1978 Springbok aluminum boat

[hc43]

Well my fiberglass project is on hold For the time being because I found a project that I can finish for this summer and all it cost me was $40 Starbucks gift card and 4 frustrating hours in Toronto traffic. For what I can find this was made by aluminium
Goods inc but the first three numbers of the serial say MOT which indicates Monterey Marine inc but all I can find on this company is that it went our of business some years ago. I was looking at another post and it looks identical to a springbok and even has the orange paint under the PO s grey paint. I will post pictures up tonight and any advice for you tinners would be great!

 

[hc43]

Oh yea she's in need of some love.

 

[jbcurt00]

Nice looking boat, welcome to the tin dry dock

The fellas in the tin hats will be along shortly to help ya get it torn down and put back, ready for water service again.

 

[Jeep Man]

What you most likely have there HC is a Mirrocraft. I have one as well. Mine is a '55. Aluminum Goods Mfg. started making boats in the 50s and a few years in a group of employees bought the boat division and started the Mirro Boat Co.

 

[hc43]

I thought it would be a Mirrocraft but the boat is identical to the one in this post

http://forums.iboats.com/forum/boat...39-1982-springbok-by-alcan-aluminum-goods-ltd
and you can still see the orange paint under the grey. So until I get the owner ship this weekend it'll be a mystery. I have already removed the old floor and foam and am working at getting the transom out. Now the the easiest way I see to do that is remove the knee that bolts to the transom, but the only problem I have with that is I have to drill out the rivets that hold it to the floor. I was going to replace those rivets with stainless steel truss screws and locking nuts and seal all of them with 3m 5200. I will take some more pictures tomorrow of the transom area.

 

[hc43]

Well I was able to get some work done on the aluminum boat last weekend and have a couple questions. I took the splash well out to get at the transom but it looks like whoever did it before used plywood then just painted it white. I'm wondering if I should just use epoxy and seal it or if I should lay mat down? the old transom looked to be about 1.75" thick but its hard to tell. Does that sound right for a boat rated at 50HP? I'm also wondering about the deck, if it should be sealed or have mat laid down on it as well. The old deck looked like it was done sloppy and had about a 3/4" to 1" gap between the edge of the deck and the hull. I know there is supposed to be a gap but what is acceptable? I will take pictures of where the ribs meet the hull tomorrow.

At least the transom was good for something.

 

[hc43]

Ok so from the original owner of the the boat is a springbok. It was a pint painted orange and had a "gazelle head" over the name. He took a wire brush and painted it about 8 years ago. So how do I change the title of this thread?

 

[jbcurt00]

Ok so from the original owner of the the boat is a springbok. It was a pint painted orange and had a "gazelle head" over the name. He took a wire brush and painted it about 8 years ago. So how do I change the title of this thread?

Changed it to Springbok

 

[hc43]

Thanks jbcurt. So for the transom do I need to cover it in mat after I seal the wood or is just sealing it with epoxy the better way to go? There are parts of the wood that are exposed and not covered on each side. Also for the deck would it be best to cover it with mat or just seal with epoxy? My plans are to lay vinyl down on top of the deck.

 

[Woodonglass]

Epoxy IS the best sealer for wood but...There are alternatives. Here's one... You can substitute Tung Oil for the BLO if you want. If you decide to Paint the final finish you can use regular Polyurethane instead of the Spar Varnish. With Plywood the edges ARE the most important part. The flats can only absorb about 1/16" due to the glue for the laminations. You're only sealing the outer 1/16" of wood. But the edges can and will absorb much deeper. When you drill holes into the transom make sure to predrill and then coat the holes and the hardware with a good sealant like 3M 4200. This will ensure no water ever gets to the inner cores of the plywood.

 

[bonz_d]

I have used this "Old Timers" formula on a number of projects and it has served well and am pleased with the results. Also helps to pick and chose when and where you use it. I would no suggest it for use in a glass boat as those are normally sealed in tight, below deck with little air movement so moisture and water become more easily trapped. On tin boats the edges are not glassed in to the structure so there is more area for the moist vapor to escape. At least that is what I have experienced.

 

[krakeon]

Oh yea she's in need of some love.

I'm excited to see this. I have the exact same boat. I got mine from my Dad, and it's a 1972 Springbok. I've been working on restoring it since last year.

 

[bonz_d]

krakeon, start up a new thread and then let's see some pictures of what you're doing! We can never have enough restores and pictures.

BTW, Welcome to the dry dock!

 

[hc43]

I don't know what it is but I love this boat. The lines just look right . I think it's going to make a sweet little cruising boat. Any idea where a I can order original or something that looks original decals?

 

[MTboatguy]

Seems in doing a bit of searching and reading the Springbok boats have been made by a few different manufactures, currently Princecraft handles the Springbok boats.

As far as original emblems or decals, if you can find a picture of it, you can have a good vinyl lettering shop do them up for you.

 

[krakeon]

From another Springbok thread, jbcurt00 linked to http://www.vinylapproach.com/replacementboatlogos.htm which has a ton of logos.

 

[hc43]

Thanks Krakeon I emailed them to see how much a set of decals 12" tall would be. I will let you know how much they quote me. Do you guys prefer rollers on the trailer or bunks for aluminium boats? Right now it has a small roller bunk on each side but it's falling apart and the rollers are hard as hell and I want to make sure the boat is supported properly before I go and put water in it to see where it leaks. I will post pics of the bottom tonight.

 

[hc43]

Ok so first off I contacted Vinylapproach and was quotedroughly $50 for a set of decals which sounds fair and I will be placing the order soon. In the meantime I have a couple of things I have been thinking about but can't make up my mind on. First is should I put the expanding foam under the deck to fill the gap completely or is there a better solution? I have two sets of drainage holes in the ribs going across the boat, one at the very bottom which had a tin cover going down the keel and a second half way up where the old foam stopped.



I recently looked over redneckjoe's thread about using pool noodles instead of foam which sounds ingenious but then I would have to use a thicker plywood like 3/4 or 5/8 because it looks like a have a larger gap between ribs then he does.. I can't tell from the old deck because it was mulch and had a squirrel living under it between the deck and foam.. Second question is in the bilge area the foam kind of just tapered down under the deck. I would like to make a bilge but I am not should of what to use. Should I use PL adhesive to secure the wood outlining the bilge to the hull or is there a better alternative? Any help here would be great guys I'm having a hell of a time with this.

 

[jbcurt00]

Use rigid foam insulation NOT pool noodles, they don't float nearly as much weight as some think. My fat arse is still mostly water, so, yeah 1 large diameter noodle will keep me afloat at 230lbs. But no, they don't 'float' much dead weight and have been shown to absorb water.

Get as much rigid foam as you possibly can under the deck. The lower hole probably had that thin cover down the keel to keep the foam they used from clogging the drain's pathway as it expanded. Depending on how you put it back together, I dont think you'll use or have to do anything w the upper drain hole.

Unless I'm missing it, there doesn't seem to be much structure to support the deck. How far is it between 2 of the cross members (like the rear one you put 2 red circles on) that run port to starboard at deck height? You may need to add support or use 3/4" plywood for the deck.

I looked back thru the pix and it looks like the cross members might be closer then they appear in that last pix.

Garzon Studios does nice logo work too.

 

[hc43]

thanks for the quick reply. I will measure tomorrow but it's a fairly big gap. I'm going to guess more then 24". That's why I was thinking of using expanding foam is so it sold also add some support to the deck.