# 1987 smokercraft magnum 161mg rebuild/total nautolex



## wiredneck1 (Feb 19, 2015)

I bought a 1987 smokercraft magnum 161 in October for $2000 the boat was in need of updating and the previous owner had removed some of the storage and some of the casting platform in the bow. The boat is gonna be used as a duck boat and gonna be used for trolling for walleye on lake Winnebago and also for pleasure with the wife and kids.


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## wiredneck1 (Feb 19, 2015)

I started tearing in to the boat and started with the modification that the previous owner did in the bow area.
the guy used plain 2x4s and spray foam to support the deck and it wasn't level at all. there also was a few spongy spots in the main floor so I decided to redo it all. the rear floor piece was a real pain because I had to remove the inner side panels in order to remove the floor.


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## wiredneck1 (Feb 19, 2015)

i checked the foam and it was all dry so i decided to leave well enough alone. i also checked the transom where i could without pulling the motor and that was also in very good shape. the liquid you see in the previouse pictures sitting in the bilge is actually gas because the fuel line cracked and i never notices it until 3 days later. 

i used the old floor as a template and im using abx exterior plywood 5/8 inch with 3 coats of spar urethane on each face and 6 coats on the edges.


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## wiredneck1 (Feb 19, 2015)

while waiting for the floor boards to get urethaned i started stripping the old carpet off the gunwales and wire wheeling the adhesive and oxidation off. i also went ahead and removed the carpeting in the bow area. i also removed the decals on the outside and so far that was by far the worst part. i tried a rubber 3m decal eraser wheel and anything else you could imagine and i wound up just using a heat gun and razor blade scrapper to remove them. i took me roughly 6 hours on each side.


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## wiredneck1 (Feb 19, 2015)

i got all the decals removed and wipped the boat down with acetone and sanded lightly with 150 grit. I prayed all bare aluminum spots with rustoleum self etching primer and once that was dry i brushed/rolled parkers aluminum primer over the self etching primer. I top coated with 3 coats of parkers marsh brown duck boat paint.


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## wiredneck1 (Feb 19, 2015)

more paint pictures


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## wiredneck1 (Feb 19, 2015)

im gonna cover everything in nautolex marine flooring. i lined the ski locker and some of the side storage.


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## wiredneck1 (Feb 19, 2015)

i reinstalled the rubrails and the inner gunwale trim with about 100 rivets. One thing i highly recommend is a pneumatic riveter if/when doing a job where so many rivets are required. 

this project is taking longer than i had hoped. i started the tear down the first week of January, the main reason that it is taking me longer than expected is because its winter and my garage isn't insulated so even when i run the blaster heater i don't hold the heat real well. I did take the boat over to my parents garage when i painted it since theirs is heated.


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## wiredneck1 (Feb 19, 2015)

i covered the floor that i have done spar urethaning with nautolex marine vinyl using rochford supply water based glue that they recommend for the vinyl. i did all the gluing and urethaning in my basement which the wife wasn't to happy about but there wasn't much other choice. I ordered my rivets thru therivetgallery.com and their 1" grip black rivets


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## wiredneck1 (Feb 19, 2015)

i had to drill 3 rivets out on each side in order to remove some trim on the inside to remove the original floor. i decide to use 1/4inch closed end rivets along with some 5200 to replace the ones i drilled out


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## wiredneck1 (Feb 19, 2015)

i reinstalled the inside trim and replaced the fuel tank lines.


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## wiredneck1 (Feb 19, 2015)

im using 1 1/2x1/8in aluminum angle to support the bow area floor. i also used pink insulation foam for the flotation under the floor area which i forgot to take a picture of.


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## wiredneck1 (Feb 19, 2015)

i decided to start running some of the wiring since that was all a cobbled up mess. im using the original switch panel to run the bilge pump, 3 interior light, and the bow/stern light. i also am rewiring the fuel gauge and adding in a 12v outlet along with adding a depthfinder.


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## wiredneck1 (Feb 19, 2015)

spar urethaning, covering in nautolex and installing a hatch in the bow area flooring. i am using black nylon hinges and attwood hatch latfhes that i ordered from wolfsmarine.com.


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## wiredneck1 (Feb 19, 2015)

i installed the splashwell and framed in the gas tank and battery area, the spaces you see in the aluminum angle on the floor is where im gonna be installing a drain area for water to get to the bilge.


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## wiredneck1 (Feb 19, 2015)

what you have seen so far is where i am at currently. i have to cut the wood and hatches for the area around the gas tank, and on the sides of the boat. when im done with that i have to rebuild the console and finish wiring the interior lights and depthfinder. Im not in much of a hurry to get it all done because its been -12 degrees lately and its not fun to work in that kind of cold. i will try to keep this all updated as i go from here on out since up until now i was stockpilling the images


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## Frey0357 (Feb 20, 2015)

Very nice boat project! I have enjoyed your detailed progress, its gonna be nice when you are finished! Keep up the good work! 8) 

Frey


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## Decatur (Feb 20, 2015)

Very nice!


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## rscottp (Feb 20, 2015)

Great job, you are gonna have a sweet rig when you are finished! Keep the pictures coming.


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## wiredneck1 (Mar 11, 2015)

its been a slow couple weeks for progress but its slowly coming along. I can actually see the end in sight. heres some pictures of my progress.


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## wiredneck1 (Mar 11, 2015)

got the bow framed in also


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## wiredneck1 (Mar 11, 2015)

got all the electrical ran and wires hidden behind the switch/control panel.


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## wiredneck1 (Mar 11, 2015)

took the boat over to my dads heated garage to glue in the nautolex on the sides, I used contact cement for this


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## wiredneck1 (Mar 11, 2015)

cutting and mocking up the side hatches.


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## wiredneck1 (Mar 11, 2015)

3 coats spare urethane on each side for the side panels and back bench area.


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## wiredneck1 (Mar 11, 2015)

side hatches covered and installed


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## wiredneck1 (Mar 11, 2015)

my kids having fun checking out the progress


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## wiredneck1 (Mar 11, 2015)

heres a before and after picture of the outside paint


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## 25yamaha (Mar 11, 2015)

My dad has the same boat just a sylvan he has a 88 hp spl Johnson and gets around 40mph with 2guys and gear it tubes pretty well too


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## DaleH (Mar 11, 2015)

Were those side vertical hatches already there? They look sweet all covered with new nautolex!

Just curious ... how much smaller than the cut-out is the hatch panel, before covering with the fabric?

You did a really neat job with the corners from what I can see. Did you use monel or SS staples in addition to the fabric glue?


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## wiredneck1 (Mar 14, 2015)

The side hatches are actually custom....there was side hatches on the boat from the factory but the guy I bought it from took them out (he also had taken out the storage around the battery/gas tank area also)and I had absolutely nothing to work with besides a shelf and the wood that was around the shelf. It took be a bit to figure out how I was gonna make them but I am very satisfied with how they turned out.

The hacth panels are probably 1/4 inch smaller than the cutout and they are still really tight so I wish I would've went a little smaller yet but oh well live and learn.

The corners glued completely around the corners with weldwood contact cement and I also secured them with ss staples just to be sure that they last.

I really appreciate everyones comments on the work I've done so far and I will add that this is my first ever boat project so I think it is turning out great.


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## wiredneck1 (Apr 6, 2015)

well I got it all done so here are the remaining pictures of the build/rebuild


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## wiredneck1 (Apr 6, 2015)

gas tank is under the port side door and the starting and trolling motor battery are under the starboard side door


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## wiredneck1 (Apr 6, 2015)

the bow storage is big enough that I can store 2-20lb anchors and the rope for the bow when I launch the boat


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## wiredneck1 (Apr 6, 2015)

console was installed


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## wiredneck1 (Apr 6, 2015)

depth finder, steering wheel and led interior light all installed


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## wiredneck1 (Apr 6, 2015)

couple of the completed interior


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## wiredneck1 (Apr 6, 2015)

I made some vertical rod holders to hold my trolling rods and also added a plier holder and a net holder


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## wiredneck1 (Apr 6, 2015)

I made a windshield out of plexiglass that I got for free. the windshield folds down in the front so when I have the duck blind on it the windshield wont interfere with it.


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## wiredneck1 (Apr 6, 2015)

other things I did to the boat were I replaced the bunks on the trailer and also made some guide on side bunks for it. I added a motorguide wireless 55 trolling motor to the bow that I traded a guy a transom mount trolling motor for even up. Now im waiting on some warmer weather to take the boat for a spin since they have been doing really well on the walleyes on the wolf river for the last 3 weeks


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## Gators5220 (Apr 7, 2015)

Nice clean looking boat...


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