14' Alumacraft transformation - Alumashark

[CGP]

Hi all,

Been a HUGE fan of this forum for a while and finally got up the gumption to start my own project.

A little bit of history:

bought this Alumacraft 14' (T14-S) 2 seasons ago with a '76 Mercury 200 (20HP) and beat up old trailer with a rusted out coupler that i replaced as soon as possible. Since then, the motor broke down and I purchased a new (to me) 15HP Mercury 4 stroke beauty that I am in love with. =D>
This year I was delighted to further improve my setup with a brand new Northtrail trailer, probably the best investment next to the motor as the old trailer had broken down twice on me last season.

So, that is my story until now...I upgraded two of the three components to my package by purchasing them so now its time to be a bit creative. With the help of all the uploaded projects, and your comments I hope to modify my current shallow hull alumacraft to an efficient fishing machine!

More to come!!!

CGP

 

[NextTopBassFisherman]

Cant wait to see this build! Also do you have that old 20hp?

 

[CGP]

Thanks a lot NTBF :LOL2:

The old Merc was sold to a friend of a friend! there were issues with wiring and such - it would start fine and run but if you were running throttle at full tilt the power would cut out to about half then ramp back up and continually do this...not really a great small engine mechanic so i couldnt tell you what the issue was.

You have however sparked my interest to find out what happened with it, Ill ask and find out.

Cheers,

 

[CGP]

Did some work this past weekend. Not much but it is a start.

The following pictures show the sanding, cleaning and painting process (in a nutshell)

- The boat was sanded (scuffed so the paint would adhere)
- washed with a TSP and water solution
- Primed with a galvanized metal primer (not really needed but it was suggested for aluminum)

Again, I am sure there are way better ways to paint it properly but the paint is not a huge part of my plan here. It will look way better than when it started and that is what i really care about. I plan on painting it a deep gray with shark features on the bow (kind of a Jaws nut)

 

[northernwy]

That looks like a great boat. I just bought a 1988 14' Crestliner nordic last week. On Sunday I bought a 15 hp Nissan brand new. It looks a little funny on my beat up old boat but I'm excited for it. I'm curious how fast the motor pushes your boat. Is 20 mph possible? This is my first boat so I have no idea what to expect from this motor. I'll start a thread with pictures this week. Yours looks awesome thanks for sharing.

 

[jimmy fins]

On my 14 ft. alumacraft my 15 hp merc. will do 24 mph according to the gps. It seems to be the perfect fit.

 

[CGP]

Hello all,

I have been really bad at keeping up with this post. The boat is now complete. In between i have managed to go out on several trips for walleye, bass, musky, steelhead, and even lake trout in my mini fishing boat. My wife and I also celebrated bringing our first child into the world.

please see all pictures attached of my labour of love and feel free to ask me any questions.

Keep your stick on the ice...go hard to the net.