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New life to an old 16' PolarKraft - Overhaul

38K views 120 replies 37 participants last post by  Weedwacker 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
Just got the boat back from the welder this past weekend. I bought this boat before last season knowing the transom needed some work. After the season ended I planned on replacing the wood and figured I'd be good to go for summer fishing/crabbing and the next few years. Turns out, after I tore it down I found the previous owned had siliconed a plate of aluminum over a rather large crack through the transom... :no:
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Got it back Saturday and I'm super happy with the results:
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next on the list is a strip of the bottom paint, a good scuff/sand on the rest of the boat and a complete re-paint. I've got the stencils ready to go, and the paint should be here Wednesday. Aircraft stripper and a wire brush will be my best friends next weekend. I plan on using a etching primer and then Parker for the base color and i still haven't decided whether to do the quarts of parker or just rattle cans for the camo job. I will be spraying through a HPLV gun.

let me know if you guys have any tips shooting Parker or any paint stripping tips...

After paint, probably an aluminum floor and a re-wire.

Thoughts on removing the pods/seats in the middle of the boat? There is some foam in there.
 

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#2 ·
Transom looks good. I always enjoy a good rebuild. As far as the paint goes. I spray all my Parker through a Harbor Freight HVLP gun without thinning it. Goes on nice and heavy and holds up well. I have a couple SATA guns that I normally paint with but the fluid tips are no where near the size of the HF gun. Plus its only 15 bucks. So if you cant get the oil based crap out. Just toss it.

I would personally take out the pods and the next seat forward. Put a deck on it and call it good. Open floor plans are always nice.
 
#3 ·
Thanks, yeah the HF gun is the one i bought. I will have to do some trial and error to get it right. Not sure about spraying with an HPLV through stencils though. :huh:

I'm going to leave the forward (full) bench for crabbing. Its nice to be able to get up on something at the edge of the boat while running a trot line or pulling traps (esp for wifey). Plus it holds the bushels and whatnot from sliding all over. I have been thinking about putting a gun box down one or both sides for storage where the pods are. That section in the middle is about 7' so it should be nice and open. When hunting i will just use bucket seats if i'm hunting 3-4.

There are several options for flooring, but i am leaning towards the hydroturf over sheet aluminum. Anything cheaper or comparable?
 
#5 · (Edited by Moderator)
I'm using the Reelfoot grass lands stencils.Got them at Mack's.

http://www.mackspw.com/ItemSearch--sear ... t--srcin-1

I bought the large and small ones, and I am probably going to use the "blob" one from a friend's Styx river kit below the bark stencil.

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Base will be SAND TAN in Parker paint
2nd layer will be HUNTER GREEN parker paint "blobs/shadows"
3rd will be black "bark"
4th will be grass in DEAD GRASS
 

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#9 ·
only problem with removing the pods or especially the seat is it will reduce the sturdiness. the seat plays a great role in providing structural support to the sides. i have grown up around boats my whole life and im a commercial fisherman and i have a 18 foot skiff that used to have two back seats and a middle bench seat. we took them out and had to rebuild the back to support the new and bigger motor.i also have a small jon boat that i took the middle seat out and you can really tell a difference in speed and how much the floor pops in and out and how the sides flex in when its a little choppy.if your not careful the metal will fatigue and can crack due to stress. but your boat looks like its built nice and stout i don't think you'll have a problem with the pods being removed.oh and nice job with the transom :thumbsup:
 
#10 ·
Front benches are staying in; and boat will stay the way it is in the last pic. As far as structural, none of the ribs were removed, and this didn't have any impact laterally across the boat for support. The only drawback I could see is the span between benches losing an extra stiffener in the middle. I'm going to hold onto the pods to make sure it rides ok before i paint, so i can put them back if need be.

Anyone know of a metal supply house in MD that i can get some sheet from? I'd preferably like to do it with one sheet down the middle, but I'd need a 10'x5' sheet . I've done some reading and seen guys go with .400 through .125 depending on rib spacing and foam and whatnot. I am leaning towards .100, with either a bedliner topside or hydroturf. Still havent decided there. Hydroturf is more expensive but may stay cooler in the summer months.
 
#11 ·
Not sure where you are in MD, if you are in the Northeast, you can drive on over to DE and get your aluminum sheet for $1.90 a lb at Joseph Fazio in New Castle. They have the 5x10 you need and its only gonna be about $120/sheet (.090") and no tax.

http://metals.shopjfi.com/catalog.aspx? ... um&s=Plate

They also have Diamond plate.

I have no affiliation, just have used them in the past. Super easy to deal with. Drive you truck right into the warehouse!

They also have locations in Glassvile NJ, Wall Twp NJ, and Pottsville PA for other members...

BTW the work on your transom looks great.
 
#12 ·
Sandor27 said:
Not sure where you are in MD, if you are in the Northeast, you can drive on over to DE and get your aluminum sheet for $1.90 a lb at Joseph Fazio in New Castle. They have the 5x10 you need and its only gonna be about $120/sheet (.090") and no tax.

http://metals.shopjfi.com/catalog.aspx? ... um&s=Plate

They also have Diamond plate.

I have no affiliation, just have used them in the past. Super easy to deal with. Drive you truck right into the warehouse!

They also have locations in Glassvile NJ, Wall Twp NJ, and Pottsville PA for other members...

BTW the work on your transom looks great.
Is that the same as the steel liquidators on old airport rd??
 
#17 ·
just ordered my flooring from steel liquidators. local prices for a 5' x 10' x .090" were outrageous. ($248 a sheet) I got the same stuff in DE for $129/sheet. a couple sheets should do and i'll have leftovers to maybe make a storage/gun box or something.

2g of parker "sand tan" showed up from cabelas yesterday.

stripping hull starting tomorrow. pics to follow.
 
#19 · (Edited by Moderator)
Flipped boat last night so I could start this morning. Went through an entire can of aircraft stripper to get this far. 2nd coat was thinner than I would have liked it to be but I'm off to the store to get some more. I'm dealing with 5 coats of bottom paint. :no: Yellow, black, white, blue, and then tan. This is taking alot more stripper than I thought, and the pressure washer is a HUGE help. I wouldn't be this far this morning without it. I'll probably get to a point where I can break out the wire wheel here this afternoon. Stay tuned.

Before:
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After 1st Coat:
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During 2nd Coat:
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After 2nd Coat:
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#20 ·
For the price and time of the stripper I'd almost go with a cheap blasting gun and use soda or walnut media to completely remove and clean the hull (and interior). All it takes is a cleaning & wipedown with prepsol prior to priming. And it gets into all the nooks and crannies.
 
#21 · (Edited by Moderator)
Done for the day. Time for some alcohol. :beer:

Needs one last thick coat of stripper tomorrow AM, then some sandpaper and acetone. FYI, the wal-mart stripper works just as well as the aircraft stripper and is only $18 a can vs $50. Be sure to shake it GOOD. Right now, I've got about $100 in stripper on it and it needs another gallon. the inside will not get stripped as it's in good shape, just needs a re-coat. Hopefully going to be able to get the last of it off tomorrow and shoot primer Sunday.

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#23 ·
j.digiacomo said:


stripped and ready for primer. will have to pick it up Monday after work as all the auto paint stores are closed on the weekends around here. in total... 2g of Aircraft Stripper, 2g of regular stripper. I did 4 good coats and finished off with the wire wheel.

thank goodness that is over.
get a tiger disk and buff it. the wire wheel will leave iron residue on the aluminum....of clean the hell out of it with elbow grease and acetone.....
 
#25 · (Edited by Moderator)
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got the boat into the garage tonight.

here's what it looks like just about everywhere. there's some leftover paint that just wont come off, and then a little bit of oxidation it looks like. i'm hoping that i can scrub with a scotch brite and vinegar and it will come off... this is after an acetone bath once already.

the grey/black dust seems to be never ending. any tips?
 

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#26 ·
Hi, you are doing a good job.
I start about 2 months ago, transforming a SeaNymph 16' bass boat into a duck hunting boat, My grandson a I are replacing all plywood and carpet for 1/8" aluminum.
For the bottom I 'm going to recomend you to use Gluvit, it is a heavy 2 parts epoxy that can be apply by roller or brush. It will seal all possible water leaks and ad a smooth finish to the bottom.
You can used as it comes or put some color on it and live it as a final coat or cover it with an epoxy paint.
I did work on boat here in Miami for many years, if I can be of any help don't hesitate to contact me.
Keep going, good luck
Pedro
 
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