16' Lifetimer Rebuild

[Alex_c]

This is my second project, the first one (also my first boat) I did back in 2013 and just sold due to going back to school and having a hard time justifying owning 2 boats.

You can check out the build here:

https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=26955


Anyway, here's what it looked like when I got it, as you can see it looks like the transom and splash well were cut down to fit a short shaft motor (shame!!), exterior paint looks ok in the pics, but it was bubbling in a lot of places and I wanted to start afresh so I gave it a bath in aircraft stripper. Bottom had about 25 years of anti fouling paint of different flavours that required blasting and grinding to get rid of. As of now the boat is pretty much ready to go, but I'll try to include all the pics of the process in a few posts.

 

[Alex_c]

So first step was getting it all stripped and get a handle on any corrosion issues that may be present. There was a lot of brass hardware on the boat, so that all went into the trash and was replaced with stainless. I probably put a good 30-40 hours getting the hull down to bare aluminum. Stripper didn't touch the interior paint, but I found that scraping was pretty effective since it was soft paint.

I didn't take many pics of this process, but here are a few of the interior stripped, then painted with the CC layout mocked up. I sanded the bare metal, washed with dilute muriatic acid, rinsed the crap out of it, let it dry, washed with acetone, then dusted with zinc chromate. For pain I used tremclad because it's cheap and it's a fishing boat. I thinned the paint a bit and used the roll and tip method, which gave me a finish that looks damn near shot on (to me at least). I also picked up a yammy F50 (carbed) for dirt cheap. The guy who sold it to me rebuilt the power head only to find out that his boat was rotten when he went to fix the small crack in his transom. He was done with it and just wanted it gone. So I picked up a rebuilt power head with 2 lower units and midsections that had issues, (cracked oil pan on one, and seized steering tube on the other), but managed to put it all together to make a working motor.

 

[Alex_c]

One thing I forgot to mention is that I fixed the transom by bending a piece of 3/16" aluminum on a brake and then got it welded in, so the transom is back to its old dimensions. Still have to deal with the splash well.

 

[Alex_c]

She's just about done. I'll post all the pics but I pretty much finished the rigging today. Bilge pump, switches, tach, fuel lines/water separator, fish finder, battery switch etc. Just have to tidy up the wiring, put some gas in it and she's ready to fish. Should be able to get out tomorrow or Monday depending on the weather. Need to get a kicker bracket and run fuel lines for kicker (2 stroke kicker, 4 stroke main so I need separate tanks) and a few other odds and ends, but that can wait for now.

 

[Seafever]

Wow. Good job.

 

[Salted]

I remember seeing the craigslist ad for that boat early in the AM, and wondering why it wasn't gone immediately. After seeing your before shots, I know why!
So nice to see that hull taken care of. The only suggestion I can make would be to try the Red Racer ESB. ;-)

 

[Alex_c]

I remember seeing the craigslist ad for that boat early in the AM, and wondering why it wasn't gone immediately. After seeing your before shots, I know why!
So nice to see that hull taken care of. The only suggestion I can make would be to try the Red Racer ESB. ;-)

I was the first to reply and look at it, and the guy got about 100 emails during the process. From my assessment, the hull was sound overall and relatively unmolested. Not too many unnecessary holes or hackjobs aside from the transom. Luckily everything added was welded, so it was pretty easy to modify. It's built like a tank so the few spots of corrosion I dealt with on the sole didn't pose any serious problems. The ESB most likely fuelled this build at some point as well!!

 

[Alex_c]

Here's a video of the maiden voyage last summer. This is essentially where I left off up until a week ago after I finished school for the year and sold the old boat. I'll post some pics of the latest progress tomorrow, it's looking pretty good. The boat runs well, but I'm not sure how I feel about the "manual" trim tabs. I adjusted them flat and the boat porpoises a bit. Ran a bit nose heavy with them set how I got it. I'll probably strap them up out of the way and try no tabs to see how it rides, then go from there. Either way I'm about ready to catch some fish.

 

[nicnat]

that was Don MacDonald's old boat.

 

[Sr SQ]

that was Don MacDonald's old boat.

Yes Sir, many fish slayed in that old boat!

 

[Alex_c]

that was Don MacDonald's old boat.

That's right, the guy who bought it from told me a bit about him. I guess he was a writer for a local magazine? Is he still around?

 

[Alex_c]

Ok, pretty much ready to go now. Needs a couple more things, like a windshield and the splash well repair, along with a few odds and ends. Overall I am happy with how it turned out, and I think it's going to be a good layout for fishing. View attachment 33092

 

[Alex_c]

A few more:

 

[Time]

Good work.

 

[Alex_c]

Carpet is annoying and is gonna get ditched for fishing. Might keep it and throw it in for lake days but for fishing I've got some interlocking tiles I'm going to try out. Boat fishes awesome and caught a few nice springs yesterday.

 

[Alex_c]

Oh yeah, according to the GPS she cruises at 22 knots at 4400 rpm with a max speed of about 28 knots at 5200 rpm with 2 people. Burned 6 gal of fuel for a 10 hour day or trolling/cruising (90% trolling) which is better than my old 35 hp Evinrude 2 stroke.

Potentially over-propped a bit as my WOT rpms should be around 5500-6000 on this motor. Don't really plan on running WOT much so I'm tempted to leave the prop as is. Thoughts?

 

[Sr SQ]

If the motor can't reach WOT you are overloading it at all rpms.
I would pitch down
Nice work bringing one back from the dead

 

[Alex_c]

Few updates:

Ditched the carpet for some interlocking exterior tiles. They fit perfectly, and they are amazing for fishing - great grip and don't hold crud.

Built a windshield out of 1/4" plexi. Did the bends with a heat gun and a homemade bending jig. Was kinda nerve racking, since it's a $50 piece and you only get one shot at it. Luckily my math worked out and it fit perfectly in the 18 3/4" between the grab rail. Going to mount with self tapping SS screws with rubber washers through the inside into the railing. Will that be enough to stop it cracking from vibration?

Also picked up a Standard Horizon GX1600 VHF due to the fact that it fits perfectly on the top on the console, and I can take it off when the boat is parked.

 

[1marko]

nice job on the centre console and
screen. the 1/4 in plexi will be pretty
tought but i would still install with
rubber washers. lexan would be better
i have both with no problem

 

[Alex_c]

nice job on the centre console and
screen. the 1/4 in plexi will be pretty
tought but i would still install with
rubber washers. lexan would be better
i have both with no problem

Lexan was my first choice but price wise it was stupid. Plexi should hold up. I used #8 SS self tappers into the grab rail with rubber washers. Also ran a bead of RTV along the sides of the grab rail where I screwed in. I let it cure into a gasket before I installed, so it's sealed and the plexi isn't hard up against the metal.