25 galvinized steel hull and ideas a plenty

First know that you won't hurt my feelers...I showed my family the hull and they were on me for hours..brutal! Didn't help that it's painted navy grey. But I am considering turning this into a serious project...cuddy cabin lake boat and puget sound fishing etc. pics in gallery..

I took ownership of a galv steel hull (inside and out) single screw inboard, that looks as if it were a 50's navy work boat of some kind. My brother calls it a mini PT 107 clone that needs to be sunk or put back in mothball. It has been stripped completely down to the painted hull...I also have the original M.E.L 430 ford bigblock and tranny with all of it's cooling components etc that are also out of the boat. It has a beam of 9.5' and is about 5' tall in the center. I am not up on the lingo...working on that.

I rebuild older cars and trucks (rebuild engines and do my own bodywork to include welding, painting etc and have an englishwheel and plen hammer). I will start on this beast once i get my current batch of 4 cars completed. But meantime i'm learning what i can and planning so to speak.

I will have to build a cabin of sorts to my own spec. i can't find any significant oxidation and it appears to be straight and firm throughout. I did spray some zink oxide on places that did have some mild oxidation- typically parts of the frame.

I could end up packing it in and buying a 24+' glass boat that i can work on...but I think this thing is beautiful in an old bulldog kind of way.

I searched the forum over and have found little on the subject but am looking for advise on striping off the paint (was told not to media blast due to galvinized metal), framing up for the cabin, drive train issues etc.

I'll probably sell the M.E.L 430 to auto enthusiasts and look for a gmc 6.2 diesle or something to replace it with for at least a little economy- if i can get a bell housing for that tranny or a different tranny or???. Or thought about fabricating a back deck for a larger outboard or two or or or

Any reasons why i should bag this project?...wife is begging for some. The hull was free and i traded for the engine and tranny which supposedly work well.

I've considered going all out and putting a nice cabin with immenities in it and also just real basic frame and treated canvas type of job to save weight while providing a head and place to sleep two along with heat etc. Have also considered redesigning the hull in part to update the look and function but it's gotta be tougher than nails as is. At least as tough as it is ugly...and thats tough!

Any comments, ideas, warnings, etc about hull, engine and tranny or need for therapy wanted!!!

thanks

 

I don't believe that ugly things should be destroyed as I would have been scrapped years ago.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Love to see some pics of the boat.

Fully galvanised hull. Not even sure there would be a galvanising plant big enough here to galvanise a hull.

Working on a glass boat, one of the downside of working with a fibreglass boat in my opinion is they are difficult to alter to suit your requirements, a steel boat easy just weld it on.

Really love to see it.

Poida

 

IF... you really want a boat, then stay with tje metal hull. I had 1 similar to yours. Wish I had stayed with it. Now I have a plastic boat. Just nor the same "feel" of safety.
Soda blast the hull. If you're doing car restoration, you need the equipment anyway. OR, locate a metal roofer, they have or know who has, the equipment.
Watch for rust in the inside Vee, about 1/4 back from the bow. This was the collection area of mine & the hull was thin there.
As far as engines go, don't do what I did. I bought an auto engine. Bad move. By the time you "marinize one, you still have "not quite" and have as much as if you had bought a marine diesel. Cooling, exhaust, cam and starter are some of the things, and as you mention, bell housing. Take a look at used Detroit diesels. They are 1. common, 2. cheap, 3. reliable. 4. parts are everywhere And 5. they are simple. Whatever, buy something "marine" and take time to research what parts cost.
In the end, it is probably cheaper to buy something already afloat (if all you want is on the water), and don't kid ypur self, EVERYTHING "marine" costs $$$$$. Resale will be out of the question, you will be upside down in costs in no time. There is the other side though, pride, relaxation, validation, accomplishment, ALL those Freudian issues. Good luck.

 

This a very sensible post. Im going to give you some pos rep points

 

Pics are in Gallery if interested. I rebuild cars for my own sanity and future enjoyment. I, like many, have an insanely crazy profession (evaluate sex offenders) and i get away when working. I also have an infinity towards projects that let me redefine their character...restomod vs restore for example. SO I like to get into projects that aren't necessarliy valued as a restored collector piece like GTO's etc.

I will have a lot of $ tied up eventually but thats ok over time and i will save on nearly all labor costs where if i went with a wood/fiberglass I'd be lost.

I've searched the net and can't find galvinized steel hulls anywhere...a old Navy guy stopped when he saw it and ws talking about the navy taking quite of few of these on and having them galvinized as port work boats.... who knows. I'm amazed at the lack of info on navy boats on the web...amazed.

Thanks, I have a commercial blaster that i can put the powder in...didn't even think of soda. I'll look for some detroit diesles as time goes on...thanks.

Also...where can I find some info on balancing prop, load, rpm. I'm not understanding the single speed concept on larger boats...part of what i need to do is understand a bit of the science and logic involved and I'm about as ignorant as i could be. My uncle was a mechanical engineer and worked on designing props and such for subs in vallejo CA.

 

All the right reasons for rebuilding a boat. No illusions. Welcome.
There are 2 books you should buy & read. Both by Dave Gerr. "The Nature of Boats" & his book on boat propellers.
My galve was built in New Orleans by DuPont Boat Co. around the late 50s, early 60s. It had 2 straighr 8 Packard engines. Yours actually looks better than mine. They clean up good. I used a grinder & cold chisel to breck the welds & strip it down. Drink your milk if you use a torch ya know.
If your doing the premo job, coat the inside WELL with some form of coating (metal boats rust from inside). Make sure there are
"limber holes" enough to bring all the bilge water to the lowest bilge level. You will need to be aware of noble metals as you add things to the hull. Don't install anything in a place or method that you can't change out 5 yrs. from now. Research treated wood and learn the "issues" it has. Keep the weight low andcentered (or balanced), have fun. Join the "Meal Boat Society".

 

Nah, not PT109, PT73, McHales Navy, I can see Tim Conway falling overboard right now.

Great project. Good luck.

 

thanks...

I made an engine test stand so i can break in engines that I build before installing...havent used it yet but I think I'm going to take that MEL 430 and give it a good test- after checking bearings etc. It should be about 325-350hp and 425-450 ftlbs. So I'm wondering what output I should look for in a diesle..similar i guess. But I think i'll put the original in her before i build the cabin and run her on a lake to see how she does....next summer i'm sure. Then I can better decide on a replacement. Though i was actually looking into a smaller (ie30hp) 4 stroke outboard to use when fishing or just moving about at 8 knts or so...save a ton on fuel and have a backup and trolling motor.

I think its a planing hull so I'd be at a disadvantage when used as displacement? I'll get some better pic now that it's cleaned up but it's stored 120miles away at present.

The only other pre planning question for today is that I have been looking into using some osage orange for trim and possible flooring in place of teak. Now, Osage is heavy - I have a bow built out of it...and rattlesnake skin. It is strong but splits and checks too easily if not treated correctly- each peice would have to be taken down to a common growth ring etc.. I can get a ton this fall for the cost of a trip. I like the look and they use it for posts in clay and they refuse to rot. Anyone ever use it before? I've heard of people treating it systemically with tung oil for 6-9 months after it dries and the oil catalizes and it becomes almost indistructable. But these guys are demented old traditional, longbow shooting deer hunters that make their own hunting stuff...my kind of people...so who knows.

Ted...thanks for the tip on books...i'll go to amazon and get them ordered. If anyone has any other suggested reading (steel boat and info on marine technology as it applies to my project) let me know. I'll talk to my uncle once i can verbalize what i want and understand his answer...hopefully.

 

Cool Boat

I'm a fan of Navy small boats. Mine is the 26PE MK VI (glass) like the one at this URL.

http://www.yachtworld.com/core/list...1161068400000&photo_name=Photo 1&photo=1&url=

I also worked a lobster season at the helm of a 33' personnel boat that had been converted for commercial fishing.

I second the Detroit Diesel recommendation. They are cheap, reliable, and sound absolutely badass when you rev them up.

 

Your boat looks like a Steelcraft to me. I am not certain of this, I am going mostly by the look of the internal framing, etc. If it is I doubt any of them were used in the Navy. Also 150 hp would likely be enough for it if it is.
I suppose you know you have to take precautions regarding fumes from burning zinc.
Otherwise have at it and convert your family by smiling a lot.

 

some others have mentioned steelcraft or metalcraft. I'll look into it...another told me it was an old rescue/patrol boat.

Gilbert...please explain the why behind 150hp...is that to plane? The 430 4V that came with it would be anywhere from 300-400 from what i can find. 150 would be very nice and obviosly less expensive.

Update:

There it is: http://www.steelcruisers.com/The 1949 Color Brochure.html

1949 fleet- company went banckrupt in '52. Means the 430 is not original engine...interesting.

Thanks Gilbert

 

I mentioned 150 hp because it shouldn't really need more than that to perform decently- surely not more than 200 hp.
Marine engines are high performance versions of automotive engines because they are often asked to run at very high rpms for long periods. Think in terms of Chevy's super sports motors in cars.
The reason the large engine was used may be that if it was a more or less standard automotive engine conversion the boat could have a propellor with more pitch and diameter or just more pitch (more likely) and the more powerful engine could loaf along generating the power needed for satisfactory performance without stressing the engine to a great extent. Say, for instance cruising at 2000 rpm instead of 3600-4000 rpm, which (2000) is about the normal 'cruising rpm of most automotive applications.
So if that is the way things were set up the big engine may be fine. It's main virtue is that you have it.

 

Thanks again...

I hope thats the way it's set up...i build performance engines and could see using a longer stroke to build torque down low and maximizing economy.

I'll still want to convert to diesel sooner or later. and I'd not want over kill. Acording to the lit my hull with the twin cabin weighs 5,980. so i'll have to figure it all out someday.

 

looks like a fun project. I like the idea of a metal boat.

 

I'm sure getting excited...wife has major and dangerous medical probs right now so all is on hold. I'll be around as this stuff helps keep me sane but will have no time to deal with stuff.