FL Alumacraft questions

[Buccaneer]

Gator trailer almost done, so now back on the 1959 Alumacraft FL.

There is no "Bow Eye".
Suggestions on installing one, what kind, etc. appreciated.
I’ve seen some eye bolt style and cast aluminum eyelet with
two nubs on the back side that dig into the boat to keep
the eyelet from turning, I presume.

I made new wood seats out of cedar to keep the weight down.
They’re all primed now, and I made the executive decision to
paint them with red marine paint.
My boat was missing the original driver’s seat (had a couple of 2×8’s
bolted on) but the other two main seats had Styrofoam floatation
strapped under. The pie shaped bow seat had no Styrofoam.
I’ve made the seat forward of the driver’s seat hinged with a storage
compartment underneath.
Questions- How many seats originally had Styrofoam flotation?
Would two seats with flotation "float my boat"?
What’s the general laws on this? I’m pretty sure non of the old
wood boats had any, but then again, there’s quite a few on the
bottom of the lakes 😮
Thanks!

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Prepare to be boarded!

[willyboy]

I have the same boat in both 12-14 ft models still in part of my rental fleet here at the shop. My 14 footer had 3 full size seats of aluminum that were totally enclosed and had foam in them and the small front seat was open underneath.Shot a pic so you could see the layout.

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[dave-bernard]

use a bow eye with 2 bolts.

[willyboy]

2 seats with foam should float your boat depending on what you have on it for a motor,anything bigger then 5hp and i’d make sure 3 had good foam just in case. I don’t know what the laws are but I know for my rentals with electric motors and battery I make sure 2 seats have full foam at minimum and I know that will keep them on top. You could use either a bow eye with one or two bolts for that boat as their not that heavy even with a motor on them-they don’t take much to get up on a trailer. If you go with one bolt just put a small fender washer and luckwasher behind that to make sure.

[garry-in-michigan]

I like a stainless steel "U" bolt backed up with a 6" piece of heavy aluminum angle. . . . 😉

[foot_doctor]

I am the proud owner of a FL model. When I replaced the seats, I used oak for both the tops and lower supporting frames. All of the full sized seats were equipped with foam that was held in place with aluminum strips. I glued and screwed the lower frames to the bottoms of the seat panels, and I suggest that you use the longest possible screws for this purpose. If your passengers are adults, and you pass over any sort of rough water, the seats will be seriously stressed. Mine were partially damaged in rough water encounters, and I used 3 inch long stainless #10 fasteners. If I had to do it over, I would run stainless machine screws clear through the entire assemblies where the foam support staps are fastened. I was able to equip mine with front and center decks, steering wheel and remote control for the rear pilot position. It’s powered by a 1956 15 hp Evinrude, and it pleases me to drive it. Mine came equipped with a bow eye that is riveted in place, and was an Alumacraft accessory. Perhaps they could still supply that part. Couldn’t hurt to call them. Enjoy your boat. R.T.

[willyboy]

I stand corrected,i have the model F which had aluminum seats,the FL had the wood seating.

[Buccaneer]

Thanks for the replies and suggestions! I used four boards for each seat top,
all doweled and glued together. The sides are glued and screwed with 3"
screws. I wouldn’t want to be in that boat in rough water, but you never know!
I was thinking about making an oak v-block for inside the boat for the eye bolt
attachment, but suppose aluminum angle may be even better.
Already wishing I had the accessory Gator trailer tongue wheel, but don’t
imagine I’ll ever see an original.

Prepare to be boarded!

[Steve A W]

Here’s some info on flotation;
Well I guess that didn’t work

Member of the MOB chapter.
I live in Northwest Indiana

[Buccaneer]

Steve, that link seems to be to your hard drive. I’m not
that good of a hacker, lol.

Edit: I found info on this boat builder’s site that I believe
are citing Coast Guard regs.
https://www.uscgboating.org/regulations … TATION.pdf
Basically says that if swamped the boat must remain level and support
passengers.
There’s a procedure to simulate a swamped boat after an 18 hr pre-test of
the floatation material (Styrofoam) being soaked in water.
I think I’ll just bring it back to original specs as sold and find a sailor’s
good luck charm!

Prepare to be boarded!

[Author]

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