advice modifying 60 lonestar

[glen f]

Hey guys, Ive got a laundry list of things to do to my boat (1960 lonestar 19ft aluminum johnson 70horse). I want to put in a below floor fuel tank first of all and dont even know where to begin????????? I also want to paint the hull but it seems to have been painted with some sort of house paint and it isnt sticking very well so do I have to strip it completely? I read a thread about awl grip paint, what do you think? I also would like to put a below floor live well or should I just use one of the bench seat cooler/livewell styles offered from iboats? I have the pump and drain already installed wired and ready to go. Also my eye hooks are to low for tubing so I bought a ski pole and I see that may have been a mistake. I can put some eyes higher but the aluminum gets thinner so my question is how do you know what is strong enough? Hoping to get some more of the great advice Ive been getting. Thanks,Glen

 

[swimmin' for shore]

Re: advice modifying 60 lonestar

I didn't do a lot of modifications on my aluminum boat, so I'll leave that part to someone else. As for painting, I did all of that. Everyone told me to just get the old loose paint off. Don't do it. Get it all off. It'll seem like a headache sometimes, but you'll see everything you left on the hull when you're finished. Paint? I guess it depends on what you're willing to spend and what you want to do with it. I used rustoleum. It seems soft, so I don't like it, but it's just an old fishing boat and I didn't want to spend an arm and a leg for that. I've read a lot about epoxy paints, and would be willing to do that if I did it again. Zinc chromate primer is the primer of choice for aluminum. It retards corrosion in aluminum, and seems to stick really well. There are a number of threads on paint choice for aluminum, as well. Good luck.