89' GameFisher 14' V MOD "Kinda Finished"

[Driftingrz]

before i moved the battery to under front deck it wouldnt plane out for anything with 2 people.. too much weight in rear.. i moved it under deck and it moves pretty good.. doesnt plane out as fast or well as it did before deck with a few people.. but it was maxed out at 16mph with me my mom and my nephew a yesterday on the river.. still faster than my dads 12ft flatbottom with a 2001 8hp Mercury with just him :LOL2: so i was happy... but i setup with removeable passenger seat cause i do alot of fishing Alone.. and it still does 19-20 on a good day with just me.. the battery relocation made a world of difference.. specially when theres a lot of gas in the tank.

i need to do another video walkaround and showing it running now that its basically finished

 

[Johny25]

I was just curious because I did a flooring and carpet mod to my 2001 14' Lowe deep V-hull that looks similar to yours. I had a 87' 9.9 johny that was in mint condition (been in the family since day one and had very little hours on it) and after my mod I could not get the boat to plane at all no matter what. I turned it into a 15hp by putting a 15hp carb and exhaust tube on it which then planed my boat at about 16-17 with all my gear and my 5yr old. Still would not plane with the wife and 3yr old with us though, 7-9mph. But this year winter I bought an 88' 25hp johny and tweaked it with a carb and intake mod to put out 30hp or so and now I can run 30mph plus with just my son and I and can run 27-28mph with the whole family in it (1,100lbs total)

Still got my 9.9-15hp and it is a great little motor.....

 

[Driftingrz]

ive comtemplated modding this jonhson just for some extra power but for hte price didnt figure itd be worth the trouble.. i think i got lucky with this motor being as mint as it is and the boat they just made a great combo.. my boat is a pretty shallow vhull.. and i think thats what made the difference in speed and planing ability.. cause my buddy has a 14' thats quite a deep hull and he cant even get near planing or over like 13-15mph with his 9.8.. id love to drop a 20+hp motor on this boat and get it scootin

 

[Johny25]

I believe I spent $115-$130 total to mod my 9.9 into a 15hp. Of course I did all the work myself so that kept the cost down. At the time it was well worth it to me to get the boat on plane versus $500-$1000 for another motor. The difference in the motor was very noticeable. Went from not planing at all to doing roughly 17mph. But if I were you, and you wanted more speed I would hold out and get at least a 20hp from 1985 or newer. If pre 1985 then go at least a 25hp minimum.

Anyway I don't want to get your post off topic...... I really like the setup you designed and it has even got me thinking a little about re moding mine maybe? Did you reinforce after removing the middle bench?

 

[kfa4303]

I like the vintage OMC 18-20 hp myself. I run a '66 20 hp Jonson on my 14' semi-V tinny, which has a very similar set up to yours, and I'm able to get about 20 mph out of her and she get on plane in under 10 secs. Not bad for a 50+ year old motor that weighs less than 90 lbs and can be rebuilt with a flathead screwdriver and two wrenches Best of all, there are still lots of them around and you can still get parts with ease, most of which are $25, or less. Plus old motors are just cooler I passed a guy on the river yesterday running a '65 e-rude 10 hp and we gave each other the big thumbs up for running our cool, old vintage iron. Sure, there are lots of fancy black, plastic, Darth Vader motors out there, but who cares. They all look alike, weigh a ton and cost a million dollars to fix. Nah, I'll keep my little $100 screamer that starts with on pull and leaves the big boys at the dock. Less is more. Old school rules!

 

[Johny25]

I agree especially the 50's models That was the golden age of styling IMO and they were easy to work on. The only down side to these motors pre 85-86 is they did not put out the HP at the prop that the stickers or tags stated. That is why I suggested higher HP for pre 85. I have seen a lot of people buy these pre 85 OMC's and Mercs not understanding that they were really not getting 20hp or whatever the motor's sticker said. Your 66' 20hp is probably putting out 17hp at the prop on a good day (cool weather) and in top running condition (good compression etc.). I have no issues with these older motors, I just go one HP size bigger if I look pre 85 is all.

 

[Driftingrz]

ill probably end up leaving the jonhson on this boat as is and mount my trolling motor up front so itll be a descent setup for bass fishing.. im planning on another boat hopefully before next spring Bigger tin with a Big motor.. bare bones no mods to it other than maybe coating the slippery aluminum.. just want it fast and simple for a boat i dont have to worry bout keeping clean so i can slime it all up with catfish and bait without worrying about it.

and no i didnt do any reinforcing after removing the bench. it was pretty sturdy after removing it.. i also kept the tolerance so tight on the big low deck that after adding carpet to all surfaces its wedged in there TIGHT.. makes the whole boat feel solid.. whether or not it makes a difference who knows.. im not worried about it

 

[Johny25]

I removed half of my center bench seat and framed the floor in with support uprights that were bolted into the floor framework and made into a nice rod holder on the side. I didn't notice much or any flex in the boat when I had the smaller motor on it but when I got the 30hp on it and I was doing 28-30mph in 1-2 foot chop I was really glad I reinforced. The stress on the boat from the speed I was hitting the waves at was at least doubled from what I could tell. I don't like posting pics in someone's boat mod thread so I will remove the pic after you see what I am talking about. Just something to think about if you go with a bigger motor which will cause more stress on the boat.

 

[Driftingrz]

looks good. no reason to delete it i dont mind. i was gonna do some rod holders like that but since i use 7-8ft rods it just wasnt gonna happen haha. might just have to do a vertical rod rack in back for when im cruising.. and i understand what you mean but im most likely gonna just leave the johnson on here as it runs flawless.. and put a big motor on my next tin. i dont even bother with choppy water.. if i had a deep V or a bigger boat i may but not gonna risk it in this thing unless i put a bilge pump in

 

[Johny25]

Actually the top 4 slots on my rod holder are higher than the front bench seat so they go right over top and I can get 7' and even 8' rods in those slots without any issues : ) The bottom 2 slots require breaking down the poles or putting my kids poles in those slots.

 

[TMO8413]

Driftingrz,
Looks great - I am looking to do something similar with my 14ft. I want to remove the middle bench (had three bench seats) and do something simple just like you. I am curious to know: How did you measure the braces for the plywood in your boat? Obviously, you can't just pop a piece of plywood down and hope it says in...

I am limited in my carpentry knowledge but am eager to learn...How many supports did you use? Did you secure the plywood to the braces with nails, screws, etc.?

Looks good and thanks!

 

[Driftingrz]

easiest way to answer that question is MATH haha. as bad as i was in school i was always good with math.. but being an architechure drafting and design student for a few years helps aswell...

its really not too complicated.. i had to decide how high i wanted the deck to sit off the real floor of boat.. and i chose the ridge that runs horizontal. and just took measurements for each support cause the boats sides arent parallel. it gets wider as it goes forward than narrows back again. take lots of measurements and if your not sure start BIG.. and trim each individual support to fit where you want it. i used 45*angles on the end of my supports so it sits flush on sides of boat.. once i got all the supports in place and fit like i want i did measurements from each side for the Plywood. once it was a good fit i just dropped it in place on top of supports (at this point supports were just resting in place) once everything was where i want it i screwed the ply to all the supports so the whole thing is removeable (hence the pull tabs)

sorry im not good at describing.

this is the only supports for the rear deck.. all made from 2x3. as you can see there not all trimmed to fit in this picture.. when i was done they were all sitting like the one on the bottom of picture.. 5 supports in all.. the ridge in the side of the boat keeps everything from wobbling as the ply sits on it on both sides.. i made it with tolerances as tight as i could then wrapped front and rear bench in carpet along with the deck itself it is VERY snug

 

[Driftingrz]

i feel like its time I ressurect this thread and project.. its been a long winter of poor weather and low water levels in the river so the boat ramp has been closed.

been working on my dads tinboat the past few days getting his ready to sell. and not its time to get mine ready for the water.

this is how she sits currently after last years mods. nothing has changed except its a little dirtier.. speaking of anybody have any tips on cleaning the motor up. the rubber seal around the shroud in particular is stained a darker color and id really like to get it white again..


alright onto the mods. i dont have many mods left in mind.. nothing expensive atleast. gotta finish shortening my bow mount trolling motor shaft and installing a bilge pump i robbed from my bass boat.

I was considering adding a door to the rear bench between my seat and the DSI, so i could have room in the bench for a small cooler for drinks/bait etc. how should i add a hinged lid to the seat that actually looks Good and flows with the rest of the seat. I dont want it to look really out of place.. so if anybody has any ideas, insight, pictures.. Anything post them up.

 

[Ringo Steele]

You might try a Mr. Clean Magic eraser. Those things clean a surprising number of things well. Try a little soapy water with it.

 

[Driftingrz]

Got my bilge mounted that i pulled from another boat. Need new hoses and a thru hull fitting

Also have a small order from iboats on the way. Seasense switch panel and some flush mount hatch pulls. Gonna get to work on atleast 2 more storage compartments and somewhere to put the switches

Any recommendations on some rattlecan paints for the exterior to pretty it up. Strong enough to withstand some riversand beachings every once in a while? Cant spend much cause my trailer is gonna need xome work aswell it is hideous

Pics to come later

 

[TheMaestro]

For the seal/gasket aroundthe cowling, i used a white liquid leather shoe polish with a foam applicator. You can see it on page 6 of my build here:

https://www.tinboats.net/forum/download/file.php?id=40455&mode=view/IMG_00000211.jpg

 

[Driftingrz]

For the seal/gasket aroundthe cowling, i used a white liquid leather shoe polish with a foam applicator. You can see it on page 6 of my build here:

https://www.tinboats.net/forum/download/file.php?id=40455&mode=view/IMG_00000211.jpg

Thanks, I ended up scrubbing it hard today with dishsoap aswell as the seats cleaned up good. Just need something a little more abrasive

 

[Driftingrz]

Pulled off the front deck today thanks to the awesome weather. And began pulling staples and peeling back the carpet, luckily the glue wasnt like concrete.

Took my measurements and made a temp frame so i could use one of my favorite tools the ROUTER. Now i just need to get more glue and staples. And finish this piece. Gonna shorten this frame amd use it again on my rear bench
I suppose ill have to seal those fresh cut edges aswell

 

[Driftingrz]

Cut out my next storage compartment today.. that foam was a mess. Gonna get new foam for the big deck amd somw under front deck

 

[Driftingrz]

Restretched/glued my carpet back today.
Made a floor out of some scrap 1/4 ply for the new storage compartment.
Started rerunning my wiring since i got my seasense panel in the mail today. Still gotta figure out where and how to mount it.
Also mounted one of the flushmount handles. I like the contrast with the grey

Cant wait to get back on the water