feathercraft 57

[hnkogan]

Hello, all;
I am restoring an 57" aluminum boat. Need help with transom mounting.
This came with inside and outside 3/4" boards on each side of aluminum transom.
Removed all rotten wood. Have new wood finished and cut to size. The metal has TONS OF HOLES. They will be covered inside with the new wood. Outside many will stay exposed.
1. How to mount the in/out wood. I.e. WHAT TO GLUE? WHICH GLUE?
2.How to seal the holes exposed to the outside?
Thanks tons all!
Hana

 

[kfa4303]

Re: feathercraft 57

HI hn. Cool old boat you got there. The best thing about these old tin boats is the ease of repair and refitting. There are really only a few rules; 1.) NEVER use PRESSURE TREATED wood on an aluminum boat...ever. If you do, you'll get a galvanic reaction between the aluminum hull and the metal preservatives in the wood. It will cause pitting and fatigue to your hull as you've now discovered. Clearly the previous owner thought they were doing the "right" thing by using the PT wood, but they couldn't have been more mistaken. Before you replace the transom you'll need to fill in all of the pinholes. There are several products but spreadable JB weld and/or Marine Tex are your best bet. Once they cure they cure they can be sanded, painted even machined. You should be able to get JB at any hardware store. After all of the holes are filled, you can reattach the transom. However, it's best to laminate two pieces of 3/4" non-PT exterior grade plywood that has been properly sealed and attach it to the interior hull only. 2.) To seal the wood prior to installation, you can use either 2-part spreadable epoxy, fiberglass mat & wax-free polyester resin, or several coats (3-5) of Spar Urethane. The epoxy and f'glass methods are nice, but can be messy and pricey as you have to order supplies. However, Spar Urethane is readily available at almost any hardware store for about $15 a gallon. 3.) Once the wood is sealed you'll need to mount it to the hull using STAINLESS STEEL hardware dipped in 3M 5200 marine caulk, both of which can be had at Lowes/HD. 4.) As far as painting is concerned, simply sand any old/loose paint with 220 grit paper, wipe down with acetone, let dry, apply a LIGHT coat of Zinc Chormate Self-Etching primer (Lowes/HD/autostore). Once the primer cures, you can apply the top coat of your choice. That's really about it. The rest is only limited by time, money and imagination. If you choose not to use epoxy or fiberglass you can get everything you'll need in one trip to Lowes/HD. You may also want to check out tinboats.net which is just like iboats, but dedicated solely to aluminum boats. Good luck. Holler if you get stuck. We love pics

 

[hnkogan]

Re: feathercraft 57

Thanks, Commander!
I guess I made it sound worse than it is..
All holes are round, from bolts. There was never any PT wood near it, nor would ever be. The inside transom is marine mahogany, stained, sealed, 6 coats z-spar. outside a teak board, oiled. This is the original design and I want to keep it this way (besides the woods, mine are better).

" STAINLESS STEEL hardware dipped in 3M 5200 marine caulk"

means I drill a hole in the wood, hopefully to match the one in metal and use the hardware wet from this compound? Is enough?
There are definitely more holes than I need (by the way, how many bolts are typically used to mount the 55" x 6" transom board?) Should I seal the rest with the JB or use more bolts??
Thanks!
Hana