Newbie Rebuild" 1988 Bluefin Sportsman 1900 w/ 100HP Merc

[Renderwurx]

A couple months ago, I came across what I feel was an amazing opportunity and deal. I had just bought a 12" jon boat to get back into fishing and was dressing it up a bit when I decided it was just too small for what I wanted to do. So I put it up for sale and started to look for a larger boat... maybe 16-17" aluminum bass boat. My budget is limited so I knew it would have to be a "project boat" and just about that time I got a ding on my phone, from a facebook selling wall posting I almost never looked at and BOOM:

Galvanized tilt trailer, kicker plate & steering bar, transom saver, marine radio with antenna, and other misc items worth a little bit.

I paid only $650.

 

[Frey0357]

Hello Renderworx, welcome. Heck of a boat for only $650.00! I don't even see those deals in my area! What are the plans? What shape is it in? Check out that transom carefully!

Share your pics, otherwise whatever you intended to do or did, didn't actually happen!

Frey

 

[Bayou Dave]

She sure is looking sharp for a 29 year old boat! Congrats!!

 

[Renderwurx]

I've looked at a lot of rebuilt threads here and my images looked alot like others... interior rotted and left out for the elements to deteriorate. This boat/motor sat for 6 years... initially with a tarp then given up on. The motor supposedly ran well, and the owner obviously tried to get it running again because in the pic you can see the water clamp attached. The tank is in the bow and travels 19' to the motor... he added 5 gallons of gas to what was in it... (not knowing how much for sure was there) and tried but couldn't get it to fire. It would kick over though with the canned engine starting fluid.

Turns out there as 19 gallons in the tank... lol.. so I'm sure it had tons of water in it over the years and of course that stuff sinks to the bottom. Not sur ethe fuel line was clear anymore either. So we will see if the motor has life or not. But I'm pleased even if it doesn't.

The PO had replaced the decking when he got it... and painted it. Most of it was either sawdust or very soft.

I salvaged the steering, throttle controls, and the motor harness... not sure I'd trust any of the instruments. Figured I'd pick up a couple new ones down the road.

Found the tank in the bow under a lot of rotten ply... it was sitting on a pad of expanding foam and clipped in place with some aluminum clips.

The motor seemed in decent shape, fairly clean inside the cowling.

 

[Renderwurx]

Well it's been a couple months now and I've piddled with it as time allowed. I have it pretty much stripped down to the metal, and am starting to look into what I want to do to properly protect and prepare it for redecking and outfitting.

The one thing I realized pretty quick was getting the aluminum back to bare metal was going to be the "drudge work" in this project... but I think in the long run I will have my dream boat for a a very reasonable investment.

 

[Renderwurx]

Gutted and ready to start stripping carpet/glue and grime.

 

[Renderwurx]

Took out the stringers... I knew it was a slip away from slicing my ankle open... thought better of that.. lol And most of the carpet and some of the adhesive was removed.

 

[Renderwurx]

Time to get the motor off... I figured it was going to take some time.. but it kinda went by so fast I forgot to take pics. I bought the proper lift ring for my merc:

https://www.amazon.com/Mercury-Mariner-Outboard-Motor-91-90455-1/dp/B005CWC3CO

I also found a really clean 1 ton hoist for only $50 on Craigslist (About the same it would have cost me to rent it twice) and built a motor stand fro plans here on iBoats. I lifted it up just enough to take stress off the bolts and got them out... then it was fairly easy to transfer it to the stand. I figure I'll mess with the motor later.. perhaps during the winter.

 

[Renderwurx]

Thanks Frey,

Yeah I was so pumped when I saw it and knowing it was aluminum... I hoped for a decent hull. And I wasn't disappointed. I saw the post and called the guy at like 8pm on a Sunday... asked about it and asked if I could come see it Monday after work. He said "Sure, but there are about 5 other people coming already."

I asked him if I could come right then and there... and he said sure... so at last light of the day I pulled in his drive, saw it from 75 yards away and said.. "Yep... that's my boat."

And the transom suggestion... I asked the owner about it and he said "It's sealed in there.. what could happen?" Another friend of mine with no experience said "I wouldn't go digging in there... it looks fine form the outside."

But reading many of the build threads here.. I KNEW it was likely bad simply from the years in the boat.

Yep.. BAD. My first clue was to remove the plastic drain tubes form the splashwell and I was able to dig sawdust from inside the hole. I figured at that point it was work the time and $100 to replace.

While it was still mostly intact... it was soft and waterlogged... just pressing on it with a fingernail squeezed water out of it.

 

[Renderwurx]

OK, so the transom is out, I need to clean the skin, make a template and pickup a sheet of 3/4" marine ply. I'll get it cut to shape/size, glue two pieces together with waterproof adhesive to get the 1.5" thickness, then I suppose I'll epoxy it to seal it.

I still am considering how best to manage the holes from the previous owners from who knows what sort of items back there. Most are small screw holes that I will likely rivet with some 5200... or should i use JB Weld around the rivets?

There is one larger hole where a pump exit was connected. I had made a previous post about it as I think it ws a fill pump for a livewell that used to be there somewhere.

This is an earlier image showing where the fill pump was and what I suspect was an overflow exit. The exit looks like it would be under water a little most of the time so I am assuming there was an overflow tube used. I have not decided if I will put another livewell back in yet... and if so, not sure I will repeat this design.

So I suppose I will plug the hole. I am thinking a cover plate, riveted with jbweld?

 

[Renderwurx]

OK... so as I was cleaning out the boat and getting the stringers out, I noticed what I would learn from here on iBoats is galvanic corrosion.

It seems to be mostly located under/around where the stringers ran... with a few spots here and there. I took a wire brush wheel to them on a drill and found most of them were fairly shallow pitting... with only a few with deeper pitting. No holes though... Oddly the transom back skin had two spots very pitted.

I still am unsure of how to address this. I know I need to clean the corrosion off... and do some form of treatment to stop further corrosion. I am considering etching and priming.. but part of me wants to just let the aluminum oxidize again.

Can I get some input here? What would you guys do? (I have read some options on other threads too)

 

[Renderwurx]

OK.. so that is where I am at now. I did perform a half-hearted leak test by filling the bottom of the boat with water. Half hearted because the level of the boat prevented me from testing the entire bottom of the hull... but it got 85% I'd say... from the back towards the front. The area tested was mostly the bottom area beneath the ribs... pretty much everything that would be under decking. The good news is that I found only once very slight rivet leak.

What are the plans?

I am going to convert it to a center console. I am leaning towards painting the gunwhales with the non-slide surface.. maybe something like Tuffcoat. Possibly use it too for the areas of the sides that show above the decking.. or simply prime and paint the inside walls.

I am still deciding on whether to use marine vinyl or Tuffcoat on the decking. I already have some indoor/outdoor carpet... but only want to use it sparingly.

Use for the boat? Fishing. I'm not a skier or boater.. .although I may tow a tuber behind it on rare occasion. I just want a solid fishing rig. I'll put monster rod holders on it and do catfishing... but also perhaps striper, crappie, bass, walleye. Mostly smaller lakes and larger rivers like the Ohio, Tennessee... And maybe even calmer days on Lake Erie.

I am thinking of getting a flip/flp seat for behind the console to drive from, but flip and fish the back of the boat from.

 

[Renderwurx]

A little more cleanup and preparation and I'll be ready to start doing whatever I am going to do on the interior surface.

Here is a shot of the engine on the stand.

 

[kcassells]

Credit due when credit is do. I don't think I could do aluminum. I'm a glasser and have alot of respect for you guys. Except for Aquaman....C'mon that's funny. waterman
All said and done he is definitely the metal boat GURU!

 

[Tnstratofam]

That's a lot of progress. I like the idea of a center console with the flip/flop bench seat. Tagging along if that's okay.

 

[Renderwurx]

Of course tnstratofam... glad to have another fellow boat nut in thread!

OK... so the bottom of my boat appears to have no paint... just bare aluminum... but it is really bare? Although my initial test shows the boat being unusually dry for an almost 30 year old boat, I have ordered some Gluvit and want to seal everything for good measure.

I will be cleaning around each rivet and along the seams and probably steel wool it before applying Gluvit... but could there be more to this? Maybe a clear coat or something. The bottom is in very good condition, and very slick/smooth. But I cannot see/tell if there is any coating.

 

[Renderwurx]

Well the priming of the interior has begun. After considering the options, and knowing I have some corrosion to remove and protect from, I decided to prime the inside of the boat. I am using good ol' Rustoleum Self Etching Primer. (spray cans) It went on very well, covers nicely, and even with just a single coat, looks great.

I am going to use Aluminum Brightener Cleaner to clean and scrub the floor to remove any residue and corrosion, then rinse the boat our and let dry before applying the primer on the floor.

 

[Renderwurx]

The products I am using:

 

[Renderwurx]

Progressing as time allows... interior primed.

 

[Bayou Dave]

Looking good, so far!