Newbie Introduction - 15' V-Hull Project

TinBoats.net

Help Support TinBoats.net:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

wwcenturion

Well-known member
Joined
May 19, 2013
Messages
90
Reaction score
0
Location
Tuscaloosa, AL
Introduction

Hey guys, I’m new to the site/forum and I wanted to introduce myself (and my project boat) to everyone. First, like many people, I found you guys while researching ideas for my new boat, and like many people, I am overwhelmed at the amount of information and the level of expertise many of you possess. In short, you guys are awesome. Enough about how awesome you guys are, let’s talk about how unawesome I am when it comes to boats.

A little about myself…

I live in the great state of Alabama where there is plenty of things for good ole’ country folks to do. Obviously, one of those things is getting out on the water and fishing. For you collegiate football fans out there; yes, we actually have other things in Alabama other than a great football team! Since I work for the University of Alabama, I am knee deep in it. Roll Tide! I digress, I recently moved the family into a lake house that needs some work but the view is spectacular. I joke around with friends that we have an average house with a million dollar view! The best thing about the home is that it is on waterfront property with plenty of lake access. There are two piers connected together with a slip between them. However, there is no way to launch a boat from the property and I don’t want to mess around with trailering a boat to and from the boat launch park even if it is right around the corner.

The boat bug bit me hard, but I didn’t want to spend a ton of money for something I may be leaving moored to the pier all summer long. At first, I entertained the idea of getting a canoe and attaching a trolling motor to it. The wife and I could get out on the canoe and do some fishing, but then I thought of how nice it would be to explore all 176 miles of shoreline this lake has to offer. I quickly realized a canoe just wasn’t going to get it done unless I could get the UA Rowing team to give me some lessons.

Next, I started looking at bass boats or a ski boat I could convert into a bass boat, but my budget for a vessel was not very high (<$3000) and it was getting exhausting looking at boats for sale, making offers, offending people (low-balling), and email after email trying to make a deal. Another consideration I had was that I didn’t want to leave a fiberglass boat in the water all summer long. This led me in the direction of an aluminum bass boat. Ouch, those things are expensive; no bass boat for me. Lastly, my options were further limited by the lack of owning a suitable vehicle to tow a larger boat (I have a Mazda 3 rated at 1000 lbs towing).

The boat…..

I guess by now your understanding how I ended up here. All signs for getting out on the water and fishing started pointing to an aluminum jon boat. I looked at a couple 12-footers, but since I wanted to take my wife out and maybe one of the kids occasionally, a 12-footer wasn’t going to get it. I found a couple 14 & 16-footers that were already customized, but they were getting near the top of my price range or were in crappy shape for what they were asking. I finally decided I was just going to buy a clean 14’ – 16’ and outfit it the way I want. Below is what I ended up with. It’s a 15’ v-hull. Not sure on the brand name or how old it is, but it appears to be structurally sound and has no leaks that I know of just yet. I gave the guy $560 for it and it came with a nice trailer that I drove 100 miles with it behind my car yesterday when we picked it up. I am thinking I am about $300 into the boat given the trailer may be worth around $300. I am assuming this is a great deal, but I don’t know much about these things. Academy Sports is selling flat bottom 15’s for $1200 plus tax and no trailer, so I am thinking this was a good deal.

The motor…..

On the way back from picking the boat up I had my wife send messages back and forth to this guy selling a 1968 18hp Evinrude Fastwin outboard on CL for $400. I got him down to $375 and he threw in a 6-gallon tank with fuel line and the original service manual (sweet, I love the retro stuff). The motor was recently serviced (he showed me the receipt) and assured me it is in good running condition and the only reason he was selling it was that it is too much motor for his 12’ jon. The motor appears to be solid, man they don’t make things the way the used to. When we got home my son asked if the old motor would last (it’s one year older than me) and I just replied, “it’s been around for 45 years, what do you think?” I understand this motor is oooooold, but again, I am on a limited budget. Worst case scenario, if it turns out to be junk I will turn around and sell it for whatever I can get out of it and count my losses as few on the motor.

What I have so far…..

OK, so now I am about $1035 into this project:
• Boat & Trailer - $560
• Old Motor, Gas Tank, Fuel Line - $375
• 40lbs thrust Trolling Motor, Marine Battery, Battery Box and Anchor - $75 (purchased from a friend)
• 4 - PFDs from Academy Sports - $25

My plans…..

My plans for the boat are to build carpeted fishing decks in the bow and stern, complete with pedestal seats, mount the trolling motor up front, and add plenty of access panels for storage and a live well. Initially, I am not going to worry about painting it, but I am sure in the off season I will want to put some Rustoleum on it and make her shine.

Today, I am going to Lowes to pick up plywood, 2”x4”s, carpet, misc hardware, electric staple gun, and a bunch of other stuff so I can get started on the decks this afternoon. I have no idea what I am doing and will probably mess things up considerably the first few tries. However, I have beer and you fine people to help me out. I don’t normally rant like this, so please don’t be afraid to communicate with me in the future. I just wanted to do a proper introduction of myself and the project.

Cheers…
 

Attachments

  • DDA_7882.jpg
    DDA_7882.jpg
    468 KB · Views: 9,048
  • DDA_7883.jpg
    DDA_7883.jpg
    196.5 KB · Views: 9,048
  • DDA_7884.jpg
    DDA_7884.jpg
    151 KB · Views: 9,048
  • DDA_7885.jpg
    DDA_7885.jpg
    328.3 KB · Views: 9,048
  • DDA_7886.jpg
    DDA_7886.jpg
    337.9 KB · Views: 9,048
  • DDA_7892.jpg
    DDA_7892.jpg
    145.1 KB · Views: 9,048
  • DDA_7893.jpg
    DDA_7893.jpg
    291.6 KB · Views: 9,048
  • DDA_7894.jpg
    DDA_7894.jpg
    297.4 KB · Views: 9,048
Looks like you got some good bones to start working with there. Lots of possibilities. Be careful leaving the engine sitting on the skeg like that would hate to see it busted from a fall. Look forward to seeing what you do with it!
 
:WELCOME: wwcent!

First thing, congrats on the new to you boat.. It may not be a new bass boat, but it will be your customized boat, and if you take a look on this site you will see some amazing mods done by regular people like ourselves! You should definitely take a look at all the mods in the mods area.. at least the ones that kinda match your boat. Then spend lots of time just thinking and imagining....then get the tools!! People on here are really great at answering questions, giving you varying opinions to choose from as well as offering support for a lot of stuff, not just boats :) And of course, the mantra here is 'we love pictures' so keep em coming!!
 
Thanks for the welcome Flat Bottom & Maestro. Coincidentally, I was lurking on here trying to get ideas for my layout and found this one: https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=25479&start=15, look familiar Maestro? Currently, this one is first on my favorites list. Looking back now, is there anything major you would have done differently?

Also, after seeing your sweet paint job, I do plan to paint mine the same way but with a darker shade of red to match the Crimson Tide's colors.

Flat Bottom, thanks for the tip on storing the outboard, going to put it up on something tomorrow.
 
wwcenturion said:
Thanks for the welcome Flat Bottom & Maestro. Coincidentally, I was lurking on here trying to get ideas for my layout and fund this one: https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=25479&start=15, look familiar Maestro?

Im glad you like it :)


Currently, this one is first on my favorites list. Looking back now, is there anything major you would have done differently?

I didnt do the electrical last year, so Im doing it now.. Maybe Id do that right off the bat as now I have the boat in my garage instead of on the water!

Also, after seeing your sweet paint job, I do plan to paint mine the same way but with a darker shade of red to match the Crimson Tide's colors.

Even though I am Canadian I have to say I enjoyed the drubbing of ND :)

Flat Bottom, thanks for the tip on storing the outboard, going to put it up on something tomorrow.


In a pinch, you can hang it off a solid wooden sawhorse..

Keep asking questions! And keep posting
 
Man, I am humbled by the laborious amount of work these projects require. Got the wood and deck hardware yesterday. Here is what I did in order:

Cleaned inside with water.

Found one rivet with a very tiny drip. I plan to fix this with JB Weld from the outside when I prep for painting. If there is another method, please advise. I would rather not have to order rivets and a rivet tool for just one (or a couple) rivets.

Made my cuts with a jig saw in the existing bow and stern seats. The one up front will hold a live well for bait fish. The two smaller ones in the back will be used for storage. Both cuts were made so I can access the insides of the benches to mount 2x4s for the framing job. Had to chop, pry, and hand saw all that Styrofoam out. If there is an easier method for doing this, please post it somewhere in a section of the site for noobs like me to see. As a matter of fact, have you guys ever thought of creating a thread containing basic advise that pretty much applies to all mods? For example, the little tidbit about not using pressure treated wood in an aluminum boat was found strictly by accident. Maestro mentioned something about running electrical before installing decking, things like this that might apply to most projects. This area may already exist, I just haven't looked hard enough.

Put two coats of sealant on all my wood.

Made some measurements.

Researched other projects for details.

This week I am going to flip her over and start prepping for paint.

Pic attached.
 

Attachments

  • 2013-05-20_10-16-51_461.jpg
    2013-05-20_10-16-51_461.jpg
    1.3 MB · Views: 8,937
If you have a leaky rivet, the best way to fix it is to 'buck' the rivet, basically someone holds a sledge hammer on the outside of the rivet while you hammer it tight on the inside. That said, MANY people will simply use 3M 5200 sealant. Thats what I would suggest if its only one or two. I know Home Depot sells it in the USA, or is it Lowes?

You are doing very well on your build, dont be overwhelmed. Theres lots of info in here, but you dont have to read all of it at once. When I did mine, I did go through the mods area moastly. I didnt even get to the motors section until i was out on the water. So just a little at a time.

Also, the search up top the right of the screen is very effective :)

Just ask questions and we can help or point you to exisiting threads!
 
Thanks for the leaky rivet advice guys. I will try the "buck" technique first but I am not sure if the inside part is under a stringer (or whatever those supports in the bottom of the boat are called) or not.

No work on the boat today other than research. Going to do a computer mock-up of the inside that I can use to see where I want to place things and to write measurements on.


Posted some things in the WTB section: https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=53&t=30644. I hope I didn't come off as cheap, but I want to keep the budget low on my first project int he event something goes wrong.

Thanks again for everyone;s hospitality.
 
Decided to take the boat off the trailer and lay her down in the carport for some paint prepping. Started with some heavy grit sandpaper and noticed where the boat has been painted twice before. It looks like in both cases the owner used primer, so that is good. I didn't want to take this all the way down to the metal, just smooth out all the places with chipping paint so the same thing doesn't happen to me.

Incorporated the help of my wife and son; it is amazing how fast things can get done with extra hands and a little direction.

Going to spend the rest of the evening figuring out which colors I want to use and where to locate the top stripe.

Also, I am still trying to figure out how to build my floor frame. I am using wood, so if anyone has ideas please share. I am systematically, going through each of the builds in the mod section one by one to get ideas.

Evening.
 

Attachments

  • _DSC0146.JPG
    _DSC0146.JPG
    434.6 KB · Views: 8,792
  • _DSC0147.JPG
    _DSC0147.JPG
    428.7 KB · Views: 8,792
  • _DSC0148.JPG
    _DSC0148.JPG
    384.5 KB · Views: 8,792
Welcome to the forum! The prep work for paint is very time consuming and can be frustrating. Just remember that if you do it right now, the end result will be very much worth the effort.
 
Update on Painting

My wife has been a real trooper by helping out with the sanding, priming, and painting. Plus she went and got pizza earlier while I finished putting on the first coat of gray.

Going with a two-tone job using Rustoleum Smoke Gray for the bottom, stern, and half way up the sides and a Regal Red stripe where the white primer is now.

It's killing me not having this thing on the water. Plus, I had to watch everyone go by in their boats while mine is sitting upside down on the trailer! I did get some fishing in from the pier today with my son and his friends, we landed a couple 8-10 lbs blue catfish.

Hopefully, tomorrow morning I can get another coat of gray on it before going out of town for two days on a mountain bike ride. I will try to keep the pics coming.

PS, I was reading the Rustoleum can and it reads "not for immersion" on the back. I am hoping it holds up!

Apologies for the reverse order of the pics, I will get the hang of this eventually. Thanks to everyone for looking and the comments.
 

Attachments

  • _DSC0145 (2).JPG
    _DSC0145 (2).JPG
    482.9 KB · Views: 8,715
  • _DSC0147 (2).JPG
    _DSC0147 (2).JPG
    410.3 KB · Views: 8,715
  • _DSC0148 (2).JPG
    _DSC0148 (2).JPG
    323.5 KB · Views: 8,715
  • _DSC0176.JPG
    _DSC0176.JPG
    383.2 KB · Views: 8,715
  • _DSC0177.JPG
    _DSC0177.JPG
    358.4 KB · Views: 8,715
  • _DSC0178.JPG
    _DSC0178.JPG
    380 KB · Views: 8,715
  • _DSC0179.JPG
    _DSC0179.JPG
    884.2 KB · Views: 8,715
  • _DSC0180.JPG
    _DSC0180.JPG
    332.3 KB · Views: 8,715
  • _DSC0182.JPG
    _DSC0182.JPG
    402.3 KB · Views: 8,715
Sorry guys, not much to post over the past few days. Just waiting on the da%* paint to dry so I can paint another coat. Basically, that is what the last three days has been about, paint a coat, wait 24 hours, paint another coat. I still haven't got around to painting the red stripe but I am getting closer.

I did start on the engine cowl though. Took all the Evinrude/Fastwin accents off and cleaning the two or three coats of paint someone put on them. Going to paint the cover the same colors as the boat. I was tempted to go with the original colors because I really respect and admire the retro look, but right now I just want to get all this painting done so I can get started on the flooring and decks.

Ordered accents lights and a bilge pump from eBay. Looking at seats and mounts now.

Another day working on the boat watching other boaters go by but I am enjoying the project. Can't wait to get on the water. I will post some pics when there is something to look at.
 
So instead of being annoyed at the lack of progress I am making on my boat due to drying paint, today I decided to take action. I rigged up hoist in the carport and lifted the bow up from the trailer. Then, I used what little muscles I have and lifted the stern so I could flip her over. With the boat right side up, I was able to get started on the flooring. I figured I could work on the flooring/decking while waiting on paint to dry between coats.

The main floor (between the rear and middle benches) went pretty smoothly thanks to you guys. I cut the carpet based on techniques learned int eh forum and used carpet glue and stainless 1/4" staples to tack everything down. Currently, the floor is just laid into place. I have no plans of permanently mounting it to the boat because I want to build storage bins along each side of the boat between the rear and middle benches and this should help hold it into place.

QUESTION: Should I mount the floor to the boat's stringers for stability? I would rather not unless anyone has experience with the floor bouncing out on the water.

The lights were purchased from eBay. I plan to put the LED recessed lights on each side of my storage bins between the rear and middle benches. The Baitwell lights will go into my livewell and up front somewhere.

More pics to come now that I am rolling!

I served as a police officer for almost 20 years. Now I train them here at the university. I know today is set aside to remember those who paid the ultimate sacrifice for their country and many men and women serve courageously every day. Some have given their lives in the line of duty, so I just wanted to pay my respects this Memorial Day to all who have served or has (or had) a family who served. My father served two tours in Vietnam with the Big Red One (Purple Heart x2, Silver Star, and Bronze Star with Cluster), he died 16 years ago this coming July, and I just wanted to say thanks pops!

Today is for you guys. Now get out and fish!
 

Attachments

  • _DSC0001.JPG
    _DSC0001.JPG
    632.7 KB · Views: 8,538
  • _DSC0011.JPG
    _DSC0011.JPG
    288.8 KB · Views: 8,538
  • _DSC0004.JPG
    _DSC0004.JPG
    538.9 KB · Views: 8,538
  • _DSC0008.JPG
    _DSC0008.JPG
    718.1 KB · Views: 8,538
  • _DSC0009.JPG
    _DSC0009.JPG
    665.2 KB · Views: 8,538
  • _DSC0005.JPG
    _DSC0005.JPG
    614 KB · Views: 8,538
  • _DSC0006.JPG
    _DSC0006.JPG
    370.8 KB · Views: 8,538
  • _DSC0007.JPG
    _DSC0007.JPG
    404.3 KB · Views: 8,538
Incorporated the help of my son and daughter today. I used a chalk-line to mark off the tapered red stripe on each side then my daughter taped off everything and laid the first coat of paint on it. Meanwhile, my son and I completed the front floor and almost finished the front deck. We cut out a place for the battery and notched an opening for the hatch.

Tomorrow I will finish securing the floors to the benches and then get started on the bench sheets (top & sides), stern enclosure, and side storage bins.
 

Attachments

  • _DSC0015.JPG
    _DSC0015.JPG
    590.9 KB · Views: 1,422
  • _DSC0016.JPG
    _DSC0016.JPG
    755 KB · Views: 1,422
  • _DSC0018.JPG
    _DSC0018.JPG
    631.3 KB · Views: 1,422
  • _DSC0017.JPG
    _DSC0017.JPG
    609.3 KB · Views: 1,422
  • _DSC0014.JPG
    _DSC0014.JPG
    647.3 KB · Views: 1,422
  • _DSC0013.JPG
    _DSC0013.JPG
    388.9 KB · Views: 1,422

Latest posts

Top