Ok, I have fished for close to 50 of my 52 years on this earth. Some of my earliest memories are of cane pole fishing from the banks of creeks and slews back home in NW Florida with my dad. Fast forward to 15 years ago and I bought a place on a lake here in SE Texas. I bought an old worn out 1448 [unknown make] Jon boat and a brand spanking new 15hp Yamaha 2 stroke. I fished almost every day, man did tear up the bass out there. Then something happened, I just stopped. I had been duck hunting (we have 9 blinds out in the lake) and fishing all the time and boom, it all just stopped.
Now fast forward again, to last Wednesday. We had a lot of rain for a few days and the river was already up, so for the 5th time in 4 years we were going to flood. Before I headed off to work that morning my wife and I had a discussion about how we were going to get back and forth to our vehicles, we have to park a mile down the road and boat in and out. See, that old clapped out 1448 is just shot, corroded out everywhere and basically rotted out everywhere. I said I'd look on Craigslist for something that I can put the good motor on and she said, and I quote: "just go buy a new one, we haven't been riding around the lake in forever". She followed it up with something like "you used to love to fish all the time, you should start going again", I really don't remember anything past "just go get a new one".
So I went onto CL and looked around for another 1448 but no dice, and even with permission I wasn't going to spend $1,300-$1,500 on a new 1448. After work I went to Academy and got a brand new Alumicraft 1436, a new battery, and a bilge pump. I'll miss the width and stability of the 48 but the 1436 will be fine once I deck it out. I moved the motor to my new boat on Friday afternoon and got everything going and ready for the coming flood.......it came in faster than we've ever seen. Here's a link to my youtube time lapse of the first two hours: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IuywKes2cq0 .
Saturday we went for a boat ride out to where we were parked and went "to town". "We" were looking for some wire and a fuse block, and to get out of that house and on to dry land. We ended up at Academy again and I walked out with a Lews combo, again with full permission. We headed over to Wally-world and I was looking at a trolling motor wiring kit, decided to wait until I got a trolling motor and when I hung it back up and looked down there it was! A bow mount Minn Kota Edge 45, on clearance for $140! I was in mid sentence telling her and she interrupts me with "Ed Burke, you buy that thing right now!"
So now I am going to get some aluminum angle tomorrow and when the water goes down I'll start framing it up and decking it out. I do have a question about framing though. I was planning on using two 1"x1"x1/8" riveted together (back to back in a T) for the two main deck supports, each 8.5" off center line. They would be 17" center to center, and at the back of the front deck (the widest point) they will both be 17" from center to edge. I was planning on 2 vertical supports per, right on top of the ribs. I will run more 1"x1"x1/8" down the sides, should I rivet them right to the hull? I know there's so many ways to do the framing but I am a big guy, 6'-4" and 225 pounds, so I want something that's not going to flex, and the decking will be 11/32 plywood with epoxy paint and carpet with hatches.
Lastly, this site and the videos are great! I decked the front of my old boat with a simple treated 2x4's and 3/4" plywood but the idea(s) I had in my head are all right here. Things I wanted but just wasn't sure would work out I can see plain as day that they do. Thanks for all you guys that make this site happen and for all of you that have put the results of your hard work on display, it's inspiration for me to get going on this!
Now fast forward again, to last Wednesday. We had a lot of rain for a few days and the river was already up, so for the 5th time in 4 years we were going to flood. Before I headed off to work that morning my wife and I had a discussion about how we were going to get back and forth to our vehicles, we have to park a mile down the road and boat in and out. See, that old clapped out 1448 is just shot, corroded out everywhere and basically rotted out everywhere. I said I'd look on Craigslist for something that I can put the good motor on and she said, and I quote: "just go buy a new one, we haven't been riding around the lake in forever". She followed it up with something like "you used to love to fish all the time, you should start going again", I really don't remember anything past "just go get a new one".
So I went onto CL and looked around for another 1448 but no dice, and even with permission I wasn't going to spend $1,300-$1,500 on a new 1448. After work I went to Academy and got a brand new Alumicraft 1436, a new battery, and a bilge pump. I'll miss the width and stability of the 48 but the 1436 will be fine once I deck it out. I moved the motor to my new boat on Friday afternoon and got everything going and ready for the coming flood.......it came in faster than we've ever seen. Here's a link to my youtube time lapse of the first two hours: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IuywKes2cq0 .
Saturday we went for a boat ride out to where we were parked and went "to town". "We" were looking for some wire and a fuse block, and to get out of that house and on to dry land. We ended up at Academy again and I walked out with a Lews combo, again with full permission. We headed over to Wally-world and I was looking at a trolling motor wiring kit, decided to wait until I got a trolling motor and when I hung it back up and looked down there it was! A bow mount Minn Kota Edge 45, on clearance for $140! I was in mid sentence telling her and she interrupts me with "Ed Burke, you buy that thing right now!"
So now I am going to get some aluminum angle tomorrow and when the water goes down I'll start framing it up and decking it out. I do have a question about framing though. I was planning on using two 1"x1"x1/8" riveted together (back to back in a T) for the two main deck supports, each 8.5" off center line. They would be 17" center to center, and at the back of the front deck (the widest point) they will both be 17" from center to edge. I was planning on 2 vertical supports per, right on top of the ribs. I will run more 1"x1"x1/8" down the sides, should I rivet them right to the hull? I know there's so many ways to do the framing but I am a big guy, 6'-4" and 225 pounds, so I want something that's not going to flex, and the decking will be 11/32 plywood with epoxy paint and carpet with hatches.
Lastly, this site and the videos are great! I decked the front of my old boat with a simple treated 2x4's and 3/4" plywood but the idea(s) I had in my head are all right here. Things I wanted but just wasn't sure would work out I can see plain as day that they do. Thanks for all you guys that make this site happen and for all of you that have put the results of your hard work on display, it's inspiration for me to get going on this!