I just bought a15ft 1957 Arkansas Traveler aluminum v-hull boat, trailer, two Elgin motors and one Johnson motor. I bought the whole lot from an old gentleman around the corner. The boat and trailer are in excellent and sound shape.

Here's what needs to be done;

-strip and repaint the boat hull and trailer
-replace the rotted transom wood.
-replace the 3/4" x 1.5" x 15' rail wood on both sides.
-get new rubber on the trailer tires
-add trailer lights and wiring.
-get the Johnson 25hp motor running(it's the old round green style)
-get at least one of the Elgin motors running(they look as old as the boat)


Can anybody tell me anything about this brand and style of boat?
What is the best way to replace the transom wood?
What type of wood should be used to replace the transom and rails?
What type of paint stripper would work without pitting or hurting the aluminum hull?
Any advice on boat restoration would greatly be appreciated!

 

For painting aluminum, I would just scuff the paint thats there and put a new coat over top, as long as it's not peeling.
far as old outboards go, they can be kinda fun to work on...... for a while...
I've been on a few fishing trips with the vintage of outboards that you have. They leak gas, foul spark plugs, need constant fiddling with the carb mixtures, and generally need alot of attention to keep them working.
If your going to want to use it quite a bit, you might want to think about getting a newer motor.
That said, the old Johnson will probably only need to have the carb cleaned and the points cleaned and set along with a new set of plugs, change of gear oil, and perhaps a water pump impeller. Never start an outboard out of water, or you'll ruin the impeller.

 

The old Elgin motors were most likely built by McCulloch. Another brand-name to search would be Scott-Attwater. Parts will be hard to find, but if you wish to use them, beware of "induction system problems" (vacuum leaks). My father had a 40hp "Elgin" on his first speedboat. Performance was spotty- one day it would go like hell, the next day it would backfire, miss, or not even start.Luckily, he had a service manual and could eliminate all of the simple problems before consulting with a marine mechanic. Our main problems with the 2 cylinder 40hp motor were the vacuum operated fuel pump and a leaky gasket on one of the crankcase "waterjacket" gaskets. We plugged off the vacuum ports, replaced the gasket, added an electric fuel pump, and went boating (very happily) for another year or two until it was time to get a newer boat......