Final Touches

Got the trailer now - ready to finish!

So the last few weeks have been hectic trying to get the Miss Irene in the water. Added rod holders, Oars (just in case the electric & gas motors give out) securely fastened everything down, and adjusting the mixture and idle settings on the 15 Merc.

Took her out on Lake Lanier and she wouldn't start, there was gas leaking from the connector at the engine. Turns out the Mercury fitting that I had added to the new line shouldn't have been Mercury at all, but a Yamaha fitting. So we went around all day using the electric and the deep cycle batter worked fine for about 6 hours. The 65LB electric motor really pushed the boat and we were able to cover a lot of water, and even caught some fish. I added a piece of Cedar after the initial trip to the front left and bolted a piece of carpet to it for a more secure electric motor mount.

The boat floated great though, which I was a little concerned about after adding all the extra weight. It was really stable for such a small boat, but we were able to walk around on the decking with no problems at all.

I covered almost every empty space underneath the decking with pool noodles, after all this work if we took on water I would hope to not lose her. Also got the motor tuned up, added a tool box in the back in case we have any problems, new fire extenguisher, float cushions, and wired the electric motor beneath the decking making it neat. Added a lock line to the merc so it wouldn't sink if it came off, Took her out again and she ran great. Lots of spashing from the front though so we took this video to see what was happening. Turns out that we were a little front heavy, I tried to balance everything out, with the added flooring and deck weight, centered battery compartment, and the motor etc. Not really sure how to correct that but I'll work on it. This video was taken after my son got out and just me.

Now to add a bilge pump, an electronics panel and all lighting etc. Will update after all that is done with some clearer pictures of details. Now to fish a lot and really test things out. 

Final Stretch

Flooring is going in.  Got some outdoor carpet from Lowes, not the best but great because it won't mold and has a fairly decent backing... Used some high quality adhesive and stainless staples so it should last... 

Deck looks fantastic! Fit perfectly. I'm opting to finish the hatches in white so they will be easier to open.. 

Also seat pedestal is secure & cup holders were a necessity.. 

New Motor Boat Upgrade

Hi A very good friend and I were talking about the boat and motor, long story short he had an extra 15 Merc that he gave to me.. With the new motor and added horsepower it's going to require a little more weight in the boat to help keep her steady. So next up is reconfiguring the front decking, adding a floor, live well, battery dock, and continuing with the electronics.. Here's the first pic looking how the new motor will fit on the transom. 

Beginning the final stretch now and should have the boat in the water in a few weeks..  My oldest son is home from college now so the three of us should be able to get it done... Started cutting the flooring today.. She's really starting to look like a reel boat!

Cutting the deck was a real chore.. Tried to make an accurate pattern by just couldn't get it right.. I've seen many boats with poorly cut decking so I really wanted it to be right and snug.. We made an initial pattern and then decided to add smaller pieces to correctly make the curves... It worked beautifully.. 

Next up is to resin the flooring, carpet, and begin the final tasks of installing lights, electronics, motors, seats, and accessories.. 

Fiberglass for the flooring panels, bench seat, deck and bow.. 

Miss Irene

Meet the "Miss Irene" - 1969 Delhi Semi-V

Around 1976, my father, Capt. A.A. Wheat, USN RET, DDS, had a dental practice in Meigs, GA and traded some dental work for this beauty of a boat! It became my 6th Birthday Present from my father, and I've had it ever since. This boat has floated down numerous rivers throughout Florida powered by oar's, gas, and electric motors. We've had her scalloping in Port St. Joe, Floundering in Pensacola Bay, and even partying at Crab Island in Destin. She's caught snapper, bass, bream, King Mackerel, Jacks, Lady Fish, Shark, Bonita, Amber jack, Shrimp, Flounder, Trout, Red Fish, Grouper, Sea Bass, Scallop, Crab, Sting Rays, and a lot more. She's been carried over sand dunes and put in the Gulf of Mexico, down dirt roads to private lakes, and even swam to shore in the Pensacola Pass after taking on water (Thanks to the Foam under the seats or she would have been lost). She's been on a trailer down the interstates throughout Florida, tied down to trucks beds, tops of cars, and moved more times than I could count. She's about to get a well deserved make over, one that hopefully will give her another 40 years or so. She deserves it!


Thanks to the guys at "Forum.Tinboats.net" for all the input, suggestions, and ideas that helped us to do this right and avoid some serious mistakes. If you're restoring a boat like this (although certainly without such a rugged history) you may want to take a look at their site and chat with some of the guys there. 

From the Original Post:
"Alright, this little fighter of a boat is about to become like new, or at least workable with class.. Stripping the hull and interior now and once it's down to aluminum or at least to the paint that's bonded very well. I was looking to use some paint from Sherwin Williams that's around 200$, but the primer, top coat, and bottom paint are all available at Lowes here in ATL, Boat grade, for around 50$. I think I'm also going to add some "Flexible Rubber Coating" to all seems and critical points. I'm going to begin a new thread for my project, but thought I'd post this here as well for you John. (John has a very similar boat if not the exact same on another thread) I hope you don't mind. Looking forward to seeing your progress as well. Lots to do but I plan to have her in the water in a few weeks. Got a Newer Merc 3.3 that should push it along nicely. One thing I could use some help with is adding some old style flooring.. Any comments or suggestions are appreciated.. Take care. James"

Stripping down this beauty required some research. Suggestions for doing so ranged from using Regular Paint stripper, Oven Cleaner, to soap and water and elbow grease. The real key for stripping aluminum is "AIRCRAFT PAINT REMOVER" available at your local auto parts store. Save yourself a lot of headaches, and go get this stuff. Be safe, wear gloves, eye protection, and if you get it on you wipe and rinse immediately. Then use a high powered pressure washer to take the paint right off. Amazing stuff, and getting it down to the aluminum or at least to the paint that's bonded very well with the aluminum is a must if you want it to last at all.

Once the paint was removed, I discovered that I had forgotten about the bullet holes. Sometime around 1985, the boat was laying upside down on the bank of a friends lake and someone shot it. Three times. So here they are, still fairly intact from the original repairs. I'll sand these and clean them up. After the first coat of Primer, I'll add flexible rubber sealant to all the seams and these repairs as well. One was done properly in my opinion, with aluminum and rivets with sealant in between, but the fiberglass repairs seem to be holding well too so I guess their fine. Someone has suggested to me to use a product called "Gulvit" and not the Flex Rubber because the Flex Rubber will be difficult to remove if I have to refinish it again.  The Gulvit is expensive and from what I've read it stiffens and doesn't last very long. For the sake of redundancy, I'm going to sand, primer, and then use the Flex Coating, then primer again. That should do the trick nicely. 

Applied the base primer, had problems with the compressor, sprayer, and paint. Paint must have been old because it was very difficult to mix thoroughly. Next coat I'll ask Lowes to put it in their mixer. Sprayer was splashing,  so the coat didn't go on as evenly as I'd hoped. I'll buff the base coat before applying the "Flexible Rubber Coating" to the seams, and get things together a little better for the second coat of Primer.

Ok this "Flexible Rubber Coating" is amazing! After a lot of research, it seems that Gulvit hardens and isn't flexible at all, which leads to cracking down the road. It's very clear that this stuff dries well, I used three cans on the hull and will probably use three more for the interior.

Added another coat of Primer over the black sealer today. Sprayer, compressor etc. were all in better shape and paint flowed very smoothly. Had some extra paint so I kept spraying in specific areas to lay it on thick. Looks good.. Next working on the interior..Took three cans of the Spray Sealant and two cans of Primer. Very pleased with the inexpensive Lowes boat paints..

Interior 

First to use the aircraft paint remover, remove as much paint as possible. Removing transom, cleats, and attachments. Already removed seats, and posts. Next to  primer  the interior, sealer, and primer again. 

It was a tough decision to make whether to cut the wood first, or apply the primer. I decided to cut some of the wood first because of the coming rain, and also I didn't want to scratch up the primer after it was put on. I'm trying to get the Miss Irene in the water just once before it begins to get really cold here in GA, so some of the steps that I'm taking are geared towards doing just that. The completed project will include flooring, attachments, electronics, and even a top. I gave the seats a two inch overlap so that attachments can be made at the edges up against the bench seat if needed. Also I thought they were a little more comfortable and after they are carpeted will look really nice. The Bow was a tough decision, whether to cut metal or shop for something that would work. I'll detail more of the woodwork later, now on to the Primer coat.

Sprayed the first coat of Primer on the interior. Using this sprayer is a real bear! It's a good sprayer, but it's imperative that the paint flows smoothly, and everything is set right prior to painting. A 20 min spray job took two hours. It went on well though and appears to be bonding nicely.

Primer is on good but a little rough. Sprayed the "Flex Rubber Coating" on the seams and was about to buy some more primer, but I had a gallon of Plastic Waterborne Primer in the garage I got a while back, never opened. I called the manufacturer, and they told me that it would make an excellent build primer on top of the primer I already put down. He did tell me to rough up the surface first so I did that with some fine sandpaper, and then added that primer to the interior. It worked so well that I added it also to the exterior. This paint is flexible and is made for car parts (Bumpers etc.)

Next up I put down the wood and checked the lengths, fit etc. Sanded and trimmed the decking in the front to fit flush. Seats fit fine, I sprayed the wood down with the waterborne primer since I had so much of it. I'll treat it again before adding the carpet. I really want this baby to last a long time. I put the seat posts and seats on to see what it would look like. I think it's turning out nicely and can't wait for it to be done. Next up will be to build the transom, fit the bow wood with metal, and pick up the stainless bolts for everything. One final coat of topcoat from Lowes inside and out - Semi Gloss White -- and then carpet the wood grey with stainless staples, and put everything together. I'll also post some pics of how I added some aluminum brackets to the front to support the decking.

Getting the bottom fine sanded an prepped for the final Topcoat. During the sanding, I did notice that the prior coats are all bonded very well, and despite some splattering with the sprayer, everything is nice and smooth. I'm using a Lowes Top Coat Semi Gloss for it's shine, and also I believe it will be a little more scratch resistant. 

The Top Coat from Lowes is awesome! Really gave it a great look, hardened smooth as silk, covered all the blemishes etc. and feels just like a hardened expensive epoxy resin coating. Doing the same for the interior and then put it all together.. 

This is the final pic for the season.. About to get really cold here in Georgia. I'm from Florida so I'm a little wimpy when things start to turn to ice and it gets really gloomy. Packing it up for the winter, and in the Spring I'll be adding electronic switches, wiring, lights, carpeting, anchor roller, and everything else. To winterize, I'm filling the fuel tank and mounting the motor in the garage. Also going to remove everything and store. Covering the boat and I'll get back to it when things warm up.