# Zen and the Art of boat conversion



## ominousone (Nov 19, 2009)

If any of you have never read Zen and the art of Motorcycle maintanence, do so. This book was my original insipiration to do over a boat, and this forum pushed me over the edge to do it. I have lurked reading posts for a long time and now I have finally bought a 14 ft. boat and I will post pictures as soon as I am off from work during daylight hours to take them. 

I have decided that I am going to start with painting the trailer and boat. The trailer has some rust on it, and I want my own paint scheme on the boat. I haven't been able to sleep at night dreaming of the possibilities...


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## G3_Guy (Nov 19, 2009)

Welcome aboard! We look forward to seeing the pics of your boat! Sounds like you have big plans in store for it and I look forward to seeing pics of all the mods you complete as well. Congrats on the new ride!


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## Waterwings (Nov 19, 2009)

Welcome Aboard! 8)


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## ominousone (Nov 20, 2009)

Pictures of the boat untouched


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## ominousone (Nov 20, 2009)

My starting plan is to pull the boat off of the trailer and to start by sanding/stripping paint from boat and trailer. Are there any strippers that are better than others to use? I heard from a friend that the paste kind works great but it will not come off of the metal well, and then I will need to remove the stripper by sanding. 

Go figure, my very first problem has to do with my stripper... :lol:


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## G3_Guy (Nov 20, 2009)

Nice Score! Lots mod potential with that one! Looking forward to seeing your progress!


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## ominousone (Nov 20, 2009)

I think this is a mod v...right? I can't tell by the registration what make/model it its...


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## ominousone (Nov 21, 2009)

A couple of questions. Is there any reason not to sandblast the trailer and the boat to remove the paint? I was talking at work about using paint remover and a few people suggested that I just sand blast it. If this works does anyone know if sand or walnut shells works better?

I remember that it is imperative to seal wood decking before putting it in a mod, but what is used? I have poly, can I use that? Also, along with this, if I decide to use 2x2's instead of aluminum, do I seal that as well? I know I'm gonna sound like a complete newb here, but what type of screws do I use? I want to do this right and I'm willing to bow down to the masters of this forum for jedi knight advice...

Thank you one and all!


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## Waterwings (Nov 21, 2009)

Nice boat! Personally not sure if I would sandblast the hull, due to not knowing the material thickness of the hull, but I'm fairly certain it has been done. As far as screws, I would use stainless. Could be costly, but they won't rust. Some people also use the coated deck screws.


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## ominousone (Nov 21, 2009)

So Stainless is the best for screws.

Say I wanted to use aluminum... anywhere anyone would recommend going to keep on a budget? The local junk yards in this area will not sell anything because of insurance reasons... Any websites? Ebay?


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## Waterwings (Nov 22, 2009)

Aluminum screws would work, but knowing me, I would either strip-out the screw slot, or twist/break some of the screws off while screwing them in, and that's after I had everything pre-drilled.


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## ominousone (Nov 22, 2009)

I guess I wasn't clear when I asked about aluminum. If I used Aluminum angle/bar where would be the best place to find it?


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## ominousone (Nov 22, 2009)

I learned today that sandblasting is an extremely cathartic exercise, but it is also an extremely dirty one as well. I got half the trailer stripped and through some primer on it to keep the rust away. 
I did learn a few things that I would like to pass on... Sand is not just sand... You need to use sand intended for sand blasting. I tried regular sand and it had big chunks in it that clogged the gun in seconds. I also learned that if you use equipment that someone had used prior to you that you need to check it over carefully... After wanting to scream because I couldn't figure out why the sand wasn't coming out; I replaced the hose, checked the nossil probably ten times, only to find out that at the bottom of the container was a cup that someone used to put sand into the hopper. I knew nothing of sandblasting when I entered the day, and now I know not much more except that a sandblaster is nothing more than a bucket with a hole on the bottom that a hose connects to and then the hose connects to a gun that you shoot at your trailer/boat. Then when you are done you find sand in places that sand should never be...


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## FishingBuds (Nov 22, 2009)

welcome aboard mate  

Blast the trailer, strip the boat. Good luck on the stripping that was the hardest and time consuming thing I done on my project but, it had to be done.


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## ominousone (Nov 22, 2009)

O.k. I will bite... what's the harm in blasting the boat?


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## Captain Ahab (Nov 23, 2009)

ominousone said:


> O.k. I will bite... what's the harm in blasting the boat?



It could make it dangerously thin

This is going to be a great thread - i can tell


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## danmyersmn (Nov 23, 2009)

ominousone said:


> I guess I wasn't clear when I asked about aluminum. If I used Aluminum angle/bar where would be the best place to find it?



wholesale metal dealers in your area.


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## Nick Jones (Nov 23, 2009)

ominousone said:


> A couple of questions. Is there any reason not to sandblast the trailer and the boat to remove the paint? I was talking at work about using paint remover and a few people suggested that I just sand blast it. If this works does anyone know if sand or walnut shells works better?
> 
> I remember that it is imperative to seal wood decking before putting it in a mod, but what is used? I have poly, can I use that? Also, along with this, if I decide to use 2x2's instead of aluminum, do I seal that as well? I know I'm gonna sound like a complete newb here, but what type of screws do I use? I want to do this right and I'm willing to bow down to the masters of this forum for jedi knight advice...
> 
> Thank you one and all!



Click on the link below my name and check out my first mod. It has a few pic's of what I used and how I sealed the decking and 2x2's. 

As far as your steel flexing question on my post: you can do the entire boat if you want. The reason most people just do the bottom is because Steel flex is really glossy and doesn’t look as good as paint. However, if you put thinner coats on the sides it will look great. Nussy put his on really thick and it started to sag. That's why most don’t put it on the sides. hope that makes sense.


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## ominousone (Nov 23, 2009)

First off... Thank you to everyone with all the insightful answers to my questions. With that being said, I have a couple more questions. Do I need bare aluminum to apply steelflex to? I know that steelflex needs a warm environment to cure, has anyone ever heated a garage to do it in? Also If I use wood to support my decking, can the wood supports be sealed?


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## CRAPPIE_SLAYER (Nov 24, 2009)

I've been using 2x2's for my framing and yes I have sealed the framing with thompson's water seal. I've been hitting the ends that seat against something as I assemble them, and once I had the rest of the framing done I went over everything that I had not already hit. Not sure if it NEEDED to be done, but figured it wouldn't hurt.


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## ominousone (Nov 26, 2009)

I was sandblasting the trailer and the bags of sand really got to be expensive so I switched to using a brush on the angle grinder. I'm still not done with the trailer, but I am probably about 2/3 done. I will post more pics as they come.


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## ominousone (Nov 26, 2009)

Since the point of this project was to learn to do something myself, I decided that when I couldn't find my sawhorses (the fold up metal jobers that you can buy for cheap) that I would make a set. Not only did I decide to make them, but I decided that I would use only lumber from my deck railings that I recently removed. So total cost of project was zero! The total benefit is that I will save taking as many pain pills for my back!


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## ominousone (Dec 2, 2009)

Progress report: Trailer has been torn down as much as I can. I used an angle grinder to remove rust and old paint. Trailer is primed as much as possible. I now have a few areas that I need to get some more sand for my sandblaster to finish it before I get down to painting. I'm gonna go black on the trailer and purchased Rustoleum Enamel spray to Paint it with. I think that I may even get some pinstriping done on the trailer as I work at a car dealership and the guy that does it owes me a favor.


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## Nussy (Dec 2, 2009)

Nick Jones said:


> ominousone said:
> 
> 
> > A couple of questions. Is there any reason not to sandblast the trailer and the boat to remove the paint? I was talking at work about using paint remover and a few people suggested that I just sand blast it. If this works does anyone know if sand or walnut shells works better?
> ...



STEELFLEX- I don't think mine sagged because of how thick I put it on I think it was because it was too cold when I applied it. My advice would be apply it when both the product and the environment can sit at 75degrees or more for 4-5 hours. I rushed it and applied it in too cold of environment which made it harden slower. As far as application all you have to do is rought up the surface and apply it. No need to strip it completely the stuf sticks well. See my build there lots about Steel flex. Save the money and go with the cheaper version without the Teflon. You can apply multiple coat if necessary. Not the case with the 2000 version I used. Good Luck!!!


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## ominousone (Dec 3, 2009)

I am looking for someone to recommed the type of bolts to use on my trailer. I have a few stainless bolts, but not enough to do the entire trailer. I have a ton of galvanized bolts that I think would withstand the weather and water. Also I have the equivalant of a hardware store worth of regular bolts of all shapes and sizes. I really don't want to buy more stainless if I can get away with using any of the other types.


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## ominousone (Dec 10, 2009)

Some updated pics. I have one more coat to put on trailer and on wheels, but other than that the trailer is painted and ready to be put back together. I am so excited to put the trailer to rest so that I can get to the real fun of the boat! Steel flex has been ordered, along with some of the aluminum brazing rods. I actually can't wait to try out the brazing rods. I am no welder, and the thought of welding aluminum of all things makes me think that I am saving a ton of dough that I could have never have done without the power of the internet and specifically this site. Thank you tinboats.net community.


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## Nussy (Dec 10, 2009)

What brazing rods did you go with. Looking forward to the post. I'm in the same boat as you. No welding experience but looking to fill a few holes in my project.


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## ominousone (Dec 10, 2009)

I went with the hts 2000. I got them on ebay for a pretty good price. I think that I bought 10 rods, still waiting for them to arrive.


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## bandgeek1263 (Dec 10, 2009)

Harbor freight sells the same product for a much more reasonable price. Search "rod" in keyword search. they will be on the first page. 
if anyone says "that's what she said", i don't know what i'll do, but yeah. lol 
heres a link if you guys need it:

https://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=44810


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## danmyersmn (Dec 11, 2009)

I have tried both and I like the harbor freight ones myself. I struggled with the HTS 2000 rods because they are much thinner and I was melting the rod before it would flow into the metal. With the Harbor Freight rods I was able to get the metal hot enough to melt the rod and grab onto the liquid. The HTS 2000 was melting too early. 

I'm no pro and was using acetylene so hopefully you will have better luck.

One thing though, this is not welding.. I.E. TIG. I don't know how much I would trust a load bearing repair to these rods.


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## Nussy (Dec 11, 2009)

Perfect, I'll hit Harbor Freight and pick some up today, and give it a try over the weekend.


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## ominousone (Dec 12, 2009)

Wish I had heard that Harbor Freight carried one of the types of the aluminum rods because I paid about the same money and I'm still waiting for the shipping from the 1st of december.


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## MikeA57 (Dec 14, 2009)

ominousone,
Looks great! I used an angle grinder to get mine sanded down too. As far as nuts & bolts, I used grade 8 hardware everywhere I could. (check my signature for a link) I went to a nut & bolt place and just handed them my list and they did the rest. I ended up replacing nearly every nut and bolt on that thing; But, it is 53 years old!!!

Mike


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## JBoze (Dec 30, 2009)

Any updates?


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## ominousone (Dec 30, 2009)

The holiday's were both time consuming, but I got the one piece of equipment that I needed most. I got a salamander heater! Between freezing in our zero degree temps and needing it to apply the steelflex, this is $$$$$$! I recently carpeted my bunks and have the trailer just about done so that I can get that out of the garage and start on the boat! I am sooo sick of the trailer, I want to get onto the fun part. The Boat! 

Happy New Year to everyone.


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## xiong-tech (Dec 31, 2009)

looks pretty good so far. in to see final product.


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## MeanMouth (Feb 15, 2010)

Nice project.

Let me know if you've tackled the HTS-2000, as I have some already but have not used it yet. Any tips or advice would be greatly appreciated!

Keep us updated :wink:


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## dyeguy1212 (Feb 15, 2010)

ancient thread.. good to see it back around lol


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## SrPhatness (Feb 15, 2010)

Trailer is looking good.

I agree, the salamander heater is a must.

keep up the great work.


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## ominousone (Mar 9, 2010)

After one of the kids breaking his femur, brutal upstate ny cold, and finals in college, I am finally back at it. I finished the trailer, got it out of the garage and the boat in. Here is how she sits now, stripped as good as I'm gonna get her. I have the aluminum primer ready, and my brazing rods should be here tomorrow so that I can fill a few small holes that I found in the hull. I really hope that the aluminum brazing rods are as easy to use as the video's I saw on the internet make it seem.


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## Rat (Mar 10, 2010)

They are, remember, heat the metal not the rod! It is best to practice, but if not just go slow at first; don't rush it. 

Broken Femur huh? Yea, that sucks...


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## ominousone (Mar 10, 2010)

I swear that there is some kind of conspiracy with me getting Aluminum brazing rods from ebay. Last time I had to wait almost 2 month's to get my money back from some guy who went out of business and closed his paypal account. Now I'm at least 2 days longer than priority should take. Hopefully tomorrow.


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## ominousone (Mar 14, 2010)

Got the aluminum welding rods finally. Also found a mis-labled 500 cartridge pump for livewell and picked up 2 of them @9.86 each from wally world and stopped at BPS spring classic sale and picked up the stuff in the photo. $20 for each seat, 10 for leaning seat, adj post for 27, and deck bases on sale but I forget how much. To make it better I used a 25 gift card I got doing the bassmaster marshal program last year, and 10 bucks in rewards points.


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## dyeguy1212 (Mar 14, 2010)

I got that exact same pro seat, pedestal and base for my mind. Great minds think alike! Plus that is the highest quality 10 dollar seat I've ever seen


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## ominousone (Mar 15, 2010)

I really like how die guy used the simpson strong ties, and I think that my lowes has them so that is one that is next on my shopping list. What type of screws are needed? Galvanized or stainless? I would think that galvanized would be stronger, but stainless would last longer. The strong ties are galvanized, so would galvanized work for all the hardware in a mod? Before seeing his mod I was just going to get long screws and screw through the 2x2's, this way seems much stronger. I really want to do this right the first time.


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## ominousone (Mar 17, 2010)

Another question for the motor minded folks out there. What do you all think about the 5hp briggs and stratton's? A 4 stroke priced very well. I'm looking at a new one for like 200 more than I would spend on a used motor. Seems like a very thrifty way to go.


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## ominousone (Mar 22, 2010)

Got it primed with Rustoleum aluminum self etching primer. Ready for the Steelflex!


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## ominousone (Apr 3, 2010)

With an 80 degree day in upstate ny, I decided to finally put the steelflex on. Came out pretty good. It isn't that hard to work with until it starts to set up on you, once that happens its awful to work with.


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## ominousone (May 12, 2010)

I wanted to post a little tip that a friend showed me for measuring angles and following framing for making storage areas. The tip is use plastic like you would to cover Windows in the winter. (Clear plastic). Then mark on it with sharpie to show where studs are and trim excess with a razor knife. I will post pics later, can't do it from my phone.


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