FishOn Fabrications - 1756 Lowe electric only build!

bassboy1 · Sep 16, 2013

A couple called me a while back about building a tournament ready electric only boat. After a trip up to the shop, where they got to see another electric build in progress, they decided on a 1756 Lowe Frontier. They also wanted to give it a little color, instead of just being another green/tan jon boat, so they special ordered it with the factory black paint setup. This has a gloss black on the outer hull, and a textured coating on the inside/gunwale cap.

Very first thing we do to a brand new boat is, of course, start cutting it up! Owners wanted to maximize the storage space in this boat, and there is a great amount of wasted space in these bench seats.

Now we get to play with some sheet metal. 30 gallon livewell, and the start of the rod locker. This rod locker will ultimately fit a dozen rods, with 2/3 of them being 8.5 footers.

bassboy1 · Sep 16, 2013

Some more rod locker pieces added. Also, we're having to raise the bow deck up roughly 3.5" to match the stern deck.

Another bulkhead. Forward of this bulkhead will be a wide storage hatch for tackle trays.

Next step is to build the lower deck structure. There will be a seat base mounted in this lower area, so the deck needs to be built up to allow enough room for the below decks portion of the seat base pin. Furthermore, this allows for the lower deck to be flat, as opposed to the factory deck that follows the contour of the hull.

Next, we add a few more bulkheads. The center hatch will hold the 3 batteries for the forward trolling motor, and the side hatch will fit more plano trays.

Now, we go ahead and build up the bow deck structure. Just a few pieces of formed sheet.

Of course, we still have to cut the hole in the factory deck to clear the bottom of the trolling motor tray.

Add a deck sheet.

Before we cover up the areas beside the livewell, we add the plumbing. This one has a total loss fill system (constantly pump in fresh lake water, which drains out the overflow), and a recirculating pump. In lieu of a spray bar, the recirc pump uses a venturi, which provides much better oxygenation than a spray bar ever dreamed of.

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Now, we cover the sides.

bassboy1 · Sep 16, 2013

Now we start installing some of the electrical systems. This boat has a 36v system running the bow trolling motor, a 24v powering the transom trolling motor, and a 12v powering all the small accessories (lights, pumps, etc.).
These batteries power the transom trolling motor, and the accessory circuits.

Onboard charger, of course.

Then we start installing the carpet....

...And some of the bow accessories. It should be noted that the aft trolling motor is powered by the 'Sure Foot' switch on the stbd side deck. That motor will be locked straight ahead, to be used for additional speed on a long run. All steering, and low speed maneuvering are done with the bow motor, via it's own foot pedal.

With the addition of a few more accessories, we have a finished boat.