# 1989 Alumacraft Lunker LTD / 1990 Highway trailer



## Pector55 (Sep 9, 2019)

I recently decided to sell my comfortable 2013 Apex Quest 716 fishing pontoon and pick up a project.

Goals: Most good fishing lakes in the area are electric only and I can't really get my pontoon into them. Even if I could, a pontoon isn't as much fun with an electric motor on a windy day. I also want to be able to take my 85 yr old step-father fishing more places and since he is more of a still, worm fisherman vs. a lure slinger, there are better places I can get him if I had a different type of boat. Finally, I have a big ole Newfoundland and Golden retriever and I live 10 min from a local state park lake. A different boat would make it easier to get them out for a swim more frequently.

For $1000 I picked up a 1989 Alumacraft Lunker LTD and a 1990 Highway trailer. Both have seen better days but to be honest, it came with 2 marine batteries, a Motoguide 55# bowmount trolling motor, a Minn Kota 55# transom mount trolling motor, a Hummingbird 535 fish finder and a really nice Helix 5 with GPS and SI. I felt like the accessories alone made the deal and I loved the size of the boat. The boat has a working livewell and bilge pump as well so I have some decent things to start.

The seller had used the boat for crabbing and fishing. He drilled 5/16" holes in the side and mounted wood casting decks in the front and rear and covered the bolts with a rubbery stuff to seal them. My plan is to remove the casting decks and open up the center of the boat for more room. I'll put 2 pedestal seats inside so my step father doesn't get dizzy fishing off a deck. I really don't want him falling in, especially when I get him out early for crappy. I also love the idea of more room for the pups to lay and I think it will take more effort for both dogs to jump in on their own if they have to go up and over vs a jump off the deck. 

I just got started on the project. I'll add a post by day so you guys can tell me what to look out for and offer up your suggestions.


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## Pector55 (Sep 9, 2019)

DAY 1

I want to start with the trailer so Saturday evening I determined that the best way for me to get this pig off the trailer was to back it up under my deck (onto the patio) mount eyelets into the studs of my deck (supported by 6x6s) and use ratcheting tie downs to lift the boat off the trailer. This worked like a champ.
I did not want to leave all that weight suspended and I wanted the bow higher so the water would drain so I picked up 2 saw horses to support the weight off the back and I'm taking my cherry picker around today to hold up the front.


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## Pector55 (Sep 9, 2019)

Day 2: Trailer work / evaluation / strip down

So to kick things off I wanted to dig into the trailer. I knew it was old but why dump work into a boat, only to haul it on an unsafe trailer. I started pulling parts and looking at them with the end goal of clearing the trailer, wire wheeling it down and then spraying it. I have automotive paint to do the job (primer, base, flake, and clear).

*Electric*: 
This was a mess. Not even sure where to start other than I just decided to wipe that slate clean and redo it all. I've never seen so many wire nuts and yellow tape. I found an orange bungie and when I removed it, the bracket that had the right rear tail light came off. hmm, not my style so let's just do a clean redo on all lighting. Side markers were not hooked up and the lenses were brittle so those got pulled as well.









*Wheels / tires / bearings*: 
Great news here. The tires look new, the wheels just need painted, and the bearings were good (adding bearing buddies anyway)



*Hitch/Winch/Jack:*
I didn't like the rust on any of of these and since these and the safety chains are so important, I'm just replacing them all. 





*Bunks:*
So this part got interesting. When I got the boat, I noticed the bunks did not even touch the boat. They were probably about 6" away from the boat on each side. As I got to looking at how they were mounted, I realized why. These were clamped on to the sides with U-bolts and they have no way to be functional. I'm removing the carpeted wood bunks and remounting all 4 pieces (covering with PVC) where there are cross supports. That will serve as both guides and actually center the vhull as it goes on. The weight of the boat will be supported on the center rollers and horizontal bunks.







*Leaf Springs:*
Finally, I noticed that the leaf springs were 1000lb springs on a 2x2 axle so I'm thinking it's the 1750lb? But the problem I saw was that there was only a single, rusted out diagonal ubolt holding the rusty leaf springs on. I decided to get a new clamp kit and replacement springs. 

I am hoping to start wire wheeling this evening so I can get paint on her Wednesday.


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## Slimcowboy1978 (Sep 9, 2019)

Nice looking boat. Can’t wait to see more of it


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## Pector55 (Sep 10, 2019)

*Day 3 - 7* will be minimal work since it's only a few hours after work.

Monday night I pulled off 3 rollers and ordered replacements. I noticed that when the boat rests on the bunks, the rollers were not even touched so when I put the boat back on the new trailer, I will adjust to make sure the rollers are in play. Because only the front 2 rollers were being hit, they were badly worn.

I also unbolted the rusted out ubolts holding the axle to the leaf springs. These were pretty bad and I want to paint the axle so removing the hardware was necessary. New leaf springs are in the garage and I'm awaiting the replacement hardware with 2 ubolts per side instead of this single ubolt setup that was on there.

The goal for Tuesday night is wire wheeling the entire trailer to prep for paint on Wednesday night. It's supposed to rain on Thursday so I would love to get the painting done Wed.


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## Pector55 (Sep 10, 2019)

Day 4 - Evening, I addressed the bunks. The two on the sides were not mounted right to begin with and to top it off, one 2x4 was rotted. I decided that rather than replace the 2x4 and buy carpet to wrap it, I removed the side bunks and just measured the width of the boat at the bottom. Based on this, I remounted the rails on the solid cross bars of the trailer and I'll cover them with PVC to serve as guide rails. I love having these when loading the boat on a windy day and they also really help to see your trailer when backing up to the ramp. These are now bolted on solid vs the crazy ubolt solution that was on there originally.

Don't mind the axle setting up there. I'm trying to get the bolt out of the slipper leaf spring so I can replace those. I was hoping to get those out tonight but after whacking the bolt with a 3lb hammer, I may have to resort to burning them out.


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## LDUBS (Sep 15, 2019)

Pector55 said:


> Monday night I pulled off 3 rollers and ordered replacements. I noticed that when the boat rests on the bunks, the rollers were not even touched so when I put the boat back on the new trailer, I will adjust to make sure the rollers are in play. Because only the front 2 rollers were being hit, they were badly worn.



Might be a good thing that the rear rollers are not touching when the boat is fully loaded. IMO, boat resting on bunks (with transom fully supported) and then on forward roller is a good set-up. More rearward rollers are good for centering & protecting bow stem when loading but not so much for carrying a load while going down the road. Having the keel fluke or whatever you callout set on those rear rollers just gives it a couple of hard points to bounce on. Just my opinion. 

I have my side bunks adjusted just under an inch from each side of the hull. I took the time to adjust the trailer bunks so the boat settles right into place making loading easy. I was advised not to set up the side bunks so they are actually touching the hull, because they will tend to start "polishing" the hull as you move down the road. 

Here is another thought about changing out to heavier springs. Your boat is fairly light. I would be concerned about stiffening up the suspension as it would tend to be harder on the boat (more bouncing down the road). I'm not an expert but I did stay at a Holiday Inn. Haha.


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## Pector55 (Sep 15, 2019)

LDUBS said:


> Might be a good thing that the rear rollers are not touching when the boat is fully loaded. IMO, boat resting on bunks (with transom fully supported) and then on forward roller is a good set-up. More rearward rollers are good for centering & protecting bow stem when loading but not so much for carrying a load while going down the road. Having the keel fluke or whatever you callout set on those rear rollers just gives it a couple of hard points to bounce on. Just my opinion.
> 
> I have my side bunks adjusted just under an inch from each side of the hull. I took the time to adjust the trailer bunks so the boat settles right into place making loading easy. I was advised not to set up the side bunks so they are actually touching the hull, because they will tend to start "polishing" the hull as you move down the road.
> 
> Here is another thought about changing out to heavier springs. Your boat is fairly light. I would be concerned about stiffening up the suspension as it would tend to be harder on the boat (more bouncing down the road). I'm not an expert but I did stay at a Holiday Inn. Haha.



That makes a lot of sense on the rollers. I will keep the bunks as they are and rely on the bunks to hold the weight and supply the better friction. Thank you for the input.

For the springs, I got those old bushings burned out so I could get the old ones out. They are slipper springs and I'm just replacing like for like. I believe they are just 1000 lb springs. I'm not an expert on springs either so you probably know more than me with that fancy Holiday Inn stay.


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## Pector55 (Sep 15, 2019)

I got knocked down a peg Thursday afternoon. I was hit with the flu / strep. I'm a guy who sweats very easily but on Thursday afternoon I had to put on sweats and a sweater and sit out on my deck in 95* heat just so I could stop freezing. I am starting to come around but I lost a few days of work. 
While stuck inside I stumbled across my ideal design that I was plotting out for my boat. 

I am leaning toward a hybrid design similar to the new Alumacraft Escape and Summit boats. I don't do fishing tournaments so I don't need near the storage that a lot of the fully decked boats offer. I'm more interested in the open space. 

I want to take my step dad out fishing, take my pups out to the lake, and occasionally I may take the wife and daughter out for a pleasure cruise. I love how clean this is.


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## LDUBS (Sep 15, 2019)

Ouch, sorry to hear about that flu bug. Friend just told me they already got the flu shot for this season. Seemed early to me but after reading your post I might see if my doc has it in yet. 

I like the clean design you are considering, and really they look like they have decent storage. 

Get well.


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## Slimcowboy1978 (Sep 16, 2019)

I have an old Valco 12’ that I’m in the process of making similar to the Summit you posted. Biggest difference in my setup will be the rod locker on starboard side instead of on port side. I fish mostly alone and find my self fishing in the back off the starboard side. I lay my spare go to rod on the starboard side ready to go with either my buzz baits or spinners depending on what the perch are hitting on. My main rod has a trusty night crawler behind a small flasher or dodger. In the bottom of my boat I have about 6 different rods ready to rig with what ever is hot that day. Right now my “livewell” is just a cooler in the front half of my boat. When I do have a passenger they typically sit on the cooler instead of in the front casting seat. 

I guess with all my rambling on and on I’m trying to say that I can’t wait to see how you morph these two boats into your boat. 

I’m watching with great anticipation. Next spring I’m going to start my rebuild on the Valco as I finish off this year fishing, dreaming, and gathering parts.


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## Pector55 (Sep 19, 2019)

Slimcowboy1978 said:


> I have an old Valco 12’ that I’m in the process of making similar to the Summit you posted. Biggest difference in my setup will be the rod locker on starboard side instead of on port side. I fish mostly alone and find my self fishing in the back off the starboard side. I lay my spare go to rod on the starboard side ready to go with either my buzz baits or spinners depending on what the perch are hitting on. My main rod has a trusty night crawler behind a small flasher or dodger. In the bottom of my boat I have about 6 different rods ready to rig with what ever is hot that day. Right now my “livewell” is just a cooler in the front half of my boat. When I do have a passenger they typically sit on the cooler instead of in the front casting seat.
> 
> I guess with all my rambling on and on I’m trying to say that I can’t wait to see how you morph these two boats into your boat.
> 
> I’m watching with great anticipation. Next spring I’m going to start my rebuild on the Valco as I finish off this year fishing, dreaming, and gathering parts.



I've been pretty busy at work but I keep chipping away on mine. While working at home I take breaks to go out back and remove some bolts off the old decking and undo some wires. Right now my focus has mainly been on the trailer

This week I got the entire trailer wire brushed and I went over the entire thing with sand paper. I'm going to go over it one more time but I've been holding off. I decided to go with a KBS coating in black and I expect it to arrive on Friday so on Saturday I'll go over the boat with another sand paper hit, then use their degrease / derust / coating process. After that cures I will go over it with an automotive top coat in black, then clear coat it. In the meantime, I have torn down the wheel bearings and removed the seal and races to replace those. I figure if I'm going to build a boat, it should sit on a safe trailer. 
Tonight I'm hitting up Lowes for some replacement hardware (stainless nuts and bolts) and some 2x4s to build a couple beams to set the boat on. I want the boat set down so I can get inside it to gut it this weekend.

Wheel hubs stripped down - awaiting the 1" straight axle bearing / race / seal kit. 
I also have 2 new slipper springs on the way. I picked up 2 from Tractor Supply but they are only 24.5" and I needed 30". I should have measured. 
I expect to have the trailer painted and the boat gutted by Monday so hopefully you will see more progress


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## Pector55 (Sep 20, 2019)

Well, I power washed the trailer one more time, then hit it with another sanding. Today my KBS coating arrived so I went out over a long lunch hr (or 2) and did the degreaser / rinse, rust stop / rinse, then the sun and breeze dried it pretty quickly so I put on a coat of the their rust stop coating. I'm pretty excited at how much better it looks already. I have to allow this to cure and then I can hit it with the automotive base coat, clear coat in gloss black. 

Not bad for a 1990 trailer.


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## LDUBS (Sep 20, 2019)

*"Not bad for a 1990 trailer."
*

Shoot, it already looks like a new trailer. Nice job.


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## Pector55 (Sep 21, 2019)

LDUBS said:


> *"Not bad for a 1990 trailer."
> *
> 
> Shoot, it already looks like a new trailer. Nice job.



Ha! Thanks. I knew I did a decent job on the prep because it's Friday and my back is still hurting. lol


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## Pector55 (Sep 21, 2019)

After work I got ahead of myself and installed my new leaf springs, jack, and hitch. I started planning out the trailer wiring install but then stopped. The KBS Rust stop is not a final coat because it does not offer UV protection. I now need to scuff it all with 320 later today or tomorrow and then spray my base/clear. 

On today's agenda, I'm building beams from 2x4s and lowering the boat onto them so I can get in and finish gutting the boat. I will give the coating another day to cure before touching that again.
I got my new wheel bearings and races so I'll install those and clean up the wheels a while today as well.


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## Pector55 (Sep 21, 2019)

I have a question for those who have patched holes. Basically, the previous owner had drilled holes in the hull to mount framing for wooden decks. He then coated these bolts on the outside, with some rubbery substance to seal them.

I have quite a few 5/16" holes in the upper to mid section of my hull. What is the recommended / best method to seal them up before I paint the boat.
1. I have 1/4 rivets that doe not leave the hole in the center, and I have rivet washers. I was thinking of using these with the 3M 5200 sealant.
2. I have seen people also use the Muggyweld aluminum alloy brazing rods. I have no problem doing this either. 

Both solutions seem to work but just looking for personal experiences or recommendations before I start that work next week. I like the permanent aspect of the Muggyweld and it seems like the better option below the waterline.


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## Pector55 (Sep 21, 2019)

I put in all new races and bearings today. I set them aside and set the dust covers on top until I'm done painting the trailer. Then she gets bearing buddies.





I cleaned up the trailer wheels. The back sides were horribly coated in grease from the old seals allowing it to sling everywhere so I guess that protected the paint. Once I got the wheels all cleaned up, I'm set those aside.. not touching them.





Went around back to build beams out of 2x4s, then cut my new ratcheting tie downs to the right length. Now I'm going to slowly let the boat down to set on the soft pine 2x4s so I can get in and gut the boat. If you guys see anything I shouldn't be doing, please yell at me. I'm all ears.





Lastly - she is now on the ground so tomorrow, she gets torn down.


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## Pector55 (Sep 22, 2019)

Got her stripped down. Man, the guy who had it before built the two decks out of very heavy, pressure treated lumber. This boat had to have well over 100lbs of lumber in it. 
Also, I really don't like where the livewell is set up because between the livewell and the rear of the boat, there is a big area where nothing but the water pumps in and the overflow is located. I'm moving that back towards the rear of the boat and I'll set up the batteries toward the middle of the boat. I'll have plenty of space to do it that way. 
Overall, the boat really looks good for the age and I was able to preserve the 3 plywood sheets that were used for the floor. I will use those for templates but I will also be putting foam into the bottom of the boat for sound deadening and to keep the boat from sinking should she take on water.

Huge, heavy front deck




Boat with Front deck out - I found the rear deck was bolted into the aluminum storage compartments so I had to saw the wool along the sides so I could unbolt those.




Here is a picture of the flooring - I drilled out all the rivets and preserved those 3 sheets to use as a template. I would really like to figure out how to make the new floor as seamless as possible.




Coast Guard tag - she can hold a lot!



Gutted - pretty clean and I can see where the seats were originally. I will take advantage of that.



This is what I'm talking about with the livewell. I will scrub that tank but I want to get rid of the stock aluminum, move the tank to the back and not have that space just be consumed by 2 hoses. What a waste. That wasn't my beer can in there but I laughed when I uncovered it, thinking "that explains the uses of all that heavy pressure treated lumber'.
Also, see the storage on the back right side. It doesn't seem to be well designed so I may just cut that out and redo it.
NOTE: If you look more closely at those two rear spaces, you can see that they used to be filled with foam. After realizing this, I am thinking that maybe I'll keep the back corners for foam but I may shorten them up to be 1 cubic foot or so each side, then try to put sheets of cut foam on the bottom, under the floor.


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## Pector55 (Sep 24, 2019)

I coated my new hitch last night so tonight I'll scuff the entire trailer with 320 grit and depending on time either do final paint and clear on the trailer tonight or tomorrow night. Either way, the trailer should be done by end of week.

In the meantime I have been playing with the design ideas for the boat. My plan at this point is to raise the floor very slightly to allow for a lot of foam. I'm going to do an all aluminum grid with flat aluminum, brazing cut pieces of aluminum square tubing as supports to make it all level. I will put sheet foam under this but also frame several vertical areas for pour foam. I'm just trying to be safe and have this thing unsinkable since I'll be hauling some who can't swim and probably going out early spring and late fall for some colder water fishing.

I am still considering just tearing out all of the existing framed livewell and framed storage and building it all from scratch so I can move the livewell closer to the rear. I can move batteries up closer to the middle of the boat so I don't have all of the weight in the back. Most of the time, this is going to be electric only so no gas tank or heavy motor on the transom.

Red is where I'm thinking of vertical pour foam.


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## dearl (Sep 24, 2019)

Ambitious build....I like it. Now that the slate is clean its easier to visualize what you want. Lots of room in that little boat, options are endless. Keep weight balance in mind during the design.


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## Pector55 (Sep 24, 2019)

dearl said:


> Ambitious build....I like it. Now that the slate is clean its easier to visualize what you want. Lots of room in that little boat, options are endless. Keep weight balance in mind during the design.



Thank you for the feedback. I'm very open to hearing all of it from you more experienced guys. I've been thinking about the weight and if I move the livewell back a bit, how that would add to the rear so I was considering moving both batteries forward midway. 

Part of me considers that if I don't have a gas motor on, she will be much lighter than designed in the rear but eventually, I will probably run a 9.9 to 20 on her so I need to plan ahead and not be trying to move exposed batteries around while on the water. Running a dedicated trolling motor on one side and a dedicated accessory battery on the other, sounds like a decent idea and I can't see any drawbacks to it. That space in the rear can just hold a nice stow for tackle.

My biggest concern is the 275 lbs of dogs that will insist on sitting on my lap!  

Before I get to all of that I have to patch some holes in the side. From what I'm reading, I can use solid rivets and 3M 5200 above the waterline but I also picked up some Muggy Weld. I may go with rivets on the hull and save the brazing rods to attach the aluminum supports.


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## dearl (Sep 25, 2019)

Even at 20 Hp that's not a lot of horsepower to lift and hold a lot of weight, keep in mind a motor has to lift and hold nose weight in order to plane the hull. If it cant you get what's called porposing. The nose will raise and lower on its on at speed trying to plane. Keep your heaviest weight in the stern, mid weight center, and lighter stuff in the bow. You can get away with some heavier stuff in the bow, a battery or fuel tank, but not much over that.

My jet Boat has 2 group 29 batteries, and a 20 gallon permanent fuel tank in the nose, I built it this way to balance the boat at idle, not speed due to idling shallow rock shoals. My hull still planes out nice with me standing at the bow and will run 36 mph emtpy, but I have 90 horses pushing mine. Just a comparison of horsepower to weight.


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## Pector55 (Sep 25, 2019)

dearl said:


> Even at 20 Hp that's not a lot of horsepower to lift and hold a lot of weight, keep in mind a motor has to lift and hold nose weight in order to plane the hull. If it cant you get what's called porposing. The nose will raise and lower on its on at speed trying to plane. Keep your heaviest weight in the stern, mid weight center, and lighter stuff in the bow. You can get away with some heavier stuff in the bow, a battery or fuel tank, but not much over that.



Definitely makes sense and I could see how the porposing would make for some uncomfortable rides. 

The only boat I have ever had that could plane was my old Bass Tracker. It had a 25hp on it so sprayed the cover in a matte black and bought old decals in 20 so I could use it on my local lake with the 20hp limit. That boat was really heavy and I suspect it may have had water logged foam in it but she still got up to around 20-22. I'm used to just plowing along at 5-9 mph with my old jon and pontoon.  The HP I end up with will depend on price point since I only actually hit that lake a couple times a year and it's just not that big. I just like the huge population of white perch in that lake (evasive) and I go at will to stock up for a fish fry. You find the school and do a 1-2 mph troll through them with a worm harness and pull them out left and right.

I'm going to be doing the electric motors 90% of the time so I like your idea of balancing while idling.

I really like your framing.. looks very sturdy and well done.


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## Pector55 (Sep 26, 2019)

Quick update from last night - Trailer is finished.
I hit it Tuesday night with base coat and clear
Wednesday night I installed the new jack, installed new submersible LED lights and side markers, new winch, and put on the rebuilt hubs with bearing buddies. I also put on the new springs with better mounts. 
I replaced a couple rollers too. She isn't perfect but for a 1990, she looks good IMO. To be honest I'm sort of bummed that she shows off how bad my truck is now (old 2003 Dakota).

I added a pic of the original for comparison. Now it's time to start focusing on the boat!


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## sss (Sep 26, 2019)

Trailer looks great man! You’re making great progress, keep at it


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## Pector55 (Sep 27, 2019)

I've been struggling with how I'm doing the floor, foam, and frame but here is where I am headed. Please let me know if there are flaws in it.

1. Using the old subfloor plywood as a template, cut new 3/8" plywood and start sealing it. I have been flip flopping on fiberglass resin or just paint. After reading a lot of the threads on this site, it appears a good SPAR paint will do the trick just fine if I put on several coats. I want to get this started soon so I can work while these big pieces are drying.

2. I was going to build an aluminum skeleton and lay the board on but I got to thinking that since I want foam, I will simply fill the bottom of the boat with foam. I have 2 gal on the way and I don't feel like 8 cubic feet will do the entire bottom of the vhull so I'm thinking of getting the closed foam sheets to put down first, lay the floor over top, cut in a hole and pour in foam. After pouring in the foam, I can use small piece of wood across the round piece that came out of the hole, to screw the hole back over. I'm hoping that the foam will push itself outward, toward the edge of the wood and hull to force water to stay on the deck and drain towards the back. 
I want the foam to rise up to support the floor and add the floatation. There is a center beam and previously the sub floor had none of this support so I feel as though it will be good.

3. Once the floor is secure over the foam, I will have a good base to start mounting my 1/16" aluminum angle for framing everything. WIth only building straight rows of storage, that should be rather simple. I have some ideas on how to keep up the weight savings.

Also, I pulled out the built in existing metal frames last night. They have been pretty worn so I don't believe I will use them. I pulled out the livewell and found that it is 46" wide but there are places that look like they are designed for partitions. I'm thinking that I may epoxy a piece of plexi in there so I can run with a lot less water and only half that size. I can keep the other side functional but split it off as a live bait well since I like to use fatheads for crappie fishing early Spring. I could add an aerator in that side. I would just have a plug between the two sides to allow me to only fill the bait side when I wanted to use it but save a lot of weight on the livewell. I'm mainly a catch and release fisherman who doesn't do tournaments but I do keep white perch and crappie for eating so I could get away with a 10 gal livewell.


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## Pector55 (Sep 27, 2019)

Went out back over lunch and started pulling the caps off the back to check the transom. Oh boy.. glad I did. It has not rained in over a week but the transom is definitely soft and when I put a screwdriver in it, water pooled up on the top edge. It appears this one isn't terrible to pull out and to be honest, there were parts of the back that I felt needed patched so I'll feel better going ahead and hitting that all at once. I think I will still get the plywood and start on the sub floor and painting so I can work on the transom between coats. I have holes to patch above the water line as well so I'll see how far I can get over the weekend.


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## Pector55 (Sep 27, 2019)

So this evening I got through pulling out the old transom. Tomorrow I'll be picking up plywood for the sub-floor and plywood for the transom. I'll be getting a bunch of fiberglass resin to seal things up and probably picking up a piece of aluminum to reskin the the back too. 

I was at least happy that I was able to pull out the old piece to use as a template. That should save me a ton of time and frustration.


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## dearl (Sep 29, 2019)

Nice progress...One word of caution, if you are dead set on sealing it with fiberglass use epoxy resin. It will cost more up front, but if this is a boat you will have for a long time, use epoxy resin not polyester.

Your plan for the sub-floor sounds like a good one, keep in mind your stringers will all be different lengths and widths, a lot of measuring and double checking before you start cutting, just saying things can get out of whack quick with V-hull stringers.

Foam.....just make sure the channels for the water to drain out the hull are open, and you don't foam yourself into a corner. You can set up a pretty nasty corrosion situation by not allowing the hull to drain. Im dealing with that very thing on my build, its no fun repairing either, very time consuming.


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## CedarRiverScooter (Sep 29, 2019)

Epoxy resin will soak in much better if thinned with Xylol (about 25%).

If you place some PVC pipe at bottom before pouring foam, that can assure good drainage paths. Even better would be to have some non-porous corrugated sheet so the foam doesn't wick up moisture. You can get sheets of that at home supply stores, but it is a bit pricey.


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## Pector55 (Sep 29, 2019)

I have been looking and reading a lot of different posts about how drainage is supposed to work on these Vhulls because the ribs have no way for the water to run front to back. This is the logic behind building a subfloor and packing full of foam, then sealing it to the hull. It would then force the water to run on the deck, to the back of the boat.


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## Pector55 (Sep 29, 2019)

dearl said:


> Nice progress...One word of caution, if you are dead set on sealing it with fiberglass use epoxy resin. It will cost more up front, but if this is a boat you will have for a long time, use epoxy resin not polyester.
> 
> Your plan for the sub-floor sounds like a good one, keep in mind your stringers will all be different lengths and widths, a lot of measuring and double checking before you start cutting, just saying things can get out of whack quick with V-hull stringers.
> 
> Foam.....just make sure the channels for the water to drain out the hull are open, and you don't foam yourself into a corner. You can set up a pretty nasty corrosion situation by not allowing the hull to drain. Im dealing with that very thing on my build, its no fun repairing either, very time consuming.



Rather than sealing with epoxy or fiberglass resin, would coating the wood in Spar Urethane be better? What do you recommend between the 3 and what specific brand? I'm hear to listen to advice. I suspect that once the foam rises and bonds with the wood, it won't be easy to replace so let me know your thoughts.

I have some "Total Boat" epoxy in my Amazon cart if that is good stuff. I have some time because before I put down the floor I am going to redo the seat placement, fix all the old bolt holes in the hull, and paint the inside of the boat. Then I'll put down the treated floor and pour the foam. After that I'll put down the carpet and frame for the sides. I plan on sealing all the screw and rivet holes with 3M 5200.

Yes! The first two boards were pretty easy. I took measurements every foot. I told the wife I was going to measure out the front piece quick and cut it before I cam in to eat. LOL at the word, "quick". Along with the width changing, the lift had things getting frustrating to keep the wood level.


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## lckstckn2smknbrls (Sep 29, 2019)

If you are going to use spar urethane or spar varnish to seal the wood look at using "Old timers formula" 
Your trailer looks good, how old are the tires?


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## Pector55 (Sep 29, 2019)

lckstckn2smknbrls said:


> If you are going to use spar urethane or spar varnish to seal the wood look at using "Old timers formula"
> Your trailer looks good, how old are the tires?



Thanks for the tip. Im open to whatever is suggested. 

The tires looked pretty new.


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## lckstckn2smknbrls (Sep 30, 2019)

There is a 4 digit date code molded into the sidewall of the tires. While the tires look good if they are more than 6 years old you should consider replacing them.


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## dearl (Sep 30, 2019)

Here is the recipe, it makes a lot so half of this recipe should be a gracious plenty....


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## lckstckn2smknbrls (Sep 30, 2019)

A better formula for the Old times is one part boiled linseed oil, two parts mineral spirts, one part spar urethane or spar varnish.
This way you can mix up as much or as little as you need.


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## Pector55 (Oct 2, 2019)

I like that old timers formula. I've done my own painting and I once polished the stock of my M1 Garand with the linseed oil so I'm well aware of the handling of that stuff. lol For giggles, I poured it on a bonnet and used my DA buffer to go over the stock. It made a beautiful finish but I had to stop when the foam pad started smoking. I sort of expected that but the results were well worth having to replace the foam pad. 

I went ahead and picked up Total Boat epoxy to treat the wood. I appreciate all the suggestion. One thing I learned about the epoxy is that if the wood is exposed to sunlight, you have to then coat the wood in a varnish or paint since the epoxy offers no UV protection. I was not aware of that. Fortunately none of mine will be exposed.

I also filled the boat with water last night. After an hour I saw no leaks but I went out this morning and found two small spots on the patio. I am going to pause and apply Gluvit to be safe. I know it's another $50 but I literally have this thing gutted and access to everything so now is the time for the right preventative measures.

The inlaws are visiting this weekend so progress is slow. It's giving me time to plan out the project and figure out remaining needs. For instance, I have a rivet gun and an tool for the end of the drill to do the rivets faster. SOB, neither will take 1/4" rivets that I got to patch the holes above the waterline where the guy previously mounted the deck.


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## Pector55 (Oct 15, 2019)

Have not posted in a while but I've been chipping away. Since my last post I've completed the following:

Got entire hull patched where the old holes were drilled to bolt the wood to the hull with 5/16" bolts.
Remounted the seat braces 
Completely sanded and cleaned the interior
Reinstalled the transom after doing 3 coats of epoxy, then going over the outer edges with some additional epoxy and then E6000. 
When I bolted in the transom I used E6000 on all bolts and washers
I pressed in the two aluminum drain plugs
Epoxied the pitting in the aluminum that covers the transom on both the outside and inside
Painted the interior with Aluma Hawk gray
Managed to carefully flip the boat
Completely sanded down all the paint and epoxy that was dry and brittle on the outside of the boat.

Next up: Rain on Wed, Gluvit on Thurs, then touch up any spots and paint on Saturday.


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## Pector55 (Oct 19, 2019)

Ok, she got sanded (3 days) this week. After that I applied Gluvit and set a heater underneath to keep things warm while it cured on Thursday and Friday. Today (Sat) I sanded down a few spots where the Gluvit ran a little and a couple spots where leaves blew onto the epoxy. Then I blew it all off with the air compressor and then wiped it down in white vinegar.

I rolled the entire hull with Alumahawk (light blue). Then I went over the sides with TotalBoat Topside paint in flag blue. It is so dark, it almost looks black in the picture. Overall, it's a huge difference from when I got her. I sent a picture to the guy I bought it from and he responded a while later saying he didn't know why he got that picture but then he recognized my name and had to look more closely because he did not recognize it as the same boat. lol


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## Pector55 (Oct 21, 2019)

Working from home today so I got the boat flipped back over and during lunch I taped her off and sprayed the top edge that will remain visible once all the interior is installed. It is a Granite Crystal - dark gray metallic that will sparkle in the sun and go well with the scheme.



I also picked up a 15 hp Mariner outboard. With the local gas lakes having a 20 hp limit, I was limited in what I could buy so this was one of the best bang for the bucks. Originally, I was going to use a transom mount electric but I decided that I'm going to pick up a Minn Kota with the i-drive like I used to have. I do a lot of trolling when I do fish so that GPS and navigational setting is really nice. This OB is very light so I'll just leave it on the boat permanently. I may sand down the cowl and spray it in the granite crystal to match, then put on new decals.




I'm going to put bench seats in the rear for when cruising and in the electric only lakes it will work well. I have a tiller extension for when I need to use the OB.


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## Pector55 (Oct 21, 2019)

Here is the progress compare so far.. still a ways to go but looking at this helps me keep plugging away.


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## Pector55 (Oct 27, 2019)

Got a bit more done this week. I had pre-cut the deck a while back and added 3 coats of epoxy to seal it. I mounted the deck this week and got it level. Prior to putting down the deck I put 2" thick styrofoam along the beam down the center and cut each side at a 45* angle so the water channel remained.
I cut holes in the deck, near the hull and filled under the deck with pour foam. I was concerned about the foam pushing up on the outsides of the deck so I cut a 3" strip of wood and coated it with epoxy and ran it up along the outside of the deck to assure if there was any lift, it wouldn't do so in a way that would make my deck uneven.
After pouring, I cut all of the excessive foam that pushed up the outsides, then resealed the trimmed foam with quad foam. Overall, the deck is amazingly solid now, I will have killer floatation and I'm sure the sound deadening will be great. 




*Next up*: carpet, and I have already pre-cut the base to the back seat and added epoxy to that wood.


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## Pector55 (Oct 28, 2019)

Didn't have a lot of time this evening but I did get the deck carpet cut and glued down. I also test fit the livewell in the new spot much more fwd in the boat. 
I decided that rather than attempt to do all the sides in aluminum, I'm going to use quite a few 2x2's. I'm going to go ahead and build it a section at a time so I can build | teardown | epoxy | paint | reassemble in the boat. Then I'll do all the wiring before I finish the last piece of topside carpeting and skin/covers for the sides.


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## Pector55 (Nov 18, 2019)

Update

As the weather got cooler and daylight went away, I loaded the boat on the trailer and pulled it around in front of my garage. I've been working on her as time permits.

I started by building the front top deck, that will serve as the mount for my i-drive trolling motor and electric winch/anchor. I mocked those up and pre-drilled them so I could epoxy the wood and line the holes in the process. 



Then I built the front deck that holds the large tote for storing life vests.



Then I build the rear deck and cut the hatches. This is a thick 20 oz carpet so I have to trim these hatches down even further prior to carpet. I'm also putting some vinyl wrap on the inside so they are still not finished. The two outer hatches have 5 gal totes inside and the center one is just open so I can put in a 3 gal gas tank.



Then I build an all aluminum seat base for my row of bench seats. I mocked them up to see if I got the height right and whether I liked them. These will hinge forward 30" / 17" doors, for storage inside.


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## Pector55 (Nov 18, 2019)

I got out on Sunday and I framed up the livewell side and determined how it will cut back in to the hull and run along the bench seats.
On the other side I framed in the rod locker space and a Plano storage box for lures.
On both sides, I stopped the framing about the same place. From there they cut in 11.5" to where the base aluminum will be about 4.5" from the hull. This will run straight back and attach to the bench seat. My OCD won't allow me not not keep it symmetrical. lol



After that, I framed in a 27x13 area under the front deck. This will be my battery compartment. I should have the holders by Wed and I have a 2 bank charger to mount to the back wall. I figured I better get this part done and get the batteries installed now. I want to do all the wiring before getting too carried away covering up the framing or it may be tough to get to.


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## A Perfect Tin (Jun 15, 2020)

Good looking boat.

Nice job

- A Perfect Tin


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