Lowe 1648 under the knife

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gotmuddy

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Joined
Nov 21, 2008
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Location
Viola, AR
This boat was my fathers, and I inherited it when he died in 2008. At that time I was big into bass fishing and built the boat into a great bass jon. After a few years I had gotten more into kayak fishing and stopped using the boat as much, and all together after a trip to the Texas coast ended with a hole in the boat.

Fast forward 8 years. I wanted to build a scooter because now I am a huge marsh and river fishing fiend. I wanted to build a scooter, and while researching I had an idea :idea: instead of building something new, why not do some recycling?

Out with the old, heavy decking/floor. I am going with a much leaner setup. Basically going to put a floor in, a 3-4ft front drop deck, and rear deck that will cover the rear bench seat and go to the transom. The battery and gas tank will be moved foward and to the port side to counteract the weight from the pilot seat(using tiller handle outboard.

Currently researching building pocket tunnel, and deciding if I want to build or buy pods. engine is a long shaft yamaha 40hp tiller. The motor is a built duck boat motor, had the works done by hydro tec.

More info to come.
 

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Got a little more work done last week. got the boat in the shop, then took the rear bench seat out and cleaned the hull good. removed 40lb of waterlogged foam.
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Looks like the trailer is in need of major refurbishing or replacing.
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Turned it over and we removed a big portion of the epoxy coating on the bottom. Going to have to attack it with a wire wheel I think. Also found my hole, nothing major. 20191203_192632.jpg
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stopped by the scrap yard and found some material for deck supports. a couple awning arms, and a aluminum ladder.20191209_155227.jpg
 
I havent posted any updates in a while. I have the hull cleaned off of the old epoxy, I also did some welding repairs before the biggest part of the project: Adding a tunnel. After exhaustive research I ended up cutting a 3"x36" tunnel, which I am currently welding.
 

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gotmuddy said:
stopped by the scrap yard and found some material for deck supports. a couple awning arms, and a aluminum ladder.
Ha I'm glad I'm not the only guy using an old ladder in his build. Save those ladder feet and the steel straps that are riveted to the ladder. I know some guys buy those from time to time and they can be a bit pricey.... even if you can find them now

Sent from my SM-T700 using Tapatalk

 
450clown said:
Ha I'm glad I'm not the only guy using an old ladder in his build. Save those ladder feet and the steel straps that are riveted to the ladder. I know some guys buy those from time to time and they can be a bit pricey.... even if you can find them now

Sent from my SM-T700 using Tapatalk

Ladders work great for framing, the strength/weight ratio is amazing.
 
I quit updating this because it went months without any replies, then I forgot about the forum :lol: So here are some update pics:

Here is a picture of the tunnel and bottom of the pods all done and welded up:
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Here is the swanky brand new(NOS) G3 trailer that I bought to replace the dilapidated 40 year old galvanized one.
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Before flipping we put some steelflex teflon on the bottom of the boat, that stuff is insanely slick.
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More updates....

The theme for this boat is to recreate a Texas "scooter" so decking would be straightforward. I really enjoyed building the framing, and I am very glad I invested in a air riveter from HF. The idea with this boat was to reuse and recycle as much as possible, and using the rv awning and ladder is super strong and light.
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deck3.jpg

I picked up a 1992 40hp yammy jet for $300 off the local trading post, so I am going to try it out since I dont need a jack plate to run it. I put the tiller from my prop motor on and took it for a float test:
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Time for all the little stuff that takes the most time lol. I ran the wiring for the engine and the key switch thru my conduit, along with the fuel line. The starting battery will be under the console, it is a lithium ion battery that only weighs 4.2lb, the fuel tank will be up front to help with weight distribution. I am using a leaning post I was given for a mini console. I added a 4 gang switch panel, dual adult beverage holders, and a grab handle to the top. I think I am going to add a small basket for loose stuff also. I had to rewire the wiring harness to work with the key/kill switch but it went smooth. I installed a fuel filter and water separator on the transom that I got on clearance at Academy. Lastly I cut down the original trolling motor mount and re-installed it.
 

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trolling motor.jpgI got a minn kota powerdrive 70lb thrust with I-Pilot. I know its overkill for a 1648 but I dont want to worry with charging batteries on long trips, and I fish rivers with tons of current.
 
eeshaw said:
Better overkill than not enough.

That has always been my philosophy, which really showed in the transom bracing. As I was building it I was afraid it would not be strong enough, then saw a video of the exact same boat with a questionable wood transom and a 90hp :lol:
 
Small update. the trolling motor came in yesterday and it looks like I am going to have to modify my mount, so time to get the spoolgun back out.tm.jpg

Also got a small basket to inset into the console for holding loose stuff. $0.96 for 3 at wal-mart. Then I stripped it down for paint. I decided to paint it with plasti-dip and I am pretty happy with it.
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