Love this site! Here is my Lowe 1436

[Troutman3000]

Good job man. That steelflex is great, once your done with it. I dont want to ever have to work with that stuff again. Once its on there its good to go for several years. And you have some touch up. I am not sure I would put in on the gunnels, maybe just wire brush that part shinny and keep it for touch up.

 

[WhiteMoose]

What did you do about a fuel tank location? I want to put mine in the little cubby hole by the transom but that darn transom support bracket is in the way.

I don't know why I didn't figure it out sooner, but I was able to squeeze my 6 gallon tank in that space on the port side of the transom bracket. I have to put the handle down under the transom board first, then shove the rest of the tank in.
I'll take a picture when I get the boat flipped back over.

 

[WhiteMoose]

Have you tried the hammered spray paint yet? I'm curious to see how it holds up. I've had crappy results with that stuff because it seems to create a dry layer on top of whatever you're painting, instead of adhering to the surface. I'd really suggest spraying it on super thin the first time around to make sure you don't have a brittle surface. Hopefully it'll give you better results.

I haven't tried it yet, but now you’ve got me having 2nd thoughts. Is there another type of paint similar to this that will hide blemishes but adheres better?

I am not sure I would put in on the gunnels, maybe just wire brush that part shinny and keep it for touch up.

So your saying to just leave the gunwales as bare aluminum? I'm still debating on what to do there, because I know they will be the first to get beat up.

 

[dyeguy1212]

Have you tried the hammered spray paint yet? I'm curious to see how it holds up. I've had crappy results with that stuff because it seems to create a dry layer on top of whatever you're painting, instead of adhering to the surface. I'd really suggest spraying it on super thin the first time around to make sure you don't have a brittle surface. Hopefully it'll give you better results.

I haven't tried it yet, but now you’ve got me having 2nd thoughts. Is there another type of paint similar to this that will hide blemishes but adheres better?

To tell you the truth, I'd just go with a flat or semiflat rustoleum spray bomb. That's what I used in my 14 foot build, and it worked really well. I don't know what color you're looking for, but a flat grey or something like that would probably look good, and adhere well. Plus it'd easy to touch up, should you ding it up.


Just stay away from anything remotely glossy. When I painted the outside of my 14 foot gloss red, dents and waves in the aluminum showed up that I didn't even know were there... :roll:

 

[dyeguy1212]

So your saying to just leave the gunwales as bare aluminum? I'm still debating on what to do there, because I know they will be the first to get beat up.

That might be a good spot to spray paint the same color as the interior. That way you can very easily touch it up, and it'll flow well with the rest of the boat, as opposed to having raw metal.

 

[WhiteMoose]

Bassblaster- I can make it level by just putting a block under the front of it. Maybe your brace is in a slightly diff. spot.

 

[BassBlaster]

Mine looks exactly like yours. I'll have to take some measurements and go shoppin for a tank!! Thanks for the pic!!

 

[TC1OZ]

Nice job! I hope my job looks half as decent as yours! =D>

 

[WhiteMoose]

Thought I would put up some new pictures. She is basically done, I just need to clean up the wiring, get seats, cupholders, etc. I'm also still having trouble keeping grease in my wheel bearing, but hopefully I can get that taken care of this weekend.

Fresh paint and decals for the old motor-
Hope I don't get any crap from someone for putting 1950's decals on a 1973 motor, but I thought they looked cool.

Lowe decals. I got all my decals for $5 on ebay.

 

[WhiteMoose]

I put my 25 hp mercury on it and have been running with that the last couple trips out, and WOW that thing is scary fast. Thinking about somehow restricting the throttle so it can't go wide open because I don't always trust myself. At the very least, I need to put in a kill switch.
I am thinking that it is too much motor for this boat. I also noticed that one of the cracks has opened back up at the transom corner/gunwale. This motor weighs only 17 pounds more than the old 9.5 I was using so I don't think weight is the problem. I thought the transom wood was still good, but maybe this should have been replaced with some solid oak or something. I'm getting the crack welded again next week, so hopefully that will just take care of it.


I think I'm going to use this setup for a couple years, then start keeping my eyes open for a 16' or a wider 14' to fix up. My wife will kill me if I start looking for a new boat now.

 

[jarobi]

That 25 HP will warp the crap out of your transom over time, open up existing cracks, and create some new ones. I had a '73 lowe 1636 with a 25 hp Johnson, so I learned this from experience. It is cool to blow by an underpowered Lund or two in a hillbilly rig though. If you keep your boat with that motor I'd recommend a new transom along with some reinforcement. Look at what River Rider did:

https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=10457

He added an extra brace & a stud of a transom. The very boat I had. Now I have a '93 1648 Landau.

 

[Loggerhead Mike]

I'm getting the crack welded again next week, so hopefully that will just take care of it.

may want to also have them weld in some L brackets and maybe a brace or two to take some stress off the transom


rig turned out very nice!!