beginning of my first aluminum v!!!!

[jfetter20]

okay , so the other day i posted some bad pictures that i had taken with my phone in a hurry before i left for work. i decided that if im going to redo this , i wanted to have alot of before, after , and in progress pictures. i just got these taken today and im amazed at how detailed the pictures came out! wish me luck , cause its probably going to be my late fall or winter project!!!

p.s. , please , anyone , post opinions or ideas on what you think and how i could improve on things! i am truly a beginner at conversions and want to make it the best i can!!!

 

[jfetter20]

couldnt fit them all in one

 

[DaveInGA]

I'm in the process of restoring my 86 Bass Tracker Tournament V17. The one thing I wish I could have done first was to restore the trailer. Looking at your setup, I would do things in this order:

1. Build a motor stand if I didn't have one and remove the motor from the boat.

2. Build some sawhorses, remove my boat from trailer and put on sawhorses.

3. Break down and rebuild my trailer, getting it right first, so that when I wanted to take my boat somewhere for some mod/repair, etc. I would have my trailer ready for action.

4. Finish boat clean up and basic "for sure" mods/repairs/painting/wiring.

5. Do anything related to the motor, then take the boat out and try things out.

6. Do any additional mods.

Just some thoughts to getcha started in the process. Hope this helps.

 

[Ranchero50]

First thing is make a list of what you do and what you do not like about the boat now.

Make a realistic list of what you want this boat to be when you are done (lightweight and simple), (decked out with all the bells). Powered by? What type fishing, What fish?

If you don't know where you want to end up you'll never get there.
Jamie

 

[Brine]

1. Trailer
2. Leak Test

 

[bobberboy]

When you redo the trailer you should think about the position of the bow stop. There was a post here a while back explaining that the bow stop needed to be above the eye on the bow as added protection preventing the boat from coming forward. As yours is configured, an emergency stop or impact from the front or rear would tend to propel the boat forward and over the winch post. If the bow stop is above the eye, it provides another way of locking the boat in place should something happen. In your case it will be harder because the winch strap can't go through the stop post. You may have to move the stop post up and the winch down to get it to work. Everything is bolted on so if you loosen up the bolts and slide things around I'm sure you'll figure it out.

Here is how mine is configured. My winch strap goes between the stop supports and worked out easily. Also note mine has a safety chain in case anything were to happen to the winch strap.

 

[jfetter20]

ok , thanks everybody! that at least gets me off to a good start , alot of things that i would have probably overlooked! i would have never thought twice about the bow eye and the winch , im going to make sure that it gets switched! the other thing that i was trying to decide is switching the size of the tires on the trailer. right now , its got the 8" wheels and tires , but i was wondering about putting 12" on it and redoing the fenders?? should I? ive heard that bigger wheels and tires are actually better on the bearings and hubs because they do not have to spin nearly as fast to keep up. should i just plan on changing out the hubs and bearings for replacement 5 lugs or just wheels and tires?

 

[jfetter20]

here is kind of what i had in mind as a basic plan , i dont want a lot of stuff but i want a decent front deck and a smaller one on the back. of course it will be a v , not a jon.

 

[Ranchero50]

On the tires, visit the spots you plan on fishing to see how the ramps are. Here locally once the summer drought hits I'm running off the end of the ramp to launch the boat, had to weld on a pair of skies to the frame to lift it enough for the tires to roll back over the edge. I ended up lowering the bunks all the way and even flipped the axle to get the boat closer to the ground so I could launch it and load it easier.

For you hull mod, sit in the boat on a bar stool with a rod and play fish for a while. It'll give you some great ideas on what you really want and will help you lay out where stuff sits and will get stowed.

What type of fishing do you plan on doing, what fish?
Jamie

 

[jfetter20]

mostly crappie and blue gill , possibly small mouth. there are quite a few larger lakes in our area with nice boat ramps , but after i got home i realized that i have one thing to my advantage as far as launching. the trailer that the boat is on is actually a tilt back boat trailer , you can see the parts in some of the pictures. needs some work done , pretty rusted and doesnt move very well. im just curious if the change in tire size will benefit / hurt the performance of the trailer on the highway. im trying to make sure that everything is right because there is a good chance it will travel with me across state lines for fishing

 

[Ranchero50]

The diameter should be more an effect of the load (larger tires carry heavier loads). If the car in your avatar is yours ask your DOT buddies.

One really good thing is most Wal-Marts carry the smaller tires mounted on wheels and they are less expensive vs. 14" jobs.

Jamie

 

[C.U. Fishin]

What you got there is a Richline boat, same as mine. I included a link to my project thread so maybe you can get an idea or two. I'm really happy with the way mine turned out, I will probably be changing the front deck a little and adding one of those small casting seats and a post this winter. if I can find a good deal on a used bow-mount troller that will be added as well.

https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=13949&hilit=richline

 

[jfetter20]

ok , yesterday i got the boat off and started on the trailer frame. surprisingly , went very quick and painless. only had two nuts that had to be soaked to get them off. i guess i shouldnt have been surprised to find stuff that was mismatched and did not belong on it! hopefully start stripping ,sanding , and priming this weekend!

 

[jfetter20]

there is definately going to be some changes in the future , but here is a basic idea of what i am after. the one thing that i never thought of was putting down spaced boards in the center to let water drain into the bottom of the boat and give me a flat floor that is spaced out like a deck on your house. has anyone ever used the composite decking on boats before?? its just plastic mixed with a little bit of saw dust for strength but would it but water proof?? its a little pricey for 16ft , at $30 from lowes

 

[DaveInGA]

there is definately going to be some changes in the future , but here is a basic idea of what i am after. the one thing that i never thought of was putting down spaced boards in the center to let water drain into the bottom of the boat and give me a flat floor that is spaced out like a deck on your house. has anyone ever used the composite decking on boats before?? its just plastic mixed with a little bit of saw dust for strength but would it but water proof?? its a little pricey for 16ft , at $30 from lowes

Hadn't used it, but the composite decking definitely has potential. The only negative thing is the thickness. It's almost too thick and may make the boat a bit too heavy. But for use in a small area, this may be a non-issue.

 

[jfetter20]

ok , so ive been trying to work on it little by little on my days off , and ive made it this far. ive got the shell of the boat pretty much stripped down , looking good so far! there are some spots where the previous owner kind of wobbled out the holes from the rivets so im going to have to do some work there , but for the most part its in really good shape. going to work on fiberglassing 1/4 ply and fibre glass sheets for the rear transom and i need to figure out what to do with the drain plug? since the hole sits right between the two transom supports in the back , im not sure what to do with it? im going to work on the trailer in the other part of the garage while im tinkering on the boat becuase i know cleaning up and repairing the boat is going to take a while , so i figured why not go ahead and start. trailer is just going to need bearings , lights , paint , and two new tires. everything else is good.

also had another idea , will post it as soon as i get some pics of it!

 

[jfetter20]

ok , here is what im thinking. i want to try and get some high strength pcv pipe that will fit snuggly ( this is kinda big , but it works for a good illustration ) on the outside rail. what im thinking is to cut length that run from bow to stern and this will not only help to grab onto and grip , but also as a good bumper for when throwing stuff over the sides or when up against a dock. has anyone else done this before , or anything close?

 

[jasper60103]

ok , here is what im thinking. i want to try and get some high strength pcv pipe that will fit snuggly ( this is kinda big , but it works for a good illustration ) on the outside rail. what im thinking is to cut length that run from bow to stern and this will not only help to grab onto and grip , but also as a good bumper for when throwing stuff over the sides or when up against a dock. has anyone else done this before , or anything close?

I recall another member did something similar with PEX. It's main purpose was conduit for wiring though.

 

[Brine]

I used the copper pipe insulation on my little V. Primarily for reducing noise. Will last several years.

 

[jfetter20]

had a neat idea today , saw my engine stand in the back of the garage and decided to get some use out of it! kind of out of the ordinary but it keeps me from having to lift it everytime i want to move it!

also decided to post a pic of my progress on the hull