I opened my can of Aluma Hawk Jon Boat Green at first light, having first etched the aluminum hull with white vinegar. After about 15 minutes I wiped off the vinegar with isopropyl alcohol.

Blue painter’s tape across the stern kept my lines straight, but gunwales and strakes served the same purpose–without tape–on the sides.

I’ll spare you the suspense: the hatch installation went better than I feared.

First, I was very careful to align the hinges so the hatches would open without binding.

Using a single “piano” hinge instead of separate cabinet hinges would’ve made this much easier, but that’s not how I roll.

Woodworking has never been my forte, nor has wood finishing.

Unfortunately, there was plenty of both ahead.

Now that the trailer was all set, it was time to get started on the boat.

First I removed all of the old hardware: more than half of the bolts on the boat were rusted to the point where they wouldn’t turn and just sheared off.

I also removed the old battery rack. It was well put together (other than the corroded bolts), but I needed to get at the deck under it to clean and paint.

My only complaint about my 12′ MirroCraft is that it’s a little cramped.

Although I usually go to the lake alone, I thought it would be nice, once in a while, to invite a buddy along without worrying about snagging a hook in his ear or, if he was of any size at all, about foundering the boat under our combined weights.

So it was that less than a year after buying my first boat I started checking the listings again. I was looking for another MirroCraft–but bigger–since I knew and trusted that brand. I thought a 16-footer would be about right.

Unfortunately, none were available, at least not in my price range. I eventually widened my search and found this 1976 14′ Gregor all-welded aluminum boat online.

I previously claimed that the boat project was complete, but it turns out that was a lie.

I took my freshly-painted rowboat out several times last month.

Late October brought freshening winds, and the last time I went out I had to crab so severely into the wind to hold my course that I made very little headway.

To add insult to injury, the fish were moving to the far end of the lake, out of range of my trolling motor, and–unless I had a lot of time to spare–of my oars.

While I’d managed not to melt the boat with my brazing experiment, I worried that painting would be a problem.

I can fake a rattle can touch up (like the one on the boat trailer) as well as the next person, but tend to get myself into trouble with more advanced finishes.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I bought a 12′ rowboat this summer.

It was a turnkey operation: in addition to the boat and trailer, the seller threw in a trolling motor, a couple of deep cycle batteries, a pair of oars with rowlocks, an anchor and line, a couple of Type II life vests, and some fishing equipment.

A smart man would’ve been happy with the setup as is.

Naturally, I immediately set about replacing EVERYTHING.