Raised Deck on old 16' aluminum skiff ?

Discussion in 'Metal Boat Building' started by Wavewacker, Apr 22, 2016.

  1. Wavewacker
    Joined: Aug 2010
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    Wavewacker Senior Member

    Looking at a 16' ,'74 Lowel Aluminum boat on a trade. Never had a metal boat, my understanding is that old aluminum leaks due to age, not sure that's true.

    Was thinking about decking the bow, may try to raise it for a cuddy 7 to 8 feet long.

    The boat has some dents at the bow deck, might cover all that but otherwise it seems solid in the pictures, haven't seen it yet in person.

    Can't test the boat, guess I can fill it with water and look for leaks later on in a few hours. Will that work?

    I don't weld so add ons will be with adhesive and rivited if needed.

    Comes with a '99 Merc 8 hp 2 cycle OB, says it runs good. I haven't had an OB myself, always IOs.

    What do I need to know?
     
  2. SamSam
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    SamSam Senior Member

    A friend did that preparing for a hurricane, to weight it down so it wouldn't blow away. He stuck the hose in it and went to do other things, when he came back the trailer had collapsed and the boat was bulged out of shape and had tons of rivet and seam leaks.
     
  3. Mr Efficiency
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    Mr Efficiency Senior Member

    Yes, not a recommended procedure that one. And you get a bill for the water usage as well !
     
  4. SamSam
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    Location: Coastal Georgia

    SamSam Senior Member

    The boat and trailer were pretty much destroyed. He rigged the trailer so it would work, although it was all bent up at least it had new springs then. The boat never did get fixed, but not for a lack of trying. As per usual around here, the hurricane never bothered us at all.
     
  5. fishmonger3
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    fishmonger3 New Member

    Water to the waterline vs. filling the boat will tell you if it leaks where it counts. Go to the tinboat site and ask. Lots of info on checking for leaks and products to fix them.

    http://forum.tinboats.net/index.php
     
  6. Wavewacker
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    Wavewacker Senior Member

    LOL, fill it like a bath tub, maybe dive in, LOL......no, I just meant to the water line, I'm not concerned so much about a leak above the WL.

    I'm hopping I can have a raised deck, I'd like to go up about two feet, maybe 3, I need to see it in person to see what would look good on it being 16'. Has anyone here done that, any design issues bring the bow straight up at its existing height. It will be more for slow cruising, lakes and rivers, inter-coastal.

    A friend owns a tarp company, they make water toys and commercial floating bags, a bouncy thing people jump on and send the others flying in the air......anyway, he could make a RIB, we talked about that before, what about an upper air chamber about 12/14" in diameter, just below the gunnels, not really in the water but just on top?
    What Id like is a stable camper and shallow draft.

    I'll be looking for a trailer for it, or build one.

    And, I'll check out tinboats, thanks! :)
     
  7. Mr Efficiency
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    Mr Efficiency Senior Member

    There are bouyancy band products on the market here is Australia, presumably where you are as well. Here is an example:

    http://www.kaptenboatcollar.com/
     
  8. PAR
    Joined: Nov 2003
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    PAR Yacht Designer/Builder

    The boat isn't designed to keep water in, so the seams will tend to open up if you fill the boat, even to the LWL. Aluminum boats leak because of metal fatigue around the fasteners/seams and corrosion. Once any paint is removed, the leaking rivets or seams usually become obvious. I've used a pressure washer to find leaks many times, but the easy way is to look for the obvious stuff, like rivet heads that had been ground or popped off.

    A casting deck is possible on your boat, but don't get excited about putting a doghouse or some sort of cabin up there. There's not a lot of volume in the forward sections of most tinnies, so a cuddy will be a tight crowded thing at best. Lastly is the stability issue with a bunch of weight and windage added to the pointy end. Generally, you'll lose a significant amount of stability and trim, if you add much structure in this area of this small a boat and the boa'ts balance may be upset quite a bit too.

    Maybe you can post some pictures of what you have in mind. It doesn't have to be pretty, just an idea of how high and it's location on the bow.
     
  9. Wavewacker
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    Wavewacker Senior Member

    Thank you! That's exactly what I had in mind. Nope, I'm in SW Missouri.

    I spent some time on the Tinboat site and feel a lot better about an old metal boat, many on there are much older than what I'm looking at. Seems like M 5200 cures many issues as well as other coatings and paint.

    Most mods on Tinboat are rigging for fishing, building casting platforms with pedestal seats which isn't really my thing, I'd rather sit lower. Lake of the Ozarks as an area with pretty rough choppy waters, churning due of wakes of 30 to 50 foot cruisers trimmed out seeing who can throw the biggest wake. If you want to get pooped, on a small boat that's the place to go in the mid-west.

    BTW, thanks for your expertise, I know you follow the small cruisers closely so any tips as to building a camper out of this, I'm paying attention!
    Thanks again! :cool:
     

  10. Wavewacker
    Joined: Aug 2010
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    Wavewacker Senior Member

    Thank you PAR! Really appreciate your contributions and expertise! I'll not do a water fill test, but will inspect closely as you described, with the various sealing products available I don't think I'll have as much of an issue with repairs if they are required. Guess we could always put in new rivets too.

    Yes, it's no a catamaran!

    With my short visit to the Tinboat site, I didn't see the expertise on design or stability that there is here, might be, I just didn't find much on such subjects.

    I've already talked to the owner about a deal, so I have no issue posting pics, but I don't have the boat yet to take pics. Here is a link to the subject boat;

    https://springfield.craigslist.org/boa/5522290731.html

    I might just get a replacement cowling for the OB, but at the price, I'm not concerned.

    There is no trailer, so it's been on the ground for some time I'd bet, not sure if that's an issue, I can see when the owner gets back to town.

    My idea is basically this:

    http://www.boatdesign.net/forums/metal-boat-building/aluminum-raised-deck-cruiser-17256.html

    Just a smaller version!

    For a camping boat, inspiration also comes from Matt's "Little Cruiser", this would be bigger than the sharpie and appears to me to be a skiff or sharpie design, bow and flat bottom.

    I'm aware that I'd be dealing with windage, if nothing else, bows and canvas could enclose the cabin, but I'd much rather have hard sides. Also need to able to go forward a hatch would be good and add a bit more behind the bow cap to sit and stand so the cabin may not go all the way to the pointy end. I'd like to have 8 feet out of the 16' under deck.

    I'm all ears guys! :confused:
     
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