# My 1986 Alumacraft Classic Deluxe project



## murphy67 (Aug 4, 2016)

A few years back I was given/handed down my dad's 1986 Alumacraft Classic Deluxe w/ a '88 Johnson 70 VRO. My dad bought a new boat back in 2007, and basically had I chose not to restore this boat, it would probably be rotting away up north. Motor was running good last time we used it, boat was solid, no leaks, all electrical worked...only major issue was the rear flooring was getting soft in a few spots, the flooring inside the rod box has rotted away and the carpet was pretty rough in quite a few places and it was just showing signs of being a 30 yr old boat in many other areas...but other than that...it was still a working boat  (and free to boot!!)

After sitting in my moms garage for almost 3 years...I finally pulled the boat out of my moms garage this Memorial day, and the engine fired up after a few turns and then it was time to tuck her away into my garage and start the work.

After a few months of work, things are starting to come together nicely on my boat project so I thought it was time to share some photo's and such with the community who I have learned so much from over the past few years lurking around here.




As you can see the console wood and switch panel had seen better days...




Rear carpet removed..




View of the console and front of boat..




Rear floor piece removed..




Middle floor piece before removal..




After removal..




Last piece of flooring before the casting deck/bow piece..




Removed...




Casting deck removed..




Due to the 10 attachment limit, I will have to post a few threads most likely with all the pics I have... as I took quite a few.


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## murphy67 (Aug 4, 2016)

Part 2 

After getting all the flooring out, took a shop vac to the foam and bottom of the boat to clean it up just a bit..




Next I moved onto the console...




Wheel, switch panel and trim gauge removed..




For the new console I ended up using a piece of King Starboard, really happy with my choice. Here shows the new gauges and switch panel, and steering wheel prior to mounting back on console..




Next it was time to add a fresh coat on the console as it was a bit beaten up over the last 30 yrs.

Before:




After:




I did a bit of routing to the Starboard and then mounted it. Some of the routing did not come out as smooth as I would have wanted...but hey, I am not a professional and was very happy with the overall outcome of the console and such.




Remounted the old locator back to the console, I figure in a year or so I can get something a bit newer...but minus color and GPS and all those bells and whistles..it does what it needs to..and again, was free.




Next up is/was doing a complete re-wiring.

Went with a single Perko main switch and went with 2 bus bars to ensure enough connections for everything i want to wire up. Also re-used a scrap piece of Starboard to mount the bus bars onto.




Well, that will do it for tonight...I have to still load more pics from my Google drive and then I will get a few more pics up tomorrow/this weekend....


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## murphy67 (Aug 5, 2016)

Part 3.

New Bilge installed..




Start of the wiring progress..




New side console light installed and wired..




View from the Bow..




New remote control mount, made from a Poly board..




Remote control re-mounted..




So far that is the majority of the progress I have made.

Next up is to remove old livewell pump, and install new one. I already have it wired, just need remove old and fit new one through hull and seal it with some 5200. I then have a few extras to install and wire up, such as some LED strips for the Bow, and my new stereo and speakers...but that is going to be done after the floor is in. 

I received my carpet adhesive yesterday and my new carpet (went with a 20oz marine carpet) is supposed to arrive today from Overton's, so that will allow me to begin cutting floor templates and sealing them, then lay the carpet and start the floor. I will be taking more pictures along the way.

My hope is to have the floor done by Labor day, as I want to take the boat up north for her maiden voyage as it will allow me a few days in the water to really ensure no major leaks, and to really get a good idea just how good the motor runs. It starts, but not sure if it runs.


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## Ictalurus (Aug 5, 2016)

=D> =D> =D> =D> 

Love this model! Looks like you are doing great!


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## fool4fish1226 (Aug 6, 2016)

Coming along nicely


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## murphy67 (Aug 8, 2016)

Didn't really get alot of time this weekend on the boat, due to kids and such...but did get a few things done so figured I would share:


Remote steering cable was pretty rough at transom:




So I covered it with some self fusing silicone tape:




Next I finished routing the speedometer pilot tube through siderail, and installed the pilot and connected it:




and finally installed the much needed beverage holder to finish the console:





Outside of that, I vacuumed the siderails and splash guard area in prep for flooring...amazing what a little cleaning can do, especially after many years without.




I also was able to get a battery connected to test all of my new wiring finally, and the only issue was that my voltmeter was not working...but after reading about it a bit online today...seems many had the same issue as me with the same one....and turns out the poles in the back are opposite of what they should be...as in, copper pole connector being negative, and silver being positive, where as the USB ports i installed were reversed. Anyways...pretty happy most everything worked right out of the gates.

Hoping to get my wood this week!


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## DaleH (Aug 8, 2016)

Looks great! Free = good, huh???

My only critical complaint, meant as a suggestion or improvement, is to add 1/2" or thicker piece of Starboard where you affixed the items to the hull, then mount them to that piece. Seal/fill in those holes, make the hull water-tight!

You MUST also zinc-chromate/prime aluminum before bedding anything to it, or the tin underneath WILL errode/corrode over time.


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## murphy67 (Aug 8, 2016)

Dale,
Thanks for the reply and advice...I was going to use a extra piece of Starboard for the Speedometer pilot and such...but in the short term...I figured since the existing transducer and speed gauge for the locator have been installed and sealed for many years..that it would be ok to just add those additional holes for the new speedometer pilot then seal it with silicone(or maybe 3M 4200/Marine Goop).

After I get the floor in and confirm the boat/motor run well (hopefully over labor day)....I plan to actually remove and replace the all locator/transducers/speedometer pilot and fill all holes with 5200..and at that point would go starboard piece and make sure all is nice and sealed.

Question:

I have 1/2" and 3/4" extra Starboard...and had planned to go with the 3/4". I was going to dovetail the back and then scuff the hull a bit where I would mount the board and affix it with 5200, but wasnt sure if I should also maybe also put a screw in each corner of the board, thru hull and then seal very well with 5200? Thoughts?

Thanks


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## DaleH (Aug 8, 2016)

I still believe in mechanical attachment w/ Starboard. I made a counterbore where the rivet (from inside) filled up the c'bore, which was then filled w/ 5200. Always 'roughen' up 5200 so there's gouges & stuff for the glue to mechanicly fasten to.


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## murphy67 (Aug 8, 2016)

Thanks for the reply again, much appreciated! I will definitely take all of this info into account when its time to pull all transducers and such from the hull/transom and do it right.


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## murphy67 (Aug 19, 2016)

Made some more progress:

Speaker installed:




Nav/Anchor lights working:




New Horn installed:




Ended up picking up some wood last week, and started making cuts and test fitting them.... then just sealed with Waterseal (2 coats and gave them 48hours to dry...althought technically longer as I have yet to start the carpet)....also gave the Rod box and Front box a fresh coat of paint.

Only have 1 more piece of the floor to cut, then can begin carpet hopefully tomorrow...or into next week.


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## murphy67 (Aug 22, 2016)

Got my last piece of flooring cut out and sealed, and started my carpet....lots more to do this week...as I have less than 2 weeks before the maiden voyage (hopefully..  )

Made a template using building paper










Pre cutting of carpet




Smaller pieces wrapped




Bow piece done


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## misunderstood (Aug 23, 2016)

=D> :beer: Nice work


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## murphy67 (Aug 23, 2016)

Well as of last night I have all the wood covered with carpet which is great as now I know for sure I have enough carpet.

I have not put the adhesive down yet, as I am assuming that due to the 20oz carpet being much thicker than the previous stuff from 30 years ago I will need to make a few adjustment cuts before fully fitting things back into the boat. Once I fit the wood w/ carpet I will remove the carpet from each piece and drill out the hole for the seat post base. Then its adhesive time and relaying the floor.


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## murphy67 (Aug 24, 2016)

Got 2 of the 4 floor pieces in, and confirmed they fit. Other 2 back pieces needed to be trimmed more, and I hope to get those re-fitted tonight. Then just need to drill the seat base holes, and get the adhesive on to finish the carpeting process.


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## murphy67 (Aug 25, 2016)

I ended up getting the front 2 pieces re-laid with carpet and adhesive. (forgot to take pics during the adhesive part as I was in the zone..lol)

I am using Overton's outdoor/marine carpet adhesive for this, and had read mostly positive reviews on it, with one exception being that people said it was a little thinner than they had expected. I agree this stuff is not as thick as I thought it would be, however I don't really have anything else to compare it to and after a bit of time to thicken, it was ok.

Basically after I spread all the adhesive, I gave it about 20 mins to get a bit tacky, and every few mins would re-work the trowel to test how thick it was getting. Then I had my pre-cut carpet laid on the ground face down, and carefully laid the wood onto the carpet. I then secured 2 of the 4 sides with heavy duty staples on the backside, and then flipped the boards and ran a 2x4 across to make sure I had no ripples/bubbles/etc. Then flip it back over and completed securing the other 2 sides. So far so good.

Hoping to finish the floor tonight and then can let the boards sit/cure over the weekend, and try to actually get them in and bolted down early next week. 

I assume when people replace flooring, they are not trying to re-use the same holes in the aluminum ribs....so my thought was to get some 1 3/4" - 2" self tapping SS screws and thus be able to drive those through the carpet, wood, and into the aluminum in 1 pass, without pre-drilling holes and then putting the screws in. 

Any thoughts/quick suggestions would be appreciated.


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## murphy67 (Aug 26, 2016)

Got all the carpet glued down and stapled and ready to be installed last night so figured I would share some of that progress 

I also gave the seat bases a quick fresh coat:


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## murphy67 (Aug 29, 2016)

Finally got the floor fitted, and got the front box put back in and the hatch door on as well:


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## murphy67 (Aug 30, 2016)

Made some more progress last night.

- Got my transom saver installed and fitted (forgot to take a pic, but went with an Attwood Transom Saver)

- Also got my bow "nose" piece finally fitted in, after a few additional cuts were required. The open part is where I will be mounting my 2nd speaker...but do not plan to do that until after labor day weekend.




Then I attached the 2x wood pieces for the Livewell cover:




...and finally got my spare tire cut off the trailer which had not been removed since 1986, thus required and angle grinder and a sawzall to get off. Took that in this morning for a new tire to be put on so at least I will be ready for taking it on the road with a fresh spare.




Tonight I plan to get the seat bases installed and bolted down, and get the rod box back in.


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## murphy67 (Aug 31, 2016)

More progress made, and almost ready for the water...almost 

Got my new spare tire for the trailer, and put that back on the trailer. (exciting, i know )




Got all floor boards bolted down to the ribs last night, got the seat bases in as well as my new captain chair 













Tonight I am installing my hitch on the van, then need to tidy up all the wiring, reconnect the engine remote controls and put the rod box back in. 

Last thing to do will be to change the spark plugs and start the engine to ensure it starts before hauling it 250 miles north this weekend.


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## murphy67 (Sep 7, 2016)

Well, now that Labor weekend has passed, I figured it was time for another update.

The Reese Towpower hitch I ordered from Amazon had a manufacturer defect and 1 side of the bolt holes were off by 1/2 in or so, so I ended up picking up a new hitch from Uhaul and got that installed Thursday night, and also got the wiring for the van done.

I got the engine running Friday morning, which i wanted to do before trailer'ing the boat up north for the weekend. After changing to my old gas tank (as new one would not keep the ball hard) it started right up:




All connected and ready for the road




On the shorestation:










More pics on the water and such from the weekend:







She had a great 1st run...no engine issues at all...started right up everytime, got up to about ~42mph at wide open. 




Now I still need to finish the stereo, some LED light strips, and a few minor things and then she will be all set til next season.

Great maiden voyage!! Thanks again to all on these forums for the help, and knowledge along the way!


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## Fire1386 (Sep 8, 2016)

What a change from the start pics to the last ones, well done.....now enjoy it.....


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## murphy67 (Sep 8, 2016)

Thanks Fire! It has been a great project/journey, although I still have some more work to do to complete the re-build...and then plan to fully enjoy it starting next season.  

I never intended to even get it on the water this year...but once things started coming together, I had to try to get it water-ready for Labor day and am glad I did, as I now have confidence that it is a great solid hull, and the motor is also running great too!


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## murphy67 (Aug 3, 2017)

So almost a year has passed since I got my boat on the water last Labor day, so thought it was time to finally get back to posting a few more updates that I have completed this summer on my boat.

I installed some rope LED light strings on a rocker switch for the bow of the boat as well as for under the splashguard area in the back:

Bow: (that large opening in front has now been covered by a speaker so its not that bright, and the lights are really nice when on the water at night)




Back of boat:





Got my JBL stereo mounted to the right of the driver seat. I really like the unit so far, its not too big, has bluetooth/USB/Radio/Aux input and a remote USB/Aux that I mounted under the console. I am running 4 speakers off it, 1 in front, 1 in back, and 2 under the console.







I then added a LED light inside the Rod box which will make it nice to see when out night fishing/cruising around:




Then I got the rodbox in, and added a new locking perko latch for the rod box:




Lastly I had to give the motor a nice cleaning as I think it had not been done in like 20 years, nice what a little Simple green and elbow grease can do:




A final shot of the boat before covering it to take it up north 2 weeks back for a week on the water, and also picked up 2 more of the Tempress High back seats for a total of 3 now (really like those seats and think they are worth a bit of extra $):





Boat had a great week on the water, no issues at all; no leaks (not even a single drop came out when I pulled the plug after taking it out of the water) no problems with the motor either and got it into the low 40's again at WOT. 

Few shots from up north:







Tomorrow I am getting my new Raymarine 4Pro locator/GPS to replace my old Eagle Optima, so that will be my next task and then I am taking the boat back up north for labor day again, and plan to sand some rust off my trailer and paint it (exciting stuff!!). That will most likely do it for this season for work on the boat and for getting the boat on the water as well.


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## murphy67 (Aug 7, 2017)

I ended up getting all my old transducer and cables from my old fish finder removed Friday night and fished the new transducer and power cables for my Dragonfly through the side of my boat, and got it wired up and powered on. Then Saturday I got the new transducer mounted and everything cleaned up from the install.

Cant wait to get back on the water in a few weeks to try it out!





Next I installed my emergency gas tank, its a 0.75 Gal Alloy-Park can which is meant to be mounted on a ATV or motorcycle with the bracket kit, but I just used some SS bolts and lock washers to install it under my console so it is secured.








I also found my dad's old windshield which was cracked where the left side mounted to the console, and at least for this season I just used some Loctite Super glue gel and so far it seems to be pretty solid, so the plan is to see if it lasts through Labor day weekend, and then I plan to get a new one for next season.







Lastly, I installed a dual rod holder on the side of the console, and a 2nd cup holder:


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## benjineer (Aug 7, 2017)

This is really nice! Congrats on finishing it.


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## murphy67 (Aug 8, 2017)

Thanks! I still have to get 2 new Anchormate II's for the front and back and might get a bow mount trolling motor sometime next year, so not quite done, but close. The rest is just luxuries at this point. I do want to replace the carpet in front of the splash guard and maybe re-enforce it and mount a seat post there so when anchored/stopped it would be a nice 2nd higher casting/fishing spot. Its funny now that I have made it this far and surpassed what I thought I could even do, and with seeing what everyone else around here does; I am excited and wanting to start another boat project...maybe next year  we'll see.


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## fowellm (May 8, 2018)

Very nice job! I'm just starting my repair on a boat almost identical. Just wondering what you did around the livewell? Did you get it pulled out? I have everything else pulled up, just haven't figured out if I need to go around it or if there is a way to get it out to go underneath it.
thanks


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## murphy67 (Jul 4, 2018)

follwm,
Sorry for the delay, its been a bit since I have been on here...

As for around the livewell, I used a multi-tool and flush cut the floor to go around the livewell. I then put some new wood under the livewell for support and once i put the new flooring down, you cant tell that the floor doesnt go all the way underneath. The biggest problem I had with doing my flooring in the back area was the the boards were not in good shape and one piece was worthless for a template so i had to make my own template out of paper (or cardboard would work too) then I laid that on my wood an cut the floor piece and kept putting it in the boat, and seeing what needed to be trimmed where, etc...and finally everything fit nice and snug. I also just used some 1 3/4 or 2 in self tapping hex screws to go right through the carpet and floor and into the aluminum ribs in 1 go...worked well.

What kind of boat are you working on? 

I finally just got my boat running for the 1st time this season, and hope to get it on the water in the next few weeks, but nice that it started up on the first crank after sitting since last Sept in my garage.


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## toot (Jul 9, 2018)

This was an excellent job of restoration! =D>


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## murphy67 (Jul 13, 2018)

Thanks Toot!

I did finally get 2x new Anchormate II's installed this week, and added a new LED bar, so will eventually get those pics up to just show a "more complete" state of the restore


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## murphy67 (Jul 13, 2018)

Here are a few pictures of the last couple of changes I have made.

New front and back Anchormate II's installed...then moved my LED bow and stern lighting to both be on at the same time (where previous the rocker switch would light either front or back only)...and thus it freed up 1 switch, and I threw a 6in blue LED strip under the console....which is more for novelty than for anything I assume I will actually use..lol.

















So other than that, I plan to get the anchor rope and anchors attached, give it a good vacuum and cleaning, and then i am taking the boat up north in 2 weeks for a week at the cabin and my first use this season. Better late than never


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## murphy67 (Jul 16, 2018)

Rope and anchors installed. (need to "smooth" out the back rope with a 2nd person, or by dropping anchor in less than 2 weeks on the lake...but they are at least tied off  )


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## murphy67 (Aug 19, 2018)

Had a great week on the water with the boat...and also added a few new things:

Installed an on-board 1.5a charger and battery tender inside the rod box:




I also installed a magnetic iPod touch holder on the console (which holds strong enough and I didnt have any issues with it coming off while on the water...i also didnt keep it on there going fast in choppy water...but I do feel it would hold regardless)




The last thing I have done is to replace the trailer winch with a nice heavy duty one:





Final shot coming out of the water after a week up north...I will get 3 more days over labor day and that will probably do it for the season. I am planning to tow home our 14ft alumacraft with a 15hp motor and add some flooring and do some wiring during fall/winter so I am really looking forward to my 2nd boat project and will start a thread at some point once (if) that gets under way.





Thanks again to all on this awesome forum for the help and ideas along the way!!


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## MrGiggles (Aug 19, 2018)

I noticed that you changed the steering wheel, where did you get it?


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## murphy67 (Aug 20, 2018)

Mr.Giggles,
I got the steering wheel on Amazon...and really like it compared to the original Alumacraft one from 1986.

I just checked Amazon and they still got it got like $38.00:

Just search for : Attwood Marine 8315-4 SOFT GRIP STEERING WHEEL W/CAP

Thanks


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## thomasdgs (Aug 20, 2018)

You're doing some nice work. Great looking resto project.


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## DaleH (Aug 20, 2018)

Looks great! Glad you had some quality time with it!


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## ppine (Aug 23, 2018)

Nice job. I really like how tin boats can be saved and kept out of landfills. 
One step that a lot of people seem to miss is that you can encapsulate wood with epoxy resin and make it waterproof.


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## murphy67 (Aug 24, 2018)

ppine,
I will say that prior to doing my floor i did read all about epoxying the wood and sealing it and such on multiple threads...however I guess at the time I was doing my floor I was on a short schedule to get the floor done so I could finally get a proper water test over labor day...so i opted for just a few coats of Waterseal on the floor with a few days to dry... and then just the marine carpet adhesive and the 20oz marine carpet. 

Now...part of my mindset was that I never "plan" to have the boat get soaked from tons of rain(or snow/weather), as I keep the boat in a covered shorestation when I have it up north (where i use it 99% of the time)and when home it stays in my garage. I also read other posts where people who didn't even do waterseal were getting about 4-5 years from the flooring and that was with it getting wet from time to time. So in my mind at the time i said, ok...even if i have to replace the floor in 5 years, I would then have very nice existing templates from the current floor (which I didn't have when i started my restore) and then could go more of the permanent route of fully sealing the floor...and I still have enough left over carpet to redo the floor if needed and wood wouldn't be that expensive, or take alot of time...etc..etc.

So ultimately, thanks again for the mention of epoxy sealing and such, better to know for sure!! I might go that route down the road(and prob will if/when i start my 2nd 14ft project as that might get wet a bit more, but so far after year 3 with my boat, I have yet to get the boat really wet at all, other than when the kids (or myself/wife) got in the boat after a swim...or maybe the occasional spilled beer or drink


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## fool4fish1226 (Jul 13, 2019)

Turned out great =D> =D> =D>


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## Jim (Jul 13, 2019)

Nice job bud! 

Thanks for sharing and posting it on our site, I truly appreciate it. :beer:


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