Aluminum boat restoration

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

PAINT

Sharpshooter
Special Hen
Joined
Nov 19, 2012
Messages
139
Reaction score
0
Location
Oklahoma City
Im my experiance you would really have to hit something HARD to gouge a hole. But I won't say it couldnt happen because the next time I am out in it it will happen lol.

Yes the Arkansas can be VERY good hunting. We are in the big bend south of Ponca City. Was up deer hunting last week on the river bottom thinking I should have been duck hunting instead of deer hunting. Lots of birds. May try get up build a small blind and see if I still have my decoys up there or not next week. Now just need someone that knows duck calls.....

Haha i feel ya. And that's always a good sign, I hope we get a good amount here. Duck calling seems almost like an art, very difficult (to me atleast). Ive been practicing for months and im still not confident in my calling.
 

becker_atc

Sharpshooter
Special Hen
Joined
Jul 3, 2010
Messages
1,282
Reaction score
92
Location
grady/noble county
The 12' boat i use on ponds has a good sized jb weld patch on a crack. If i recall its on the side where it starts to curve up to the bow. Its never leaked, atleast any amount to notice. bought at a farm sale no title so it stays off public water and use it on ponds only because if that patch does give way I am not 5 miles down river!!
 

Glocktogo

Sharpshooter
Supporting Member
Special Hen Supporter
Joined
Jan 12, 2007
Messages
29,944
Reaction score
17,365
Location
Collinsville
Seems like the bed liner inside and out would make the boat a lot quieter and more resistant to punctures and leaks. My only concern would be how much weight it adds. That might not be a real concern though.
 

criticalbass

Sharpshooter
Special Hen
Joined
Jun 11, 2006
Messages
5,596
Reaction score
7
Location
OKC
"We need a bigger boat!" The quote from Jaws fits you very well if you plan to go on medium to big water. A 12 foot jon boat is a wonderful thing when loaded lightly, handled carefully, and used on small water.

Not trying to dump on your project, just have seen way too many duck hunting related drownings and deaths from hypothermia. Most were as a result of flat bottom little boats in rough water oprated by folks ill equipped to deal with cold water.

If you must, you need a very good personal flotation device, at least 35 pounds flotation, a waterproof cell phone attached to you, and perhaps most importantly a layer of whatever material is currently best at staving off hypothermia. Thinsulate used to be the top dog, but I haven't checked lately for what is best.

Duck hunting from a boat is at best a high risk activity. I do love it, but it has to be approached with great caution.

I suggest you do some warm weather practice with heavy loads, rough water and a rescue boat standing by.

Looks like your repair job is coming along nicely. I used West System resin and regular fiberglass on the last one I did. That was nearly ten years ago on a 14 foot narrow jon that leaked badly and had some big rock dents. Hasn't leaked at all since then, and the glass made it a lot more resistant to damage. I covered the entire bottom with two layers of glass fiber. The West resin is way tougher than the normal resin from a body shop. Cheap? Not so much.

Again, be as careful and as prepared as if you were going to cross Lake Michigan in the winter (which sailors will tell you is more dangerous than the Atlantic . . .).
 

Glocktogo

Sharpshooter
Supporting Member
Special Hen Supporter
Joined
Jan 12, 2007
Messages
29,944
Reaction score
17,365
Location
Collinsville
"We need a bigger boat!" The quote from Jaws fits you very well if you plan to go on medium to big water. A 12 foot jon boat is a wonderful thing when loaded lightly, handled carefully, and used on small water.

Not trying to dump on your project, just have seen way too many duck hunting related drownings and deaths from hypothermia. Most were as a result of flat bottom little boats in rough water oprated by folks ill equipped to deal with cold water.

If you must, you need a very good personal flotation device, at least 35 pounds flotation, a waterproof cell phone attached to you, and perhaps most importantly a layer of whatever material is currently best at staving off hypothermia. Thinsulate used to be the top dog, but I haven't checked lately for what is best.

Duck hunting from a boat is at best a high risk activity. I do love it, but it has to be approached with great caution.

I suggest you do some warm weather practice with heavy loads, rough water and a rescue boat standing by.

Looks like your repair job is coming along nicely. I used West System resin and regular fiberglass on the last one I did. That was nearly ten years ago on a 14 foot narrow jon that leaked badly and had some big rock dents. Hasn't leaked at all since then, and the glass made it a lot more resistant to damage. I covered the entire bottom with two layers of glass fiber. The West resin is way tougher than the normal resin from a body shop. Cheap? Not so much.

Again, be as careful and as prepared as if you were going to cross Lake Michigan in the winter (which sailors will tell you is more dangerous than the Atlantic . . .).

I've heard that wool is one of the best materials for retaining warmth when wet. Some of the newer stuff may be as well though.
 

PAINT

Sharpshooter
Special Hen
Joined
Nov 19, 2012
Messages
139
Reaction score
0
Location
Oklahoma City
The 12' boat i use on ponds has a good sized jb weld patch on a crack. If i recall its on the side where it starts to curve up to the bow. Its never leaked, atleast any amount to notice. bought at a farm sale no title so it stays off public water and use it on ponds only because if that patch does give way I am not 5 miles down river!!

Sounds like it has held up, good to know. And yeah that would not be a fun situation at all.

I cant see the pics for some reason buy kayaks and canoes suck.

Most of them do unless you spend a good amount of money and get a really nice one.

I've been doing the same with a '64 Starcraft v-bottom. My biggest surprise is that none of the million rivets leaks.

Your lucky, that seems to be the most common problem with aluminum boats. Your hull must be in pretty good shape.
 

PAINT

Sharpshooter
Special Hen
Joined
Nov 19, 2012
Messages
139
Reaction score
0
Location
Oklahoma City
Seems like the bed liner inside and out would make the boat a lot quieter and more resistant to punctures and leaks. My only concern would be how much weight it adds. That might not be a real concern though.

Yeah that is the main reason i wanted to use a bed liner(puncture resistance and quieter). And yes it would add a good amount of weight. I've been debating with co-workers about using that and other products for a few days, has been kind of stressful. They are concerned with adhesion, it peeling, or coming off in chunks when it hits a rock. It technically isn't bed liner, it's a similar material though.
 

PAINT

Sharpshooter
Special Hen
Joined
Nov 19, 2012
Messages
139
Reaction score
0
Location
Oklahoma City
"We need a bigger boat!" The quote from Jaws fits you very well if you plan to go on medium to big water. A 12 foot jon boat is a wonderful thing when loaded lightly, handled carefully, and used on small water.

Not trying to dump on your project, just have seen way too many duck hunting related drownings and deaths from hypothermia. Most were as a result of flat bottom little boats in rough water oprated by folks ill equipped to deal with cold water.

If you must, you need a very good personal flotation device, at least 35 pounds flotation, a waterproof cell phone attached to you, and perhaps most importantly a layer of whatever material is currently best at staving off hypothermia. Thinsulate used to be the top dog, but I haven't checked lately for what is best.

Duck hunting from a boat is at best a high risk activity. I do love it, but it has to be approached with great caution.

I suggest you do some warm weather practice with heavy loads, rough water and a rescue boat standing by.

Looks like your repair job is coming along nicely. I used West System resin and regular fiberglass on the last one I did. That was nearly ten years ago on a 14 foot narrow jon that leaked badly and had some big rock dents. Hasn't leaked at all since then, and the glass made it a lot more resistant to damage. I covered the entire bottom with two layers of glass fiber. The West resin is way tougher than the normal resin from a body shop. Cheap? Not so much.

Again, be as careful and as prepared as if you were going to cross Lake Michigan in the winter (which sailors will tell you is more dangerous than the Atlantic . . .).

I should have been more specific, i'm just using the boat to put decoys out and retrieve ducks. I'm not going to hunt in it. And I would be to scared to take that thing out on a lake or big river. It is just going in ponds no bigger than 2-3 acres. Having a personal flotation device is a great idea, definitley will have to do something about that. And thank you, i've definitley put some blood and sweat into this project.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom