Aluminum Canoe - Take 2

[abbeysdad]

Take 1: http://www.autopia.org/forum/marine-...num-canoe.html



This isn`t a click `n brag as she`s a real old gal (the boat too) and the goal is more just to get her back in the water again...



This is perhaps one of the very early 17` Grumman canoes as I estimate it`s age at nearly 50 years old. It was an inheritance from my wife`s grandfathers estate. She paddled around in it when she was a girl back in the late 50`s. I first took ownership in 1972 when my girlfriends father called me and said lets go get your canoe. It was floating in the boathouse, abandoned for many years... The bottom was an algae mess and I cleaned it as best I could. We took it out a few times, but it spent the better part of it`s remaining life in one garage or another. I recently decided it was past due time for this boat to see water again, so out it came. (oh yea, I married her some 35 years ago - wasn`t that much of a dowery - lol)





Befores:





















During:

The first step was a power wash, then a scrub with Cameo Aluminum and Stainless Steel cleaner. I used a B&D Scrubmaster for much of this work.

Then began the polishing with a PC/wool pad. I used Cameo, Noxon, Mr. Polish and DG Metal Polish along the way. Polishing aluminum is really messy and not a lot of fun.

This work would likely have been easier with a rotary. It may have been a good excuse to take that plunge, but I was trying to keep costs down. With a center seat purchase, canoe car top carrier, straps, PFD vests ... I saw some moths leaving my wallet as it was! So it was me, the PC and a fair amount of elbow grease.

















Almost done:

Starting to see some reflection.















More to follow:

I tried using KAIO, but the cleaner just made more black crud that embedded in small scratches so I quickly changed and just applied a coating of Collinite Fleet wax 885.

(Installed a middle seat for Abbey and hope to have her (uhm, the boat) in the water today (fathers day!)



















Like I said, she`ll need more work - but it`s a good start.

I need to redo the interior `floor`, probably start with Rustoleum Alum. Primer, then I`m debating whether to use acrylic enamel, (truck) bed liner coating or indoor/outdoor carpet. I was looking to see if anyone was marketing liners but I don`t see too much.

Did come across some pretty cool clamp on sailing kits!

[trusteddetail]

For what you used it came out pretty good !

[abbeysdad]

For what you used it came out pretty good !

You don`t like Duragloss or Collinite?

[imported_smprince1]

Looks 100% better ... hope you have a great Father`s Day out on the lake with it :chuckle:



It just so happens that yesterday I had my aluminum coils cleaned on my outdoor AC unit. The HVAC guy had an alkalide type cleaner that he mixed up 4:1 with water and applied with a garden sprayer. It reacted with the aluminum, foamed up real good, and all the deep crud washed off with a garden hose. Maybe that stuff would work well on aluminum boats too :nixweiss

[abbeysdad]

The day started out great. The Pelican canoe carrier was great. With the foam blocks and the straps, it was really solid on top of the car. I opted to get straps that bolt into the front fender under the hood and got an extra strap with vinyl coated `J` gutter hooks to go over the top.

We put it in a small lake near here. Water was flat. No more than pushed off and there is a terrible wobble, made worse by the girls trying to compensate - but I could tell it was very unstable. I think the position of the new center seat, even though installed just in front of the center cross support bar, put too much weight forward and combined with the higher center of gravity, it was really bad. Abbey was so scared and begged to go back.



I decided to take it out alone, sitting backwards in the bow seat. Stern end was light but it seemed fine, even when I dug in to paddle. I decided to switch to the center seat...just 2-3 feet away. Next thing I know I`m in the water and the boat is half full of water. My glasses went to the bottom and my cell phone was shot (stupid is as stupid does).



Oh well...The center seat comes out and I`m looking into outrigger stabilizers from Sailboats To Go