AlumaCraft Alpex restoration... maybe. :D

[jbcurt00]

Re: AlumaCraft Alpex restoration... maybe.

I wouldn't use steel, it tweaked because the wooden transom turned to mulch.

I suspect that after bringing her back, you are unlikely to allow it to happen again.

But after you get it cleaned out & can assess the boat hull as a whole, the tin crowd will help you come up w/ a 'good' fix or repair for the transom skin.

 

[Untame]

Re: AlumaCraft Alpex restoration... maybe.

There are AlumaCraft flags available here. Although a slanted grommet edge might fit the rake of the mast better, I don't know off-hand where online they might be available.

Maybe I'll just hang a raccoon tail there.

 

[Untame]

Re: AlumaCraft Alpex restoration... maybe.

Can anyone tell me why one of the seat backs (?) has a hinge on it and the other does not? All of the seats were dislodged, so I didn't get to see the original configuration.

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: AlumaCraft Alpex restoration... maybe.

I don't know AlumaCraft boats, or their seat layout. But is the hinge your referring to along the top edge of the seats? It may have been a back to back lounge seats:

Because 1 of these:

appears to have the hinge (seat set at the top center)

The other doesn't look like it does, the seat set on the far right.

No idea why they'd be built that way, because the seat bases that remain in the boat, look to be the same size:

Both bases look like they run the full distance between the rear bulkhead & the forward bulkhead. Maybe replaced 1 or the other at some point..... Doubtful since they look like they match each other & the interior color of the boat.....

Odd for sure...

 

[bonz_d]

Re: AlumaCraft Alpex restoration... maybe.

untame, I think you have the beginnings of a sweet boat. See it already has your mind going too!

From the looks of it those seats were back-to-back Loungers and the seat bases are what's left still inside the boat. Suggestion while your still cleaning it out. Put the drain plug back in and fill it with some water, 4 to5" deep and slowly inspect all the seams and rivets, marking any that appear to be weeping water. Then you can use the water that's in it to finish washing down the inside.

Again the nice thing about aluminum boats is that they come together much quicker and less exspense than glass.

Also FYI watch graigslist like Mil, Madison, Oshkosh in perticular as every now and then I see some fairly nice lounge seats advertised pretty cheaply. Might be worth a short day trip.

 

[Untame]

Re: AlumaCraft Alpex restoration... maybe.

untame, I think you have the beginnings of a sweet boat. See it already has your mind going too!

From the looks of it those seats were back-to-back Loungers and the seat bases are what's left still inside the boat. Suggestion while your still cleaning it out. Put the drain plug back in and fill it with some water, 4 to5" deep and slowly inspect all the seams and rivets, marking any that appear to be weeping water. Then you can use the water that's in it to finish washing down the inside.

Again the nice thing about aluminum boats is that they come together much quicker and less exspense than glass.

Also FYI watch graigslist like Mil, Madison, Oshkosh in perticular as every now and then I see some fairly nice lounge seats advertised pretty cheaply. Might be worth a short day trip.

Thanks for the tips! I hadn't thought about finding other seats on Craigslist. Ultimately, I don't think it would be too hard to make new ones -- especially if it meant I got to work on it with my grandparents.

I've been working on the boat all morning. I have the old transom wood removed, the back and side boards out, the seat bases out, and all of the "trinkets" taken off the top side all the way around. The dash is a bit of a bugger because it is riveted at the top. I was hoping it would unbolt and come out. Instead I'm in the tedious process or removing all of the instruments and wiring. By the end of today I want to have the hull completely stripped down and ready for a good pressure washing.

Right now I'm thinking it would look sweet with a white belly, and a red top surface except for the middle section in the front -- that would be navy blue with six white stars in a row. I'm thinking white for the seats (cooler) with red welts. Not sure about the floor, but I'm going to do the side boards and back board in a hard wood laminated plywood and finished with poly. Also, the entire boat will get new stainless steel hardware.

What would you guys do with all of the pitted chrome castings? Re-chroming is not an option ($$$). I'm thinking about having them powder-coated or maybe just buffing them and using them with the pits.

 

[bonz_d]

Re: AlumaCraft Alpex restoration... maybe.

As a matter of fact I just seen a pair today in Janesville for $40.00 that looked very solid. Might be an option to pickup something like that and recover them than to try and build all new. As for the deck covering look at marine vynl. Looks good and is easy to work with.

 

[Untame]

Re: AlumaCraft Alpex restoration... maybe.

I made excellent progress today. I got EVERYTHING stripped off the boat... except the steering wheel / column mad. I'm not sure what it is going to take to get it off. Then I pressure washed it with a paint-stripping nozzle to get as much loose paint off as possible.

I discovered that the bottom of the boat has seen some combat. There is a weld about 10" long near the keel. It has been spackled with a bunch of orange stuff. I'm hoping that it was a good repair. Other than that, all of the dents and dings and wavy metal is easier to see now.

BTW... the boat had a Sears Roebuck "stereo 8-track" player in it.

 

[Untame]

Re: AlumaCraft Alpex restoration... maybe.

Here are a couple shots of the "gash" (outside and inside pictures).

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: AlumaCraft Alpex restoration... maybe.

Might flip it back right side up & fill the hull w/ water to test that repair for leaks, or for any rivets/seams that might be leaking. Just need to fill it up to just above the chine, about the waterline.

If it doesn't leak, or only leaks a drop or so every few minutes, clean it up & apply GluvIt, or similar, to it inside of the repair & all the rivets & seams. It doesn't look pretty, but if it doesn't leak, it should be ok.

 

[Untame]

Re: AlumaCraft Alpex restoration... maybe.

Might flip it back right side up & fill the hull w/ water to test that repair for leaks, or for any rivets/seams that might be leaking. Just need to fill it up to just above the chine, about the waterline.

If it doesn't leak, or only leaks a drop or so every few minutes, clean it up & apply GluvIt, or similar, to it inside of the repair & all the rivets & seams. It doesn't look pretty, but if it doesn't leak, it should be ok.

"Chine"? Noob here...

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: AlumaCraft Alpex restoration... maybe.

"Chine"? Noob here...

Yeah, you know, the fancy plates your wife picked out at the bridal registry, the pretty ones that you never use....... :facepalm: Sorry

Maybe this will help:

It's the 'corner' where the bottom of the hull meets the sides

 

[Untame]

Re: AlumaCraft Alpex restoration... maybe.

The plug wasn't in the boat -- what kind of a plug should I get for it?

Also, I was just reading about Gluvit on the manufacturer's website. Would you recommend coating the entire outside of the hull?

 

[Untame]

Re: AlumaCraft Alpex restoration... maybe.

Here is a good picture of what the inside originally looked like (thanks to a member on the forum). You can see that it appears that only the seat on the left is hinged on the top. Why? I don't know.

 

[jigngrub]

Re: AlumaCraft Alpex restoration... maybe.

The plug wasn't in the boat -- what kind of a plug should I get for it?

Also, I was just reading about Gluvit on the manufacturer's website. Would you recommend coating the entire outside of the hull?

Show us a pic of the bilge drain hole, you probably just need the common rubber bilge plug, but some are different.

Gluvit goes on the inside of the hull... or works best that way.

Do a leak test on your boat first and replace any leaking rivets (if you have leaking seams the Gluvit will fix that) and weld or patch any cracks or holes... then use the Gluvit on the inside of the hull. Gluvit is very runny/drippy and can make a pretty big mess when applied to the exterior of the hull.

For the leak test:

Install the bilge plug and fill your hull with 3 or 4" of water and watch for leaks on the outside of the hull and mark the ones you find. Crank your tongue jack all the way down and check for more leaks around the bow area, then crank it up to check for leaks around the transom.

 

[bonz_d]

Re: AlumaCraft Alpex restoration... maybe.

At this point anything that you can get in the drain hole will work and as you've now been instructed 4 times on how to leak test you should be good to go there.

Find it very neat that you were able to find another member to send you some finished interior pictures. I too find it odd that only one seat lounges and that one also being the drivers seat. Seams it should be the other one that does.

Might have to drop the whole dashboard to be able to remove that old steering wheel. They can be a rocky beach.

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: AlumaCraft Alpex restoration... maybe.

I think based on the pix of the demo'd seats, it's the passenger seat that has a hinge, not the captain's helm seat:

The helm seat in the original layout & the demo pix show 1 seat has metal strapping/trim running along the seam between the helm side & the rearward facing seat. The other seat set shows a hinge in the demo pix & knowing that it's there, makes it easier to see in the original layout pix. Interesting that the original layout pix doesn't seem to show any other seats. YR-16 certainly sounds like it ought to be a 16' boat, even 15' 6" +/- should have room for a bench across the back at the splashwell...

Anyway, I suspect the strange seat layout/construction is somewhat safety related. W/out the hinge, the helm seat couldn't be laid out as a lounger & have someone attempt to start, run & operate the boat while the seat is in lounge mode. W/out the hinge & it's associated mechanism for staying upright (closed ~ not opened into a lounge seat) it is unlikely to fail & open into a lounger while underway.... Pure guess-work based on very little

 

[Untame]

Re: AlumaCraft Alpex restoration... maybe.

How exactly do the hinged "lounge seats" work? I take it that you can recline -- does the one side lift up and lay flat back over the other seat cushion like a sort of recliner?

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: AlumaCraft Alpex restoration... maybe.

The forward facing seat bottom is typically fixed, non-moving

The rearward facing seat bottom lifts up at the rear edge, and you can pull it toward the stern, this allows the 2 seat backs to hinge open, and lay basically flat. Into what looks like 4 seat bottom cushions, no upright backs, like a lounge....

Into:

Some have a leg set under the rear facing seat bottom cushion, to lift the 'foot' of the lounge to make it flatter all in 1 plane.

Some have the front bottom cushion pull forward, and the rear pull out to the rear, so that the lounge is more centered over the seat box:

Widely available, here on iboats too, and in a few different widths, heights & construction materials (plastic & wood)

 

[Untame]

Re: AlumaCraft Alpex restoration... maybe.

Thanks, jbcurt!