Here she is. I got a great deal for her. Essentially, I only paid 150 bucks for the boat, motor, and trailer. I traded a generator for it on craigslist and thats all I paid for it. Its a 1968 Duracraft (title says 16ft but its closer to 14ft) and a 1968 Johnson electric start.
The trailer on it is pretty good. The only thing I need to do is get a homemade title for it and bearings for the wheels. As well as a spare tire. It is made with an unusual wheel so this may be hard to find.
The motor did not run. I changed the spark plugs and cleaned the carb. Now, it fires right up. I need to replace the water pump and give it a tune-up. I also would like some advice on batteries. I'd like to know if my 20hp Johnson motor would be okay if I used a smaller battery such as on a ATV or lawnmower.
The boat... WILL need to be painted. As you can see someone painted her as if they was making a custom boat for Barbie (the doll). It has a dent in it as shown in the pics. I have already banged that out (best I can). Sand her down and paint her. The transom is good but not great. So while I am sanding her down I will go ahead and replace it. I am going to put a carpeted floor in (noise reduction and comfort). [Thanks "pony" your rebuild of your Alumacraft is a perfect example]
I also will be building a storage area up front. I am debating on the seats. I already own three old school high back plastic seats that are in great shape. So I haven't decided on using them or buying new cushion seats. I am adding some vintage navigation lights and courtesy lights and installing a place to mount a foot control trolling motor. I am also debating on rather to place the battery up front or in the back (weight distribution).
This is going to be a long project and I will update my post with my progress. I would love tips on the "how to do's".
This is the order in which I plan to tackle the project:
1. Motor, I want to give it a test run on the water. I might identify problems before hand.
2. Woodwork/Carpeting. All of this is going to be removable.
3. Sanding... Sanding... and oh yes... more Sanding
4. Prime and Paint.
5. Install new Transom Mount Motor
6. Electrical
7. Accessories and Seats
The trailer on it is pretty good. The only thing I need to do is get a homemade title for it and bearings for the wheels. As well as a spare tire. It is made with an unusual wheel so this may be hard to find.
The motor did not run. I changed the spark plugs and cleaned the carb. Now, it fires right up. I need to replace the water pump and give it a tune-up. I also would like some advice on batteries. I'd like to know if my 20hp Johnson motor would be okay if I used a smaller battery such as on a ATV or lawnmower.
The boat... WILL need to be painted. As you can see someone painted her as if they was making a custom boat for Barbie (the doll). It has a dent in it as shown in the pics. I have already banged that out (best I can). Sand her down and paint her. The transom is good but not great. So while I am sanding her down I will go ahead and replace it. I am going to put a carpeted floor in (noise reduction and comfort). [Thanks "pony" your rebuild of your Alumacraft is a perfect example]
I also will be building a storage area up front. I am debating on the seats. I already own three old school high back plastic seats that are in great shape. So I haven't decided on using them or buying new cushion seats. I am adding some vintage navigation lights and courtesy lights and installing a place to mount a foot control trolling motor. I am also debating on rather to place the battery up front or in the back (weight distribution).This is going to be a long project and I will update my post with my progress. I would love tips on the "how to do's".
This is the order in which I plan to tackle the project:
1. Motor, I want to give it a test run on the water. I might identify problems before hand.
2. Woodwork/Carpeting. All of this is going to be removable.
3. Sanding... Sanding... and oh yes... more Sanding
4. Prime and Paint.
5. Install new Transom Mount Motor
6. Electrical
7. Accessories and Seats
