Old Aluminum hull 13' outboard boat needs repairs.

Hello to whom may be reading this.

I have an oppurtunity to acquire a 13' outboard aluminum hull boat, Sunfisher make, for nothing. It has been sitting out side in the open for 8 years now. Has pools of water in the floor and what not. Engine is not seized surprisingly just needs a little tuning up. The hull itself is in good shape but needs a little paint here and there.

But the interior is a mess and will need to be stripped out and replaced. There's also the buoyancy foam along the bottom of the hull. Is this something that needs to be professionally done or can it be a DIY thing. It is covered in mold and god knows what else. Does anyone have an idea what this would cost or links they could direct me to. Any help is greatly appreciated.

P.S. Didn't know if this was the right place to post this. If not, terribly sorry.

MW

 

For a 13' boat, I'm guessing you can pretty much do what you want with it. You could always make plywood bench seats stuffed with any closed-cell foam (blue/pink stuff at lowes or home depot) and sealed with epoxy and glass. Just make sure they are well attached. Or add a deck with water-tight compartments underneath. That sort of thing. Estimate the volume of the buoyancy stuff you rip out and add back the same or more.

 

Thank for that info. Did some searching with that info doesn't seem to be as much as I was planning on spending.

 

Hopefully there's no corrosion under the foam. (A tip- when removing the foam, make sure to wear a good respirator; some of the stuff that grows in wet foam can make you feel pretty miserable later.)

There are no hard and fast rules for coming up with a new interior. A 13' boat can't fit enough fancy stuff to rack up much of a credit card bill (unless you're completely crazy). Make sure to put in replacement foam- GTO's suggestion of styrofoam insulation is a good choice- so that it won't sink if you get swamped. Use your common sense, and feel free to ask the forum if you're not sure how to do something.