Aluminum jon boat projects

[bplayer405]

I've had my Tig welder close to a year now and have mainly focused on welding aluminum with it. Most of my work on this boat has been in the Mig section. It was definitely time for a move.

My latest project was replacing the transom wood with aluminum rectangle tube (1.5" x 3"). I had replaced the original plywood previously with a heavy 2 x 12, but I wanted it to be made of aluminum when I was able to replace it again, making it a completely done project.

Pic is of what the boat looked like when I first brought it home, with a busted and cupped transom.

 

[bplayer405]

To get the boat usable last year I added a front deck extension, a flat floor for the mod v hull and needed to rebuild the transom with wood. I also added an extension to the back of the transom because my outboards are both longshaft. All that put me to where I was when I stopped the Mig section of the mods.

 

[bplayer405]

This was the wood setup I used last season. It worked well enough for all the outings we did.

 

[bplayer405]

Stripped back apart, I started measuring and cutting the pieces needed to replace the wood. The biggest issue being achieving the proper height for the outboard. I chose to raise the transom fully to the corner plates and drop the center to the height I found worked well tmwith the outboard.

 

[bplayer405]

I'll let the pics talk for themselves...

... I was left with a gap to fill on the back...

 

[bplayer405]

I ended up using material from the middle seats I removed to follow the gap...

 

[bplayer405]

Still one major thing to remedy, outboard height. So I cut out the center section (1.5" drop) and added .25" pieces of plate for strength. I cleaned all the welds so it would fit nicely inside its covering pieces I was about to build.

 

[bplayer405]

I picked up some .060" sheet from Nate's Custom Boats and Accessories, located about 10 minutes from me. I picked up the transom and bracket material and top cap from Nate's as well. He has a full line of materials for doing about anything on aluminum boat mods, does custom modifications in his shop and had now gotten into boat building. He's an awesome resource for me and my goals on this boat.

The inside sheet was only riveted to the center section. Last pic it everything riveted and bolted back in place, showing the old transom floor brace and without the cap.

 

[bplayer405]

2 things left, the cap and a new bracket. After I cut all the pieces I welded it all and riveted everything in place. This thing is super strong now and handles the outboard perfectly.