Deadmeat
Well-known member
I just found this fabulous website a week ago and have been reading it every chance I get. Oh, to have known about this when I was modifying a Grumman 1542 back in 1989!
Back then it was hit and miss but it worked out pretty well. I extended the deck about halfway to the middle seat and carpeted it. Other than mounting a Minn Kota 565 trolling motor, Anchor Mate II, rod holders, and lights, not much else was modified. The reason was that I was towing it behind a 1985 Honda Civic, and I had to keep it light. I had an Evinrude 30 hp for the motor and as light as the boat was (it's rated for a 25 hp, but then I never ran it more than half-throttle anyway), it really got down the lake.
I had that boat and motor for 17 years and finally sold it when we moved to Atlanta. Neither gave me a bit of trouble, and believe it or not I only replaced one clutch between the two Civics that hauled it. At that time I was fishing at least once a week and often twice or more twelve months a year.
I'll be retiring in a couple years and my wife and I will be moving back to East Tennessee where I'm from. When we do I want to build another boat very similar to the one I had except to add many of the modifications I see here. We've had nothing but Honda Civics for the past 23 years and I suspect we'll still have one to tow the boat once we get back. As a result, I've got to keep the modifications as light as possible.
My question is this: What do I do to keep the mods light without sacrificing durability? I see that some are using aluminum braces and some are using wood, and the thickness of the plywood varies as well. I'm probably going to purchase a new G3 1544 since it's the closest thing I can find to my beloved Grumman 1542 unless some of you have suggestions to the contrary. My Grumman weighed 201 pounds and the G3 is only 17 pounds heavier, which should make the Honda happy. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Again, thanks for having such a great website. I've already spent hours perusing it and have some great ideas for the boat I want to modify.
Back then it was hit and miss but it worked out pretty well. I extended the deck about halfway to the middle seat and carpeted it. Other than mounting a Minn Kota 565 trolling motor, Anchor Mate II, rod holders, and lights, not much else was modified. The reason was that I was towing it behind a 1985 Honda Civic, and I had to keep it light. I had an Evinrude 30 hp for the motor and as light as the boat was (it's rated for a 25 hp, but then I never ran it more than half-throttle anyway), it really got down the lake.
I had that boat and motor for 17 years and finally sold it when we moved to Atlanta. Neither gave me a bit of trouble, and believe it or not I only replaced one clutch between the two Civics that hauled it. At that time I was fishing at least once a week and often twice or more twelve months a year.
I'll be retiring in a couple years and my wife and I will be moving back to East Tennessee where I'm from. When we do I want to build another boat very similar to the one I had except to add many of the modifications I see here. We've had nothing but Honda Civics for the past 23 years and I suspect we'll still have one to tow the boat once we get back. As a result, I've got to keep the modifications as light as possible.
My question is this: What do I do to keep the mods light without sacrificing durability? I see that some are using aluminum braces and some are using wood, and the thickness of the plywood varies as well. I'm probably going to purchase a new G3 1544 since it's the closest thing I can find to my beloved Grumman 1542 unless some of you have suggestions to the contrary. My Grumman weighed 201 pounds and the G3 is only 17 pounds heavier, which should make the Honda happy. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Again, thanks for having such a great website. I've already spent hours perusing it and have some great ideas for the boat I want to modify.
