First post, first boat, first mod. Start to finish....

[Decatur]

WOW! :shock: Night and day difference! Great job! =D>

 

[Coy]

Awesome work...similar set up to what I would like to do with mine.

1. How was the stability with those decks and pedestal seats?
The stability is surprisingly nice. This was my primary concern when I was modding this. Now, is it as stale as a big fiberglass bass boat? No. But you would really have to work hard to tip it. I fished last summer standing on the back deck while someone was fishing in the seat on the front. The front is where you have to be more cautious. I always let the know when I am going to be doing some moving around.
2. Where did you get your carpet from?
I got my carpet from Lowes. I actually lucked out and got it on sale. Someone had already cut it and for whatever reason it didnt sale. I think I got it all for like $20. Way under what it normally sales for.
3.How did that motor work pushing the boat with all the weight of those decks?
My motor is only 5hp. Since all my bracing is from aluminum angle, only the deck surface and floors are wood. I would recommend going with angle as much as you can. Do not buy it from Lowes though. WAY too expensive. I bought all of mine at a local scrap metal yard for a fraction of the cost.

Good luck modding your boat. my recomendations

1.) Read as much as you can on here. I learned everythin from this site.
2.) Take your time, rushing it will screw it up!
3.) Pinch pennies where you can. I have $700-800 in everything! I paid $300 for boat/trailer/motor. This is not alot of money for something you will use so much.
4.) You may have to wing it sometimes!!

 

[atuck593]

Thanks for the advice and feedback...You're right this site is amazing for information and it is always sweeter when you can score a good deal. All that carpet for like $20 bucks. I am glad to hear that it's fairly stable because it looks like I already have the same pedestals that you have for the front and rear deck. (13" pedestals?)

Anyways I would like to use aluminum now as to save on weight but I am a bit intimidated to work with it. How did you fasten the peices together? It looks like you welded it? Would I just be able to drill and use small bolts to fasten the pieces? (Looks like I have some research to do there!)

I have also priced on carpet a couple of places. I live within 30 min of a Cabela's and a little over an hour from a BPS. They seem a bit high for the base carpet. I am estimating I would need 6' wide by about 20' in length for my 14 ft boat to cover the decks floor and storage box. It will cost like $140+. (How much did you use?) Did you use marine grade indoor/outdoor or just outdoor deck/patio? (There is a big price difference there.) I noticed Home Depot is a little cheaper for the marine grade at about $115 with free shipping.

Sorry to bombard you with so many questions but any feedback from experience is much appreciated.

 

[Coy]

Thanks for the advice and feedback...You're right this site is amazing for information and it is always sweeter when you can score a good deal. All that carpet for like $20 bucks. I am glad to hear that it's fairly stable because it looks like I already have the same pedestals that you have for the front and rear deck. (13" pedestals?)

Anyways I would like to use aluminum now as to save on weight but I am a bit intimidated to work with it. How did you fasten the peices together? It looks like you welded it? Would I just be able to drill and use small bolts to fasten the pieces? (Looks like I have some research to do there!)

I have also priced on carpet a couple of places. I live within 30 min of a Cabela's and a little over an hour from a BPS. They seem a bit high for the base carpet. I am estimating I would need 6' wide by about 20' in length for my 14 ft boat to cover the decks floor and storage box. It will cost like $140+. (How much did you use?) Did you use marine grade indoor/outdoor or just outdoor deck/patio? (There is a big price difference there.) I noticed Home Depot is a little cheaper for the marine grade at about $115 with free shipping.

Sorry to bombard you with so many questions but any feedback from experience is much appreciated.

Not problem with the questions. I am glad to help. Yes, these are 13" pedestals made by Swivl Eze.

Carpet....that seems pretty expensive. You might be pricing the high end marine carpet. I selected the lower grade. It was alot cheaper, and does the job just fine. You should be able to buy this at a cheaper rate at Lowes or Home Depot. I wish I could remember exactly how much I used. I do remember more than expected.

Aluminum Angle....I did not weld. Trust me, I would not know how to begin to weld. I used a rivet gun. I would predrill the holes in the angle and in the boat (yes, you will have to put hols in your boat, but they will be filled with rivets). But as far as the flooring, if you look in the pictures posted, the angle that I riveted to the floor is actually riveted to the bracing. It is tube like, therefore I did not have to put a hole in the boat floor. I would cut the aluminum angle with angle grinder(https://www.harborfreight.com/4-1-2-half-inch-angle-grinder-95578.html) this will get the job done. Some others may have cut it with a bansaw or maybe even something else. This was just easiest for me. Be careful with this stuff. Pick yourself up a $10 mask to wear while you are cutting it. Metal and sparks will fly! Also make sure you are wearing some type of glove, becuase the angle heats up really quick and can get extremely hot! Also, be sure and buy a GOOD metal bit for predrilling the holes for rivets. You will go through a ton of cheap ones if not. Lastly, the angle I used was 1".

Decking.....I believe I used 3/4" maybe 5/8". The thinnest I could buy that would still support me. I bought plain untreated plywood and used thompson waterseal myself. Some people say that pre-treated plywood will react with the aluminum. Who knows? I sure dont.

If you have anymore questions, just ask. That is how I learned. Also, don't be intimidated by any of this, if I can do it, anyone can. No joke!

 

[FishyItch]

I've got a boat pretty similar to yours and I'm trying to decide on a raised deck like yours or if I should just deck the whole thing across the bottom. How stable is your boat up front?

 

[minnerchunker]

Looking good. What type of carpet did you use?

 

[minnerchunker]

Oops. Sorry reading is fundamental I guess! Great rig!

 

[atuck593]

Alright...Coy you have inspired me (along with just about everyone else on this site but it was your build to push me toward the aluminum idea). I plan on going with the aluminum framing. I talked with my dad after work tonight and as it turns out he has an old rivet gun down the basement and a possible connection to some aluminum angle relatively cheap. I just need to invest in some rivets, quality metal drill bits, and a way to cut the aluminum. Pop's suggested a hack saw (laughing at me) but I am thinking more sawzall or would the angle grinder also be able to cut it?

 

[gmiller]

Sweet rig, it is amazing the transformation that boat made, it looked a little rough to begin with, but it looks like a fish catching machine now.

 

[Coy]

I've got a boat pretty similar to yours and I'm trying to decide on a raised deck like yours or if I should just deck the whole thing across the bottom. How stable is your boat up front?

This all depends on preference. My boat is a 1440. 14' long and 40" wide at its widest point in the floor. Alot of people will say that is too narrow for casting decks. I decided not to listen. Once again, for me, I am fine with the stability. The back deck is no problem at all. If someone is fishing the front deck, I just let them know if I am going to be moving around. If we are just trolling along and casting, there are no issues at all. There are some nice posts on here for when to deck and when not to deck. I suggest reading those any make your own conclusion.

If I were to do it all over again, I may really consider a different layout (MAYBE). I may have made the front deck much larger and the rear deck a little smaller. But I am definately happy with my current layout. Very functional for my needs. I hope this helps. Good luck!

 

[manley09]

Nice job it look awesome!

 

[atuck593]

Hey Coy,

How did you connect your plywood decks to the aluminum framing? I tried to look through a few of your pictures but I was unable to see how you did it. Did you bolt or screw from underneath?

 

[Coy]

Hey Coy,

How did you connect your plywood decks to the aluminum framing? I tried to look through a few of your pictures but I was unable to see how you did it. Did you bolt or screw from underneath?

Well...there is a reason you didnt see them. They dont exist. When I was modding this boat, I wasnt exactly confident in everything and I decided that if I needed to tear the boat apart, I wanted easy access. None of the flooring or decking is bolted down. To be honest, I am glad I done it this way. None of the decks move at all. The locker on the side that holds the oars, and the sides of the casting decks are screwed to the floor. Essentially, these three pieces hold everything together. Just today the piece that I put on the front deck to catch the anchor lid came off. All I did was lift the front deck right out, fix it and put it right back in. I hope I explained this well enough, if you have anymore questions about it feel free to ask.

 

[RStewart]

Very nice job! I plan on putting in rod storage along the sides of mine as well. Once I saw yours & liked it, that convinced me. It is amazing how stable these boats are. What size angle did you use?

 

[Coy]

Very nice job! I plan on putting in rod storage along the sides of mine as well. Once I saw yours & liked it, that convinced me. It is amazing how stable these boats are. What size angle did you use?

Thanks for the compliment. I originally though that would be a rod locker, but as you can see, my rods are stored on deck. I leave the oars in that locker. Either way, if you can squeeze it in your plan, its not a bad thing to have. I am glad I have it on mine. As for the angle, I used 1/8"X1" angle. As many have posted on here and I think I may have posted earlier, do not buy this stuff from Lowes or Home Depot! Try and find a local metal scrapyard that makes it themselves. You will save a TON of money. For example, a $30 piece at Lowes was $8 at my local scrapyard.

 

[architorture]

That's a great looking rig you've got now Coy. If you don't mind me asking, could you tell me how much you spent on aluminum angle? I'd like to use it too, but am having difficulty finding a yard that carries it.

 

[Coy]

That's a great looking rig you've got now Coy. If you don't mind me asking, could you tell me how much you spent on aluminum angle? I'd like to use it too, but am having difficulty finding a yard that carries it.

I just got off the phone with the local scrapyard that I bought all of my angle off of. I forgot exactly how much I used, but for 1"x1/8" it is $.90/ft. Overall I think I may have had around $50 in aluminum angle.

 

[EasternEasy]

Really nice work Coy.

Easy

 

[HOUSE]

Hey, I really liked this mod. I'm doing a similar build on a similar boat without the aluminum angle. I'll let you other guys know how stable it is and how slow it runs in the water. Did you have any issues with the carpeting? I'm having a really difficult time because it's changing my dimensions of my woodworking! I forgot to account for the extra carpet width. grrr.