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BoatDawg4120

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 23, 2012
Messages
103
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Location
Clermont, FL
Hi All!! I am fairly new as a member but have been on this site hundreds of times over the last few months checking out everyones builds. I have been trying to get my boat for about 6 months now and every time i have the money something comes up that prevents me from getting it. But this Thursday is looking to be the day that i finally get to get it. The only reason it hasnt been sold to someone else yet is because it is a friend of mine and his dad wasnt going to sell it but I helped his son rebuild his 15' Mastercraft Glass boat stringers, transom, floor and all and he decided to hold it for me with a trailer until I could come up with $100. It is a 12' Semi V, 3 bench. I am not sure of the make at this time but will get more info when i finally get it picked up this week. The trailer is a magictilt and needs to be rebuilt and cut down to fit. It originally was for a sailboat and someone told us to get it picked up or they would scrap it and my friend told me if i helped him tow it back to the house 33 miles he would give it to me with the boat. I plan on trimming it down and putting PVC bunks on it. The boat i plan on decking completely with low deck between the front and rear bench, removing the middle bench and high decking the area in front of the front bench and from the rear bench back. Any input and suggestions would be nice. I would like to maximize the storage capabilities as much as possible in the decking. This will be pushed with a 45# minnkota. As soon as i get pics of the boat and trailer i will add them.
 
Welcome to the forum! I'm a fairly new member also but I've been hanging around here for a few weeks. his is the forum to visit if you plan a boat restoration or if you just enjoy reading about all the conversions done by others here. Everyone is always eager to help and when I get ready to do some work on my Alumacraft 150 Fisherman I'll be here daily with questions.
 
sorry it took so long. Finally got a picture of the boat on the trailer. Havent been able to get anything done yet but will be working on it all weekend. Been working on two vintage OMC motors to get one running for the boat. I have a 25hp 1955 Johnson SeaHorse and a 7.5hp 1955 Evinrude Fleetwin Aquasonic. The 7.5 needs less work and all the parts came in in the past 2 days so ill be running that one until i can find something a little bigger. Dont think it would be a good idea to run the 25 on that small of a boat. Any ideas would be appreciated. Can anyone tell by looking at the boat what make it might be or anything?
 
Here is one let's see if it uploaded. the water leaking at the nose is from a crack where someone let it drop taking it out of the back of a truck. ive got that repaired and sealed already.
 

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Some pictures of the boat up on the trailer with my self made bunks and brackets. I built it so that the bottom of the boat is 8" off the top of the trailer frame because the trailer is long so I can back it in further but also so that there is less of a risk of the v bow hitting the trailer frame and cracking the bow that I have already repaired. But I have the option to lower it 2" at a time by moving the top hole of the bracket to the bottom hole of the frame. Most of the time I will be launching from maintained public ramps so I will have no problem getting it backed in deep enough.
 

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Water tested the boat for the first time last Tuesday. A minor leak at the drain plug plate on the bottom of the boat. No big deal. After an hour on the water it only had about 2 cups of water in the back. That was also the first real test for My grandpas little 1955 Evinrude 7.5hp Fleetwin Aquasonic that I have been bringing back to life. It did ok but only got 2.79 mph out of it and it wouldnt plane off the boat. Got it back to the house and did some investigating and found the exhaust bypass plate gaskets were bad and that my buddy had gapped the points at the wrong spot on the cam. Partially my fault on the point gaps. Re-gapped them and made new gaskets for the exhaust plate. Decarbed the pistons and cylinders and sealed it all back up. Took it out again this past sunday and got it to 8mph with an extra person in the boat this time and managed to get it to plane off when i had him move to the bow of the boat. Looks like a full wood deck up front is gonna be the only way i can get enough weight on the bow to plane it off when im alone.
 
A couple pics of the old Rude. I'll get a couple more with it mounted on the boat when I get off work.
 

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I was going to be doing a small 4ft deck at the front and a small deck at the rear and remove the middle bench. But after having it on the water 3 times now I have decided to deck the first 5ft up front with a slot under neath to place my fuel tank. i have my grandfathers 1955 Rude Fleetwin 7.5 up and running like brand new again and the first time it went out was on a friends 10ft flat bottom jon boat and it wouldnt run on both cylinders until it got completely warm and then wouldnt go faster than 3mph. Got it back to the house and tinkered with it and put it on my boat for its first time in the water and in my 12ft semi V it wouldnt go over 2.89mph. The second time out on my boat with it i had someone with me and they leaned against the bow and it started to plane off and reached 8mph but still just wasnt what it should have been. I took it out yesterday after replacing coil packs and condensors and regapping the plugs and by myself i got it to 7 if i leaned forward on the back bench. so i decided to try something else. i got it to WOT and sat on the middle bench and leaned forward and used my foot to hold the tiller (not a great idea i know) but the boat planed off completely and reached 12mph which is what the motor is rated for brand new. That being said i now know i need a good amount of weight in the front to help pull the stern up to plane off. i work at a shop for a trucking company so i had one of the trailer body shop guys cut and fab up 2 4x6in plates and im gonna install them as trim tabs on the back of the boat with a stick of all thread on each that i can use to adjust each side to help it get up on a plane.
 
Not sure about the older motors but take a look where the motor pivots up and down if there is a pin with several holes not sure what its really called but it is a manual trim, try moving it to adjust the tilt of the motor. If it has this it will help it plain better when you find the sweet spot.
 
I have it set at its lowest point. if i go up any it gets worse and worse for each slot. Theres 4 slots. The top slot is broken so i can only trim the motor to the 3 lower positions.
 
Welcome dawg, dang man that boat is really high off the trailer! Great little boat ya go started with though, good luck on your mods.
 
yea i wasnt intending to make it that high up but after having launched it about 5 or 6 times now at 2 different ramps it actually benefits me a lot having it higher up. I only have to get the first ft of bunks in the water and the boat will float and then rolls right off. I thought it was going to be a problem but now that I have launched it it works well for me. i still may lower them in the near future about 2 inches or so because once i add the decking to the boat it will take more water to float it but with my trailer being so long i still dont have to get the truck tires wet to get it backed in far enough.
 
I originally was gonna wait a couple weeks but I took the boat Monday and the rear bench had a piece of 1x12 cedar as a seat and when I sat down out on the lake it broke so the deck framing has begun. So far I have the main rear deck support in place and just need to frame out the outer edges and hatch frame. The front deck I have framed out the step up side towards the back and the home that will act as my hatch frame to drop the fuel tank into. I won't be removing the middle bench til I get the front deck secured to the bottom and sides of the hull so I don't lose the shape of the hull. Everything is cut and fitted according to the shape with the bench still in so I want to make sure the form stays true.
 

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I can only upload photos so i didnt type out what my plans are. So far from the tip of the bow i have gone back 5ft and started the front deckfrom that point forward. It will have a pedestal seat base towards the back side of the deck and a large compartment door in the front to drop the fuel tank into. Originally I was going to do a side compartment on the left side of the boat for Rods but i am going to do this on the right side and a livewell on the left towards the front deck. I know weight is usually a concern when doing this but as of right now with my 7.5hp on the boat a passenger has to literally sit on the very tip of the bow inorder to plane off. so I am hoping adding the weight to the front will allow it to plane yet the passenger can stay more towards the middle of the boat. I will still have weight towards the rear of the boat because I am adding a small deck back there. This deck will be a very minimal use deck. It will be structurally sound enough to stand and fish from but using the least amount of heavy material as i can. I also have room in the front deck to build a livewell in the bow. I am seriously considering building the livewell in the front because when im by myself it woud really help get that weight up front that i need. Also if theres too much weight in the front when i have a passenger i can very easily remove the fuel tank and move it to the rear of the boat to balance it back out. Im limited because it is only a 12 footer but I think I can make it work very well for me. Any suggestions.
 
It's fun watching your progress. As you know, weight is a performance killer, especially in a smaller boat, so be very prudent with what you add. The 7.5 will move you along ok, but likely not plane much more.
 
Actually the planing issue I am having is directly related to not having enough weight in the front of the boat. with myself and a passenger it will do 12mph but the passenger has to quite literally sit on the plate on the top rail on the bow and almost lean forward past the edge of the front of the boat to get it to plane. Thats with the fuel tank and gear in the bow also. That is why I am leaning more towards a heavier bow deck . by myself i have to sit on the middle bench and lean forward with a tiller extension (piece of PVC pipe) to get it planed and it will do 14mph. So my problem is clearly not enough weight on the bow. I have changed tilt angles on the motor to no avail.
 
Progress has slowed down a bit recently due to a cold spell that has moved thru FL. Hope to get back on it this week if the weather will cooperate. No we dont get snow in FL but cold stiff fingers and a 30mph wind make it difficult to accurately frame out something. Still have a few placement ideas up in the air on location of the livewell i am putting in. Yes i need a lot of weight in the bow but i dont want to overdue it. I will have to test things out a little at a time as progress is made and see what my best setup is going to be. Will post again as things come along.
 

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