Restoring a $500 Abandoned Fishing Boat (THIS IS DISGUSTING) 

Keep in mind this is my first time ever working on a boat. Keep the suggestions coming. I need all the help I can get for this project. Thanks!

Those Styrofoam panels are in the bottom of a boat for a reason. It will keep the boat buoyant when you start to sink.

You are right on the money! 1. Completely strip the boat down, flip over and put on sawhorse supports 2. Inspect and repair all seams and welds on the outside (do the same inside and use a seam sealer inside) 3. Sand and repaint outside while you can turn boat upside down 4. Rebuild inside using a marine grade plywood that has three coats of polyurethane (be sure to seal edges) then a marine grade carpet 5. Be sure to check wood in transom. GREAT CHANNEL BY THE WAY!!!!!!

Nice boat Joe! I am retired and owned a marine business. Don’t forget Black gets real hot on aluminum sitting in the sun. Just an FYI. Great project. 👍👍👍. 3M makes a good adhesive remover for old adhesive.

As a life long boater, strongly suggest you NOT paint the boat exterior BLACK. No boaters or fishermen like black or the heat it causes on small boats. Best exterior colors are very light, i.e. white or similar. Best wishes and congrats on your willingness to tackle new DIY project!

Joe nice rejuvenation , I hope you used Stainless screws and staples as they will rust and stain. Also aluminum rivets. That black paint will be very hot in the sun. Aluminum absorbs heat from the sun quickly. You really should’ve reused the flotation foam. It is integral to the boat’s flotation if capsized or taking on water.

Have to admire your willingness to take on new projects like this. Some of the "you should have ... (enter recommendation here) " things are well intentioned, but everybody has to remember, nobody is born with this knowledge. We learn best by making some mistakes I think. These guys are correct in the type of plywood, and the screws to use. It is more expensive, by a LONG shot, but more permanent. Kudo's for doing all of this yourself, and being willing to just jump in outside your comfort zone and take it on.

Just purchased a 2000 16ft Alumacraft...needed a little work, not to bad. Took it up to Fremont for the bass run. Yamaha 25hp ran great. Caught lots and lots of White Bass...this video is awesome. Tight lines!

i am surprised you did not replace the foam its a safety issue as well dampens the noise while traveling in the water looks nice you have a lot of work still ahead you keep up the great work. PS when making long cuts try cutting a quarter way along and then go back to the other side and then make your final cut. thanks for sharing and i hope you have a wonderful day with the family

A quick way to remove the old graphics is to go to a big box store and pick up a half gallon of MEK in the paint aisle. I retired from a company that made that pressure-sensitive vinyl and we always used MEK to clean it up, it removed it really quickly.

Great job ! A few suggestions. Treated lumber contains copper which reacts with aluminum. That being said 2 part fiberglass resin and regular plywood is a good way to go. Also, you need to add a low density foam under that subfloor and anywhere else you can. Google reserve buoyancy formula and you’ll find a formula to help you figure out how much you will need . Without reserve buoyancy that boat is dangerous and all your hard work will be at the bottom of the lake should you take on water. Storm, big boat wake like a barge or yacht, pop up storm and wind, forget or lose your drain plug , hit a wake funny or spear your boat into a wave, park your boat on a beach at an angle and medium sized waves can make their way over the transom without it being obvious at first. ( I know this firsthand), Anyway, it sucks but taking the time to unscrew that floor and other components to put foam in could potentially save a life. You might want to check with your state laws and regulations on the liability or legality of even running a boat with no reserve buoyancy. To be honest I’m not sure about the laws on the matter but I know a water craft can’t be coast guard approved without it.

You're doing great!. Black and Grey is pretty hot in direct sunlight. White is boring, but it hides everything and keeps you cool when fishing.

Can't wait for the next video!! I'm looking forward to see the final product!!

That's why it's called a boat, bust out another thousand!! People buy boats new and enjoy for years and never take a lot of time to do maintenance. Next thing you know you don't have any more time, your old, or sick so the boat just sits and is pretty much forgotten. I guess just like anything else. All it takes is two by threes or two by fours laid across the boat from bow to stern, then two or three blue tarps and several ratchet straps around the top edge, and would have been protected for years. Or take it to a marina and have it shrink wrapped, then tarp it. Just my two cents worth. It's no fun doing this. Thanks for sharing buddy!!

Like others have mentioned, you should have either reused the foam blocks, or put new foam in! Hopefully you never take on water! That foam keeps boats buoyant if you swamp. Plus reduces noise. Aluminum boats are noisy

Love these videos you’ve inspired me to find a project fourwheeler keep the good work up

I've restored a lot of stuff in my day and to me the best way to go about it is to completely strip everything off and start from there, remove motor, that top piece in the front, all wiring/cables, console the whole ball of wax then get the hull cleaned up and one by one rebuild each item one at a time and when your done you have a brand new boat or what ever your working on essentially. Not saying your doing it wrong by any means but that is just how I have learned over the years is the best way to do any restoration, yes it takes a little longer and cost more money but the end product is always worth it, usually anyway lol. I live for this kind of stuff and enjoy it immensely. Always have and probably always will. I'm 61 and still do this type of stuff.

Hey, Bubba, we love the channel and have subscribed. We flip ATVs as well. But our mainstay is boats, outboards, etc. We noticed a couple things that might help you with such a project. 1) Goo-gone is not ideal. We recommend full strength acetone for those pesky stickers. They come right off with acetone. 2) Marine plywood is def the way to go as the waterproofing chemicals are much better than pressure-treated. But the biggest reason to use it is that is takes resin better than other wood. You really do need to glass-in the wood with epoxy resin. Water will get underneath the floor and rot it out surprisingly quickly. We would have put 4-5 coats of glass with chop-strand fiberglass cloth for added strength. 3) You also have to change the engine oil as well as the lower unit oil. 4) You would also have to change the water pump/impeller. Those are toast in about 3 years. Anyhow, keep producing content; we'll keep watching! Also, if you ever want to do a collab, let us know!

You're a better mechanic than you are a carpenter Joe.

Awesome job joe..that boat is gonna be fun in the sun fishing..the time and patience u have def pays off..GREAT JOB.B safe.peace

Lookin' really good. Thanks for sharing.

Great to see how many supporters you have. We all love your channel know matter what the build is. Very awesome. My smoker craft pro lodge is all black and looks awesome, yours will too.

What a project! Very nice work. 🎉

You have done a really good job you are a jack of all trades !Alan Northern Ireland. 👍

I’m loving this project. She’s really coming along brother. Keep up the great work

My tips for speeding up the process would be: Paint stripper and scraper would have made short work of the stickers and glue on the outside of the boat. (The way you did it looked like pretty hard!) 'Raptor' paint kit would have been good for painting inside and out (Same stuff used for bed liners in pick ups). Also wouldn't pick black for safety and a black deck can get pretty hot! A little bit of muratic acid and a scrubbing brush mounted on a mop handle might have been a better choice to clean and prep the inside of the boat for painting undercoat finishing with a pressure wash. Oh yeah, and perhaps you could have changed the impellar on the outboard as it's cheap and easy to do. Would have used marine grade ply and or would have primed and sealed the ply board to save it from rotting again straght away. Enjoying the project! Thank you!

If your not in a rush to get it on the water, a little project boat like that can be so much fun!! Love to see it 🤙🏼

Should have gotten the marine board, not pressure treated. Also, stainless steel screws would have been better than zinc coated because the heads will eventually rust and pop off the heads. Lastly, no foam was replaced to help with floatation? Oh my...

Man that was hard work! Labor of love. Crazy how nice that engine is!

This is my favorite channel! Joe, you have such a wide variety of vehicles and each vid is so interesting. I very much appreciate that you tackle things for the first time, record the process, and put it out there despite any potential criticism. And I’ve yet to see you respond negatively to any comment. You have a great attitude no matter the circumstance. That is such a positive witness for us all! I also enjoy hearing the geese & ducks fly over, seeing deer & turkey at your property, and of course seeing Vinny & beautiful Jade! Vinny cracks me up every time. Thank you for the vids!

Awsome vid like the variety of machines you've been posting man also the easiest way I found to take off graphics is a rubber wheel

Joe there is a reason the foam is inside the bottom of the rails it's to keep the boat floating if it gets filled with water I would replace the foam myself but it looks great and I agree with the other comments don't paint it black light blue is better. 😊

Not sure if I missed it or if it was mentioned but good insurance on a newly acquired boat is to replace the impeller in the lower unit. It's a cheap and relatively easy job as a precaution to keep from getting stranded on the water. I've been there. I know yours was originally squirting water, but not knowing the condition of it, or how long it's been in there, they can go bad in a second. Looks great and starting to come together!!

Awesome build, coming along great. Can't wait to see it on the water.

Well sir I am impressed! You've done a lot of work on it by yourself in 3 days. It's really a 2 person job especially when cutting the plywood. Looks pretty good so far. At this point it's a blank canvas and you can reconfigure it if you choose. Maybe more seating. Thanks again for your time today and good luck with this project.

You may want to invest in an electric paint sprayer. They are relatively inexpensive and you could use it on many jobs! Love the boat content!

Almost lost it when you were changing the lower unit oil..."Wow, must've been low"...well, you did just drain it, so...🤣🤣 Nice project boat.

You know it's amazing what a $50 air sprayer and a quart of paint with thinner will do! 😅

Enjoying this project! Keep the great content coming 👌👌

Great job, Keep pushing your boundaries, make it your own.

It's just my opinion but I spent twenty years on a lake,,,, Whatever you paint black on your boat is going to cause blisters and burns every time you touch

Get yourself a rubber wheel that will get rid of glue graphics etc.....in minutes

Tell you what, he sure does get the work done, learned a lot about working on my bike, thanks 2 vintage

i ENVY YOU BECAUSE YOU ARE ALWAYS DOING A WONDERFUL JOB AND i CAN'T WAIT TO SEE THE CONCLUSION OF THE BOAT. GOD BLESS

Great job on the boat Joe !

Finally been waiting

Looking good, I would definitely ditch the black paint though. I painted a boat black once and instantly regretted it… way to hot. Ended up repainting it with light gray which worked out nicely.

Great video, always a learning moment. A project many of us are facing this spring. ARGH! The rotting wood. Disassembly, kids love to do that, reassembly not so much

Doing the same thing right now! Got mine currently completed gutted and cleaned out. Now doing a makeover of the trailer.

Am already looking forward to the first test ride on the field !!

When I redid my boat floor many years ago I used the old wood for pattern. I laid them on the new wood and traced around them. Worked like a charm. When using staples, make sure they are Stainless or they will eventually rust away due to humidity.

Quick tip for removing the rivets use a 1/8th size drill bit 😊

Nice job so far!!! I think I like the color of the flat primer gray better than gloss black for the inside sides of the boat. Just my opinion

Looking great! I would polish the aluminum on the outside instead of painting black. Might be a little more work, but a buffing wheel would speed it up.

As you were power washing I was thinking Joe's making mouse poop soup again. I would o scrapped the boat and sold the motor and trailer. Good job though.

Your patients is your strength. Very tedious work. Enjoy your videos very much. .

looks great, the foam is for positive floatation all boats 22' and under are required to have some kind. they make a 2 part expanding foam you can pour in under the plywood it can make a mess if not done right.

It would be a very good idea to seal that wood with some sort of paint or varnish so that it doesnt become water logged and rot away like the old stuff did. maybe too late now, but hey time will tell. keep learning Joe, your doing a good job.

Looking good.👍 Be sailing in no time.⛵🎣

great video ...looks to me like the fishing content not to far away now!! And I'm the first to like!

Great video looking forward to the next

Looks pretty nice!

In the future Joe they have a wheel that goes right in a drill that takes stickers and old paint off and doesn't hurt the metal under it and kinda preps it for new paint. All you need to do is clean surfaces b4 new paint. Great job tho! I did an 18foot open bow rider by 4winns

Great Video!

Nice job! That’s going to be a great boat. I know others have said already but you should put that extra buoyancy back under the floor, It will stop your boat from sinking completely if you get swamped.

Nice work brotha. Laquor thinner for the decal adhesive

i tell ya what,,,for a man that uses a carpenters hammer for automotive applications, a screw driver as a punch,,dropping the transmission fluid hand pump onto the dirt ,cutting curves with a circular hand saw ---I LOVE YOUR WORK!!!! :) ,,great channel ,,very inspiring ,,best wishes from australia

do more projects like this i was looking forward to this video cant wait for the next one

You do amazing work

I see everyone has said what i would have done. Other then that it is a learning experience and you will now on your next one. One thing is keep restoring and you will keep getting better. Do a couple and you will look back and go wow! Its all a learning process. It came out nice. I'm on my 4 rebuild and look back at my first one and see all the stuff i should have done on the other ones. Keep it up and enjoy the boat!!!

I would seal the sub floor. Like I do every house I build I always seal sub floor.

You are a very good RU-vidr. ❤

Can't wait to see the end man looks good

It's looking good Joe 👍

In your own words. "That's rough!" Looking much better already Joe.

It's a bit late, but eBay toffee wheel decal remover, amazing for removing glue and decals off metal or painted surfaces 👍👌

Aircraft stripper in a Aerisol can makes easy work with decals/ graphics that are burnt on fused on ..lol.. then hit it with the pressure washer..and done..been there done that. Restoring a boat can get expensive and quick....looking very good though 👌 UR carpet came out very nice 👌..

Considering the age of the motor, I would have liked to see you replace the impeller. That being said, looking forward to seeing this finished product!

Last boat i did i kept the wood floor pieces to trace outline on new wood. And i put carpet up to the top ridge of the hull. Came out awesome

I would've given the under floor area a coating of epoxy to seal any pinholes that might've been there, just to be sure.

You never disappoint

You have alot of energy. Keep up the great video's video's. ✌️

You are doing just fine on that boat doing better than i would 😊

You have to give it to this young guy. He is a hard worker and not afraid to give it a try. I do hope the hull has no leaks when he gets all of this done.

I like the boat build videos keep ‘em coming

Bravo, looking good. Took a few more of your creative skills. I'd have gone with orange shaggy carpeting 😂

I think you might have over filled the lower unit. There is a screw about halfway between the ones you have out. Ive seen a few lower units with additional vent screws. Not 100% sure on that motor but itd be worth looking into before all the gear oil push out the prop seal

I know foam isn't cheap but if your boat get's a leak your gonna wish you had it. Easiest way is to have someone spray foam the bottom for ya, something to look into and think about.

Lookin good Joe,, great progress.. I would have to agree with comment below, black is not a great color for boats,Maybe a light gray or a version of tan Black will really suck in the heat. I am from Georgia and dont think i have ever seen a black interior on a boat..keep up the good work.Looks great so far..

Did you use marine epoxy to seal the plywood before gluing the exterior carpet on it? I restored a Lund all alumnium fishing boat, my whole subfloor was completely rotted out where I didn't even have a template to use, I had to fabricate the templates from cardboard taped together lol. Fun project for sure. And rivet all the pieces back into the boat

Nice job

I must say i m enjoying the diversification i videos. ...sure i love the bike stuff ..but this old oddball stuff,,, just as cool !

It's a lot of work but it will be worth it, boats are selling for good money these days (should you decide to sell it). Great job as always

Nice job. That boat should provide years of fun out on the lake. You’ll only have a couple thousand into it and the satisfaction that you rebuilt the whole thing yourself.

Did you think to save the old pieces to use as templates for the new floor

Cool video 🤘😎🤘

The styrofoam was there for a reason; you forgot to replace it. And the black interior is going to collect heat in the summer; it’ll feel like you’re riding in a frying pan. But your work is good. Great job

Really good video keep it up

You are one motivated success story!!

Awesome!