# DeSoto Mfg. 1415 Jon Boat modification/restoration.



## Ail (Aug 19, 2014)

*Warning: Extremely long first post!*

Well I guess it is about time to get my rebuild thread going. First the background stuff, the boring history of my boat. Please note that the first part of the rebuild was done at the end of last summer, and I started back up again around mid-July this year due to moving and some other life stuff.

After seeing a jon boat rebuild last summer with modified decking and storage, and a pretty nice paint job, I caught the bug and knew I wanted to pick up my own project boat. So after a month searching ads and driving around looking at boats for sale I finally came across a package with a 14' jon boat, trailer, 9.5hp Evinrud, two trolling motors and seats. So I drove two hours to get it from Lancaster, Pennsylvania despite the fact I had never even driven a vehicle two minutes with a trailer in tow. After some inspection and a last minute trip to the notary I finally had a project on my hands:











This barely legible ad is the most information I could find about this boat:






The company is now defunct and this is not the exact model of my boat, but it is close. The middle model, the 1415, is pretty much exactly the same configuration. The actual model number is the TR-14:






I stripped most of the stuff it came with off immediately:






Look at all those "goodies!" This thing had been sitting for a year unused, and it had no water in it when I picked it up, that said, everything on this was still rotted:






I was still in the process of stripping everything, and it had rained the night I picked it up after we went to bed. The make shift drain plug the previous owner had in was rusted in, so it collected a bit of water that I had to dump. You can see the transom is pretty worn, and it was made from pressure treated ply. Nice! #-o 






It took us a hell of an effort to get that old transom out without taking anything off, and you can see on the left where the previous owners had cut a horrible notch in the gunwale caps to get that one in. Lots of corrosion as you would expect. There was also some damage where the handles were attached because someone decided to weld one of them on. :-k






Yikes. That is hard to look at. I did get all of that off eventually. Okay so with everything stripped and the boat rinsed out, this is what I was looking at:






Not too bad, and leak free as well. The fact it did not leak may have been the most pleasant surprise of the purchase. Originally I had big plans for this boat, decks, storage, mods all the good stuff. I soon came to realize however this boat was very narrow for a 14' boat, unusually narrow and not a great candidate for a bunch of decks and other flare. So I had to rethink what I wanted to do, but the first order of business was getting the seats open and checking out the foam:






I went with cutting the seats open rather than messing with rivets and possibly creating structural issues by removing the seats. I would have probably done it more carefully in hindsight, but they have wooden exterior ply seats going over them anyway sealed with epoxy resin, spar urethane, and oil-based paint. They were originally carpeted, but I removed the outdoor carpeting when I started working on the boat again this summer. Anyway next on the list was getting new foam in. Being the old foam was in such bad shape, filling the seats with closed cell polystyrene would add more flotation as well as give the bench seats a little more rigidity. I just cut it and fit it in as tightly as possible:










It took me a couple of hours to get all 3 seats filled. The next day I fabricated seats from the exterior ply I also used to make the first of two transoms. One of the seats:






Transom:







Being happy with the fit of the seats, I went ahead and had my first experience with epoxy resin. I coated the seats, motor scuff board, and transom twice:






I added some outdoor carpet to the seats since that was what I had available. I thought I had used stainless staples, but when I pulled the carpet off this year, they were all rusted already. Oops!






What came next was the opposite of what I had expected. I figured the seats would need adjusting due to the trapezoidal shapes, and I was sure my transom was a sure fit. However it was quite the opposite. I found myself having trouble getting the transom in behind the brace and side brackets in one piece. Unfortunately I had pre-drilled all of my holes and epoxied the wood. I know that seems brazen but, I didn't make sure the transom fit before preparing it to install permanently because I didn't want to bend the top lip up more than I had to. Well when I did finally get it in, the entire top row of holes did not line up. They were too close however to re-drill. Lesson learned, always make sure everything fits before you go wasting epoxy! At this point I was anxious to get the boat out on the water. So I secured the new seats, and bolted as many spots on the transom that lined up and took her out for a re-splash:






So ends the project for last season as I then spent the rest of the fall on the water. It should be noted I did do some sanding to the outside, but only one side of the hull. Fast forward to July this year when I finally got back to it. Getting the boat prepped for primer and paint was the main focus as well as fabricating a new transom using the old one as a template. Using one of these and a corded power drill I stripped the hull of any residue and rust:

https://www.amazon.com/Dico-541-774-21-Nyalox-Brush-2-Inch/dp/B00004YYD0/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1408410837&sr=8-4&keywords=nyalox+brush

This thing was my savior. Prior to finding it I was using an orbital sander and 120 grit sandpaper. That was fine, but the wheel took the grime off faster and scratched the surface very well for applying zinc chromate primer. I know most people would say something equivalent to 80 grit is too harsh to use on aluminum boats, but I didn't find it to be overly harsh when applying proper pressure. The hardest part of using this wheel was holding the power drill button in. After about a week of wheeling after work for a few hours I had finally cleaned the entire hull:






Lookin' nice! Meanwhile in between wheeling breaks I got the new transom in, used a very hairy make-shift peanut butter (thickened resin) to fill the gaps, and installed my drain pipe:










I decided to leave the outside end unflared due to a lack of flaring tool, and because I kind of liked how it sticks out a little. If it becomes an issue somehow I will cut it and flare the end. The last thing I needed to do before getting it ready for primer was replace a few rusted steel rivets the previous owners must have put it to brace the original oar lock:






Before.






After. I dipped them in 5200 for insurance. Now that all the dirty work was done, it was time to prep the bare metal to get primed. Here is the arsenal of products I used to get it ready for priming:






On the far right is POR15 Metal Prep, which was my phosphoric acid etch:

https://www.amazon.com/POR-15-40201-Metal-Prep-Gallon/dp/B00J594B52/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1408412740&sr=8-2&keywords=por+15+metal+prep

I used Dawn and mineral spirits to degrease the boat first. I went through several rags getting as much residue from wheeling off the boat as possible. After that I rinsed thoroughly with water. I then applied the POR15 with one of the spray bottles and let it soak for 15 minutes before rinsing thoroughly again. After wiping dry it was time for the zinc chromate:






Safety first! This stuff is nasty.






Not bad. I used three cans and got a fairly good cover on the entire hull. The tips of the spray cans were small and my gloves often caused the spray pattern to be interrupted leaving a droplet spray on the boat. This was annoying but eventually I found a method with my thumb that worked better. Well this is where the smooth sailing ended. I let the sit overnight with the zinc chromate drying. It is normally a fast dry but I fully submit that the working conditions were borderline. Let anyone reading this be aware that if you should paint or primer in non-optimal working conditions that this in itself is fine, but be patient and give the coat more time to dry! The next day I came back about 16 hours later and attempted to paint which led me to a headache and this mess:






My problem was three part, first as previously stated the working conditions were borderline by the can instructions and I should have let it dry longer. Second I am not sure if my boat was completely dry after wiping it down with rags post rinse from the acid etch. It was a cooler day so I did not have the hot sun to aid in drying the hull. Lastly I had left outside over night which did cause some condensation to form on part of the hull and run down each side. A simple, but dumb mistake. All in all these can be attributed to the same issue which was my own impatience. I have been fighting the weather for two weeks now and just wanted to get the boat painted ASAP. Well when you put as much time in to something as this, rushing through anything to get it done is never a good idea. Take it from my mistakes.

Now the good news is I only lost a day of work. Saturday I cleaned up the mess, scraped and sanded all the loose paint, and gave the whole thing a good sanding to ensure anything cracked or loose primer was removed. That night was an impromptu trip to Lowes which had me buying two cans of Rustoleum self-etching primer. I had already spent $50 on three cans of zinc chromate and could not afford to buy more, or wait for my source to open Monday. I also picked up some new lumber for my trailer bunks that was NOT treated. The previous owner was completely oblivious to concept of keeping treated lumber away from aluminum. My plan is to fabricate flat top bunks using 2x4s, and 1x6s. I will then attach 1x6 PVC board to the top of the 1x6 planks rather than carpet the bunks.

Sunday morning was re-prepping any bare aluminum. I degreased again, and rinsed the boat off. I had the hot sun on my side this time, however I needed to run to the local hardware store so I let the boat sit out to dry while I ran errands. I decided I wanted to add a base coat non-etch primer for the paint. The local hardware store didn't have a latex exterior primer that suited my needs, so I ended up with a gallon of this:

https://www.rustoleum.com/product-catalog/consumer-brands/zinsser/primer-sealers/cover-stain-oil-base-primer/

I asked the guy at the hardware store to tint it for me, but he said it was too full so instead he gave me an entire can of green tint for free. I've never tinted before, but was hoping for the best. When I got home the boat was bone dry. I was ready to use the metal prep again but this time before the acid etch I took isopropyl alcohol soaked rags and wiped down the entire boat. This pulled even more of the primer off that did not get a good adhesion. To be honest I think it was _still_ drying over 24 hours later. With the boat now clean again I applied the two cans of self etching Rustoleum primer as a spot prime. It had seemed to dry much quicker than the chromate since the working conditions were far better, and the boat was 100% dry. I wasn't taking any risks however so I coated the bunk lumber in spar urethane and put the boat in the garage for the evening:






As you can see it was quite the full house. I also decided to re-coat the seats with epoxy resin, 3 coats of spar urethane and then painted them with one of the Duralux paints I had purchased to do camo. Since I bought seats this year I didn't see a need to carpet them as much as seal them well.

Yesterday I flew home from work to check on the drying of the primer. Everything seemed to adhere well and I decided to do a quick sand before mixing up the Zinsser primer. The sanding went much better as the primer stuck almost everywhere very well. I degreased it again and wiped it clean, and then mixed up the primer. This stuff is thick! Also because of it being white, adding green pigment made the primer a horrible teal color, but I still figured a shade of green was better than white for a dark green topcoat. A half-a-gallon of primer and two coats later, this was the result:






It may not look like much, but the coat is thick, and it hardened quickly. Today after work it will be time to try the Duralux paint again, hopefully this time with more success.


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## lckstckn2smknbrls (Aug 19, 2014)

I love the primer it's just ugly enough. lol Peanut buttering the transom on an aluminum boat is not necessary and it will probably crack and break up very soon.


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## Ail (Aug 19, 2014)

[url=https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=363778#p363778 said:


> lckstckn2smknbrls » 19 Aug 2014, 11:39[/url]"]I love the primer it's just ugly enough. lol Peanut buttering the transom on an aluminum boat is not necessary and it will probably crack and break up very soon.



Yeah I did notice that in some spots it held very well but others are flaking and cracking already. I imagine after a few trips to the lake it will loosen. Oh well, more learning experiences. :mrgreen:


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## Ail (Aug 19, 2014)

Today was the big payoff as I finally got the actual paint on the boat. I ended up going with the Duralux Aluminum Boat Green after tons and tons of deliberation over not only how to paint the boat, but what with. I am glad I went with this particular paint for several reasons, but the main one has to be how thick, and solid it feels once it hardens. At $80.00 a gallon this paint was definitely worth it. I went above and beyond with my preparations, but I wouldn't doubt you can just slap this paint on bare aluminum without any etching primer, or base primer. I only used a quarter of the gallon to get one coat on the boat:






Even with how bright my primer was, one coat was enough to cover most of it. A second coat should be more than enough to give the boat a solid and thick finish. It took me as long to get one coat on tonight as it did to get both coats of primer on yesterday. Tomorrow I will get the second coat on, and touch up any areas that the foam roller could not get in. One thing I would change next time, is I would get a cheap spray gun and apply my paints that way. Rolling on was okay, and better than brushing, but still not quite as polished as I'd like. I also spent quite a bit of money of rollers, far more than I would have on a cheap spray gun. These thicker paints and primers seem to gunk up the rollers and start losing nap, or ripping foam quicker.


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## Ail (Aug 21, 2014)

Nothing really to update here, the weather has sucked the past few days so I have let the first coat of paint have an extended cure time. Where the paint has hardened completely it is very strong and I cannot dent it with my nail, some places I can still put my nail in to the paint slightly. I am going to attempt a roll and tip on the second coat to get rid of the paint blips that do not settle. I have a feeling I may not be able to as this paint seems to flash rather quickly as I am rolling it on. I could try Petrol, but additives are not reccommend by the paint can. 

The only thing I have done in two days is coat the trailer bunk boards and planks with spar urethane for the third time. I have been thinking more about decking, and what I would like to use to fabricate the frame. Aluminum is pretty cheap online and I really don't need too much, however I saw usplastic.com sells PVC angle and PVC square tube that is also relatively cheap. Has anyone ever used PVC tubing to build a frame and how durable or sturdy do you think it will be? I don't want to use wood because I would be compelled to seal all of it in epoxy resin, an expensive endeavor, and I don't want to use anything that will rot or corrode. It is pretty much aluminum or a plastic of some kind for my frame. PVC seems to be the only cheap option for plastics, I am just not sure it will be structurally sound enough to be standing or sitting on.

Any thoughts?

https://www.usplastic.com/catalog/item.aspx?itemid=23658


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## soccertoad20 (Aug 21, 2014)

I'm debating on what to frame my boat with as well. I was pointed to https://www.onlinemetals.com/ for pretty cheap aluminum angle. I'm thinking of getting 1.25" x 1.25" x 1/8" thick. I actually need quite a bit. I was going to order 20, 8' sections, so about $255. I'll have 2-3 extra pieces just in case I screw up. Even the smallest PVC tube is over $13 per 8'. Plus I would think it would be more difficult and more expensive to bolt to the PVC. You would have to get bolts long enough through both walls of the tube because you can't hold a nut anywhere other than at the very end of the tubes. The aluminum will also be much stronger. I would imagine the only advantage of the PVC is weight savings.


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## Ail (Aug 21, 2014)

[url=https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=364086#p364086 said:


> soccertoad20 » 21 Aug 2014, 21:27[/url]"]I'm debating on what to frame my boat with as well. I was pointed to https://www.onlinemetals.com/ for pretty cheap aluminum angle. I'm thinking of getting 1.25" x 1.25" x 1/8" thick. I actually need quite a bit. I was going to order 20, 8' sections, so about $255. I'll have 2-3 extra pieces just in case I screw up. Even the smallest PVC tube is over $13 per 8'. Plus I would think it would be more difficult and more expensive to bolt to the PVC. You would have to get bolts long enough through both walls of the tube because you can't hold a nut anywhere other than at the very end of the tubes. The aluminum will also be much stronger. I would imagine the only advantage of the PVC is weight savings.



Yeah you're right, the aluminum is pretty cheap there, and if you only order two or less of any size you don't even pay a cutting fee. I think I could get by with 2 x 8', 2 x 6', and maybe a couple of the smaller ones. It's probably best to just go with the aluminum and know that what I did is structurally sound, and will last.

Damn man, you do need a lot. That's some serious framing you have planned. :mrgreen: I may add more framing/storage over time, but right now I just want to add a little dry storage so I can keep some stuff in the boat I normally hang in the garage after a day on the water. I am also reluctant to drop too much more money on this boat since I paid $700 for the package and have invested over $1000 probably since on repairs, mods and goodies.


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## soccertoad20 (Aug 21, 2014)

If that's all you need I would stick with aluminum. Better pay a few extra now and know you have something proven versus trying to save a few now and risk having to redo it again in the near future. What's the quote...penny smart dollar foolish...

I'm with you on the budget. I spent $750 on my 18' boat. Sold my old 12' for $450 and a utility trailer I didn't need anymore for $450. I needed to get a new boat trailer. I have a length limit for my garage so I had to get a swing away tongue plus I got a bit heavier duty trailer to get a higher max weight capacity for when I do some real upgrading (6 hp motor to a possible 70 hp) and include all my gear. I was getting too close for my comfort on the lower capacity trailer. That was $1500. Now I get to add the aluminum frame, plywood, stain/sealer, hull primer/top coat, and hardware costs as well. And I'm ordering different tools as I need them as well, but that's more of a long term investment I can use on future projects.


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## Ail (Aug 21, 2014)

[url=https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=364093#p364093 said:


> soccertoad20 » 21 Aug 2014, 22:02[/url]"]If that's all you need I would stick with aluminum. Better pay a few extra now and know you have something proven versus trying to save a few now and risk having to redo it again in the near future. What's the quote...penny smart dollar foolish...
> 
> I'm with you on the budget. I spent $750 on my 18' boat. Sold my old 12' for $450 and a utility trailer I didn't need anymore for $450. I needed to get a new boat trailer. I have a length limit for my garage so I had to get a swing away tongue plus I got a bit heavier duty trailer to get a higher max weight capacity for when I do some real upgrading (6 hp motor to a possible 70 hp) and include all my gear. I was getting too close for my comfort on the lower capacity trailer. That was $1500. Now I get to add the aluminum frame, plywood, stain/sealer, hull primer/top coat, and hardware costs as well. And I'm ordering different tools as I need them as well, but that's more of a long term investment I can use on future projects.



Tools are always a good investment! I only had to buy a rivet tool and a few accessories. Otherwise I borrowed tools from my father's vast collection. If I had bought my own I would need a second job to fund this project.


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## Ail (Aug 24, 2014)

Today was the first nice day since last Monday, it was about 80 and low humidity finally. I got the second coat on pretty early:






That is much closer to the actual color than the dark green seen in previous photos. I like it. A second coat still wasn't enough as a few small places still didn't get enough paint in the various dings, nicks and other scars. So I decided to do a third coat as well. The hull heated up so much that by the end of the second coat the paint was flashing very quickly. This also helped speed up drying so I could get the third coat down:






Can't tell the difference in the pictures really. My plan now is too let this harden most of the week since it will be nice until the weekend. I did try to roll and tip the final coat, but it was just not going well with this particular paint. I'm okay with the paint on this not being perfect as long as it sticks. This is my first boat and there will be more. Overall I think it looks like a fishing jon boat probably should. Tuesday or Wednesday after it has had some time to harden I will start attaching hardware, put the seats back in, and work on the new bunks. I'm not sure my idea of PVC moulding board is going to work. It doesn't seem as slick as Id like it to be. People on other forums have said they have used the same stuff successfully, but I'd like to find another alternative.

Around Thursday I'd like to have it ready to take out on the lake after work. We'll see how that goes and plan to start painting the inside.


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## Ail (Aug 25, 2014)

So today I hastily decided that I wanted to turn the boat over while it continued to harden and paint the gunwales. I was bereft of etching primer so I ran to the auto store and picked up 4 cans of the Duplicolor self-etching primer right after work. I won't need 4 for the rest of the boat, but a little extra won't hurt to have around. It took me about a third of a can to get a good coat on the gunwales, and caps. While it was drying I decided I was also going to go right to the first coat of Duralux paint, and skip the second primer which I used on the sides. I actually think this worked out better than my original plan which involved the zinc chromate, regular primer, and then the Duralux topcoat.






No sliding or removal of the primer this time when applying the Duralux paint. The Duplicolor etching primer dried super fast and stuck. I was really happy with the result despite sort of making a last minute decision to primer and paint the gunwales today. Tomorrow I will add a second coat and I am pretty sure that's all these will need as opposed to the hull which needed 3. After the second coat for the gunwales I will be about out of my gallon of the Duralux paint. I am thinking of using the alpine green colored Duralux paint I bought for camo purposes to do the inside of the boat for a lighter contrast. I will need more than a quart however. While letting the paint dry in the sun I was also playing with my fly rod:






I'm still learning how to use that. :mrgreen: 

On another note my friend is the CEO for a Swedish based sticker company's stateside operations so I asked him to fabricate some boat letters up for me that I designed. I found the image of the octopus on Google in black and white, so I colored it and then added my own font and this was the result:






I think they came out pretty good. Hopefully they'll look as good on the boat itself. Lastly I sucked it up and ordered Atwood bunk carpeting and rustproof stainless staples. I did not like the extruded PVC board even if I did apply a silicone spray to them to help make them more slick. I'll probably get the new bunks together tomorrow when the carpet arrives.


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## Ail (Aug 26, 2014)

One step forward, two steps back. So today my bunk supplies arrived but so did something else unexpected. I got home from work and started getting ready to put the second coat on to the gunwales and end caps. I went inside to open my packages containing the bunk carpeting and heard screaming coming from my backyard, when I got outside I was greeted by this:






Yeah, that white Jeep on the right is mine. Some ding dong kid came flying through FOUR yards, including ours and t-boned my Jeep, spinning it in to the woods. No one was hurt, but my boat was not far away and I could have been easily standing in close proximity to the accident. After walking outside and seeing the boat was unharmed, I was relieved, but then the reality hit me that my only vehicle I own able to tow the trailer, is my Jeep! I am not 100% sure, but I am almost certain the damage is enough to total it. The worst part is I paid $3000.00 for this Jeep 4 years ago and it has been worth every penny, a wonderful used vehicle. The chances of me replacing it with the money I get from this are next to none.





















By the time all the insurance claims are filed and everything is settled, it will be well in to the fall, by the time I replace the vehicle it could easily be winter. So it suffices to say that I will not be getting this boat out on the water this year, which is a real let down considering all the work and money I have put in to it the past month. Perhaps if I can get a rental vehicle with a hitch, there is a chance, but I am not counting on it.

I decided to continue working on the boat regardless of the circumstances and put the second coat on, and carpeted the bunks:






I was happy with the way they came out, and will finish assembling them this week sometime. I guess the upside is I now have much more time to work on everything else I'd like to do to the boat without trying to finish up the painting so I can get it out on the water. In the end though I am still pretty bummed about the whole situation.


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## Y_J (Aug 26, 2014)

Now that really sux bad. Any other vehicles that could possibly accept a tow hitch? Maybe luck will smile on you and the insurance stuff will go FAST. Oh and don't forget the property damage of your yard as well...


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## Ail (Aug 26, 2014)

My girlfriend only has a little VW Golf, so we're not going to be adding any hitches to that. :mrgreen: 

We are definitely including property damage to the lawn and driveway although it is minor.


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## acabtp (Aug 27, 2014)

[url=https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=364583#p364583 said:


> Ail » Yesterday, 22:18[/url]"]My girlfriend only has a little VW Golf, so we're not going to be adding any hitches to that. :mrgreen:


that's silly, why not?
i watched a golf launch a 18' catamaran at lake hopatcong yesterday... your tin would be no problem for it.
they tow with cars like that all the time in europe. it's only over here that everyone thinks you need a V8 to get your boat to the launch.


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## lckstckn2smknbrls (Aug 27, 2014)

I have a hitch on my '07 Prius.


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## Ail (Aug 28, 2014)

[url=https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=364622#p364622 said:


> acabtp » 27 Aug 2014, 09:56[/url]"]
> 
> 
> [url=https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=364583#p364583 said:
> ...



I have no problem with the idea, and I am sure the vehicle is capable, but she is particular about her car and there is a pretty low chance she'd want to be using it to tow and launch the boat. Not to mention that's one more thing I'd have to buy and pay for because some buttwad kid busted up my Jeep. Ideally yes, I would put a hitch on a Golf if it were mine and it was my only option to launch a boat. Besides, my Jeep was a only a 6!


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## Ail (Aug 28, 2014)

Okay so despite all the chaos and nonsense surrounding my car I've continued to work on the boat and trailer. Yesterday was bunk day and I got the entire thing assembled and on the trailer. It seats perfectly between the two flat top bunks, and at first I wasn't sure it would make it. In the end I am happy with how they came out:











So that's one more thing off the list. Tomorrow I will put the handles on as the paint seems to be pretty hard at this point. Then it is on to finishing up the inside.


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## Ail (Aug 30, 2014)

I got the inside primed yesterday, but forgot to take a picture. No painting today since it is raining all day tomorrow, and pretty humid. Aside from maybe adjusting my trailer, work has ceased until Tuesday or Wednesday, weather depending.

On the car front, they gave me a Hyundai Sonata. I tried to get something with a tow package, but they told me I'd have to pay the difference for the compact SUV or whatever Enterprise had equipped with one. To me this is ridiculous since my now smashed Jeep could tow things, so my rental should be able to as well without me paying for that luxury. Oh well, I guess.


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