Introduction - 1452 Alumacraft Project (New Pics!! 07-21-11)

[Sgt. Stiglitz]

Here is what I did to mine. My bottom curved also and I couldn't figure out how to do a flat bottom either till I saw others here what they did......I built my gas tank into the middle bench area. If I need to remove it, all I have to do is remove a few screws and pull up the decking........It gets fill through a twist off cover.........

https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=15880

 

[Topgun]

Wow! That turned out really nice. I may have to 'borrow' some of your design. What's the length and width of your boat?

 

[Sgt. Stiglitz]

Says 14ft boat it's more like a 13'6" and its 54" at the widest....... #-o

 

[WantABigBass]

Can't wait to see your progress. It is a good looking boat.

FYI, My 14' Shallow V sits lower in the back. I have the battery under the front seat to balance it out a little. I also only have a 3 gallon tank in the back but a 4 stroke motor. It will run all day on 3 gallons. I will be at your stage in about 2 weeks.

 

[bcbouy]

you might be able to rent a laser level at your local home depot

 

[Topgun]

Long overdue for an update! I've been searching around for a cheap aluminum source and boy was I rewarded for my patience! Placed a 'wanted' ad on craigslist and scored about 150 feet of angle and square tube aluminum in various gauges for $50. Believe it, I was ecstatic!

In the meantime I did some sketching of designs, acquired a livewell liner, built a motor stand and finally started some framing work. Has been enjoyable but time-consuming. Every single piece is a custom fit and I'm going through a lot of rivets! Please feel free to provide your input on the design so far.

 

[wasilvers]

wow, that's some kind of livewell, if it ever leaks, it might sink the boat! :roll:

Looks good - the center beam looks high, but that just makes sure there's extra room for floatation.

And yes, these V boats have curves EVERYWHERE! On mine, the only straight surface is the transom.

And you might not need to put the batteries all the way in the front. With the livewell and seat in the middle to front, The motor will weigh down the back a bit, but if you have a troller in front too, that's a lot of weight. If it was me, I'd mount most everything in it's estimated place, take her to the lake and start playing with the battery placement. If the batteries are too far in front and the livewell filled, you might have trouble getting on plane. I'd guess that the batteries would move to be close to the livewell (if you have a front trolling mobor)

 

[Topgun]

wow, that's some kind of livewell, if it ever leaks, it might sink the boat! :roll:

Looks good - the center beam looks high, but that just makes sure there's extra room for floatation.

And yes, these V boats have curves EVERYWHERE! On mine, the only straight surface is the transom.

The livewell will be about 15-18 gallons depending on what I choose for the water line. The plan is to try it a couple inches from the top and see how much sloshing there is. I may end up with a couple different lengths of standing pipe for differing conditions.

The center beam is 6" off the bottom. This will allow the floor to intersect with the widest part of the hull and thus have the most square footage. And yes, lots of flotation is a must. There's no way I'm going to put this much effort into a project and risk having it sink to the bottom! #-o

 

[Topgun]

Had a chance to get some more work done on the boat so I thought I'd update the thread with some more pictures.

The knee brace had a piece broken off and the transom was bent from the weight of the outboard. I used the trailer winch and some "tapping" to straighten the transom and then beefed it up with new plywood, an extra brace and some plate aluminum for the outboard clamp screws.

 

[reedjj]

Very nice work!

 

[wasilvers]

Very nice work!

x2! I'm a jealous!

 

[Topgun]

Very nice work!

x2! I'm a jealous!

Thanks, guys. But nothing to be jealous about wasilvers. You've got a darn nice mod yourself! =D>

I'm actually a little 'stalled-out' right now figuring out what to do with the rear seat and deck. I'd like to have that area covered, but also as accessible as possible. It's just gonna be a lot of framework to have it all be sturdy but 'hatched'. The area in green under the seat I'm thinking would be good for tackle storage. Any good ideas or links on what to do here?

 

[Topgun]

The project is trudging along. Got the livewell plumbed, interior painted and the floor cut and carpeted. I also made a pedestal out of some scrap steel for the front seat.

A couple tips on cutting the floor and carpeting:

I used cardboard templates for making the floor boards. I spent a lot of time sanding and trimming to get a nice, tight fit. Don't obsess over this; the carpet will hide imperfections here. But DO make sure to leave an allowance for the width that the carpet will add to your boards. I underestimated this and had to peel the carpet back from the edges and make "adjustments". This would have been much easier before the carpet was done.

 

[Ictalurus]

The boat is coming along great. That is one killer livewell, you may have a noticable starboard list when that thing is full! The seat post is solid.

 

[Topgun]

The boat is coming along great. That is one killer livewell, you may have a noticable starboard list when that thing is full! The seat post is solid.

Haha! Thanks for the complements. Everyone has something to say about the livewell. I honestly couldn't justify the money for a giant cooler or traditional liner, so I went with what was free. Capacity on the well is 15 gal. so the weight full will be under 150 lbs. Hopefully this will be offset by the biased rear seat and battery / fuel tank placement. Time will tell! This build is being done on the tightest budget ever! Thus the homemade pedestal too. I've got it painted now and I think it's gonna work out just fine.

 

[FFDOZIER]

Man the boat is looking great, including the homemade livewell.

 

[Topgun]

Way past-due for an update. The interior is done with the exception of the bow storage. I'm waiting to get the new trolling motor before finishing that. Had her out on the water last Friday and everything worked great. No leaks and the balance was perfect with water in the livewell, but listed a bit to starboard when empty. Gonna scuff and paint the exterior now. Any suggestions for a color?

 

[Topgun]

Still looking for ideas on finishing the exterior. I'm thinking about either a light tan or raw aluminum. Opinions?

 

[ober51]

Great build =D>

I'm partial to the aluminum look over the tan, but that's just me.

 

[Topgun]

I was leaning that way too (the aluminum look). Does anyone have experience with painting an entire boat hull with metallic paint? The previous owner did just that but it's a very thin and uneven finish and looks especially bad now that the interior is done. My thoughts were to scuff what's there and then roll on some oil based "aluminum" paint (the same stuff I used on the pedestal). My concern is that over a big span it may be difficult to keep even. Opinions or experience?