The Tin Mule Resto

[sphelps]

Ok guys , I have been kinda getting into tinkering with some old classic outboards here lately . It's been pretty fun so far and I,m hoping it,s gunna help with my not so good mechanical skill some ..
Anyway I wanted a nice little tin boat to run them on when and if I can get them running .
I have no clue the brand of this boat all I know is it's a 1971 something or other ...I'ts not in bad shape I guess and the trailer is halfway decent ..
Gunna need a transom and the po run a bunch of silly cone on all the joints .Then his sil painted it with the ninja turtle green thats on there now .. I have picked up some gluvit to seal things up more properly . Do you use that on the inside and the outside joints ? Or is 5200 a better choice on the outside ? All I know is the silicone has gotta go .. How do you know when a rivet needs rebucking .. Any advise from the tin boat crew would be appreciated .. There is one dent in it and I will post a picture of it ..Your thoughts on trying to knock it back out or just leave it cause it may make things worse ..

 

[kcassells]

Uh oh.....

 

[kcassells]

Seriously Sam. Have a good time with her!

 

[GA_Boater]

You should have the transom done by lunch even if you sleep in. LOL That's an easy one.

Gluvit is for inside the hull and needs paint for UV protection. It's not good for the outside.

I would clean out the silly putty and put some water in the hull, not a lot, and rock the boat to see where she leaks, then go from there.

Also, I would leave the ding alone. That's a tricky spot to knock out.

Rivets aren't my smart thing. I have 'em, but no loose or leaky ones.

 

[sphelps]

Kc , not gunna need any eeeeepoxy on this one I think .
Well maybe for the transom and floor ...

thanks GA ... i do plan on giving it a paint job inside and out .. The green is already starting to peal off the silicone ..
Plus if I can't get the motors running good at least it will look pretty floating down stream ... :joyous:

 

[GA_Boater]

The tinny will look good even if you're all sweaty from yankin' in the rope closin' on a to dam or waterfall.

 

[sphelps]

Need a plug .. I found the right size and thread .. but don't these drains need a plug with some sort of flange and washer to keep them from leaking ? I could put some Teflon tape on the brass plug I guess ..


The po squirted silly cone on every stinking seam on the boat .. I want to remove all that and seal with the right stuff ..
I'm concerned about new paint sticking .. Other than scraping the the stuff off or maybe wire wheel .. Is there any kind of solvent to use to get any silicone residue off ?

 

[sphelps]

Also been thinking about the new transom .. Seems like there's gunna be a bunch of holes when the old transom comes off .. I would like to leave the wood natural stained and sealed .. Is it best to use plywood or can i use a dimensional lumber ?
My 22.5 hp will probably be the largest hp motor going on there ..


Suggestions on seating would be good also ...Ideas ...

 

[GA_Boater]

It looks like witness marks from a flanged plug. The fixture appears to be a repurposed garboard drain and they don't use gaskets or Teflon tape. I think you'll be OK with that plug. After you splash I may be proven wrong.

I'm guessing a PO attended the "all tin boats leak" school. All kinds of sillycone removal solvents. How well they work, i have no idea.

Googling "silicone remover" found some products along with this site with some tips - https://www.hunker.com/12623575/what-solvent-will-clean-silicone

 

[sphelps]

Working the night shift so got a few hours to kill during the day before work .. Been piddling around a bit ..
Pressure washed it out .. I couldnt have done this with the same size glass boat . LOL!


Also took the old transom off .. Good grief at all the fasteners . So should I reuse the same holes ? I guess they had the right intent with the old transom .. Plywood completely wrapped with glass but with all the bullet holes it was bound to leak somewhere ... There is a little pitting on the tin but not much .. Looks like they used 5200 to glue it on .. That stuff is tough to take off ...

 

[sphelps]

I would like to make the outside piece about a inch or 2 larger I think ..That would allow for a little more sealant around the lower mounting holes ..

 

[sphelps]

I already knew but just confirmed that dark painted aluminum boats in the Florida sun is not a good idea ! :lol:
Been cleaning caulk and crud off the transom and something that looks like black flex seal off the inside of the hull ..
‘Would a wire wheel on an angle grinder be too aggressive to clean around the rivets ? I tried with just a cordless drill /wire wheel .. It’s working but is kinda slow. Can I use gluvit on the rivets along with the seams ?
‘I want to paint both inside and out but I’m worried about painting the top railing thinking it might not hold up as well to the abuse it will get .. Probably overthinking it .. As long as no clear coat I could just touch up from time to time I guess ..

 

[GA_Boater]

On the transom and holes - You can use all the holes or try to figure out which ones are original from the factory. If going with the factory holes, slap some 4200 over the unused holes between the ply and aluminum to seal them. That way a lot less holes in the wood and less chance of rot. Use plywood. Dimensional lumber with no cross plies, tends to crack like what I have from a lazy PO.

Seats - It looks like two benches, maybe 3. The benches were probably filled with styrofoam blocks originally. That's about the only place for flotation. You can use closed cell insulation sheets cut to fit. Another bright idea brought on from extended solitary confinement - Make some storage bins under the benches with hinged lids. Not too big since bins take away from flotation.

Gluvit needs to be protected from UV or it sloughs off. Paint will do the job. Undercoat or Flexsteel, undercoat is a wee bit easier to remove. jbcurt00 went through this with one of his tinnies and might have some ideas. They start with

Is there any evidence of having a deck?

 

[sphelps]

I got a big pile of closed cell 2” thick foam I can stack in the seats ... I do need to pick up a sheet of plywood .. I got a good source for marine grade here in town I need to call them to se if they are open ..Unless I can find something from the big orange store that will work .. I think I have enough epoxy to coat the transom with then varnish ...

 

[sphelps]

Is there any evidence of having a deck?

Not that I can tell ... I have an idea on some stuff I have laying around that might work for a deck though .
Or not ..

 

[sphelps]

Hope everyone is having a blessed Easter !
Staying at home I did get a little done on the boat .. I picked up a sheet of MG plywood Friday .. Had enough to do the transom and the seats .. Still need to do some trimming and sanding before the epoxy goes on ... I made the transom pieces just a bit larger On the length outside and the width inside ... Just hoping to add a bit more strength if I can ..


I need to pick up a gallon of xylene .. It worked really well cutting the flex seal or whatever black junk they sprayed everywhere inside the hull . I thought tin boats were easier to fix up than glass boats .. :lol:

 

[GA_Boater]

Hey Sam - If you were working on a glasser, you would be looking for more PPE to make a beer run! ainkiller:

The last pic answers my question a while back about a deck. She never had a deck.

 

[sphelps]

The PO of this boat should be flogged ! This black stuff is a mess . It turned what should have been an easy prep and paint into a heck of a lot of work .. So what should be the order of things ?
Gluvit the inside then prep and paint the outside . Then paint the inside ?
Or flip and paint the outside first then tackle the inside ? Or does it really matter ?

 

[GA_Boater]

Did you get the black goop off?

Keep her upright and leak test if you plan on that, then flip and do the outside prep and paint, flip again and do the inside prep, Gluvit and paint.

That way Gluvit has a better chance of sticking and not flaking off, especially if you have to remove that darn silly cone from the bottom using violence.

Can I help hold the PO down while you flay his flesh? I'm not sadistic, but I'm getting desperate and need some lockdown entertainment with benefits.

 

[sphelps]

Got most of the black crud off .. The xylene is cutting it but if you don’t get it completely off the residue re-hardens rather quickly so you have to keep changing rags and wire brush around the rivets...