boats on a budget

[Mr.Stuart]

Re: boats on a budget

considering what the inside looked like before I started on it, I'd say this paint job is a huge improvement.

 

[Mr.Stuart]

Re: boats on a budget

my next step is to see if I can find someone that can weld aluminum, and put an extension on the bottom of the bow cap, and weld a bow eye onto it, I drew my idea in red in the below pictures, I guess the trick is going to be finding someone good enough at welding to be able to weld on the lower extension and bow eye, and have it look like it belongs there, my idea is to cover up that little hole in the front of the boat where the old bow eye was, I never looked right and that hole kind of bothers me, so if there's a way to cover it up and still have a bow eye that's functional, then that's what I'm going to want to do, but I think the trick is going to be finding someone that's real good at welding aluminum that can make it look like it belongs.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: boats on a budget

i think this is a record thread.

 

[Mr.Stuart]

Re: boats on a budget

i think this is a record thread.

I noticed that it's getting pretty big, and it's far from over, now I have to start putting the boat back together again, and that's going to happen as soon as I get it home

 

[Warlord]

Re: boats on a budget

Well I am here to help make this a 'record thread' haha. Work has been keeping me busy, but I have managed to squeeze in some time on the boat. So I will be posting some new pics soon. I can say its coming along great and nearing completion. Of course I will probably keep adding or changing things on it forever. Also, Stuart I love how your boat came out, that color looks really nice. I can't wait to see how it looks when it is going back together. Oh yeah when I post the new pics I will show you how I ran the wiring for the trolling motor too.

 

[Mr.Stuart]

Re: boats on a budget

when I post the new pics I will show you how I ran the wiring for the trolling motor too.

I'm really curious about how you ran the wiring, the gunnels on mine are hollow, I suppose most aluminum boats are that way though, I want to put the battery in the front, then was thinking of running the wiring down through the cunnels, positive wire on one side of the boat, and negitive on the other.

I also think I found an aluminum welder to do some work on the bow cap, he suggested that we just make new rear corner caps and a bow cap for it but I think there might be a pretty high cost involved with that, so I'm more inclined to do some modifications on the ones I got and call it good.

The boats still not back yet, not sure what the deal is, still waiting for it.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: boats on a budget

i mounted pvc pipe on the inside at seat level, and use T's to turn out at different places, i used short screws to put the fitting together, rather than glue, that way i can add or service it.

 

[marine4003]

Re: boats on a budget

She looks great !! I felt like running out and getting a small runabout after reading about your progress,thats what i need : a hobby, something returning tangible results. Great Job Sir.

 

[Mr.Stuart]

Re: boats on a budget

Thanks marine4003, warlord is making some good progress with his, and I think dubnvento is about done with his, I still haven't heard anything from the body shop guy yet about mine, I'm going to try to get it back this week, my car is going to be laid up for a couple of weeks starting next weekend and I'd like to have the boat home so I have something to work on while the car is in the shop.

And TD, the pipe sounds good, I kind of wanted to hide the wiring but in a small boat like this one, that's not going to be such an easy task, and I'm still not satisfied that running the wiring down through the gunnels is such a good idea, I'll have to play with some different ideas on that one.

I think next in line will be working on the floor/deck, I need to start laying that out so I can come up with something that will look good and be durable.

 

[Warlord]

Re: boats on a budget

Okay I finally am putting up pics of the wiring. Its just hard when the little guy, plays with the USB cables and I can't find them. Anyways as you can see in the pics, I ran the wiring under the support ribs along the floor of the boat. I used 8 gauge wire which fits under perfectly and is more than enough, so that there is not a voltage drop. That is of course if your trolling motor is 12 volt and not more than 12 volt. I am running the wire from the transom area of the boat to the drybox I created under the middle seat, where the battery will go. I will probably make some kind of terminal block on the transom or thereabouts to connect the other end to, and also to connect anything else. Such as a fish finder or whatever is needed. Then my floor goes back on top of this and the wiring is completely hidden.

 

[SnappingTurtle]

Re: boats on a budget

I am not sure how far along you are with your flooring, but this is what I have been considering.

I put this on one of our balconies 6 years ago and we receive about 9 months of rain a year. I just oiled it once or twice and it has held up really well. It now has a nice light brown weathered look. No graying at all.

I got it at Ikea, (they only carry it in the summer) and it comes in handy 17 3/4 "x 17 3/4 " squares. It is a wood (a hard wood called, Acacia. It is listed as a “Renewable raw material”, “Solid wood - not from intact natural forests.”) I never heard of before, but is holding up really well considering it is exposed to the weather year round.

It has a really nice classic nautical Teak look for the budget minded, at about $7 a square it is not bad for what it does. I am in Europe, but I checked the U.S. site and they have it also. My idea was to run long strips of wood and secure these to the runners. Making it easy to remove for cleaning.

Here is the link if you are interested and have a Ikea in the near: http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/60090639

or a detail photo of the stuff: http://www.ikea.com/PIAimages/56120_PE161505_S4.jpg

 

[SnappingTurtle]

Re: boats on a budget

I forgot to mention we have Teak garden furniture on the same balcony, exposed to the same weather. The Teak has been oiled with expensive Teak oil, with the flooring I just couldn't see spending as much money on the oil as I did on the flooring, so I bought a restaurant sized can of vegetable oil (I'm really cheap) and sprayed it with our pump up type garden bug sprayer. Six+ years of abuse and you can't tell they are not the same type of wood.

It was also never sealed and in the first three years not oiled.

So all things considered it is holding up really well.

P.S. I don't work for Ikea.

P.S.S. I looked at a marina a couple of weeks ago and finished Teak floor panels in this size were ten times the price.

 

[Mr.Stuart]

Re: boats on a budget

I am not sure how far along you are with your flooring, but this is what I have been considering........ I got it at Ikea, (they only carry it in the summer)

i just checked the local Ikea and they have it, but does it come as pictured? that looks like a pallot to me, I'd rather have the boards, I wonder if it's avalable anywhere else.

 

[Mr.Stuart]

Re: boats on a budget

you can use vegetable oil on teak? ...that's the first I've heard of that, the starcraft has teak, and it needs to be oiled, I never thought of that,

 

[SnappingTurtle]

Re: boats on a budget

Ours is in a fish scale pattern and doesn't look like pallets. It is about the same quality as that sold by the Marina here, and when laid two wide and three or four long, it really does take on the look of expensive boat flooring.

As far as the vegetable oil goes, I am sure that there are those out there that will scream when they hear I used it on this wood, but it has worked for me. Rain, snow, ice, and everything else winter has thrown at for six years has had no effect.

On our Teak furniture I did use Linseed oil (not vegetable oil) the last couple of years. The Teak oil is just too expensive here.

In side by side comparisons both types of wood are weathering at the same pace. A pint of Teak oil cost more than ten gallons of vegetable oil. Everyone has to decide how cheap is too cheap, but I am real happy up to now.

 

[Mr.Stuart]

Re: boats on a budget

Okay I finally am putting up pics of the wiring. Its just hard when the little guy, plays with the USB cables and I can't find them. Anyways as you can see in the pics, I ran the wiring under the support ribs along the floor of the boat. I used 8 gauge wire which fits under perfectly and is more than enough, so that there is not a voltage drop. That is of course if your trolling motor is 12 volt and not more than 12 volt. I am running the wire from the transom area of the boat to the drybox I created under the middle seat, where the battery will go. I will probably make some kind of terminal block on the transom or thereabouts to connect the other end to, and also to connect anything else. Such as a fish finder or whatever is needed. Then my floor goes back on top of this and the wiring is completely hidden.

Warlord, are you going to go with a solid floor? ...I do like the wiring, I'm going to do the same thing to mine, my plan is to go with a slat floor/deck, and was going to run the wiring between the slats, but I like your idea better.

the latest update for me: the car is in the shop, getting major running gear work done to it, it's been ther for a couple of weeks, it could be down for at least another week, meanwhile, the boat is stuck at the body shop with no way to get it home at the moment, so I'm not going to be able to do anything until I get the car out of the shop, and the boat home, but once I get it here, my plan is to dive into it again, so if I can get it finished up.

 

[Mr.Stuart]

Re: boats on a budget

On our Teak furniture I did use Linseed oil (not vegetable oil) the last couple of years. The Teak oil is just too expensive here.

In side by side comparisons both types of wood are weathering at the same pace. A pint of Teak oil cost more than ten gallons of vegetable oil. Everyone has to decide how cheap is too cheap, but I am real happy up to now.

I'm going to try the vegetable oil this weekend on the starcraft, I'll take some before and after pictures, no ones chimed in and said don't do it, so unless I hear a good reason not to before this weekend, I'll do it.

I'm going to go check out that wood at Ikea and see if it's something I can use for the little boat, from the measurements and the pictures, I don't think it will work, but it's at least worth checking out, I thank you for the suggestion.

where I'm stumped at the moment, is in order to put a slat floor in th boat, I need to lay some half inch think runners across the bottom of the boat butted up against the ribs, and I'm not so sure I want wood laying on the bottom of the boat, my thinking is that it would rot real easy, I was thinking of trying to go with some nylon or some sort of plastic runners on the bottom, the screw the slat floor to the runners, there has to be some sort of space between the floor and the bottom of the boat, or the stuff would rot out pretty fast, at east that's they way I see it.

 

[SnappingTurtle]

Re: boats on a budget

I applied it (the vegetable oil), and let it set in the sun for a few days to absorb into the wood. I then ran a dry cloth over it to remove any left over oil setting on the surface. Good luck and let us know how it works out.

 

[Mr.Stuart]

Re: boats on a budget

I applied it (the vegetable oil), and let it set in the sun for a few days to absorb into the wood. I then ran a dry cloth over it to remove any left over oil setting on the surface. Good luck and let us know how it works out.

I'll let you know this weekend, I'm going to put the kids to work, am I a lazy bum or what??

 

[SnappingTurtle]

Re: boats on a budget

Can I barrow your kids when your through with them today?

I got a days work to do to the boat today, and if there no fish in the thing, my cat has no interest whatsoever in helping.