14' Arkansas Traveler resto-redo

[Piomarine]

I acquired 6 years ago and immediately went to work putting her back together. A little back story, this boat was purchased NEW by my wife's great grandfather in 1956, and I named it after his daughter (my wife's grandmother) who gave me the boat. It has been 4 years since I completed this mod and all I can say is...I screwed up...HARD!!!

Here are some of my more egregious mistakes:
Builders grade materials
Being more concerned with getting it done than doing it right
Not sealing the wood
Improperly preparing the surface for paint
Using the wrong paint
And finally, not utilizing proper storage

this time last year, the boat had deteriorated into a stinking, molding heap. Everything had to go! So here I am today bowing at your mercy and saying "Please forgive my ignorance and carelessness!"

But...that means I have a blank canvas from which to start again! My plan this time around...well...actually, I don't think I am going to reveal the plan just yet. I will be posting pictures and descriptions of my work as I progress. Some of you will recognize what I am doing and I hope you will offer your encouragement. I will be asking advice along the way and doing my darndest to avoid the mistakes and pitfalls I made before. Stay tuned folks!

 

[Piomarine]

OK so fist question is this. I have stripped the boat back to the primer. I originally used Rust-Oleum self etching primer in a rattle can. My guess is that I did not adequately prep the aluminum for paint because about 40% of the primer came up when I stripped the old paint off. My question is this, will it be necessary to take it back down to the aluminum over the whole surface or can I work with what is already there, and scuff, clean, and re-prime the hull?

Also, the primer did not come off on the transom, but I noticed that it has a bunch of these little cracks spiderwebbing through the surface. I have never seen this before, so should I just err on the side of caution and strip it and start over?

 

[Piomarine]

So I was trying to be coy with my original post saying I’m not revealing the plan yet, but I’ve been doing some more reading on others posts, and the one thing I keep seeing is “tell us your plan, members will jump in to help.” So hear goes with the plan:

My hull is a 14’ Utility by Arkansas Traveler, but I don’t want a utility anymore. I originally built it as a fishing rig, but never used it and really I just wanted a runabout. So that’s what I’m making. I am enclosing the hull with a top deck and front and rear cockpit soles. It will be a 2 layer deck with 1/4” ply over framing and cedar strip planks over that. I chose cedar because it is lightweight, easy to work with, cheap, and quite lovely when finished.

Arkansas Traveler made a utility and a runabout both 14’ and the hulls were basically identical with some slight differences. So I will be building those differences. Put backs on the benches, upgraded transom, etc. I have an 1956 Evinrude Lark 30hp to power it (yet to see if the powerhead is still good, it’s locked up). The hull is quite stable. I’m a big boy and 6’ tall and with 2 big dudes standing in it it never felt unstable so I am not worried about the extra weight from the deck/ windshield.

I know wood on aluminum is not a common mod but I want to try it. The way I see it, there is a 100% chance it will work or it won’t. As always, input welcome, in fact, I will require your input to make this successful.

Game on!

 

[Piomarine]

Took some aircraft stripper and a power washer to the hull. Got half of it stripped down before I ran out. It did not get everything off though so next step will be to strip the remaining half and hit it with a copper wire wheel. Whatever remains after that I am going to say is well bonded to the hull and I will simply prep and paint over it!

I am also starting to look at paints. I am tentatively looking at Kem 4000 primer followed by Sherwin Williams “Protective and Marine Coating” as a top coat. I talked to a guy tonight who swears by epoxy enamel paints for ease of application, longevity, and shear durability. Anyone have thoughts on these paint options? Or know how much they cost? I can’t find a price online.

 

[Piomarine]

Finally got the other half stripped today. Either tomorrow or later this week I will be taking a wire wheel to it and maybe a random orbital to knock down some of the uneven textures and get it cleaned up for priming.

My questions for the forum are?: when I clean the surface for priming, what order should I go with? Degreased and then a vinegar wash or the other way around? Especially since I just used 2 cans of aircraft stripper. The aircraft stripper was definitely powerful enough to corrode the raw aluminum after the primer came off. What should I use to neutralize the powdery corrosion? Or is that what the vinegar wash is for?

 

[Piomarine]

I thought I would also post some pictures of what I am working with in terms of my trailer and motor. I have no information on the trailer other than it is not the 60 year old monstrosity the boat originally came with. I picked it up for $20...came with a boat on it too...then I put that 1965 Elgin Runabout on the old trailer and gave it away for the low price of getting it out of my driveway. This trailer will need a full axel off overhaul, new paint and primer, new wiring, new bunks and carpet, new winch, and most likely, new rollers. The vertical guides and rollers are going away as well, which means I need to find somewhere else to put the lights (suggestions welcome).

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Here is the motor I picked up specifically for this project. It is a 1956 Evinrude Lark 30HP, I bought it because the engine year matches the model year of the boat. I am certain there are better candidates out there for this project but this is the motor I have and I will not be allowed to buy another one lol. Unfortunately it is locked up so it will require a full rebuild and best and a new powerhead at worst, plus, it will be a learning curve for me! I have no experience in dealing with electric start motors, and this has a little more to it than my '57 sportwin 10HP. I am hoping to visually restore the motor as well, but let's get it running first! I will be posting about it in the motors page soon.

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Finally, I was doing a little playing around and this is a down and dirty rendering of what I am looking at for my final product.

I cannot take credit for the original picture this came from. It came from this forum and I don't know who originally owns it but if it's yours feel free to take ownership...and thank you for having a boat that matched mine so closely.

 

[sphelps]

Welcome aboard Piomarine !
‘Cool idea turning it into a closed bow .. It is usually the other way around . LOL!
‘I love the Lark as a choice for a motor . You should join the AOMCI . Lots of good info there as well as right here on iboats .
‘As far as the hull prep I think the vinegar solution is to stop the oxidation . I would degrease first . I am currently getting ready to paint an old tin Sammycraft myself . It’s my first aluminum boat so I’m still learning also ..
I have purchased ppg epoxy primer for bare metal and urethane enamel as the finish coat .
It will be interesting to see how your project turns out !
Keep us posted and good luck !
btw this stuff works great for striping paint . https://www.homedepot.com/p/Jasco-1-gal-Premium-Paint-and-Epoxy-Remover-GJPR500/308267695

 

[Piomarine]

Thank you Shleps! My first time around I did stick with the open hull concept but I just never really enjoyed driving from the rear (especially by myself) and even as a fishing boat it was just ok at best. I really wanted a runabout...so I'm building a runabout...

How much did you pay for the PPG primer? I am looking at paints myself but I am having a devil of a time trying to find prices on industrial paints! I was looking at Kem 4000 primer from Sherwin Williams and their Protective and Marine Epoxy paint for my top coat (I really don't want to have to paint it again) but can't find prices on any of it!

Oh and I used Aircraft stripper to strip mine...it took 6 decades of paint down to (nearly) bare metal in minutes...washed the paint of with a pressure washer.

 

[sphelps]

IIRC , the epoxy primer was around 80 bucks for a gallon . I’m doing inside and out plus a couple other projects with it .
‘You may not need that much ...
just checked , it was 85 bucks for the gallon + 35 bucks for the 2 qts of hardener . Delfleet Essential ESU461 and ESU469
A little pricey .. You might find cheaper alternatives but I am using the same delfleet paint so I chose to keep the same brand primer ..

 

[Piomarine]

Thanks! I went to Sherwin today and talked to one of their specialists and he gave me some pretty good ideas in terms of price, performance, application, etc. and which topcoats will bond best with which primers, and which primers will best bond with aluminum. It was a wildly informative visit!

It looks like I will be going with a alkyd acrylic urethane (which as he put it combines the ease of application of a water based acrylic with the durability of an oil based enamel) for the top coat. He said I should expect a minimum of 5 years of durable, quality color and sheen without fading, that would not peel up or chip out, but said I could get lucky and it lasts 20 years. Going off label and using it on a boat where it would be partially submerged means that no guarantees can be made, but said even with that type of use he would expect a minimum of 5 years before fading. Best part for me was that it runs less that $50/gallon!​

 

[Piomarine]

OK so it turns out I am not crazy after all...I stumbled upon this picture (courtesy of small boats magazine) completely by accident of a guy who did almost EXACTLY what I am trying to do. His was a 12' aluminum MirroCraft but low and behold, he fully enclosed the deck with a 3/16" plywood substrate planked over with cedar, ash comings, and a mahogany rub rail. At least now I know it CAN BE and has been done!

 

[sphelps]

Cool!!

 

[Piomarine]

This is a question for the wooden boat builders watching at home...being that this is a truly hybrid project I will need your help to figure some things out but I'm going to start with this one. once I have my bow cap framed in, what will be the best way to ensure a good fit for my plywood substrate? I should I plan to lay out and bend the plywood over the frames and then cut it using the hull as the guide? Or measure scrupulously, transfer to the wood, and precut? Or even make a template and then trace and cut? I'm in a bit over my head here. I have no plans or drawings to work from and any guidance from the wooden boat world would be appreciated. I am going to for something that will somewhat resemble the Glen-L Zip. In fact, any Zip builders willing to chime in would be especially appreciated!

This is a drawing I was given from another forum about what he thought the hull template should look like. His logic is sound and I want to know if he is on the right track in his thinking. His thinking was also that once I make a working template that I could use fasten that form to make deck stringers that would follow the natural curve of the form

If there is some other idea I am missing please let me know so I can take notes! I am shooting from the hip right now.

 

[sphelps]

I think cutting it bigger like the picture would be the easiest way to cut the ply .. temp screw it down then scroll around the edge .. Will it have a crown on the bow or just flat ?

 

[Piomarine]

I've gone back and forth on the crown idea. I know a crown is more attractive, but is also more difficult to produce effectively. Are there other pros and cons of the crown idea to consider?

 

[sphelps]

Water may shed off a crowned cap better . And an arch is always stronger than a flat surface I would think .. Other than that ,it’s just a matter of what you like aesthetically...