A good buddy of mine gave me a 16' all weld aluminum boat the other day. It is a 1986 Sea State Traveler according to the serial number with a 1986 Johnson 60 VRO. It has been setting in a pasture since 2011 I am going to have to replace all the decking in the boat. I am debating whether or not to go back with wood or aluminum. What would y'all recommend?

I dropped the lower unit today and changed the water pump just to be safe. I got it running this evening, kinda. I stuck the lower unit in a sweet lick tub so it would be able to suck up enough water to stay cool. It will run on high idol, but once you dial back the rpms it dies. I mixed the gas at 50-1 and ran about 8 oz of seafoam in 2 gallons of gas. Have any of y'all rebuilt two stroke carburetors? I have not.

I would attach pictures but haven't mastered the new set up yet.

Thanks

Is the fuel tank clean? Sometimes Seafoam will break loose old deposits and ethanol gel which can clog fuel lines if the tank was nasty.

Being it started after the long sit probably means they ran her empty before storing. I'd continue the sea foam and run the piss out it. Chances are it'll run better and better.

Service the carbs. Replace water pump impeller and lower unit lube.

Your wood floor will be rotten in spots. So will the stringers below the floor, and transom plywood too. The foam that's under the floor most likely has become somewhat water soaked. Need to replace that foam, or remove etirely (boat will be a rock w/o the foam in she gets swamped).

iBoats Forum (projects)

US Composits (Resin, Fiberglass, etc)

Get rid of it before it starts costing you money.

If the boat has been to pasture for a while I envision it sitting out in the elements thats tough on them for sure
You said the deck has issues I assume that there is wood encapsulated in Alum on the transon how solid is that wood?

That rots quite a bit am most folks dont look at it till something happens

Hank

I just reread TooDogs and he is on target

There is nothing more expensive than a free boat.

W4B and TooDogs have the mechanical stuff right. If it were me, I'd go back with whatever it has no as to the decking.

Wanna bet? I got my hands on an old camp trailer to renovate. At least it won't sink unless I set it up on a free pontoon boat.

I sounds like it had a wood deck and you are thinking of replacing that with aluminum to avoid future rot issues.
I cant say for sure but I think buying the sheets of aluminum would be very expensive.
I would go with marine grade plywood coated with epoxy on all 6 sides, seal any seams when laying down the new deck and use one of the roll on non slip deck coatings.
Marine grade plywood uses wood more rot resistant and the ply's are glued with water proof glue.
The iboats forum is a great place for info.

I just replaced the floor in my 1986 Alumacraft. It's actually pretty easy. It took some time, but it wasn't difficult. I used 1/2" marine grade plywood. I got it from Menards, on a special order along with the carpeting. I used 3/4" Marine grade for the front deck and the compartment lids because I ordered that first. I thought that's what it was until I pulled the old floor up. 5/8" would probably be a little better.

How is the transom?

I would run it with oil in the gas and dump the VRO if it was mine.

The tank was full of water gas mix when I got it. I drained it out then flushed it with straight gas. I then let it air dry for a couple days in the 100 plus degree heat we have been "enjoying" before replacing the tank to motor fuel hose.



I Replaced the waterpump before I started it up. Hardest thing about it was figuring out how to get the shifting lever of the shift shaft.



Only two things are wood. The decking itself and the transom that is encapsulated in Aluminum. Everything else is aluminum. How do I get the transom out?



[

My buddy had already removed the VRO.

well found one place that felt soft, i imagine there are more.

I'd have to agree with the other comments

your buddy didn't give you a boat....your buddy got rid of a boat...

but I have a yard full of projects that other people were happy to get rid of too

Aluminum Totally covers the wood in the transom?
I have seen transom rebuilds on fiberglass boats where they removed the top cap exposing the top of the transom.
Then they chiseled out the old rotten transom and slid a new one in.
I think you need to carefully look at how it is being all held together.
If you are going to have to start removing rivets I would definitely ask over at iboats.
There have been some really extensive rebuilds on there.

The two happiest days in a man's life.
- the day he gets a boat
- the day he gets rid of a boat

BreakOutAnotherThousand

Boat = hole in the water in which you throw money. Hasbeen

When rebuilding the carb, go ahead and replace all of the old rubber gas lines and gaskets with new ones that are good to go with ethanol.

Two stroke carbs are pretty simple. If it won't idle, there are probably some tiny holes that are plugged up. Take them apart and clean everything up. Spray gumout through all the little passages. Put it back together and try it. If it still won't idle, you missed some.

Regarding the transom; tilt the motor up, grab the lower unit and pull it up and down. If the transom is solid and doesn't flex, you are good to go. If it does, then you have problems. You didn't say whether the boat is fiberglass or aluminum. If it is fiberglass, haul it to the dump. Aluminum; you will have to take the motor off, remove the transom cap, pull the old board and put in a new one.

Good luck,

Jerry

The boat is a 16 foot all weld Aluminum.

Gas tank and lines may have to be cleaned because of ethanol will gel over time. Ethanol is not good for carburetors either.

IF this FREE boat came with a FREE trailer, hook it to a truck and go to the nearest landfill, upon arrival find someone in a loader and ask if the would like to crush the boat[they usually like doing this, don't ask me how I know]. Go where directed and push boat off of trailer. Take trailer home and modify for personal use.
Otherwise as above just keep cleaning and cleaning the carb.
Good luck with the rebuild.
I had a ski boat with I/O given to me years ago that had sat 3/4 submerged for a winter.
Lot's of replaced wood and engine work, but it's doable.

i bought the duck rocket from my brother for 1500, 3 motors later and having it professionally rewired a jack plate, pontoons added to the transom to support the weight of a 115 4stroke on a boat rated for a 50 hp, i got 50+mph 17.6 flat bottom rocket. Its now a 7000 dollar boat that couldn't sell for anywhere near that.

My first thought....however, another thing I would do, is, at least the first few tanks of fuel, give it a good dose of Marvel Mystery Oil as a fuel additive. I've always used that stuff in my small engines and they just keep running and running.

My brothers, for years, had a certain standard for buying boats: It had to be sitting in someone's yard with a For Sale sign and it had to be less than $1000. (Made no sense, because they're both doing very well, but...) A few years ago they both bought the bullet, went to my brother-in-law's business and bought new boats, with new motors, on new trailers. Truthfully, I think those will end up being the cheapest boats they've ever owned.

Check the fuel/oil ratio,some were 100 too 1 .

Are you sure this guy is a bud and not an evil genius.?

We have a winner!

i loved all my boats. the last one i had was a 2004 jetboat,fished out of it until 2010 .had 12,500.00 in it and sold for 11,500.00. people will pay more for a custom built boat because its a six month wait for a new one.spend a little on your new boat and go have some fun.

There's an low-speed needle(screw) on the carburetor that you should try adjusting(at least there is on my 25hp). A carb rebuild wouldn't hurt either.

Well i can not afford a new boat. If I'm going to spend a couple of grand on a boat then I figured might as well start with a free boat and trailer. I had no idea boat motors were so costly, Originally I thought I would find a older boat and buy a new four stroke and call it good, but those are out of my price range for at least the next decade.

New spark plugs wouldn't hurt either.

I disagree with most of the opinions so far, an old used fiberglass boat isnt worth a thing but a welded aluminum boat is a different beast.

Looks like a fine boat to me.

I would pull the old wood as use it as a pattern for the new wood, use marine plywood, coat the new wood with West epoxy.

Those old two stroke carbeurated motors are gas and oil hogs, ditch it on Craig's list and find a late model fuel injected 4 stroke.

Doing this you will have a great boat that will last a long time and retain it's value.

Between 1975 and 1995 it seemed I spent much of my time in my boats.

I am 66 years old and have been repairing boat trailers and boats for 55 years:
Tail lights
Wheel bearings
Wheel hubs
flat tires
Water pumps
Fuel tanks.
converting short shaft transom to long shaft

I think I am done, now.

Some younger guy might really love that project.

Check the lines under the cowling ,dry rot,letting air in /the reason why only likes wide open ,u can get her running an spray the carbs/lines with a can of !!!!either.... U will know rite off,

BTW. I know people who make a living every year...with a lot less boat then u got for free.....enjoy!

Do NOT use treated lumber anywhere - including
trailer bunks. It will eat the snot out of the aluminum. If it won't idle, you probably have to clean the carbs, because of crap in the idle circuit. As long as you have them off, might as well rebuild them. Fuel lines should be replaced, and possibly a fuel pump rebuild. All that stuff is relatively inexpensive, easy, and will save a lot of headaches in the future. The good thing is, aluminum boats have a very long service life. Mine is a 1961.

I see the pics now. I like it.
I think anything on that Johnson will be able to be serviced.
Nice size.
You'll have some projects to do on it for sure but looks like it will be great.

I'd suggest replacing the floor with 1/2" marine grade plywood and then cover it with marine vinyl decking material. The decking material is glued in placwe with contact cement and you must use stainless staple to secure it on the backside. A coat of contact cement on the uncovered plywood will waterproof it.

That's what I did with my boat and held up extremely well for the ten years I owned it. This pic was taken right before I sold it.



I also stripped and painted the interior aluminium. I used a vinyl etching wash primer and an industrial epoxy paint. I replaced all the flotation with 2" thick styrofoam cut to fit, wrapped with shipping tape to form blocks, and then sealed in plastic garbage bags.

This is very true. The chemicals in PT wood are corrosive to all but a few metals and Al isn't one of them. It's like having to use galvanized hardware on PT decks and fences.

Use high grade plywood and thoroughly coat it with something like TotalBoat Penetrating Epoxy, 2 coats. It'll turn water better than anything else you can use. I recently got a quart of TotalBoat from Amazon for about $42. That would be plenty for your job, maybe more than enough. It goes a long ways.

metal stringers, metal floor unless someone added some plywood over the stringers, normally.

I would have no problem repairing the boat, looks good. The engine? I do similar work on engines. Be prepared to be frustrated, Price a new carb for the heck of it. Another problem with 2 cycle engines is crankcase leaks, They will never run right with leaking seals or dried sealant.

I may have to side with Rock Chuck on camp trailers costing more to put in working order than your free boat. My 1993 camp trailer is taking on water - two skylights and both are leaking... Ask me how I spent my morning; I am now at the point where the old skylights could be removed as soon as the special-order new ones arrive.

Nice looking boat, hopefully the transom is still good. Take it out and run the hell out of it; if it breaks, it needed replacing... Replacing the water pump was a good first step. Enjoy!

FWIW, I'd spend the time and effort to rebuild a welded aluminium boat in a heartbeat. One major issue that would be a deal killer is electrolysis in the hull which probably isn't an issue if the boat has never been in the salt. As long the motor has good even compression and there isn't chunks of gears in the lower unit you'll be good to go. You should be able to get it running right without having to resort to rebuilding the carbs. Use spray carb cleaner in every orifice and if your carbs have a welch plugs on the front, remove them, clean the orifices,and install new welch plugs. This can work and it's a lot easier than removing the carbs and rebuilding them. The gaskets in the carbs typically don't cause problems. They're made of rubber and last a long time.

Thanks

You will need to cut and weld aluminum but you need to get that old transom completely out and replaced. Other than that,it's a snap to fix that boat up. personally,I would keep the plywood decking to a minimum to reduce weight. I bought an old aluminum 16' like that in my younger years and replaced the transom and built new decks. I had trouble with my motor for years .It would run perfect until I got 2 miles from the dock. After about 4 years of costly motor repairs and trouble,I went and bought a new 4 stroke tiller steer Honda 25hp. That motor cost me $3K back then and it was money well spent. I fished the next 15 years with that Honda 4 stroke with never a single issue. I sold that boat when I bought a bigger one but it's still running as far as I know.

Liquid RV Roof. Expensive but the best roof you can put on an RV. Worked great on mine. LIQUID RV ROOF
Let me know if you want more info.

That's the part that will probably take the longest. It's not hard, just tedious. Seal up the hole you make for the motor and locators you might use, with a 3M silicone or something similar and you'll be fine.

One thing I'll add based on experience. Wherever there was wood installed in the interior replace it. The plywood and especially the floor is part of the structure of the boat. It's what ties things together and eliminating it will cause the boat to flex and eventually start forming cracks in the welds. Check all the welds for cracks and have them repaired before you put it back together. I used wide head rivets to attach all the plywood in my boat. It was the only practical way to fasten the floor to the ribs other than screws which aren't as secure in thin aluminium.

I can't tell from the pics but the transom my not need to be replaced. Strip the paint, sand it down, and see if the wood is still sound and not rotten. If it's so-so consider adding a 1/4" aluminum plate to the inside to reinforce it.

Good luck on your project.

Yeah there is, a free horse.

Ah. I see the pictures now. Looks like a pretty good score to me. Unless it sat for a long time full of water, I bet you don't have any transom issues. Check the trailer bearings and put some new tires on the trailer before you tow it very far. Then have fun with it.

Jerry

Nothing wrong with rebuilding an old boat, especially one you got for free.I have rebuilt boats and sold them in spring for a good profit.Some of the guys here would bitch if given a new boat.Huntz

Polyurethane caulk is much better than silicone. It's tougher and adheres better. It's also paintable if the need should arise some time. I used to be a roofer. I've fixed many leaks where silicone failed.Problem is, once silicone has been used, you can't use anything else later. Nothing will stick where silicone has been.

True that ^
Silicone caulk is one of the most misused sealents. For some reason your average handyman thinks it is the best choice, when actually there are very few applications where it should be used.

I know most have suggested marine plywood for decking on this boat. I have not been able to locate Marine plywood within 200 mile of my house. I can get Aluminum 60 miles away. Do you think smooth 3/16 or 1/4 3003-H14 aluminum would work?

I got a good deal 10 years ago on a 1989 Grumman with a Johnson 9.9hp. The decking was rotted out so bad it was growing mushrooms!

I pulled all my panels and used them as templates.

When I did mine, I used 1/2" regular plywood and severely soaked it in Thompson's Water Seal (3-4 coats). Every cut edge got the same treatment, too.

Then, I stretched exterior-grade carpet (Home Depot) over it and secured it with stainless staples.

If you're interested, I have photos. I'll post a couple when I'm not on the tablet...

However, my boat gets very lightly used, is kept covered all the other times and is only used in fresh water...so, my solution may not be as durable as some of the other suggestions.

Good luck.

Aqualung

I've had two Johnson / Evinrudes from this era, a '83 and a '90. Neither engine was set up with ethanol compatible fuel lines. So when ethanol fuel is used in them the fuel lines begin to deteriorate from the inside out. There is an easy test for this, clip one of the zip ties holding a fuel line on under the engine cowling and pull the line off its fitting. Let the remaining gas inside the line dribble out on your finger. If you see a black residue on your finger, you've just confirmed your fuel lines are rotting from the inside out. This fuel line residue is also likely what's causing your engine idle problem. The solution is to replace every single fuel line on the engine as well as the fuel line running from the gas tank to the engine with ethanol compatible fuel lines. And when I say every fuel line, I mean each an every one under the engine cowling, including those tiny little ones that are so hard to deal with. From there a carb rebuild should get the engine running right again, unless of course there are other problems with the engine.

Drain the carb bowls and shoot carb cleaner up in there and drain.

Run 93 octaine pure no ethanol and screw seafoam.

Replace all the decks as you see fit and go fish.

This is my 1988 Yamaha/Allweld and as others have said.....boats cost a guy some $$$ now and then

You're not gonna do better than Alweld in a commercial aluminum boat. You don't NEED a floor. Everything in the fuel system needs to be cleaned or replaced, especially hoses.. Think of the "weak link" theory...one problem will lead to another until it is all fixed. The real question is whether you really want a boat. If you do...it's worth it.

I have the same problem. Just use regular high grade plywood and coat it with a good epoxy sealer like TotalBoat Penetrating Epoxy followed by several coats of spar varnish. That's used on decks and outdoor furniture and lasts a long time.

.100 thick aluminum is what mine is

Forget about aluminum. You can get marine plywood delivered anywhere. But exterior ply should be fine on a free boat. Just replace the pieces that are damaged.

I would go with good exterior plywood before aluminum. The only real difference in marine plywood vs exterior is that all the voids are filled in marine grade. You can add some extra sealer if you want. One other thing that I would emphasize is to use stainless fasteners for anything you put in the boat. It may not seem important at the time, but it is.


Jerry

A lower cost alternative would be 1/2" ACX and then water proof it on both sides with some of the sealers mentioned already. Another coating that would work is Flex Seal or something similar. Bedliner is something else I've seen used on wood decks but it gets heavy if it's sprayed on thick Some bedliner coatings aren't flexible enough either.

Airboat. ANY TIME IT RUNS BREAK OUT ANOTHER THOUSAND

I have a much easier test.

On anything at least prior to 2005( our new 05 Yamaha 25 2 stroke had lines eaten up) you don't have to test anything. ANYTHING plastic/rubber gets tossed. Cost us about 150 bucks for new lines, primer bulb, tank(yes I had red residue in the carb) filter etc... replace it all. Its cheap in the long run....

Right now I have to replace a big fuel tank in our CC and all the fuel lines on an 83 OMC 200.... before I can run it again....

Trade it off for a nice rifle and you'll be better off!

Actually, the difference is that marine grade is made with waterproof glue so it won't delaminate if it gets wet. The wood will still rot if constantly exposed to water.
On this boat project, the wood won't constantly be exposed to water. He can use regular plywood and coat it with an epoxy sealer will keep the glue dry and also prevent rot in the wood. The epoxy is more expensive but it's a much better sealer than the paint-on type like Thompsons Water Seal. It will also last far longer.

Once you get it running, I have found that this gadget helps get underpowered boats plane more easily.

Ultrasonic cleaner for the carbs.........teak works well for floor if you fish bear foot.

Use alcohol free gas and you will thank me later. I got about 30 2 stroke engines to take care of and alcohol free gas means I can let something sit for a year and no screwed up gaskets or lines.

Well Evil Genius may be correct. I decided to go wood covered with resin and fiberglass for my decking like in this video( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sjFNhMmTPRw ). I ordered all the materials and started pulling the old wood deck to use as templates. Pulled the floor and found some cracked/ broke welds on the stringers ( i guess thats what they are called).


Thought no big deal. Removed the front casting deck all looks good. removed the back deck and found the transom pretty much gone. I could stick my finger through it.


So this morning i decided to go all in and am tearing everything out.

I pulled the motor.


I need to find someone who can weld aluminum and get a estimate on the cost of welding up about 40 inches of stinger and the cost of building an aluminum transom to replace the wood one with. Then Ill have to decide if it is close enough to the cost of a spool gun for my welder to justify going out and buying one of those.

I may be late to the thread but having put floors and stringers in a couple of inboards, Its generally accepted that most marine and exterior plywoods use similar glues. The bigger difference is the voids that can be in exterior and not marine grades of plywood. The layers are thinner in marine ply as well. In both marine and exterior there are different grades and woods used and among boat builders there is a lot of discussion which is best used where.

Speaking of my ski boat experience is that if you have wood in a continually wet environment (like a carpeted floor) its going to rot eventually. For me I wouldn't use wood for flooring under carpet. if I had to use wood I would go with one of the better grades of exterior, treated with CPE and then encapsulated in glass/epoxy . However, If its the kind of boat you really want to ride hard and put away wet, the material to use is Coosa board encapsulated in glass/epoxy. Very expensive but hopefully forever. My stringer floor projects were enough work that I would rather spend the money to make sure I never had to see the inside the hull again.

......and it begins $$$$$

I have been thinking now that I'm on the other side of 40, I don't have to build stuff to last forever, just 15 years or so will probably do. Do yall think that foam stuff is necessary. Im going to pull it all out, the bottom half fills in the v's in the bottom of the boat and soaks up water. If it is then im going to lay down some thin aluminum over the floor to keep the v's open to allow the water to drain to the back of the boat.

Yes, its necessary. It add to the buoyancy of the boat!

Foam,
Do you want it to float if swamped? Folks I know go either way. Some say foam will get wet ( and weight in a skiboat means more wake) others don't want their baby to sink. if there is a misshap. In the ski boats I deal with its a warm weather sport and if the boat were to sink all you would lose would be the boat. In a fishing boat, particularly one used in cold water I think ones survival chances are better sitting in a swamped, but floating boat than in the water. US composites sells foam, most folks do 2lb foam where its just flotation.

I think your wise to keep the foam out of the very bottom of the bilage.

Yes and when you put the flotation foam back in make sure to use closed cell foam. It is not as likely to absorb water.
As for replacing the transom I would just use plywood that has been epoxied seeing as you are already buying the epoxy.

If you do sink the boat you are going to sink the engine too.
Dealing with a waterlogged engine will probably be more of a pain than the rest of the boat.

Having built a wooden boat out marine ply (and one non marine ply piece which I had to replace) I'd suggest the proper way to keep ply from rotting is to coat both sides with 6 oz fiberglass cloth using epoxy. Edges should be rounded with a 1/4-1/2" radius router, the end grain thoroughly soaked with epoxy and two layers of 10 oz fiberglass cloth epoxed over the end grain and operlapping the sides by an inch.

Looks like with a bit of labor and an infusion of cash you'll have an excellent little skiff.

I put one of those on my boat (which is not under powered) to try it out and all it did was cost me 2 knots across the engines rpm.

Nice project, My little brother sold his 32 foot Seavee and swore off boats , 2 years later he bought a 18' fiberglass skiff and rebuilt it much like you are doing and uses it for lake,intercoastal and river fishing in FL.

Aluminum has snot in it?

Use cypress under the carpet and you wont have any problem... old growth cypress is the best. It still doesn't hurt to seal it, though.

I would sell it......and soon

Run away, before it's too late.

Yes and the snots important to the internal integrity of the ionic bond. 😁

B - Break
O - Out
A - Another
T - Thousand

BTDT