The Beginning of a Boat Restoration Project

In the beginning there was an idea. I had the idea one day that I wanted a fishing boat. The idea has been building for some time, I just wasn't sure how to make this idea a reality. For a long time I wrestled with the idea of purchasing a small pontoon fishing raft without ever feeling completely settled with the idea.

Then it came to my attention that my grandpa had a small jon boat sitting in his garage that was not being used. The only problem was that there was no trailer and I do not have a vehicle that I want to try to throw a 14' boat onto to take to the lake, let alone the 350 mile journey to get it to my house in the first place.

Lastly, it occurred to me that I could probably purchase a trailer for less than $200, make any  necessary adjustments, and pick up a boat. So I put the plan in motion, while watching the local classifieds I decided to get an idea of what adjustments I would need to make to a trailer that would more than likely be intended for a v-hull fishing boat. I called my other grandpa who has owned a few boats to ask for some advice on the subject.

This is where my plan for boat ownership took a turn I wasn't expecting. After a few minutes of discussion my grandpa informed me that a friend of his had a boat that he would like to give away. We arranged a time to go look at it and this is what I found:

It isn't much right now but it is mine.

The Good, Bad, and the Ugly
Good:

• The gentleman still had both the main outboard motor and the trolling motor in the garage, out of the weather
• Structure is sound, there aren't any visible holes or leaks
• Paint on the exterior is in relatively good condition
• Trailer is in decent condition, if nothing else I had a trailer
• Price is right

Bad:

• Engines haven't been run in years, don't know what it will take to get running, or what condition they were in when last used
• Boat hadn't been covered, all seats are entirely rotted out
• Wiring, etc. is shot due to weathering

Ugly:

• I am now a boat owner?! What have I done. This could go down as one of my best or worst decisions

The Arkansas Traveler Aluminum Boat

Since the weather is frigid outside and I don't have an enclosed area where I can work on the boat in any sort of comfort and the boat currently looks like this:

I thought I would jot down some more about this particular boat and what I know about it so far. This boat was manufactured under the name Arkansas Traveler. According to this article on Wikipedia article Arkansas Traveler aluminum boats and fiberglass boats were manufactured from 1959 to 1967. I haven't been able to find a date stamp on the boat yet, but I figure this was built during the early part of that time period since the oldest visible registration sticker is from 1962.

I have looked at a few Arkansas Traveler sales brochures from that time but haven't been able to pinpoint exactly which one that is.

The Outboard Engine
The outboard engine is a Johnson 35 HP motor. Haven't taken the time to find out a year on it, but it is a classic, that is for sure. I have my doubts about whether this is the original motor for the boat since the colors don't really match, unless you are going for a Christmas theme, with a red and white motor and a two-tone green boat. In addition, the capacity card on the aluminum boat's transom shows a rating for a 30 HP motor instead of the 35 HP. 

Next up I believe I will start itemizing the projects that need to be done to get this beautiful aluminum boat ready for the water come summer time. For now I leave you with a photo of the outboard motor. You may also notice the gas trolling motor that came with the boat sitting next to it.