1st boat overhaul - 18ft and lots of questions

[mwajeep]

Let me start off saying I love the site and have looked through numerous posts and pictures on what everyone has done and i'm impressed. So this is my first alluminum boat overhaul and I have tons of questions that I hope some of you experianced guys can help me with. I basically inherited a project boat from my brother in law whom served in the army in iraq but sadly did not make it back to finish his project. Before he left, he gutted his boat and was never able to start rebuilding it. Instead of selling it off, my dad and I are going to fix it up like he had planned.
So here it goes... I have an 18 1/2 x 7 Sea Ark alluminum boat that needs a lot of work. It has a 2002 Mercury 75 hp four stroke on the back and a trolling motor in the front. It has trim tabs, jack plate, bildge pump and a poling platform. Everything has been gutted as hopefully you can see in the pictures I'm going to try and attach. The metal cross beams have cracks and need to be welded back together. Here is the issue: this used to be a side console boat at the back of the boat. The weight of the four stroke engine, gas, batteries, driver and passenger made the rear of the boat sit very very low in the water. So my brother in law had already purchased the center console and a seat/metal storage bin that was mounted in front of the console. Our plan is to convert this from a side console to a center console and would like to move the center console up a bit so we distribute the weight more evenly from front to back as well as side to side. So here are a few(a lot) of questions:

1. Does the center console need to be welded in place and then install the wood decking? or do you install the console with ss screws/bolds to metal supports? Does the Seat mounting bracket screw to the decking or is that welded to the support beams and decking built around it?
2. Running wiring to center console; there is cut out on the side of the console for wires, so do the wires run under the decking straight to the back of the boat or to the wires run along the side of the boat from the motor and come into the console from the side? (hope that makes sense)
If they run straight from the motor, under the seat, then to the console, there doesn't appear to be enough space once decking is layed for the wires to fit. with that being said, Do I need to custom make a shield to protect the wires coming from the back of the boat to the enter console or is there a trick or something I'm not thinking about?
4. When installing the decking/marine plywood, the area in front of the console as a slight V curve to it so do you make the deck flat by installing a piece of wood or metal under the center or other options?
5. Is there a good website that has wiring diagrams for boats/boat motors, trolling motors, etc.
6. I took two different pictures with the console in two different locations; one is having the center console installed so the drivers seat is just in front of the rear compartment. The next one is with the center console moved up so there is enough space between the driver seat and the rear compartment to probably fit a cooler and to walk behind. What is your opinion pros/cons to the different locations? Is there any safety issues that I need to think of by moving the console up too far?
7. Are there any suggestions/reccommendations/heads up/etc.. that I should be thinking about before really getting started?

As you can see, I'm a novice at this but I'm as handy as they come. I'm excited to take on the project but always like to have a plan in place before getting started and hopefully avoid others mistakes and lessons learned the hard way by asking ya'll. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks
Mike

 

[fender66]

Hey...WELCOME mwajeep! Happy to have you with us. My condolences to you and your family for the loss of your brother in law. My eternal thanks and appreciation to him for his sacrifice for my freedom.

Now the boat stuff...you have a lot of questions....let me try to answer a few.

1. Center console does not need to be welded in place, but it needs to be sturdy. My last mod was welded on the side and I riveted it to the aluminum floor under it. It was plenty sturdy. If you are using wood to deck...I personally would put the console on top of the decking to make it an easier install with less cuts. It's really up to you though.
2. Running wire to the console or anywhere in the boat: Location of wiring is totally up to you. I used a pvc pipe that ran under the opening of my side braces. The pipe fit in the space where the side rib was protruding out, but under the side ribs. I used that as a conduit to run all my wires from front to back. If you need the wire to stop somewhere mid boat....I cut out a section on the bottom of the pvc pipe to let the wire leads out in that location.
3. When installing the decking on the bottom V....yes, I would brace it underneath so the wood lays flat. Going to be much easier to walk on when flat. Be careful with the wood you choose to use. Don't use treated lumber as it chemically reacts with aluminum. Marine grade lumber also is way too expensive and heavy IMHO. Use standard grade wood and seal it with a good sealer. I can't remember the name of what most guys recommend, but use the search engine here and you can come up with it easily.
4. Wiring the boat/motor/troller......again, use the search engine. Many guys have posted diagrams that are very easy to follow.
5. Location of console is totally up to you. I personally like the idea of having a little more space behind you for a fishing deck...but, you need to see how it floats with the weight of you that much more forward in the boat. Weight placement can play a very important role in performance.

Good luck Mike...and again...welcome to Tinboats. Make sure you take pictures and share your build with us. We love these things!

 

[BYOB Fishing]

Might think about bolting an aluminum brace between the two cracked sections of each rib, on both sides. That's a high stress area and welds may crack again if not done properly. Also, the bolted brace will help spread out some of the stress. You'll need two aluminum strips at least 1/8" thick, one for each side of the rib, four stainless bolts (two for each side of the crack), ss washers, and ss nylon lock nuts. I've got two cracked ribs on my bass tracker and that's what I did.

Matt

 

[reedjj]

If you are trying to move the weight foreward I would go with the center console set up similar to the G3 pic. Or you could go the standard route of just sitting on the rear bench area like the tracker pic. Both are popular set ups, you will have to see how she floats and play with the balance to get what you want.

 

[reedjj]

I would have the cracked ribs re-welded. It wouldn't take much, and it would be done right.