Both of his hands are covered with it. :evil: So, I spent the next 15 minutes scrubbing his hands with mineral spirits and got about 95% of it off. The rest I left on as a souvenir for him to remember  . Needless to say, I was moderately upset about it, not to mention I had to stop in the middle of the process and it was about 95 degrees at the moment and I was ready to be done......Then my Dad says to me: "Well, it's not like he drove the car down the driveway and crashed into the house across the street"....You'll never guess who did that when he was 5 yrs old  :roll:


----------



## russ010

HAHAHAHA... I'm just picturing you behind the wheel - with your son beside you with black hands... now that would be priceless!


----------



## Zum

Lol,glad I'm not the only one that wrecked my parents car when I was 5.
Hope that stuff works great.
Pics?


----------



## Brine

No, I don't have any new pics, and now that the boat is on the trailer, I don't know how good they would be. It doesn't look much different than the last one I posted with the exception of the new wheel jack. Doing the bottom of the trailer was simply to satisfy my neurotic tendencies. 

I sure wish I had taken pics of my son with it on his hands tho.... or better yet, a pic of me scrubbing it off with the mineral spirits. Oh well..... I won't soon forget it, and I look forward to telling him the story someday. 

I'll take some pics after I have new tires, completed bow stop, and new bunks on. 

Thanks for the comments.


----------



## Brine

I'd like to show you guys a bunch of glamorous photos, but I find myself doing real grunt work on the boat right now. Today I started to play with the guide-ons and bunks.

First, I decided I would reuse the roller guides, but only after I realized I could mount them in a different location than where they were. Originally, they were mounted at the very back of the trailer which I realize is "traditional" as pictured here. The first pic is from when I first got the boat and the second is after the herculiner was applied. 









The problem I saw with them here was that the piece that the triangular part of the bracket mounts to sticking out from the trailer was not built to handle a boat like this bumping into it. For example, if someone were to stand on it, it would likely bend, and in fact, both are bent as we speak and the previous owner had apparently welded some flat bar across the top to the frame to help stabiize it, but it didn't work. I bent them back as staight as I could and they will still be used to mount my lights and license plate.

The roller guides were no longer rolling, so I decided to take them apart (like everything else I've touched on this boat so far #-o ) and take a look. It turned out that everything had a fair amount of rust, but it also appeared to me that the hard rubber part was about an 1/8" too long as it was binding against the metal angle that supports it. So, I cut off about a 1/4" off the length, wire brushed all of the pieces, then applied a thin layer of grease to the spindle and it spins much better now. Here's some more pics.













After cleaning and applying some rust converter where needed, I remounted the roller guides here. This pic also shows the little piece of flat bar that was welded onto the other bracket.




It feels alot sturdier here as it's now tied into the fender, not to mention, I like having it closer to the wheel to help my chances of never hitting the fender with the side of the boat. 

I'll post my bunk pics next, which still need to be carpeted and mounted.


----------



## Brine

Right or wrong, I felt like the only way to mount the bunks correctly was too put the boat on the trailer and just see what happens. As it turns out, I suspect the bottom of the hull either has a slight twist, or maybe the trailer does because the 2 x 4's I bought today were straight. Of course I had to dig through about 20 to find 2 that I liked. Here is how I plan on installing them. I've got a couple pieces pvc fitting between the crossbar and the 2 x 4's to act like temporaty spacers until I get the height I want.









I haven't figured out the best way to support the bow. Here is a pic from underneath, and then one from the side to show the slope I'm working with.









BTW, while I was at Home Depot today, I looked at the carpet and couldn't get myself to buy what they had. It all looks like it won't last long. I've hear of someone saying use "rubber backed", but I didn't see anything that was outdoor that had a rubber back. They either had a grid like mesh (that didn't look rubber) on the back, or nothing at all. I looked in there "leftover" bin, and didn't see any deals so I thought I would get the bunk placement figured out first. Am I missing something with which style carpet to buy? I was hoping to find something a little bit more cushiony than what I saw today.


----------



## ober51

Nice work there. 

For my trailer bunks I just bought the carpet without the backing, it just had a mesh. For the inside of the boat, I will get the rubbing backing one - but I didn't see it at HD either. I'll go to Lowes, where I went today and hope they have it. Really don't feel like spending too much money on carpet if I can get a good quality product for a bit less.


----------



## fullmoon

Brine. look at Lowe's. I found carpet with rubber backing there.


----------



## Zum

Would one roller in the middle,adjusted to the right higth,be enough support for the bow?
That all thats supporting mine(1652)and my bunks are only 6"maybe only 5".


----------



## caveman

=D> =D> =D>


----------



## Henry Hefner

Learn from my mistake, make sure your carpet has no "loops" in it. You can't set a crankbait down on mine without digging the trebles out of the carpet. Mine is rubber-backed, marked for outdoor use. Next time I'll spring the extra for marine carpet.


----------



## Brine

Zum said:


> Would one roller in the middle,adjusted to the right higth,be enough support for the bow?
> That all thats supporting mine(1652)and my bunks are only 6"maybe only 5".


I was thinking the same thing. I'll go over to BPS tomorrow and look at rollers. 



Henry Hefner said:


> Learn from my mistake, make sure your carpet has no "loops" in it. You can't set a crankbait down on mine without digging the trebles out of the carpet. Mine is rubber-backed, marked for outdoor use. Next time I'll spring the extra for marine carpet.


The carpet is for my bunks only, so it sounds like the loop would be ok.


----------



## Longcast8

What have you guys used to attach floors in your boats rivets or screws or just let the floor float???


----------



## Brine

Longcast8 said:


> What have you guys used to attach floors in your boats rivets or screws or just let the floor float???


I don't have a floor in my boat.


----------



## Zum

Longcast8 said:


> What have you guys used to attach floors in your boats rivets or screws or just let the floor float???


I see you have asked the same question on another post.
Heres a good link for you to look over.
https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=3156
I think rivets are the way to go but not the only way...some people just use the weight of the flooring.
O ya ...welcome to the site.


----------



## bassboy1

Don't use the Lowes carpet on the bunks of a riveted boat that heavy. Next time I have the boat off the trailer after I launch, I will try to remember to take a picture of why I say that. It just can't hold up to the rivets of a larger boat like yours or mine sliding on it.


----------



## Brine

Bassboy, do you have any experience with the bunk carpet BPS sells?


----------



## Brine

A few more small steps. I have completed the bunks with the exception of carpet. I installed a roller up front to support the bow, installed the bow stop and new winch, then finished applying the Herculiner anywhere that needed it. I'll take some pics of the trailer next time the boat is off. 

In the meantime, I have a question about the winch/hook. This picture shows the current setup.






The problem is two fold. One, the angle of the eye on the boat and the bow stop "crimps" the hook on the winch shown here. If I want the bow stop to sit flush against the boat, I can only move it up about a 1/2" which doesn't fix the problem.





The other problem is the hook doesn't fit inside the eye on the bow. Not to mention, it looks like there isn't a whole lot of "meat" left on the eye. 





Anyone have any suggestions on either issue?

I don't have any decking in the boat, and although I don't weld, I wouldn't be against cutting the eye off the boat and bolting on a new one a couple inches lower since access is easy at this point. Just wanted to make sure I wasn't overlooking a better idea.


----------



## ben2go

The only thing that I see that can be done easily, is welding a new bow eye about two inches below the current one.Then grind the old one off.


----------



## Brine

If I were to make an eye out of .25 aluminum....How much do you think someone would charge to weld it on?


----------



## ben2go

I wouldn't think they would charge much.Maybe $25 max.Some places will do little work like that for free in hopes of drumming up some word of mouth business.


----------



## Henry Hefner

Brine said:


> If I were to make an eye out of .25 aluminum....How much do you think someone would charge to weld it on?



I know of a small shop that builds ladder racks for trucks, and does odd jobs. They have repaired a few aluminum refrigeration coils for me, and the charge is usually $20, and they do it while I wait.


----------



## Brine

First quote of the day......$50

:evil:


----------



## Brine

Second Quote...

$80

:twisted:


----------



## fishinchef

Is there a technical college or high school near by with a welding department?


----------



## Brine

Hmmm. Across the street.  

I'll try them.


----------



## fishinchef

The technical school I teach at, the welding shop teacher does little projects for us all the time. Mostly he has the students do it with his supervision. In the past they have only charged me for materials that I couldn't supply


----------



## russ010

Brine you could cut that one off, or have them cut it off and just move it lower - you should have to make a new one


----------



## Brine

russ010 said:


> Brine you could cut that one off, or have them cut it off and just move it lower - you should have to make a new one



Well, the hole needs to be bigger to accomodate my new winch hook, not to mention, I'd like to have a little more metal for the hook to grab. Look at the pic, and you'll see that there is really only about 1/8" of meat that the hook is pulling on. I've got some .25 Aluminum at my disposal to make a new one.


----------



## fishinchef

What about bolting on an aftermarket style eyelet?


----------



## Brine

fishinchef said:


> What about bolting on an aftermarket style eyelet?



Like to use it as a last resort I guess. There has to be someone close to me that would do this for less than $50. If I can't get someone to do it for less than $30, I'll buy a bolt on.


----------



## fullmoon

Brine, mine was missing completely (ripped out). I bought an aftermarket stainless steel one (Bass Pro, less than $10.00), and beefed up the aluminum before bolting. Here's a pic.


----------



## ben2go

Brine has a V hull which is harder to bolt a bow eye to.Plus they crack the aluminum where they pass thru the hull.


----------



## fullmoon

Ben2go, you can't see the other side of mine, but it ties into the front deck as well with another aluminum plate added. It's solid as a rock, with no flex at all. It won't crack the aluminum on my application. Granted it would be tougher to do with the v-hull.


----------



## ben2go

fullmoon said:


> Ben2go, you can't see the other side of mine, but it ties into the front deck as well with another aluminum plate added. It's solid as a rock, with no flex at all. It won't crack the aluminum on my application. Granted it would be tougher to do with the v-hull.




Yes and you have a flat bow,Brine does not.He has a V hull.


----------



## fullmoon

Yes, I saw the picture of his bow. I'm only trying to give him an alternative idea he could do himself without having to take his rig to a welder. There are two, maybe three layers of aluminum there if there is another piece inside to match the one outside. If done properly I don't see a problem with a bolt-on. Just my .02


----------



## fullmoon

Brine, one more idea. Could you lower your winch stand enough to get the bow stop below the eye? It looks like you have some room to lower it about 2".


----------



## Brine

Ben/FM,
Thanks for the responses.

FM, 
I think Ben was explaining that my hull (the point of contact with the eye) is not flat. It is at a point. I'm familiar with how this would have to bolt on, because I had to do it with the v-hull I currently fish out of. It entailed bending washers to conform to the inside of the boat as well as a bunch of silicone to fill in the voids. It works, and it would on my new boat, but I would prefer a weld. Indeed, if the front of my boat was flat like yours, I would be bolting it on. Yours looks good and sturdy with the extra aluminum you put up there.


fullmoon said:


> Brine, one more idea. Could you lower your winch stand enough to get the bow stop below the eye? It looks like you have some room to lower it about 2".


 Yes I could, but I've read alot of opinions that say the eye should be positioned beneath the bow stop as a safety precaution such that in a car accident (either my car coming to an abrupt stop, or the boat being rear ended by another vehicle) the eye on the bow will make minimze the chance that the boat ends up on the roof of my car. Unfortunately, this is probably more of a reality where I live (Metro Atlanta) than for others. 

If I was happy with the eye the way it is, I would probably do as you suggest (and take my chances with an accident), but I don't like that the eye looks to be very thin where all of the pressure is applied by the winch. Because I fish elecric only, I don't get to power load the boat and often times I am pulling the boat in excess of 2 feet to the bow stop with the winch. I don't ever want to have to worry about that eye opening up while I'm winching it in. 

I left a message with the welding course instructor at the technical college across the street yesterday. I'm interested to see if it's something they would do.


----------



## fullmoon

That's a good point about the eye being below the stop. That would lock it in solid. Good luck with the welding. Yeah, Brine I know what you mean-I drive Atlanta everyday, and I will need to strap mine down really good, as my eye is above my stop. My trailer is almost done. I'm having to get VIN # and police inspections due to no VIN on the trailer as I bought it. That's a whole story in itself.


----------



## Brine

Nothing like taking your time to get a project done...LOL

Finally made a new bow eye. As I had mentioned, I had a piece of .25 Angle Aluminum that had come with the boat that apparently was set up on the transom for the big motor. I ended up just cutting a piece out from it:




to make this:




If you'll notice, the new eye has alot more material at the front of it, as to not concern myself with pulling out the front, as well as the new size of the hole now accomodates my new wench hook.

I found a guy local that has done some really neat aluminum welding products, and he has offered to attach the new eye, and piece in the two 1.25" holes that are shown earlier in this thread for $100. I may have him do a third .75 hole that currently has aluminum epoxy in it just for the piece of mind. I had considering using Aluminum patches that would be riveted on to remedy the holes, but this seems like a better choice for me, as I'm fairly certain that after he is done, and the boat is painted, you won't be able to tell that there ever was ever a hole. I still need to put lights on the trailer and carpet on the bunks just to get the trailer street legal so I can take it to him. Santa has already said yes to those items, so look for updates soon.


----------



## Waterwings

Nice work! 8)


----------



## Brine

Trailer is DONE!

Well...... except for registration. 

I'll post some pics of the completed trailer next time I have the boat off. Since my last post, I"ve installed LED Tail lights, LED Clearance Lights, and reflectors at the bow stop, new bunks, finished all 3 wheels and got new tires for them yesterday. As I was finishing up carpeting my bunks, it started to rain, so I scrambled to get the boat on the trailer and tarped so I'll post more pics of the trailer without the boat soon. 

Here is how the wheels turned out









Spare




Rust Converter and Primer




No taping because I was putting on new tires









and the wheels completed...


----------



## Brine

14 pages to get to finished trailer pics.... #-o 

Before





After





Before





After





Before





After


----------



## Brine

And a little more about the rebuild...

New LED's





Clearance Lights on Clearance :mrgreen: 





Herculiner still holding strong 





Here is how I attached my bunks. The green pieces are cutting board material cut, stacked, then duct-taped (just to hold them together so I could drill through them) then 2 stainless carraige bolts countersunk in the bunks, holes filled with caulk, then carpeted over. 





You'll also notice, I left the carpet short per suggestions to promote the water to drain easier from the bunks. After cutting it with a utility knife, I came back with a heat gun and burnt the edges in an effort to minimize any fraying. I also ended up getting 3 sleeves of stainless staples (about 225 staples I think) for my pneumatic staple gun for $5 =D> . I went to a local tool store, told him what I needed, and all they had were boxes for around $70. I said, can I just buy a few sleeves from the box, and he said..."Sure, how bout $5". 

Ready to take it to the welder!


----------



## dyeguy1212

wow, looks great! =D> =D>


----------



## MeanMouth

Great work, looks real sharp =D>


----------



## Henry Hefner

Be proud, you've done a lot of work!


----------



## Brine

Thanks guys...Looking forward to working on the boat now.


----------



## eezerz

very nice job. trailer looks sharp...


----------



## Brine

Welding.... DONE!

When I grow up I want to weld Aluminum. :roll: 

This part of the build seemed to be one of the more difficult to complete thus far. Naturally, I'm working on a budget; however, the budget wasn't the primary obstacle. There just aren't many people near me who (A) are set up to weld aluminum (B) wanted the job. As it turns out, I found these guys on the internet two days ago, and they did the job yesterday. Total labor was right at 1.5 hrs. Their labor rate is $65/hr + material, and I got the job done for $95. Not to mention, they are 5 minutes from the house. Didn't hurt that the owner likes to fish out of his jon boat, and showed me pics on his camera of some trout he caught last week. Never new they were there, because they are in an industrial park that I'd never been in. They are also a full fabricator, so they have the potential for being used again at somepoint during the rebuild. For any of the GA TinBoaters, here they are: https://www.capitalcitymachine.com/welding.htm Take into consideration, I don't know how to judge their work other than my objectives which were to patch the two holes and attach the bow eye I made.

Here are the holes





Here is the fix





Patches on the inside of the boat which will be covered during mod. 





New bow eye attached





Action Footage













Next is purchasing the ACM Panel for the floor


----------



## russ010

they did a pretty good job.. welds are average for aluminum, just looks like it got a little hot on the welds. 

Either way that will seal the boat man - nice job.


----------



## Brine

Thanks for the feedback Russ.

Your build has been great to watch, and it's given me lots of ideas I otherwise may not have considered.


----------



## Bugpac

Nice, i guess i missed this totally...


----------



## Brine

Got the ACM panel today. The sheet was 5 x 12, and I took the boat just so I could transport it. I had visions of just strapping it to the boat, but it didn't take long at staring at it in the rearview to convince myself that I'd prefer not to end up on the evening news. [-X 

Good thing too, it's all interstate for over an hour from where I picked it up. 

Glad I brought the cordless saw. It cut easy.

Hope to pick up some 1 1/2 foam board later this week. It took forever for me to find it in that thickness around here.


----------



## Bashepard

Looks great man, i had a 15' cajun special that was almost identical to that several years ago. Just crawled the thread, cant wait to see the final result.


----------



## Brine

Well....for those that are considering it, I'd say from a first impression, I think the ACM is gunna work fine. For the folks wondering exactly what it is, here is a link to the specific panel I bought. https://www.alpolic-usa.com/pages/products.php It happens to be the Mica series, but I didn't pay much attention to brand name. It was all about the size of the sheet, the thickness, and the price.

Here is a pic of a couple sheets from the side. You can see the aluminum skin on each side of the panel with the black composite in the middle. The panel is 4mm thick.






The sheet has a plastic film you peel off. This happens to be colored platinum, which looks good if I decide not to cover it inside what will be the bottom of the hatches. 





First thing I had to do was cut and lay down the 1 1/2" foam.





Prior to foam





After cutting and putting in foam





I also tucked up pieces on the side





Then slid in the ACM panel. This pic also has the livewell placed in the boat. 





Me and the rivet tool are about to get a workout.


----------



## Brine

I'm now remembering the the post where someone mentioned how angle aluminum cannot be riveted together plumb at right angles without a spacer. 

I'm seeing the same with my angle iron wars :evil:


----------



## longjohn119

That stuff should work just fine the way you are using it. I'm only using .050 aluminum in my floor, the key is dense foam sandwiched between two hard surfaces. Fiberglass and wood boats are often made this way (Boston Whalers for instance) and it works even better with aluminum. You essentially have a 1 1/2" or 2" thick hull now. A little tip, put the foam in the bottom and walk around on it as much as possible so it will form to the rivets and rib flanges on the bottom before you rivet it in place. My boat is a modified V jon and I sacrificed having a flat floor for a slightly sloped one just to get this strength while saving a ton of weight over leveling the floor and having to double the thickness (and weight) of my flooring and the extra weight of the framing. And in the end it's still not as strong as the 'sandwich'. Ever notice how a lot of old jon boats have dips between the ribs on the bottom? The 'sandwich' prevents a lot of that from happening, it also stiffens up the boat a lot and makes up for taking out seats. 

Most people tend to over do it, ideally your framing, flooring, and decks should only be as heavy as needed to get the job done and no more. Weight is your enemy, it slows you down and it eats up a lot of extra electricity and/or gasoline. Like designing anything it's a series of trade offs and compromises. Do I sacrifice low weight for extra (perhaps unnecessary) strength? Do I sacrifice a flat floor in order to get the strength of the 'sandwich'? Do I sacrifice low weight and use wood because it's much cheaper and much easier to work with over aluminum?


----------



## Brine

Really bad when you start thinking about hatch layouts on a DAILY basis 

Not sure how many hours I've logged on the subframe, but I would guess around 40. Yes, *FORTY*. That doesn't take into account the trips to the metal market, and the hardware store for rivets, then back to the metal market for different metal, then back to the hardware store for different rivets, then BACK TO THE HARDWARE STORE FOR MORE RIVETS..... #-o 

On to the build...

First thing I did was rivet 1.5 x 1.5 angle crosswise through the ACM panel and into each rib. Had I used .125 aluminum sheet, I assume I would have skipped this part, but because I used the ACM, I didn't want to risk cracking the panel by having the uprights sit directly on it.

As I mentioned in a previous post, I soon realized that I would have to use a spacer to allow the angle to be connected at right angles with a tight fit.

Here is a pic of said spacer x 2/each vertical x 49 = 98 of these little pain in the necks...Hence a trip to hardware store for longer rivets...






Of course, when you try to use 1.5 angle as your vertical with a .125 spacer on the back, it makes all your verticals stick out from the crosswise pieces by .25, therefore, one of my return trips to the metal market was to get sticks of 1.25 x 1.25 to use as my verticals while all the pieces that run crosswise are 1.5. 

cont....


----------



## Brine

cont...

So here is the subframe about 95% done. (I hope)






I have installed 5 of 6 total crosssiwise pieces at deck level. #6 (closest to the bow) will be installed once I have a foot pedal well, or enough nerve to do it without having it in hand, to work with so I can engineer it the way I want. #5 and #6 are the only crosswise pieces that do not sit on angle, as this is a place in the bow that is not flat, and won't be used for hatch storage, so I simply put cuts like this in each vertical on those two ribs. 






I now realize I didn't take a picture of how I conected all of those to the ribs, so that pic will have to wait, as the boat is tarped, which btw..... Here is my best rendition of a redneck boat cover....

Notice the recycled bunks  
















1" tubing is next to be installed atop the subframe where I will be constructing the hatch lids/openings.


----------



## wolfmjc

That is some cool framin! 8)


----------



## Brine

(I copied this from another thread, but wanted to include the info in my build)

If I had it to do over again, I'm fairly certain I wouldn't use angle. At least not exclusively. 

You can't attach angle (at least the size I bought of 1.5 x 1.5 x .125) at right angles without using a spacer. I bought different size angle to accomodate the spacer. Might be hard to visualize, and I need to post some pics of what I'm talking about. Unfortunately, I remembered reading this same thing on the site once upon a time but didn't remember it until I went to join my first piece. 

IMO, tubing is a much better option and makes engineering the deck much easier and cleaner. Seems as though lots of folks use angle, so I'm not sure if they just aren't attaching it what I would consider "correctly". Not to say it didn't do exaxtly what someone else wanted it to do though. 

I'd guess that the problem using 1/8" angle is much more noticeable than 1/16", but I wouldn't use 1/16" angle for any framing.


----------



## Brine

Here's what I mean....

Here are two pieces of 1.5 x 1.5 x .125 angle. 

Notice the radius shown in the horizontal piece prevents the vertical from butting up tightly at right angles to both sides of the horizontal. In my case, the gap is 1/8" wide. Also notice that once joined like this with a spacer of .125 behind the vertical, that the vertical now sticks out from the horizontal a total of .25






Therefore, I used 1.5 angle as the horizontal, with 1.25 as the vertical. Once the spacer is installed, the pieces align like this...






On the boat, it looks like this...






Doing it this way added material, more labor, and longer rivets than originally planned, and this finished product (although extremely solid) just isn't clean enough for my taste. Tubing simply attached with angle brackets would be easier and cleaner IMO.


----------



## Brine

I've now learned that there are two kinds of angle available. Naturally, the one I used (which was suggested to me from the Metal Retailer) had the radius. On the bright side, I guess I did use the one designed for Structural support though.






6061 angle has rounded corners and is generally used for structural applications where strength is important.

6063 angle has sharp corners and is generally used where surface finish is more important than strength. 6063 is often called architectural aluminum for two reasons - first, it has a surface finish that is far smoother than the other commercially available alloys, and second, its strength is significantly less (*roughly half the strength of 6061*), making it suited for applications where strength is not the foremost consideration.


----------



## Ranchero50

A 60 grit flap wheel on a hand held grinder makes things fit together very quickly. Looks like an interesting build.

Jamie


----------



## Brine

popped rivet number 799 today..... #-o


----------



## bassboy1

Brine said:


> popped rivet number 799 today..... #-o




Just wait until you start sticking the deck down, and decide to use 1/8 inch rivets to have less head to stick up. You'll then be spacing them about every 6 inches or so, and they add up quick. I just popped rivet 150 (I keep count just by boxes, not down to the rivet), on a customer's boat yesterday, and it is primarily welded.


----------



## Brine

Yep, the boxes are how I'm keeping track too. I'll have to check out the 1/8 rivets. I've been using the 3/16 for all my framing.


----------



## bassboy1

Brine said:


> Yep, the boxes are how I'm keeping track too. I'll have to check out the 1/8 rivets. I've been using the 3/16 for all my framing.


I don't know where you are getting the rivets, but Northern Tool has rivets $2.00 - $2.50 cheaper (per box) than Lowes/Home Depot. They only have 3/16 and 1/8, whereas the home centers also have 5/32, but I rarely use the 5/32 anyway.


----------



## Brine

Grainger sells a box of 250 for $13.04


----------



## Brine

Front deck framing is now 99% done. The 1% is for what I don't know isn't done yet. #-o 

Here are the pics.


----------



## Zum

Well done...you've done alot of work,looks great.


----------



## JRHOADES20

Good job, I definately dont think you need to worry about your casting deck being unsturdy.


----------



## Brine

JRHOADES20 said:


> Good job, I definately dont think you need to worry about your casting deck being unsturdy.



I hope not...

Not knowing how well the ACM will hold up under load and how much flex it will have, I wanted to make sure that I could use cardboard for a deck and not have it flex. :LOL2:


----------



## altimas

Awesome rebuild. Giving me a lot of inspiration. What is the length of that boat?


----------



## Brine

altimas said:


> Awesome rebuild. Giving me a lot of inspiration. What is the length of that boat?



Thanks altimas. It's a 1642.

I didn't mention it, but all the tubing is 1/16 and the angle is 1/8.


----------



## altimas

So if you had to do it over, would you use the angle that didn't require the spacer?

Also what do you cut the Aluminum with? 

Sorry for all the questions... I have a lot of free time on the computer at work so I am researching a lot of this.


----------



## Troutman3000

WOW that thing is built like a tank!


----------



## Froggy

=D> =D> =D> Bravo! "the Tin Rocket ship"!!!!


----------



## Brine

altimas said:


> So if you had to do it over, would you use the angle that didn't require the spacer?
> 
> Also what do you cut the Aluminum with?
> 
> Sorry for all the questions... I have a lot of free time on the computer at work so I am researching a lot of this.



With the way I have my uprights spaced, I would think that the 6063 (angle without the radius) would have worked fine, but I don't know enough about the alloys to have a good understanding as to how much of a difference it would be. As noted in a previous post, the 6063 is roughly half the strength of the 6061, I just don't know what that really equates to as a deck in a jon boat. 

If I were doing it over, I wouldn't go the same route with the spacer. I'd probably just use tubing for the whole build. The only reason I would use angle is to make angle brackets to attach the tubuing. I am paying $27 for a 24ft stick of 1/16 tubing. I might consider using 1/8" if I wasn't going to have as much support from below as I do now. 

I cut all of the aluminum angle and tube with a 12" mitre saw with a wood blade. I can get the specifics if you'd like, but I know that it was just a blade that was on there from when I did a pergo installation. I'm not sure without looking of the tooth count though. It worked good, and is still going strong. 

No worries on the questions, that's why we're here. To learn.


----------



## Brine

Thanks T-Man/Froggy.

Forgot to mention, all of the hinges came from Aircraft Spruce, and I orderd stainless pins for them.


----------



## altimas

Wow that is an amazing price on the tubing from everywhere I have priced it.


----------



## Brine

altimas said:


> Wow that is an amazing price on the tubing from everywhere I have priced it.



I'm buying it from Metal Supermarkets which is literally 5 minutes from the house. Looks like they have a location in Fairfield, AL. Not sure if that's close to you or not.


----------



## altimas

Fairfield is pretty close actually. Worth the drive if I can find it for that much for sure. Do you remember what the Angle cost you?


----------



## Brine

Not off the top of my head. I'll check the next time I'm at the house and let ya know. I used 1.5 and 1.25 angle.


----------



## tccanoe

Brine, When looking at the 6061 vs the 6063, don't you think most of the load will be vertical, as opposed to twisting or bending, and therefore negate much of the strength difference? Just a thought.


----------



## Brine

tccanoe said:


> Brine, When looking at the 6061 vs the 6063, don't you think most of the load will be vertical, as opposed to twisting or bending, and therefore negate much of the strength difference? Just a thought.



Don't know. I'm not a structural engineer and don't have the 6063 to compare it to. Given the way I've framed out my front deck, I'm sure I could have used 6063 and not noticed a difference; however, I'm not going to replace it to find out :LOL2: 

Maybe I'll try out the 6063 on the rear deck.


----------



## Brine

Headed over to Bassboy Enterprises today. (Ok, it's not a real company name, but after seeing the setup at his place, it felt like a good name). I brought the boat over to have bassboy put his eyes on it and to get some guidance on some finishing details. Naturally, I couldn't leave without letting bassboy show off some of his skills on the boat, so after a brief meet and greet, I turned him loose as he proceeded to give me a few TIG lessons.

First thing I wanted fixed were a series of 3/16 holes in the gunwale that previously had rivets holding the side console, and (I think) the old trolling motor bracket. I had originally used aluminum epoxy in the holes, and even without using the boat, it had failed and the epoxy in many of the holes had simply "collapsed" into the gunwale. 

Next, the transom had a crack at the top which was simply making an easy place for water to infiltrate the plywood, and again...I had unsuccessfully used aluminum epoxy to fill the area, and after a few whacks with the ball peen hammer, he fused the crack back together.











cont....


----------



## Brine

The last order of business was some metal fab and welding to stiffen up my rod locker hatches, which required cutting some "feet" to attach to the lid and then welding them on.

Here's part of the fab work...(notice the TinBoats shirt  )






and then attaching the "feet" to the hatch











Sorry I don't have finished pics of the work to show yet, but I felt like I had already worn out my welcome  lol.... Not to mention, by the time I got home, another thunderstorm had rolled in, so I unhooked the boat and tarped it immediately. 

Thanks again for the help bassboy. You are an exceptional young man and a great study in doing things the right way.


----------



## bassboy1

Brine said:


> Sorry I don't have finished pics of the work to show yet, but I felt like I had already worn out my welcome  lol....



Hope I didn't give you that impression  . I thought you had somewhere to be when you left out so quick. 



> Thanks again for the help bassboy. You are an exceptional young man and a great study in doing things the right way.



Thanks for the complement. Anytime you need anything, just give me a shout. It's no problem whatsoever.


----------



## Brine

bassboy1 said:


> Hope I didn't give you that impression  . I thought you had somewhere to be when you left out so quick.



lol...Not at all, but when Mom asked if I was staying for dinner..... I realized I better not have you working on the boat when supper was ready [-X :LOL2: 

Truth is, I didn't expect you to actually work on the boat. I just wanted to pick your brain about a few things with it sitting in front of you, but I'm glad you did. No telling how many hours that saved me. Thanks Bud!


----------



## altimas

Any updates? Craving some updates!


----------



## Brine

altimas said:


> Any updates? Craving some updates!



Not yet. Kids have started football and soccer, work has been slammed, and it's been HOT. Haven't had the tarp off in weeks. Will be starting up again soon. Stay tuned.....


----------



## altimas

Brine said:


> altimas said:
> 
> 
> 
> Any updates? Craving some updates!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Not yet. Kids have started football and soccer, work has been slammed, and it's been HOT. Haven't had the tarp off in weeks. Will be starting up again soon. Stay tuned.....
Click to expand...



I feel you on the Hotness. Sheesh I about died painting my trailer. My Mom comes over and says, "Be careful now, don't get too hot. Your a big boy and not used to working in this heat." I'm still not sure if she was saying I was an adult or a Lard Arse... but I'm betting on the latter.


----------



## Brine

Well, after much of nothing on the boat lately...I've gotten the front deck, "mostly" done. Had to get one more sheet of ACM for the build, and now I have enough to finish up everything. Ended up using 1/8" rivets to button down the panel to the framing. These pop a WHOLE LOT easer than the 3/16. It was actually an enjoyable process.  Not a whole lot of thought in rivet placement, but knowing that they probably aren't going to be covered, I tried to make them symetrical. All in all, I'm happy with the results thus far. I also reinstalled the pedestal base that came with the boat with 1/4" SS x 2" bolts which go through the acm, 1" tubing, and for two of the scews, my 1/8" angle. It's stout. The actual pedestal, seat base, and seat were bought new back during the Spring Sales (2 Springs Ago #-o ) at BPS. The pedestal adjusts in height, and it feels pretty good used as a leaning post. Still have to install some straps as hatch openers (after paint), fab a bow TM mount (or have bassboy do it) and run the electrical in the bow for the tm, ff and nav light.

Here's the progress thus far. 







and the with the hatch lids propped up


----------



## Ranchero50

Looks really nice and a good fishing deck. Curious what the thought process was behind hinging the side compartments on the inboard side?

Jamie


----------



## Brine

Thanks Ranchero,

Yah... I guess it's not traditional hinging. My thought was the only time I go to those rod lockers is while I'm outside the boat. Before launching, all the rods I plan to fish with go to the deck, and once trailered, they all go back in. I realized this while looking at all the new glass boats at BPS opening up the rod lockers the other way made it next to imposible to do so while outside the boat. Doing it this way, also allowed me to pick up a few inches of usable width I think. For what it's worth, all the hatches will open a full 180 degrees so getting to the inside of them shouldn't be difficult while on the boat if I need to.


----------



## bassboy1

And crap sitting on the hatches doesn't get dumped into the lake when the hatch is opened.


----------



## Brine

This post is for bassboy's benefit, as I am hoping he will be able to fab something up for me. The bow mount trolling motor needs the all too familiar mounting bracket to allow it to function correctly. Keeping with the no wood theme motif, there are quite a few work arounds for this piece. The ACM can't be welded to, and the bracket must allow the trolling motor position once stored to allow the rod locker on the port side to open.

I stuck this piece of 2.75 tall angle under the TM to show the approximate height needed.






Clearance for rod locker






Bracket will have to overhang the bow











Placement of mounting holes relative to deck






The finished idea...


----------



## Ranchero50

Makes sense. My rear hatches are for tackle so I hinged them outboard. With a 4" gunnel height I never considered losing something over the side.

For the troller, I used 1.125" diameter aluminum tubing and welded directly to the gunnel cap to build a wing in my install. I think that would work well for you application too, just use the tubing to frame a base with a drop to the port side rail at the back of the base.

Jamie


----------



## Zum

Looks great,not much to add.
Maybe put the trolling motor over as far as it will go,know sense wasting them couple iches.
I just got a guy to weld a piece of 1/4 aluminum to the gunnels with alittle drop down piece.Welded the drop down piece,even though the decking was alot thinnner than the plate,he managed to do it though.
Have a quick release bracket bolted to that.


----------



## Brine

Made it out to Bassboy Customs today. (I'm still fishing for the company name)

I didn't have to stare at the trolling motor fab long before realizing I needed some help. I'm sure I could have pieced some kinda robotic looking mount out of angle, tubing, acm, and rivets..... [-X but I'm glad I didn't. 

After some brainstorming, bassboy proposed a gameplan and started sketching out a drawing, taking some measurements, and cutting up a carboard template for the mount.






First stop was the bandsaw






You can see he's really getting into it now






cont....


----------



## Brine

Then on to the modified brake






Then on to a mod on the already modified brake! 8) 






Then back to the brake






A TIG here...






A TIG there....






cont....


----------



## Brine

stacking dimes.... (I'm getting the lingo too 8) )






and the finished product











I couldn't be happier with the results. 

I wanted to get the motor mounted when I got home, but the hardware store was closed, and Home Depot refuses to carry more than a pencil drawer's worth of stainless, so that will have to be another day.

Thanks again bassboy.


----------



## Quackrstackr

Very nice.

I think I would still put a couple of bolts or something through that foot on the right side. There is an awful lot of torque put into the bracket when your trolling motor is turned to the side. It might help to keep from cracking welds.


----------



## Brine

Quackrstackr said:


> Very nice.
> 
> I think I would still put a couple of bolts or something through that foot on the right side. There is an awful lot of torque put into the bracket when your trolling motor is turned to the side. It might help to keep from cracking welds.



Yah...I realize I didn't get a pic of that side. Currently, there are (5) 3/16 rivets through a 1" flange on the side not pictured into my deck. After yanking on it (the mount :wink, I couldn't get any of it to budge/flex. I debated on using a toggle or two, but after putting in the rivets in it, I realized there was no reason to. I'll be keeping an eye on it though, and thanks for the heads up.


----------



## DaveInGA

Brine,

That boat is really starting to look good. Looks like it won't be long before you're fishing.

Bassboy,

Awesome work, love the way you fitted up that trolling motor mount. I may want to get you to do something similar with mine when the time comes.


----------



## Brine

DaveInGA said:


> Brine,
> 
> That boat is really starting to look good. Looks like it won't be long before you're fishing.



Thanks Dave. Unfortunately, I've thought that for almost 2 years now.... :twisted:


----------



## Ranchero50

Heck, I would have been fishing out of a bare frame, well, actually I did for a year. Not too bad.

Shame you couldn't have decked it with 3/8" plexiglass, that framework looked like a work of art.

Jamie


----------



## Brine

ha...thanks Ranchero. The rivets (and pics) will have to tell the story now. Unfortunately, I've got brain block on the rear deck as we speak. I've put in a 40 gal water tank as a livewell in the back bench and am having a tough time figuring out how to frame the rest of the stern out so that I get what I want. Been doing more staring than work lately. :x


----------



## Ranchero50

Well, that's best, the looking and thinking part. 

After this evening's plastic worm adventure I'm darned sure not going to rivet anything down. Machine screws for the deck and floatation pods now. I would have been seven miles upriver with a flooded boat if I couldn't get to the pods and transom to seal the leaks. Food for thought...

Jamie


----------



## South Sound

Any updates. You have seriously inspired me. I am curious or afraid on how much you have spent up to now. I want to go and and start, but I want to make sure I can afford to do what I want to do, not get into it and run short. Especially since my boat is a 2003 smokercraft and really does not have anything wrong with it. I just want to make it so much more.
Thanks for all the updates and pictures.
Josh


----------



## Brine

Hey Josh,

I didn't see this till now. I don't have a total yet, but I have kept every receipt of the build. I'm afraid to add it up until I'm done. #-o 

Unfortunately, I haven't been able to put any time into the boat lately; however, my progress is somewhat further than the pics currently show. I was hoping to have the back of the boat done before I posted, but I'll probably post up some pics of what I've done since my last post to present, because I'm not sure when I'll be able to dig back in. Currently, I'm almost done framing the back of the boat which includes a 40 gallon built-in livewell that I had been trying for months to figure out what and if I was gunna use. I'll try to post up a few pics next week with the work I've completed thus far. 

Taking this long to complete the build has afforded me the ability to buy many of the items on sale/clearance (many of which are not even installed on the boat yet) and also given me plenty of time to think through how I want the boat to be completed. I bounced back and forth for months on the livewell, but I lucked into a solution that at this point seems like a winner for me, and I'm glad I didn't start framing before finding it. 

Thanks for the kind words of inspiration. I've certainly gotten most of it myself from our members, and I'm sure I will continue to.

Brine


----------



## bulldog

Looks awesome!!


----------



## Brine

Thanks bulldog!

I've been wanting to put up some pics, but I've been holding off until I complete the next step. Right now, Atlanta is under 5" of snow and ice and the boat is outside, so I hope to have some pics in the near future with the progress.


----------



## poolie

Brine while waiting for all this snow/ice to melt I read back through your build and you've done a great job. I know it feels like it's taking forever, but like you said, spreading it out over time has allowed you to do it right. Can't wait to see the finished product.


----------



## natestep

Is the Rhyan Craft built in Arkansas. I just bought a 14' that is a Rhyan Craft. The sticker on the side of this one said it was. Just wondering if It was the same mfg. as yours. Yours looks awsome. I wish I had the patience to do work like that.


----------



## Brine

natestep said:


> Is the Rhyan Craft built in Arkansas. I just bought a 14' that is a Rhyan Craft. The sticker on the side of this one said it was. Just wondering if It was the same mfg. as yours. Yours looks awsome. I wish I had the patience to do work like that.



Hi nate,

Thanks for the compliment. 

Yes, they were built in AR, in business in from 1972-1988.


----------



## eddyandrehab

I have nowhere near to the patience needed to do a build like that. I was fishing out of mine as soon as I could. Still working on it it, but fishing out of it.


----------



## Brine

I have another boat I can still fish out of. I just don't get to much these days :evil:


----------



## eddyandrehab

Brine said:


> I have another boat I can still fish out of. I just don't get to much these days :evil:



That makes more sense. Not much fishing to be had in January, regardless.


----------



## Brine

Update time.... I've been meaning to post some updates, but just got around to loading the pics. Not to mention, I wanted to have some finality to the next step before posting, but here goes.

After getting the front deck completed, I made my way back to the stern. The design issues I were kicking around were almost entirely contingent on me deciding on to either build in a permanant livewell, or simply use the 120qt cooler I have been using for the past several years by laying it on the floor in the middle of the boat when I wanted it, or simply taking it out when I didn't. The reason this was such a toss-up decision rested primarily on the ability to find (or not find) a livewell container that would fit below my deck height within the bench already installed, while holding enough water (for me 30 gallons). This was suprisingly difficult, and after many hours of looking both online and in stores, I happended upon a water tank for an RV that was being sold on EBAY. It just so happened to be exactly what I was looking for, and so I bought it.

Here is where I wanted to install the livewell






Said water tank 





Once the bench was cut out and the livewell installed


----------



## Brine

And then of course, I could start the framing on the back #-o 











And then I attached the ACM











How the hatches work


----------



## Brine

I've since installed the back pedestal, cut out the top of the livewell, and realize I never put up any pics of the bow TM installed on the bracket that bassboy made me, so here they are too. 











Shows that the rod locker will open even when the TM is stowed






GLAD TO BE DONE FRAMING!!!!!!! :mrgreen: 

I've got a few little finishing touches to do, but I'm planning on painting this month.


----------



## bulldog

Looks awesome!! Top notch work buddy!! =D> =D> =D> =D> =D> =D> =D> =D>


----------



## Decatur

Your build looks fantastic, and by doing it the right way, it will last a lifetime! =D> Good thing you have all of these work in progress pics, so if you ever sell it, you can use them in the price negotiations to warrant the price you ask. I may have to move down to GA, close to Bassboy before I start my build!


----------



## cathprod

It looks amazing! How much experience did you have working with aluminum before your build? I am looking to go the same route as you (aluminum frame and floor) and am wondering if it is manageable for someone working with aluminum for the first time?

Also, how did you cut the aluminum sheets for the decking. It looks very straight and clean?

Nice work!


----------



## Brine

Thanks guys.

cathprod,
I had zero metal work experience before this build. I had some wood working experience, so I've used mitre saws, skill saws, jig saws, etc.... and know how to read a tape measure. I cut all of the deck with a cordless skill saw using a piece of tubing clamped down as a guilde. As long as you can create a straight fence, making the cut is easy. The ACM is easy to cut with cordless stuff, but if I were using .125 aluminum sheet, I'm sure the cordless wouldn't have gotten the job done. 

Some advice as a possible first timer that's worth repeating. You need eye and ear protection every time when cutting aluminum. It's probably a good idea to wear a dust mask as well. Several times I found myself making 20 cuts at a time with the mitre saw, and little flakes of aluminum were hanging in the air. Also, cutting 1.5 angle on a mitre saw is ear piercing, and had I not used ear protection, I would be deaf by now. Working with metal, the tolerances are alot less forgiving than wood, so many of my cuts were made after mocking up the piece and making a mark on it as opposed to simply measuring and cutting. You can't overcome an 1/8" in most applications with aluminum whether it's too big or small, and aluminum costs significantly more than wood. Bottom line is I spent alot of time cutting the material to the exact measurement I needed. Had it all been wood, it would have been much quicker, but that's just me. It also takes longer to drill and pop a rivet than it does to run a screw. Multiply that times a couple thousand, and the time difference becomes substantial. That said, I'm still happy with the results, how I've engineered it, and the decision not to use wood. 

I think working with metal isn't much if any more difficult than working with wood when you look at the pros and cons of both, it just seems to take a bit longer and requires a bit more precision.


----------



## cathprod

Great! Thanks for the response, this makes me feel a little more at ease with the prospect of dropping a nice chunk of change for some aluminum.


----------



## Brine

cathprod said:


> Great! Thanks for the response, this makes me feel a little more at ease with the prospect of dropping a nice chunk of change for some aluminum.



That said, make sure to shop it hard. Prices seem to vary quite a bit around me from one place to another.


----------



## cathprod

I just called a local metal supplier and wanted to see if a 20' length of 1" tubing with 1/16" wall for $20 is a decent price. It sounds good to me but i only have home depot to compare it to and I have heard from many on the boards how outrageous their aluminum prices are.


----------



## Brine

cathprod said:


> I just called a local metal supplier and wanted to see if a 20' length of 1" tubing with 1/16" wall for $20 is a decent price. It sounds good to me but i only have home depot to compare it to and I have heard from many on the boards how outrageous their aluminum prices are.



Sounds fair to me.


----------



## bassboy1

That sounds fair to me. 

If you are getting sheet, may want to go ahead and get it. In my area, prices have been climbing quite a bit. Not really sure why, as things still seem to be getting worse in my area.


----------



## cathprod

Hey Brine I have a question about the ACM you used. I can get 4x8 sheets of a product called signabond for $40 (and maybe less once I check their blemished pile). It is 3mm thick and has a solid polyethylene core with a .3 mm aluminum skin on both sides. It sounds very similar to the ACM you used so I was wondering how you think this would hold up not knowing all the specs of your ACM. I will now try to give you a break from the onslaught of questions. I just can't help myself :lol:


----------



## Brine

No worries, hope I can be of help to you as so many have been to me.

Rather than speak on your product, I can tell you what I bought so you can do a comparison. Mine is Alucobond and is 4mm thick. I can't give it a review yet because I think time will have to be the ultimate test. Preliminary thoughts are good. I'm 260# and have jumped all over my deck and don't see how it could fail. Considering it's engineered to be used outdoors, I'm optomistic about its longevity. That said, I would have used .125 Aluminum sheet if I could have afforded to, simply for it's dependability. I'm under the impression that this product will never want to delaminate. Considering the amount of rivets I've used on the deck, I don't think it has the ability to.


----------



## Bugpac

I know u probably stated this elsewhere, but were and how much was the panel?


----------



## Brine

Bugpac said:


> I know u probably stated this elsewhere, but were and how much was the panel?



$2/sq ft @ https://www.saf.com/content.php?action=showPage&pid=175&cat_id=15


----------



## Froggy

I just went thru the whole build, very impressive, Man! =D>


----------



## summers

Very nice job on the boat.


----------



## Brine

Thanks guys.

I'm in the middle of paint as we speak.


----------



## lbursell

Hey Brine,

I just went back through your build from the beginning. You are building a masterpiece. I've been racking my brain for something to use for a livewell, and I totally missed it before on using a water tank for the livewell. Thanks for the insight (Keep Fish Alive = Water = Water Tank = Live Well). Amazing how blind we can be. #-o DOH!

Now I'm off to check Craig's List.


----------



## Brine

Thanks lb. 

I stumbled across the water tank simply by putting in my measurements (which I searched the world over for to fit the boat correctly) and the word "tank" I think. I never new they existed  . I got mine from someone in FL selling them on ebay.


----------



## dave shady

on your herculiner did you roll or brush/dab it on? Im going that route with mine tomorrow. Lined up a buddys garage that we can get warm. Headed out now to finish strippin old paint and stuff. Gotta have the trailer done by mid week next week to get the boat back on her.

Thanks for any TIPS!







Heres what Im workin with, cept its got ALOT less paint and rust on her now lol.


----------



## Brine

dave,

I used the roller that comes in the kit (which I suggest), it's the kind that's designed to pickup and then apply the granular parts of the herculiner. Whatever the roller didn't hit, I used a cheap paint brush and "dabbed" it on.


----------



## Merlin

Brine,
I just went through this thread and your boat build. Rather impressive engineering!
I am definately going to steal some of your ideas when I redo my Hooptie project.
Lots of great information and out of the box thinking.
Great job!


----------



## dave shady

Thanks off to heat up a garage to get it coated today! appreciate the info


----------



## Brine

Merlin said:


> Brine,
> I just went through this thread and your boat build. Rather impressive engineering!
> I am definately going to steal some of your ideas when I redo my Hooptie project.
> Lots of great information and out of the box thinking.
> Great job!



Thanks Merlin,

I hope to have some pics with it painted soon. The weather here hasn't allowed much to happen in a week, and I have about 4 more hours of paint left.


----------



## dc3232

Yea I agree with you Brine, weather sure has put a damper on things.

O...btw, I finally started a post of my project today.


----------



## Brine

So..... finally got a good day to finish up the paint. As with everything about this build, I decided to do one of the most complicated paint jobs I could have ever imagined. #-o Once upon a time, I had visions of painting the boat the same color as my 4Runner simply because I like the silver they used that year, and I had recently fished with someone who had a similar paint on his tin. Not to mention, I thought It'd look kewl in tow. 8) Fortunately, everything on this build has given me plenty of time to ponder things before doing them, and I happened upon a camo video on YouTube. After seeing some of the members camo jobs, I got drawn back in to doing it that way. The kicker with this particular camo job is that it's all done in white, 2 shades of gray, and black, and is dubbed "Urban Camo" rather than the traditional shades of brown, tan, green etc..... It has been without a doubt the least gratifying part of the process, but I think the results came out pretty good seeing how it was my first time using a spray gun and subsequent airbrush. Yes, that's right, A FREAKING AIRBRUSH #-o The first time I saw the vid, I knew this is what I wanted, and I'm fairly certain there aren't many tins painted like it, if any. 

Here's the video that inspired the paint job. The music is kinda annoying, so you won't miss out on much if you turn the volume down. 

[youtube]8aAxuh9YCCQ[/youtube]

I'll start with my pics in the next post.


----------



## Brine

Assuming you read my last post and watched the video, you should all be experts in Urban Camo. Here are the steps that followed:

First up was to blast the boat white. I've had this paint for over a year and got it from a member on another site I visit. It's a 2 part epoxy from Interlux and is antifouling. Nice score for free. 8) 






I now realize that I didn't show any pics (until now) of the non-skid I put down, so I'm gunna take a brief intermission to show a few of those pics. It's worth noting that everything you see white inside of the boat is a product called Tuff Coat that I got from Bass Pro Shops. One gallon barely did the boat with 2 coats. Best I can tell, It's latex paint with small chunks of rubber mixed in. I taped up all the hinges, and then rolled and brushed away.






Close Up





I'm thinking I'm gunna be happy with this option, as carpet was a big no, and with everything else I considered, this seems to be exactly what I wanted.


----------



## Brine

Back to paint...

So step 1 was paint the boat white, and step 2 was to put out a rough outline with light gray which for me looked something like this:

















All of this was done with a regular paint sprayer using Rustoleums Marine Paint - color Gray


----------



## Brine

I then used the stencil and sharpened up the edges (as shown in the video) of all the grey. This is where the airbrush made it's debut. 











Gunna have to wait for a bit for the next set of pics, because I realize I haven't taken them off the camera yet.

Stay tuned!


----------



## Brine

So next was the dark grey.


----------



## Brine

and finally the black


----------



## Zum

Love it.
Looks real cool.


----------



## Brine

the tools....











After the paint, I put on 5 coats of Duplicolor clear coat. No sanding, just kept circling the boat until 4 cans were gone.

Very Glad to be done with this part.


----------



## bulldog

Looks amazing!!


----------



## atuck593

That is awesome...I have never seen a boat with that type of paint scheme before.


----------



## countryboy210

Awesome !

Where did you get the stencils ?


----------



## kkrueger

That is so awesome! I've been thinking of doing a digital camo, but I don't know if I'm the painter that you are.


----------



## Brine

Thanks for the compliments guys.



countryboy210 said:


> Awesome !
> 
> Where did you get the stencils ?



In the video, the company is mentioned. It's called Kustom Shops. They have the stencils availble to order on eBay for slightly less than their own site when you figure in shipping. They were shipped from California. The billing info was for a company called TCP Global if I remember correctly. 



kkrueger said:


> That is so awesome! I've been thinking of doing a digital camo, but I don't know if I'm the painter that you are.



:LOL2: I assure you I am a NOVICE at doing this. By the time I got done with the boat, I felt like I was starting to know what I was doing. I can tell you with these particular stencils, it would have been MUCH EASIER if I had the boat upside down. Fighting gravity and the slope of the boat was the most time consuming part of the project and forced me to lay the stencils a certin way most of the time. The airbrush had a bit of a learning curve, but it was mostly in finding the right viscosity to mix the paint. It would go alot faster on the deck (flat surface) and I may consider it in the future.


----------



## Bugpac

Nice job Brine, I am debating a camo pattern to my boat.


----------



## lckstckn2smknbrls

Where did you get the air brush?


----------



## Brine

lckstckn2smknbrls said:


> Where did you get the air brush?



Harbor Freight. $15


----------



## dc3232

Man, that is awsome!!! When can I bring mine by? :LOL2:


----------



## Brine

dc3232 said:


> Man, that is awsome!!! When can I bring mine by? :LOL2:



Anytime. I'm happy to supervise :LOL2:


----------



## dc3232

Would you let me borrow the stencils?


----------



## Brine

dc3232 said:


> Would you let me borrow the stencils?



You can have them. They're a mess tho. Lemme know and I'll bring them with the foam sheet.


----------



## lckstckn2smknbrls

Brine said:


> dc3232 said:
> 
> 
> 
> Would you let me borrow the stencils?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> You can have them. They're a mess tho. Lemme know and I'll bring them with the foam sheet.
Click to expand...

I would like to use them later this summer. I think my 10' Hydroplane would look great in urban camo.


----------



## Eastendi40

What the hey !!!!! I just want mine to look that good AFTER the mod. Nice rig, look foward to your reported progress.


----------



## acabtp

Very nice build. =D> Is it time to take it fishing yet?


----------



## Troutman3000

Wowzers! That looks awesome.


----------



## Brine

Endi/T-Man,
Thanks for the compliments 



acabtp said:


> Very nice build. =D> Is it time to take it fishing yet?


Taking it out this weekend for a Father/Son tourney. \/ 

Yesterday I hooked up a finder on the front. Before Friday I have to wire up the front trolling motor, plumb the livewell, install a bilge, fire up the outboard (hasn't been run in a year) and later today I'm getting 4 AGM batteries. 

Even with the aforementioned done, the boat still will have quite a bit left , mostly in the way of electrical, before calling it done. I plan to send it off to bassboy soon after this tourney so he can do the proper electrical setup. It's one step that I don't care to experiment with. I was planning to have it to him before this weekend, but the weather was uncooperative for outdoor painting the past month.


----------



## dc3232

Ok great, thanks man. I'll be happy to give'em back, hell I'll only need'um 1 time when I paint the boat. I'm still trying to come up with colors though. I'm thinkin red, black, gray, and some white. Whatcha think?


----------



## Brine

Sounds good to me.

FYI, you're probably gunna want to soak and clean them in some mineral spirits before you use them. I dropped them in the yard several times while they had wet paint on them. #-o


----------



## dc3232

What type of paint did you use?


----------



## Brine

dc3232 said:


> What type of paint did you use?



Ligtly sanded entire boat. Any spots that were bare aluminum (from previous angle grind) got self etching primer. 

White: Interlux - 2 part Marine Epoxy
Grey and Black: Rustoleum - Marine Paint (Oil Based)
Clear Coat: Duplicolor - Rattle Cans

The bottom 5" of the sides and the bottom of the hull are Steelflex tinted black.


----------



## dc3232

O.... Ok, where can I pick up some of the Rustoleum Marine paint at? I'm not doing the epoxy, oil based will do just fine for now.

I'm not sure how long I will even have this boat. I'm hoping to upgrade to something bigger in the next year or so.


----------



## Brine

I got mine at ACE Hardware. I've heard other people say they got it at Home Depot, but not at the one by me.


----------



## dc3232

Yea I haven't seen any around here either.


----------



## lbursell

Very, Very Cool. Good luck with the tourney.


----------



## Brine

Thought I'd share a few more pics with a couple shots I haven't posted.

First is a pic of the foremost hatch that holds two C&D AGM Batteries. I have them hooked in parallel to run my 12V 46# bow mount TM and my Eagle finder. Starting my sticker collection too 8) Guess I could have wiped off the pollen before taking the pics. Ooooops. 

















I installed a trolling motor plug for the bow mount on/inside the bracket bassboy fabbed for me. Worked out pretty slick, and I've seen the same thing done on Trackers. It's actually not installed crooked like the pic shows. It looks level to the ground in real life. 











Also put on the rear finder. It's a Bird 97Matrix with GPS 8)


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## Brine

Also got my reg numbers and boat name made via bulldog at Vinyl Graphics (board sponsor). Thanks for your help bulldog. They look great and are exactly what I wanted. =D>


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## SlowRollin'

I could read this post over and over. Just an amazing build.

Love everything about it. Congrats!


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## bulldog

My pleasure. Boat looks awesome.


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## TinBoatToo

Looking good! Unless you plan on putting foam elsewhere then I would leave it. You have a great open floor to work with. I'm only a few steps ahead of you. Good luck!


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## Brine

Thanks for the compliments guys. 

Don't think I'm gunna add any more foam. What I did put down was more for sound deadening than for flotation. It would take something catastrophic to sink this thing on mostly electric only reservoirs. Doesn't leak a drop and only drafts about 4 inches of water, and I'm going to get insurance on it for my "just in case" moments.


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## aeviaanah

Man Brine you sure did a great job. I just strolled through every page. I must say I really like it. Congrats on gettin' her finished.


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## Brine

aeviaanah said:


> Man Brine you sure did a great job. I just strolled through every page. I must say I really like it. Congrats on gettin' her finished.



Thank you aeviaanah. It's still a work in progress (aren't they all???). I still have a bunch of electrical to do via switches for the bilge/livewell and bigfoot switches, and I've yet to install the BlueWater LED's. Not sure if I'll do it myself, or send it off to bassboy (or anyone much more electrically competent) than me. Because I haven't done any tourney fishing lately, I've had no rush to do it. And besides.... that's what winter is for! :LOL2:


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## aeviaanah

Brine said:


> aeviaanah said:
> 
> 
> 
> Man Brine you sure did a great job. I just strolled through every page. I must say I really like it. Congrats on gettin' her finished.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Thank you aeviaanah. It's still a work in progress (aren't they all???). I still have a bunch of electrical to do via switches for the bilge/livewell and bigfoot switches, and I've yet to install the BlueWater LED's. Not sure if I'll do it myself, or send it off to bassboy (or anyone much more electrically competent) than me. Because I haven't done any tourney fishing lately, I've had no rush to do it. And besides.... that's what winter is for! :LOL2:
Click to expand...

Yea i hear ya on that. I am currently working on my first project. Gettin in to the boating/fishing hobby at the same time. I am a steel worker so fabrication is the easy part. Learning all about the right way to do things like electrical, mounting motors, proper materials etc is the part that takes the time. Research research research. I just applied the third coat of 2 part epoxy to the inside of my 12' mod V. She was built in 71...ive got lots of work done since I bought her...come by take a look.

https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=22339

Ive never seen three trolling motors on one boat...only one per boat before. How come you do like this rather than outboard? Quietness?? Also, what did those decals cost? Id like to get some for my build.


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## Brine

aeviaanah said:


> Ive never seen three trolling motors on one boat...only one per boat before. How come you do like this rather than outboard? Quietness?? Also, what did those decals cost? Id like to get some for my build.



Where I live, there are lots of small lakes that are "electric only" and are used as country drinking reservoirs. No gas engines are permitted on the lakes.

When you say decals.... Do you mean the stickers inside my hatches? I don't think I paid for any of them. They come from giveaways, magazine subscriptions, or simply by asking for one. 

I look forward to watching your progress on your build.


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## aeviaanah

Brine said:


> aeviaanah said:
> 
> 
> 
> Ive never seen three trolling motors on one boat...only one per boat before. How come you do like this rather than outboard? Quietness?? Also, what did those decals cost? Id like to get some for my build.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Where I live, there are lots of small lakes that are "electric only" and are used as country drinking reservoirs. No gas engines are permitted on the lakes.
> 
> When you say decals.... Do you mean the stickers inside my hatches? I don't think I paid for any of them. They come from giveaways, magazine subscriptions, or simply by asking for one.
> 
> I look forward to watching your progress on your build.
Click to expand...

The vinyl graphics on the exterior of your boat. Thanks man, looks like you posted a message...headin that way!


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## Brine

aeviaanah said:


> The vinyl graphics on the exterior of your boat. Thanks man, looks like you posted a message...headin that way!



The registation numbers and name "BRINE CRAFT" were done by a fellow TinBoat member and site sponsor Vinly Images. John (aka bulldog) is the man when it comes to wraps and decals. I just put in another order today!

Send him a PM on here and visit the site at https://www.vinylimagesinc.com/


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## Brine

Well now.... this build didn't take as long as I thought. #-o 

The last order of business for me was to hook up all the electrical with contura switches and an easy to access fuse panel. After much debate, I decided to let someone with alot more marine electrical experience than me do the job. Our very own bassboy01 with Fish On Fabrication. 

This wasn't the first time bassboy had been involved with my rig. Earlier in my build, he fabricated and installed a base for my bow mount trolling motor to mount to as wells as a few other parts and pieces that were welded on my rod lockers, and filled a few screw holes on the gunnel from the old side console.

The boat's electical accessories consist of:
1. Nav Lights
2. LED hatch lights
3. LED Deck lights
4. 2 LCD finders
5. 3 Trolling motors
6. Bilge
7. Fill pump to livewell
8. Aerator for livewell


Before mounting the bow light, I needed a little platform built to mount it to. Enter bassboy's custom design. 






Shot with self etching primer and paint





And a white bow light to match the decks 8) You'll also notice a bigfoot switch in this picture to operate the 2 rear trolling motors. 





He also installed the anchor light base which you can see working in the background





The trolling motor plug I had originally installed wasn't up to snuff, so I had him change it out for one of the twist and lock kind









At the transom, bassboy made 2 aluminum battery trays to house the agm's in the back and locked them down with nylon straps. A 3 bank charger was installed here against cutting board material to charge all 4 batteries (front 2 are run parallel) and above the charger you'll see 2 relays which allow the bigfoot switch to operate the back 2 motors from the front deck.





I wanted to keep all the switches out of sight, so I had him install them here next to the livewell and an easy reach from inside or outside of the boat.





after another fab job... bassboy created this panel that runs all the electrical on the boat





The switch up top is for the aerator and has a timer control if desired, or it will run continuous. On the right side of the panel (not pictured) is a 12V cigarette lighter for charging the cell phone. This same hatch also has the fuse panel.

There are a total of 7 hatches that have white interior LED strips mounted including both rod lockers, all the tackle storage, the transom area and the livewell. 

Tackle storage





Rod Locker





Livewell





Lastly, are the deck lights which I chose to use blue. The pics don't do it justice. It really shines off the white decks.









In the process, bassboy did a great job hiding and concealing all of the wiring on this job. I hadn't run any wire during my build, and if you remember my frame job..... you can probably envivision what kind of work he put into doing a job like this. All of the wire is marine grade, heat shrink connectors, zip tied, loomed, and concealed masterfully. Thanks again for the great work bassboy =D> 

With that, I think I can call this build done. Mabye a few minor details left, but aren't there always?

Thanks go out to everyone who helped out along the way. Hope to do it again someday. (just not soon) :LOL2: :LOL2: :LOL2:


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## Brine

and almost sunk it today.... #-o 

Fishing was good, but we had 30mph winds today and I had to do the whole.... mad dash to the bank thingy. Next on the to-do list is a bilge float :!:


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## Bigkat650

Brine said:


> and almost sunk it today.... #-o
> 
> Fishing was good, but we had 30mph winds today and I had to do the whole.... mad dash to the bank thingy. Next on the to-do list is a bilge float :!:



:shock: :shock: :shock: Glad you and your boat made it out okay! Wind can wreak havoc on shallower boats.


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## OhioStateBuckeye

This build made my mouth drop. From the paint job, to the ridiculosuly clean lines, to the awesome finish of the floor. Makes me smack myself for planning my build out of carpet and wood lol. I will be looking for a better option for my livewell, because i also bought a cooler I was going to use. Looks like im returning it


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## Brine

Thanks OSB. Look forward to seeing your build.


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## Bean Counter

Great job. Really enjoyed this thread. Gave me some good ideas for my project.


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## Brine

Thanks BC. Do you fish Horton?


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## Bean Counter

I fish Horton quite often because it is about 15 min from my house. I am setting up my new boat for all these electric only lakes in Ga.


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## Gators5220

Love the paint on this boat, sick!


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## catsmith

WOW, just went front to back on your build. Awesome work. Attention to detail is amazing.


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## Brine

Thanks guys... So far so good on the boat. Going out again tomorrow =D>


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## Bugpac

Brine said:


> Thanks guys... So far so good on the boat. Going out again tomorrow =D>




You on vacation?


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## Brine

Bugpac said:


> You on vacation?



I took the day off yesterday to take the kids out. Back to work today. I'll clock back in after I post this. :---)


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## badboymonk

Im new here and I love your boat! I would like to do something similar with those stencils but can't seem to find them, what demensions are they and what are they called?


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## Brine

badboymonk said:


> Im new here and I love your boat! I would like to do something similar with those stencils but can't seem to find them, what demensions are they and what are they called?



I found the stencils after seeing a video they were mentioned in. They came from a place called Kustom Shops (I think). I posted a video in my build of "Urban Camo" at some point during the paint process. Watch the video and listen out for where the stencils came from. Each sheet is about 14 x 20 ish.... I wish I remembered more, but I've tried to block it out from my memory. :mrgreen: 

Thanks for the compliment, and I look forward to seeing your project.


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## badboymonk

Thanks, i called them and its discontinued.. Oh well. Ill just find another one  . I might be taking a few of your ideas since 
I love your boat so much!


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## Roosterrusek

OK, I've been lurking on this site, drooling over the builds I have seen. This one, well WOW...This is pretty much exactly what I want to do for a project build. I want a super shallow aluminum just like this. I have a 1965 Carolina Skiff that I rebuilt, so I'm not shy about a build but MAN this is cool.

Please forgive me as I could not find what make of boat this started out as...might you tell me? Thanks

Paul...here in Atlanta.


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## Roosterrusek

Oops...now I see...it is a Rhyan Craft boat...never heard of that make....still 100% badass dude.


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## Brine

Thanks Man. I appreciate the kind words. 

Rhyan Craft was headquarted in El Dorado, Arkansas and built them from the early 70's to late 80's. Because I own one now, I guess I'm a little more in tune with how frequently I see them, (which isn't often), but it seems as though they built my boat fairly well. I say that by noticing how the ribs were formed and attached to the hull. It's a sturdy boat. I had never heard of them prior to getting the boat a few years ago. More often than not, I have people see pics of it and think that it's fiberglass (I guess because I painted it white) and are suprised to learn it's aluminum. 

Thanks again for the compliment, and hope to see your project one day.


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## russ010

hey man... how is that Herculiner holding up on the trailer?

I've got a gallon sitting around the house, just not sure I want to use it or not


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## Brine

russ010 said:


> hey man... how is that Herculiner holding up on the trailer?
> 
> I've got a gallon sitting around the house, just not sure I want to use it or not



Good as new. I don't see any drawbacks and would do it to every trailer I own.


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## markc

Just went through every page and read (almost) every line. WOW. You and bassboy are the men! This boat is really quality and so impressive. Makes me rethink my project. Great job, thanks for the ideas and inspiration! =D>


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## Brine

Thanks for the kind words markc.


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## Windman7

I've been thinking about using sandwich sign blanks similar to your ACM for my decking to reduce weight. How did the ACM work long term? Would you do it again?


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## Brine

Windman7 said:


> I've been thinking about using sandwich sign blanks similar to your ACM for my decking to reduce weight. How did the ACM work long term? Would you do it again?



Darn... Sorry for the late reply Windman. The ACM should work great long term on this boat because of how I framed it. If I had to do it over, I'd have someone bend aluminum sheet and do away with alot of the framing, but at $2/sq ft..... I'd use it again if I was framing it the same way.


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## killereef

Thats a badass aluminum boat and love the colors


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## DearJon

When I started reading this build, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. This has to be one of the nicest transformations I've seen. Great job Brine!


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## bass427

sweet


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## Brine

Thanks for the kind words folks.


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## DOBSONFLY

+1 Awesome thread, awesome build with the right character and quality craftsmanship! =D>


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## RLP

Brine- You did a great job! Thanks for the inspiration and the advice (seeing your thread) on how do the decking and what to use for it. I was thinking about going the sealed wood route, but I'm re-thinking that and will probably go with all aluminum now. Great work.

-RLP


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## Brine

Thanks RLP 

I look forward to seeing your build.


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