Fisher 1448

[Meagher86]

New timer here but have been reading for a bit. Found some awesome builds here and many of you have amazing talent. I just recently bought a 2006 Fisher 1448 welded boat with a 15hp Mercury 4 stroke. Boat ran pretty well but could used some better performance. I felt the 15 was a little underpowered with me, wife, son, and cooler in the boat so I sold the engine. Still undecided on what I will be going with.

Plans are add aluminum floor, cover with hydroturf, paint hull inside and out, and new engine. Not near as elaborate as other but will do just fine for me.

I used on of the foam sheets for a template.


Unable to find 1.5" foam board I used 2 sheets of 3/4"



After making a template I transferred it to the 1/8 aluminum for cutting. Used a 1 3/4" bit.



Using a jigsaw I was able to remove the rest of the metal and used a dremel to clean it up.


Floor placed in.



Did a whole lot of sanding the bottom to be able to spray the Parker primer. 2 coats.



One layer of the top coat.



Then one more sanding to smooth the surface out. It was a little rough from the primer coat. I used a Wagner sprayer for the primer. Then bought a Harbor Freight sprayer for the color which worked much better.


More to come. Any helpful tips would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Johnny]

Welcome to da Swamp !!!

you have done and excellent job !! neat, orderly, well thought out.
that will last you for many, many years !!!

now, take it down to Titusville to the Lagoon and catch some FISH !!

 

[wmk0002]

What replacement motor are you leaning towards? I would imagine what you got for the 15hp 4 stroke would get you a little older but really nice 25hp 2 stroke.

 

[Meagher86]

So far I am looking in two complete different ways. One is a slightly used Yamaha 25 2 stroke. There are a few around my area for sale. The other would be a new Tohatsu 25.

 

[FLatsFishin]

I run a 2008 25 HP Mercury 4 Stroke on my 1448 Tracker Grizzly. I believe the Tohatsu is the same exact motor. I have had it for 2 years, no problems at all.

Pushes me great, on a glassy morning I can hit 30mph (measured with my phone GPS) with 2 friends, me, cooler, bait bucket, and gear.

 

[Meagher86]

Great news about the 25 4 stroke. I was wondering what it would do with one on there. From what I have gathered the Tohatsu and Mercury 30 and down are the same.

 

[C_Heath]

Nice work so far. Keep it going and posting. We be watchin!

 

[momule]

What HP rating is given for the hull on the coast guard plaque? My Lowe 1448 is rated at 25 and before I changed over to a 40/30 jet it would run great with the 25hp 2 stroke Merc that it came with. You'd be very pleased with the 25 prop motor. The jet slowed it down but I was after the shallow water capabilities and not top speed. With my transom strengthened and a console installed a Mo. conservation officer told me that the extra 5hp wouldn't cause me any troubles with the law. I removed and saved the plaque just for being able to plead ignorance.

if you decide to rivet the floor down try to control dirt getting under the floor. My floor is perforated and riveted down so I caulked the sides to minimize leaves etc from getting under the floor. I have had good luck rinsing debris out with a hose in the driveway but since I cover the boat when not in use not much gets under the floor anyway.

I would rethink the carpet install...none of it lasts as long as the aluminum and taking it up after a few years involves removing glue... I started with my floor painted camaflouge and am going to repaint the interior with one of the epoxy coatings in a very light gray to cut down on the heat.

You're doing a great job so far...keeping it simple makes it easier to use and it's REAL easy to put too many fishing gadgets in a 1448 hull.

 

[Meagher86]

Finally was able to get the last coat of paint on the outside of the hull. It's been raining just about everyday. Also placed the boat on a new trailer I bought. The last one was a little small and I think it fits the boat much better.



My boat is rated for a 25 but might lean towards getting the 30. They both are the same weight with just a little more in price. With the floor I have had great luck with hydroturf in the past and will keep the boat covered when not in use so should last me many years. Also have a few ideas on how to keep leaves from getting under the deck by the gunwales and will see what works best.

Next step is starting the inside. Hopefully Monday I will be able to sand it and put a coat of primer down. How long should I want to let the paint cure before putting it in the water?