matt's alumacraft 14'

[maddog]

Clinton. I mostly fish the Irish Hills and Brooklyn area. I would like to get to Detroit or St. Clair rivers to do some walleye fishing one of these days though.

 

[maddog]

I wanted to replace some of the foam that I took out with the center seat. I read some posts on here and it seems there are a few different schools of thought on this. Not trying to start a debate, just showing how I built my boat. I figured it wouldn't take too long and won't hurt to put some in. So far I put about a half sheet of 1.5" closed cell polystyrene in under the floor and front deck. I am planning to put the other half sheet in on the sides (whenever I build them) and maybe add some to the rear deck if I have room. A half sheet is close to or maybe a bit more than what was in the now missing center seat. I still want to add more if it will fit. I am not putting any where it will sit in water and am hoping I don't spill gas with the new motor. The old one seemed to always spit some gas out when hooking/unhooking the hose. I may just put a shutoff valve in the line so I don't have to remove the hose on the new motor to run it out of fuel.

Under the floor. The 2x2's will sit on top of the ribs so the foam won't be sitting in water (unless I get a bad hole in the boat):

Under the front casting deck. I may try to put some more in the very front of the bow, there won't be much I could store up there anyway:

Any suggestions or ideas on storing an anchor in the front? I was thinking of cutting a hole or oval in the front cubby to feed the rope through, and then just flip the mushroom anchor upside down and put it in the hole. The cubby is a little small to put a door in if I leave room for a bow mount trolling motor. Not sure if I will put a front trolling motor on or not. I have an older motorguide that I was thinking about putting on...

something like this for the anchor, hope the pic makes sense:

I looked at the electric anchors but the units would take up alot of room. They aren't cheap either! I like the anchormate units also, but they are pricey as well and require mounting space too, just not as much. I figure the current method works ok (get up, toss the anchor, tie it off) I just want a place to put the anchor where it is out of the way. The main reason I started reworking this boat is that I can't stand having my fishing gear all over the place. I want it somewhat organized and tidy. Right now when I go it is a mess of wires, rods, buckets, tackleboxes, anchor ropes...

 

[maddog]

bought some clearanced stuff for my boat at the local walmart today:

42" collapseable paddle = $4
bow light = $4
15lb. river anchor = $5
20lb. mushroom anchor = $7
6" nylon rope cleats = $1.50
12v accessory plug and outlets = $1
100ft. 3/8 anchor rope = $7
50ft. 3/8 anchor rope = $4
swing up trailer jack w/wheel = $11
boat plug = $1

a few weeks back I picked up a clearanced $9 extendable stern light w/socket and 800GPH bilge pump for $11. Picked up some vinyl boat flooring a while back at a cabelas sale. It was $19 for 21 feet long x 6 ft. wide. Normally $25 per yard but someone ordered it and returned it and it must have sat in the bargain cave for awhile. Cabelas doesn't have the big tent sales anymore. It is a bummer because they had so much stuff in those tents for next to nothing. You just had to dig through big bins and tables full of crap to find the good stuff. It is the tan color flooring. I would have preferred the grey but the price was right.

 

[maddog]

got the sidesupports installed. used the old seat mount for the midpoint tie-in and used aluminum angle riveted to the front and rear seats to tie in the ends of the board. It seems pretty stiff, I can lift the boat up off the trailer by these side supports. This is stronger than that stock setup for front/rear rigidity. the floor will add some extra support also. These mods are getting heavy, I am going to guess it's over 100lbs by now.

for the upright part of the side panels I am going to use 1/4 ply and cover with the same vinyl I am going to use on the floor. I will probably just sand/stain/seal the side supports to match the transom wood. Still need to figure out the rear deck area hatch and where to mount some of the electronics. I need to go down to cabelas and pick up a switch/fuse panel to start the wiring.

 

[Zubes]

The side supports looks great! I was planning on doing something similar, but I was going to make mine a bit wider so I could place rods on them with rod-saver straps. I was also going to make a few small cubby holes for stuffing a jacket or rain pants in, but I don't want to give up too much floor space.

Keep us updated and keep the pics coming!

 

[Dockside85]

Looks great! I like the job you did in the framework of the decks and the sheet insulation below them. Looks sharp!

 

[wcbond4]

Wow! you racked up on the clearance aisle!! Good find!

 

[jimmy fins]

Lookin sweet Matt. =D> One suggestion though that I found out on my Alumacraft The water that may leak in or get in through wave splash, or rain does NOT drain for crap through those little ribs in the center. They will fill up with dabris and you have water sitting around growing old and stagnant. Your floor looks awesome just consider leaving it loose that you can wedge into between the sides so you can pull it when your done that way air can easily do its thing. I would have to wet vac the bow on mine every time I came in because it didn't move through. Mine boat had a small seal leak somewhere though. Your 20 horse Honda should make the tin can fly. My 15 Merc. would push mine 24 mph, scary fast [-o<

Jim

 

[maddog]

Thanks for the compliments. I ended up going with a Yamaha 20HP electric start. The Honda dealer said the motors were on backorder and he had no idea when they could get one. So I ran down to Cabelas and picked up a motor. It weighs 10lbs. more or so but should be ok.

The top plate support is only 3.5" wide. I want some rod storage also but have a different idea for that. Going to try to build some kind of containment device that will hold them to the top of the rear platform or something built into the seats just for transport. When fishing I will probably keep a couple rods in rod holders so they will be out of the way. Still kicking around a few different options there.

JimmyFins, The floor is removable right now but I was going to "lock" it in when I build the vertical portion of the side supports. I will reevaluate that idea and try to figure out a way to make it easily removable. The drains in this boat do get plugged from time to time also so I do know what you mean but hadn't considered that in my planning. This boat doesn't yet have leaks, but sometimes water gets splashed in and the anchor brings some in with it. With the bigger motor leaks may start to develop with the additional stress put on the hull due to planing and accelleration. My dog occasionally spills his water dish too so I know water will be getting in. I didn't even think about the floor not letting the airflow do it's work. Thank you for that bit of advice/experience! By the way, I am looking forward to your new build, I loved the alumacraft build you did and how it was setup.

 

[Kwatchi]

Matt,

Excellent work....I have a 16ft alumicraft 1982 deep fisherman and considering doing almost the same build....My biggest hold up right now is the middle bench seat...trying to figure out if it is safe to remove? Any ideas?

Jim

 

[maddog]

Time will tell on the middle seat removal. I think my boat is stronger front to rear with the side braces now than it was with the center seat. There are quite a few guys on here that have removed the middle seat (or all seats!) and rebuilt their boats without issues. I took the boat out a few times and didn't notice any additional flex, but there was no chop/waves to speak of on the days I went out. I think the biggest issue with be torsional flex or twist, since the sides are not tied directly together in the middle anymore. I would like to tie the sides into the floor to make this thing very solid but I am still trying to figure out a way to deal with the water drainage issues that JimmyFins brought up. I think if you consider the usage your boat will get (calm lakes, rivers, or lakes that get quite choppy - also the weight and power of motor) and build for that environment you will be ok. I don't usually go out if it is really windy or choppy but I want to make sure the boat is solid enough that I can get off the lake if the wind kicks up unexpectedly. I was a bit leery at first of pulling that middle seat but after seeing all the builds on here and hearing people's feedback on how their boats handled after removing the seat I decided do it. I can put it back in if needed since I didn't remove the support brackets or cut the seat. I just removed the rivets.

 

[maddog]

A couple pics of the 20hp Yamaha. These new motors take some funky twist-lock, no drip, impermeable hose/fittings that are a bit hard to find around here. The 3 gallon gas tank was about 2.5 times as much as a standard 3 gallon plastic tank. I couldn't find just a fitting that I could use in a standard tank. I thought about buying a regular 3 gallon tank and then cutting the end off the EPA certified fuel line this motor came with and putting a regular fitting on. I like the idea of a no drip fitting though. I really hated that about my old outboard, gas in the boat and on my hand when plugging or unplugging that old fuel line. Not much but enough to be annoying. Anyone else run into these new EPA regulated fuel system components on outboard motors? Hondas come with a tank so there would be no issues there I guess. Yamaha you have to pay extra for a tank. It seems like in the long run the price is pretty darn close to the same for a Honda or a Yamaha, the only difference is that you can get a Yamaha with electric start and no power tilt, and Honda has 5 vs. Yamaha's 3 year warranty.

It is too cold here today to put on spar urethane to seal the decks. Not sure if I will have much time to work on this over the next couple of weeks. The end of the semester is coming up quickly and I will be unable to spend time on this next week due to work obligations.

 

[Hanr3]

Matt,
Nice work so far. I have the same boat and did something similar, except I removed all the bench seats, no decks, instead opting for a livewell. Link to my build in my signature.

 

[1munford]

I hear ya' we had a snow, hail, and rain mix in central MI

 

[jimmy fins]

I like that 20 Yamaha it looks sweet.

 

[maddog]

Hanr3, I read every page of your build before I started mine and it is the one that gave me confidence to pull the center seat. I really like your boat and how you set it up. I am probably going to do something similar on the side supports. Looks like you cut an angle on some aluminum tube and then riveted it in. I may do that for side braces and not put plywood between the floor and the side supports I put in. That way I can pull the floor like JimmyFins suggested.

1munford, down here we had some snow and sleet in the morning and then again in the afternoon. Was in the 70's or maybe up to 80 a few weeks ago. Was hoping that would stay but the cold is good to kill off those early bugs I guess.

I think I am going to like the Yamaha also. Haven't had a chance to take it out yet. May not get to for a few weeks either. going to be pretty busy until after the 30th.

 

[Hanr3]

I used 1 1/4" angle aluminum for the side support and mounted my fish rod holders to the angle aluminum too.
My floor is also removeable, pull the rear foam box, and pull the front storage deck and out comes the floor. I also saved all the original bench seat brackets incase I wanted to return it to stock.

 

[maddog]

got a few things done this weekend. put some green carpet on the floor, and put vinyl over the front and rear casting decks. I have seen boats with this cabelas vinyl as flooring but it seemed light duty to me so I went with some tough indoor outdoor carpet I bought a couple of years ago. I decided to leave the middle hatch open rather than put a door on it in the back. I guess having a battery and a gas can in an enclosed area is a no no. I saved the cutout incase I want to build a door to cover it. I picked up a lawn mower battery for starting the outboard, and I may put the sonar on this battery too. The book for the outboard motor says it requires a 245 CCA battery minimum, the battery I picked up is 375 CCA. Going to put that under the rear deck opposite the seat mount. I can fit that and my anchor/rope down on that side and have pretty easy access without a hatch. Decided to cut a hatch behind the rear seat for storing a tackle box. I probably should have put the hatch on the other side since it would be easier to get to. I thought I should move the battery opposite where I sit to counter balance things but it is probably only 15-20lbs so won't make much difference. Oh well, the deck hatch is cut now and it is pretty easy to get the tackle box in/out. Would have just been easier on the other side. Maybe in the winter I will cut another access hatch on the other side if I find the current setup hard to use.

I decided not to do much wiring for now. I am not going to put the front marker/navigation light on, it isn't required on the small inland lakes around here as far as I know. I will wire the anchor light socket hot all the time, it will only run when I plug the light pole in. There is a cover for the plug so nothing can fall in there to short it out. I don't know if I will install the 2 bank battery charging unit or not. Seems unecessary on a small boat like this. Probably no bilge pump for now either. I do need to wire the sonar and structure scan box in, but that shouldn't be too bad. I still have to figure out storage for the front anchor and a rod rack of some kind to keep my rods from tumbling around while trailering. I also need to mount the tranducers for the sonar and the down/side scan unit. My plan is to use a cooler with a boat cushion for a center seat when I need room for a third person. I plan to have the cooler in there anyway to put fish in. It is coming along. Slower than I would like.

 

[fishingmich]

Hey Matt, where did you get that vinyl for your decks? Is that the Cabelas vinyl? My buddy used that for his jon boat and its actually holding up pretty well. I thought about using it for my build, but I'm not sure I want to spend that much extra money. It is pretty sweet though and gives it a factory look.

 

[Dman23]

Great looking build! Same boat i have. In my opinon the best smaller boat ever made.

Have you been out in it yet? Curious on the stability with the high decks. Just finished my mod and did just one main floor. Very stable but not sure i could handle it standing or sitting that high in it, id be in the water i no time.

One idea for your back middle hatch would be a grill type cover of some sort. A rough open pattern but enough cross bars to still set tackle boxes etc on. Maybe even a screeen of some sort.

Nice build!