1963 "Homemade?" 14' V-Bottom Conversion

[Shandogg]

Got myself a 14' v-bottom with a trailer off of Craigslist and started my first conversion.

Here's the boat as it was sold to me

Junky Trailer

 

[Shandogg]

Trailer stripped, primed, repainted, and New Bunks. Got the whole thing rewired and ready to go.

And the boat again. Nothing done but the Transom ripped off and junked.

 

[smackdaddy53]

Looks like my buddy's Lonestar. He put a 25 on it and it screams! Looking forward to seeing the progress.

 

[Shandogg]

Got a pretty good buy on an 83' Suzuki 9.9 again off of craigslist. Bought all the couplings for the gas tank and sat around perplexed for quite some time. Turns out I had an 87' gas tank and once again had to buy all new fittings, but it's working like a champ now. Also got a 40# thrust bow mount trolling motor off my dads buddy who said it was a lost cause. Did some trouble-shooting and bought a new foot control off E-bay and had a perfectly good troller for minimal Cost. If you look close at the pic you'll see I put a new Oak transom in. I plyed together 3 pieces of 1/4" oak and then put on 3 coats of fiberglass resin over the top. I think it should hold up nicely. Also Rhino-lined the interior and started a deck.

Well.... I guess I missed a step or 2. Sorry about that, I have all sorts of cross Framing and it's level. Also ran 2 conduits as the battery is going in the Bow. When I take it back apart to put a ton of foam underneath I'll post a pic of how I framed it out.

 

[Shandogg]

Heres that step I missed. Got this jam-packed with foam underneath now too

 

[MmmFishing]

What type of foam is best for this? Need to add foam to mine as well...

 

[Shandogg]

Got rod locker and storage framed out

What type of foam is best for this? Need to add foam to mine as well...

I used rigid insulation and just cut it to fill the gaps. I suggest asking someone else though because all I know is that it floats, but there probably is something I don't know about that will make the rigid spontaneously combust sending me to the bottom in a fireball. We'll see I guess.

Here's a Link from Jim courtesy of Brine that explains how much foam you will need. Hopefully it helps you a little

https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=25283

 

[saw8216]

Good progress, I like the rod lockers good use of space. I got the same boat 2 foot shooter though. Got it done this summer, great little boats. By the way its a Richline there is a couple on this site that turned out real good. Have fun.

 

[Shandogg]

Thanks on the info on the Brand Saw. It definitely is a Richline.

I finally did some more work and got the rod locker done. I found out that if you decide to frame out, carpet, and finish the openings in the basement rather than on your boat, you have a good chance of screwing it all up. I do plan on buying some Perko flush pulls for the latches as I would probably get made fun of for keeping a Flathead Screwdriver around to open up the bins.

 

[tnguy]

That boat is looking good. =D>

 

[RStewart]

Nice boat. That looks like a Richline. Looks just like mine. I look forward to seeing the progress. I've been thinking about adding rod boxes down the sides of mine like you did. Same trolling motor I have also.

 

[fsupeej22]

Post deleted.

 

[Shandogg]

Ok, I finally got the other sides storage done. Here's a couple pics, I need to clean up the boat and add a few pulls to make it so I can open the last 2 openings.

Now I gotta get to work on a custom livewell and wiring everything out. I'm gonna compartmentalize the left side too.

 

[fsupeej22]

Looking great! I love the side storage you've added.

 

[Shandogg]

Thanks, I finally got the last pulls put into the rod locker. I'm needing replacement corner brackets, I destroyed mine in an Ill fated attempt to place rod holders through them (In Hindsight, I should have noticed the downward angle would tilt them so my rod tips would cross).
Has anyone ever used a Lowrance Elite-4x DSI Fishfinder? This one seems like a good deal from Gander Mountain and I was thinking about picking it up.

 

[Shandogg]

Alright! Finally got it painted. Quite the chore when you have loaded it up with what feels like 900 lbs of 3/4" ply. Next one, I paint first then do the interior.

 

[pitts101]

I am doing it the same way as you, rebuilt interior, now on to paint. I saw my mistake halfway through but its kind of hard to paint when its -5 degrees out! haha

 

[Shandogg]

I got some Vinyl put on the boat from doityourselflettering.com