My 1985 PolarKraft 1440 Project

[dixieboysles]

I have a 14' aluminum jon boat. I am pondering spraypainting the outside and halfway down on the inside with rattlecan spray in bedliner from Lowes. I realize the characteristics of aluminum. However, the boat is not bare metal but does have original paint on it. If i prep the boat by sanding and priming with rustoleum primer and them applying the bedliner material, do ya'll theink it will hold up?

UPDATE-Decided to start a LOG, so stay tuned, this boat is going to be something.

Also, changed mind to use Green Jon boat paint!

I have a 1985 14' Polar Kraft Aluminum Jon boat. I bought this boat and trailer combo for $600. It have title for both, so it was a great deal! The trailer is a 1973 Cox Breakaway trailer that is in excellent shape. I had to cut on the tongue and bend it back as someone had jackknifed it at some point in its life. The boat is in great shape. It is not the prettiest thing right now as whoever tried to spraypaint it last sucked. Also, at some point a hole developed in the front of the boat and someone tried to weld it with wrond welder, so there is a huge weld puddle that i need to grind off and have welded back right (any welders near Mt Airy, NC). I need to paint the boat bad and have decided on Parker Coating Duck Boat Paint in Hunter Green from Cabelas. The carpet will probably be tan or something (havent quite decided that yet.) I guess i need to sand on the paint first. The company siad if I had existing paint, i could just asnd that to roughen up and spray/roll/brush it on. Im going to have a friend of mine spray it on for me at his body shop.

so far ive:

Trailer:

-Replaced the ugly running boards on trailer

-fixed saftey chains

-fixed trailer lights

-rewired whole trailer

-fixed bent tongue

Boat:

-pressurewashed boat

-Grinded and drill holes smooth (shards of metal that stick up when you drill into metal)

-Installed my fishfinder on back bench (will eventally go on the front when i get boat done)

Mods planned:

-Sand and paint both trailer and boat same color

-fix hub seal of passenger side wheel on trailer

-Install carpeted floors and sides in boat

-install cusioned swivel seats in boat

-build casting deck on the front with pedestal seat

-trade my 50 lbs thrust manual trolling motor for a foot controlled unit

eventually find gas motor as well

Pics:

[img width=500 height=375]http://i694.photobucket.com/albums/vv308/dixie_boysles/Pictures1002-1.jpg

[img width=375 height=500]http://i694.photobucket.com/albums/vv308/dixie_boysles/Pictures1005-2.jpg

[img width=500 height=375]http://i694.photobucket.com/albums/vv308/dixie_boysles/Pictures1004-1.jpg

[img width=500 height=375]http://i694.photobucket.com/albums/vv308/dixie_boysles/Pictures1006-1.jpg

Here is my Papa welding on the trailer for me:

[img width=500 height=375]http://i694.photobucket.com/albums/vv308/dixie_boysles/IMG00060-1.jpg

My truck and my boat:

[img width=500 height=375]http://i694.photobucket.com/albums/vv308/dixie_boysles/Truck006-3.jpg

[dixieboysles]

ok, got the spot grinded on and paint removed around it for welding today!  There is also a lip on the front of the boat that was tore up so we cut that off and we're going to put a piece of aluminm angle there.  We also removed two anchor tie downs because im going with new ones!

My buddy doing some grinding:

Removing tiedowns:

[img width=500 height=375]http://i694.photobucket.com/albums/vv308/dixie_boysles/SU1HMDAxNDIuanBn.jpg

The spot in floor gining me so much trouble

[img width=500 height=375]http://i694.photobucket.com/albums/vv308/dixie_boysles/SU1HMDAxNDEuanBn.jpg

[img width=500 height=375]http://i694.photobucket.com/albums/vv308/dixie_boysles/SU1HMDAxNDMuanBn.jpg

It gets an aluminum plate welded to it today to strengen it as well as seat that area off.

then maybe i can start on some sanding and priming!

[dixieboysles]

UPDATE: Feb 20

Sorry havnet updated yet, but i have done a few things to it now.

UPDATE:

Picked up some materials today. 

-1 pack of 150 grit sandpaper

-2 fine grit (150 grit equiv) sponges

-1 tube of marine epoxy (to fill screw holes where thing have been mounted over the years.

Here is progress from yesterday:

Spot welded in floor awaiting aluminum plate for the other side of it

The other side of the spot baing grinded and cleaned for the new plate monday.

[img width=500 height=374]http://i694.photobucket.com/albums/vv308/dixie_boysles/IMG_0155.jpg

The trailer.  I redid the bunks, but they are going to have to be Re-done.  They are nowhere near tall enough because the boat hits front of trailer when loading.  This time i will stack the 2x4s and extend them further up.  Also, i have to pick up some 1x1 tubing to make some side bunks.

[img width=500 height=374]http://i694.photobucket.com/albums/vv308/dixie_boysles/IMG_0160.jpg

The trailer will also be painted using the same paint as the boat.

[img width=500 height=374]http://i694.photobucket.com/albums/vv308/dixie_boysles/IMG_0159.jpg

A leaky rivet, I guess ill hammer it together again and then put some kind of sealer around it (suggestions).  i've never really fised them.  I was told that i should just have them welded when i get that plate put on monday, but i dont know if i like that idea.

[img width=500 height=374]http://i694.photobucket.com/albums/vv308/dixie_boysles/IMG_0170.jpg

Feb 21 UPDATE:

I went this morning to work on boat some more.  Started sanding at 10:30 am and didnt stop until 5:30 pm!  I sanded the entire outside of the boat by hand with 150 grit sandpaper.  Going today to sand the inside of the boat.  Still undecided if i want to spot prime just where bare aluminum is, or just prime the entire thing  :?:  :?  Also you can see where fishfinders have been mounted over the years...lol--there is a 2 1/2" by 2" rectange on the back with about 15 screw holes in it!  I am going to have an aluminum plate welded to the back of that spot, then going to fill them in with marine epoxy.  I also rebucked all the rivets up front with a sledgehammer on one side and hitting them with a regular hammer.  I hope this helps some, but now have to decide if i want to have them welded or just use that marine epoxy around them as well.  So many decisions!  Also, you can see where i grinded off the sticker, they were really on there and even sticer remover wouldnt remove them---the grinder did! On to the pics, cant really tell its been sanded, but it has and now my arms are about to fall off.

[img width=500 height=375]http://i694.photobucket.com/albums/vv308/dixie_boysles/SU1HMDAxNTAuanBn.jpg

[img width=500 height=375]http://i694.photobucket.com/albums/vv308/dixie_boysles/SU1HMDAxNDcuanBn.jpg

[img width=500 height=375]http://i694.photobucket.com/albums/vv308/dixie_boysles/SU1HMDAxNDYuanBn.jpg

[img width=500 height=375]http://i694.photobucket.com/albums/vv308/dixie_boysles/SU1HMDAxNTEuanBn.jpg

[img width=500 height=375]http://i694.photobucket.com/albums/vv308/dixie_boysles/SU1HMDAxNDguanBn.jpg

[img width=500 height=375]http://i694.photobucket.com/albums/vv308/dixie_boysles/SU1HMDAxNTMuanBn.jpg.

^^one of the leaky rivets.  You can tell its been hit and banged on before where its so depressed into the aluminum!  What would ya'll guys do in this situation?

And yesterday, We got the inside of the boat almost completely sanded.  Going to finish that up Wednesday hopefully!  All I lack after that is putting epoxy in any screw holes and putting some around 2 leaky rivets and it will be ready for paint.

[dixieboysles]

Picked up boat stickers today:

They turned out great along with boat numbers

[simplejoe]

looking good so far.

[slonezp]

www.finishing.com/107/12.shtml

[dixieboysles]

alright, i picked up my flooring for the jon boat today!  Its a bigass roadsign!  No i didnt steal it, i bought it at local salvage yard...lol

I think this will be better than using plywood (ill neer have to replace it, thats for sure!)

Ill cover this in boat carpet and it will look awesome!  I just have to get existing rivets out of it, clean it good, measure and cut and place in boat now!

[midnighthrasher]

Awesome... Cant wait to see how it will turn out!

[dixieboysles]

UPDATE: 2/3/10

Got some more sanding done last night!  Almost done with that crap!  We also went ahead and cut out the middle bench to make even more room in the boat; I'm going to put a fixed pedistal in place of the bench with a swivel seat on it.  I use AutoCad everyday, so at work today, im going to draw out my floor template with measurements i took last night and then transfer the template to some thin plastic sheets that we use for templates for granite.  That way I can just trace it onto my sign and cut it out!

I'm a little ticked because when i was cutting out the becnh, we placed an old blanket down in the bottom so i wouldnt get bottom of boat dirty from my boots.  Well, unknowing to me, the blanket had oil on it and got a little on the floor of boat.  So now i have to sand that part again and make sure i clean it extremely well where the oil was!

[dixieboysles]

UPDATE:

Me and my buddy got the support system for the metal floor im putting in.  The boat ribs are not flat which poses problems when putting a flat floor in...lol.  So I bought some 1x1 aluminum angle and ran it side to side capped on the ribs.  It was still giving in the middle some (more than I liked) so i also put som vertical angle in to support the middle .  The flooring system is very stout now!  I am using a 3/16"-1/4" thick roadsing i bought at the local salvage yard for my floor.  It is being covered in gray marine carpet i bought at Lowes.  My friend there got me a deal on a remnant he had that was 8'-9 3/4" x 6' for $20!!! that is enought to do my middle floor, and back bench!  I still need to buy about 10 more feet I think.  on to the pics:

here you can see the vertical support in the floor, this made it VERY stout.

Also, where the floor butts up to the face of the back bench, there was no support, so i riveted some angle there to support there

[dixieboysles]

Saturday, me and the future father-in-law worked on the boat some more.  We got a big step done!  We got the floor and sides cut to size!  That metal roadsign i bought now makes a nice floorboard!  I have to cover it in boat carpet now that i have in my building.  Also the sides that you see will be covered in boat carpet. The sign wasnt quite long enough, so we butted a trimming from the sign when we cut it up the the end we needed extedned and then put another peice under is and pop riveted it all together.  Its VERY storong and will never rot!

i wanted to go with all metal floor, but i think im just gonna go ahead and make my front casting deck out of 3/4" plywood.  I have to have a piece anyways to go on the back bench so that i can mount my swivel seat to it. Pretty much the whole inside of the boat will be carpeted except for the area behind the back bench.  It sjust about ready for paint.  I have to go this week to get some 1x1 alum. angle to frame the front deck.

^^^here you can see where we riveted it together

[dixieboysles]

Update 4/12/10:

Yesterday, the future father-in-law and I got some more work done on the boat.  We framed out the front casting deck/storage area using 1x1 aluminum angle.  It turned out real nice and is VERY strong.  We used 3/16" x 1/2" grip aluminum rivets to hold it all together.  As you can see, there is plent of bracing.  Also, has the front seat pedestal sandblasted by neighbor and then I primed it with etching primer and painted it with Krylon Fusion Satin Black (love htis paint).  I have to go this week and pick up a full sheet of 3/4" plywood to cap it off now and also to cap off the back bench.  Everything that you see in wood and metal is going to have gray carpet on it.  Im also going to carpet the inside under the casting deck in the storage area so that when things are in there, they aren't banging on metal. 

To do this now:

-mount plywood for casting deck (all plywood will fiberglassed for waterproofing)

-mount plywood on back bench so i can securely mount a swivel seat

-carpet entire inside of boat (excluding the area behind back bench)

-install both seats

-wire up fishfinder and running lights

-have front of boat reinforced with 1 1/4" aluminum tubing (you can see where we had to cut the old reinforcing off because it was ragged.)

-paint boat

paint trailer

so as you can see, we've made alot of progress, but still have alot to do

[carrothead]

That looks great!  I like the metal for the deck.  It's aluminum, right?

[dixieboysles]

That looks great! I like the metal for the deck. It's aluminum, right?

yeah!

UPDATE

finally an update. Not a big one, but an update none the less. Work slowed down on the ol' boat this past month. Finally able to get back to it. I attacked the front of the boat yesterday. Whoever owned the boat before me was an idiot. They tried to fix the front they hacked up with the wrong type of welder and it was really awful looking. You can see where I had to cut the front gunwhale off as it was pretted messed up. I had to get the boat ready for the welder for the last time. Where the gunwhale was, I am having a 1 1/4" diameter aluminum pipe put there. The welder is going to mill a slit the length of the pipe and cap if over where i had to cut the old gunwhale off. and then tie it into the side gunwhales making it really strong. Then where that front bench meets the front of the boat, you can see their awful attempt at welding! i cut all that stuff off. Going today to get a piec of aluminum cut to tie the front bench in back to where it was.

Before:

After:

Yes I know it looks rough, but after tomorrow it wont! But I'm sure you guys have seen worse!

[dixieboysles]

got the front  bench braced to the front of the boat today! used 16 guage aluminum sheetmetal cut to size and bent to the right angke by the local machine shop. Looks 10000000000 times better.  going to the welder tomorrow to get the gunwhale (1 5/16" aluminum pipe) capped over that sheetmetal and tied into the side gunwhales.

more pics

[Adam Harbuck]

I have got to admit; at first, I thought you were trying to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear and wondered why you didn't just scap the boat and keep the trailer, but you have done some good work and it looks like you will end up with a fine fishing boat....maybe a Frankienboat, but a good boat all the same. GREAT JOB, and thanks for the "log" of your efforts.

[dixieboysles]

I have got to admit; at first, I thought you were trying to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear and wondered why you didn't just scap the boat and keep the trailer, but you have done some good work and it looks like you will end up with a fine fishing boat....maybe a Frankienboat, but a good boat all the same. GREAT JOB, and thanks for the "log" of your efforts.

Thanks!  Thats the reaction I get just because it not pretty "right now".  I have enjoyed this project much more than I would if I just went and bought a new boat and trailer because of the effort and time that I have put into it.  Sure a brand new 14' boat would have been nice, but for the money i have in this one, you couldnt find a new one for cheaper.  A brand new wide 14' jon boat plus trailer is gonna cost around $1300.  i will have around 1100 in the boat and trailer BUT that is with casting deck, swivel seats, fully carpeted interior, trolling motor, etc.  Plus I can say "I BUILT this boat.  THe boat was actually in GREAT shape other than the bow and the little spot in the floor.  they are now fixed and its time for paint!  Then you really will way WOW

[ksboy]

You have really done a class A job so far. I can hardly wait to see the end result. You will enjoy fishing from this much more than you would have if you had bought a new one.

Good luck with the remainder of the project.

Thanks for the "log" of your progress.

[dixieboysles]

UPDATE 5/26/09:

Picked the boat up yesterday with a new gunwale on the front! I looks awesome! I had to have it mad in two pieces as I went to like 5 different places looking for a 1 1/4" pipe that was long enough. Fianlly found some, but it wasnt long enough. But he had one long piece and one short piece. So I had him piece it together. Where the weld it, i will grind it smooth and it all gets painted, so it will look fine. I must say the front of the boat is STRONG again!

That means this week (probably saturday) I will put it up on some sawhorses and epoxy 4 slow leaky rivets. Then i will pick up a can of Nason (by dupont) etching primer from O'Reilly's (good stuff) and prime any bare metal spots. Then in a week or two, Ill wash her good and then paint her flat grey!  Now remember all that front bech is bieng covered with a 3/4" plywood casting deck!

[dixieboysles]

alright I have an update!!!!!!!!!

took the boat to my friend's body shop today.  We turned it upside down, I cleaned it with miniral spirits or something, then wiped it down with a tack cloth.  Then primed it with etching primer on any bare aluminum surfaces.  then wiped it with a tack cloth again.  Then he showed me how to use the gun by applying the first coat.  Then i applied two more coats while wiping with tack cloth between coats.  It turned out amazing!  I used Parker Coatings Bay Grey Duck Boat paint and I couldnt be more impressed with the covereage and the quality of the paint.

[KansasBassin]

You have done a great job!  Really coming along nicely, keep us updated with pics.  O

[dixieboysles]

UPDATE:

Alright, I intalled a new Bow Eyelet that I bought from iboats.com.  I backed it with a 1/4" thick piece of aluminum plate so that it is even stronger. 

Also as you can see, where the paint is still soft, i rubbed off some paint   Going to fix that soon.  I hope this paint hardens up good!

I then placed on my new decals and numbers, but read that in NC, your numbers have to be 3", so i took them off, ordering some more today.

[dixieboysles]

UPDATE 9/18/10

Prepare to be amazed!  i got ALOT of work done on the boat this week/weekend!!  The boat is now officially 95 percent done!! 

This past weekend i got all of my wood on the project coated in two coats of Fiberglass resin to waterproof it as I cannot use treated on aluminum as it will oxidize and pit aluminum.

I also got EVERYTHING carpeted with the exception of the back peice of wood that goes on top of the back bench that the swivel seat mouts to.  I have to get my papa to make me a bracket to come up through the wood to mount the seat to to make it more stout.  Then I will carpet that final peice this week after that is done.  I used contact cement, almost half a gallon to attach the carpet.  its not going ANYWHERE!!

I bought two toggle switches to hook my two running lights and courtesy lights to.  I mounted them on the front face of the casting deck.  All I have left on the boat now is to mount the seats, attach all these panels permanatley, and wire all of my lights, fishfinder and trolling motor.  Also, you will notice that the lights are no other than RANGER domelights! lol

ANyways on to the pics.  on the front face of the casting deck there is a 12x9 hole there that i just hanvnt cut the caprt out yet, ran out of time today.  that is my storage access under the deck for stuff.

Nice carpet!

The wood i have to still carpet and mount my swivel seat to

Ranger domelight FTW!

my light switches:

casting deck.  my fishfinder will be mounted here also

I have now owned this boat a year and you can see its come along way!  I have about 1100 in it right now including purchase price of boat and trailer.  Next im working on painting my trailer and making it purdee like the boat

Just for reference, this is what I started with:

[Fishing Rhino]

Very nice job, both the work and especially the thought/creativity that went into it.

I like that you left most of the deck low.

I have a bass boat, and when I hook a nice fish, I work my way to the cockpit, and sit to land it.  It's not fun, especially for an older guy, to go through the contortions necessary to land a fish while on the raised platforms at the bow and stern.

Even when using a landing net, being low allows for a much more efficient angle to "scoop" the fish into the net from beneath rather than swiping at it from the side.

Great job.  Congrats.

[dixieboysles]

Very nice job, both the work and especially the thought/creativity that went into it.

I like that you left most of the deck low.

I have a bass boat, and when I hook a nice fish, I work my way to the cockpit, and sit to land it. It's not fun, especially for an older guy, to go through the contortions necessary to land a fish while on the raised platforms at the bow and stern.

Even when using a landing net, being low allows for a much more efficient angle to "scoop" the fish into the net from beneath rather than swiping at it from the side.

Great job. Congrats.

Thanks! yeah i like a low deck on a jon boat.  lowers the center of gravity.  Alot of guys make these thing like bass boats which they are not and they are very prone to tipping.  This boat is a 1440 so its pretty stable though!  I just like this setup best.  simple and easy!