97 SeaArk 1872 Build

[smackdaddy53]

That is a good looking rig man! What's the draft with that motor?

 

[erictetterton]

Thanks. I'm really not sure. I haven't had it in the water yet. I expect it to be pretty shallow. I still have a lot of work left. Once the motor rigging is done, I will feel a lot better about this project. I got the motor off a bass boat that had flush mount controls and I hope I can salvage the control box to use on my center console. I don't know which control box to buy if the flush mount won't work?

 

[smackdaddy53]

You can probably find one on Amazon or Ebay

 

[erictetterton]

Yea I have seen a bunch on there but I can't seem to find which years and hp ranges will work for my 1995 Johnson 130?

 

[Pembroke36]

Nice find for a 1000 bucks.

 

[smackdaddy53]

Yea I have seen a bunch on there but I can't seem to find which years and hp ranges will work for my 1995 Johnson 130?

The thing that really makes the controls work with your motor are the throttle/shift cable connections and the wiring harness that plugs into your motor.

 

[Edintampa]

The boat is looking good! What did you paint it with ?

 

[erictetterton]

Thanks. I still have some touching up to do and put the sea ark decals on. I sprayed it with rustoleum oil based enamel using a HVLP gun

 

[erictetterton]

Put the deck hatch in to store my 24v system



Put interior courtesy lights in as well. Got all my wiring done, next up is to put in the floor



Also installed my fuel system. 2 12 gallon tanks with a fuel water separator

 

[Edintampa]

Eric I have a couple of questions. Nice looking boat you have.
I have thought about running two tanks and I saw that you use a T to join them together. The motor will pull evenly from both tanks at the same time?

I have a 25 hp Yamaha 4 stroke.

Thanks,

Ed

 

[erictetterton]

Thanks Ed. Yes that is the plan.. If not I have quick disconnects on each tank so I can isolate them if needed

 

[erictetterton]

Finally found some time to work on the boat between working at the hospital and bow season. Here's some pics of the progress. Finally got the floor in, HDI 7 on the console, and steering cables run. A few small things left and it's time to splash her.

 

[SaltyGhost]

I'm no fuel tank expert but I'm thinking you may need a fuel tank switch. Invariably, one tank will be easier to suck from than the other and will drain quicker. Of course, it won't matter if you keep plenty of gas in them.

 

[KRS62]

I too am curious to see if that fuel line set up works. That said, I can think of a reason why it wouldn't....but enough suction to get it primed could be an issue. You might need primer bulbs prior to the T. Keep us posted.

I am actually in the middle of converting two 6 gallon tanks to a single 14 gallon aluminum tank. I LOVED being able to run off of one tank until empty, then switch over to a full one. (This was an easy way to know how much fuel I had left.) So, I would recommend a switch (especially if your set up doesn't work.) That said, the switch does add complexity to the system. The previous owner of my boat had primer bulbs for each line prior to switch and it seemed as if it was needed for my setup.

I started having fuel delivery issues and I could never really trace it down to 100% certainty to what the problem was. I switched lines, tanks, switch positions, new fuel line, etc. Ultimately, I think it was one of my ancient fuel tanks. So, decided to pull it all out and install a new tank. Will wire up fuel gauge in dash, etc.

Your project looks great man! Good job. I am dying to move up from a 16ft to something larger.

KRS

 

[erictetterton]

Thanks for the suggestions. The tanks can be isolated by disconnecting the female end that connects to each tank. I will update y'all when I test it

 

[erictetterton]

I secured the console down, mounted the speakers for the radio, and installed rod holders.

 

[erictetterton]

For seating arrangements I am thinking about 2 seats in the back bench for passengers and using that cooler for the driver's seat. I am going to get some clear vinyl from walmart and a foam seat cushion and make a seat cushion to fit the top of the cooler lid. That'll be a nice, removable seat that won't be in the way all the time

 

[erictetterton]

 

[erictetterton]

 

[erictetterton]

She's finished. Runs 44mph and burns the hell outta some gas. About half throttle it runs 25mph. I will get some better pics of the inside now that I've cleaned it up and put the anti-skid floor in. I'm very pleased with the way it turned out. She's a beast and takes corners with authority. This is the best Jon boat made IMO. I've had just about every size and brand out there. There's no comparison when it comes to SeaArk