New member and new old boat project.

[alanbird_87]

Looks like u got urself a very nice boat to be working on. You really brought that trailer a long ways!! Looks very good!!

 

[Boater]

Well its been a bit since my last update, and they say a picture is worth a thousand words so I have posted some photos of the build. In the next week I would like to get the interior of the boat done and have it ready for the water, depending on the work schedule. Would be nice to have it done considering fishing opener was 2 weeks ago.

 

[BaitCaster]

Great work! I llike the colour you painted the boat. Very sharp.

 

[bear7625]

Awesome paint job! You won't be hiding out on the lake any time soon. :lol:

 

[clarkbre]

That looks really nice. It's cool to see what people will come up with in their mods. I'm very interested to see how the interior looks after all that lightweight framing.

 

[tccanoe]

MADD SKILLS!

 

[tccanoe]

What is the black glue/goo you use on the interior framing joints? It also looks like you're using self tapping screws in lew of pop rivets at the joints too. Is that correct? I don't know if I'll ever be able to find the full square tube you have but I would like to make my joints as strong as possable. Can you help me out here with a reply? Thanks and keep up the posts. Best mod I've seen.

 

[Boater]

The black gooo / glue is windshield urethane, holds 600lbs per sq inch and dampens any vibration. If using this method be sure your tubes are clean, I hit all my joints with an 80 grit grinding wheel and wiped with a paint prep. Also be sure to set your drill clutch so that the screws are not overtightened causing the threads to strip, ending up with a week joint. I started out using rivets but the urethane was causing the rivet gun to plug up and not work correct. Thanks for the complements.

 

[Boater]

I have had a few PM me asking what I used for paint, so I thought I would post it here. Step 1 was to wash the boat. 2- removed all old paint with wire cup brush and drill. 3- clean the boat a 2nd time and wipe down with a paint prep automotive product. 4- sprayed with self etching primer, automotive paint. 5- primed with a high build automotive primer. 6- sprayed with a tractor implement paint made by valspar that has a hardner added to it. It promotes a hard high gloss finish and as you can see from the photos it look good. All painting was done in the garage with the floor weted down and sprayed with a gun. no rattle cans here.

 

[Boater]

Well its almost done, I think... All thats left is the front seat / base, some trim work on the carpeting, trolling motor and a few other small things to tie up. Plan is to take it fishing this weekend without the front seat for a shake down run. Here it is now and I will try to post some photos of it on the water after the weekend.

 

[clarkbre]

Absolutely beautiful! The graphics really are a nice touch and I really like how you've done the interior. That's a job well done. Tight lines.

 

[norshor]

Great looking boat! Nice use of a fish house seat

 

[tccanoe]

Man, Take that to the Boat Show.

 

[swinada]

WOW very nice, that really inspires me to do something with my new "old" boat next winter.

 

[Ictalurus]

Nice =D>

 

[ihavenoideawhattoput]

Really nice boat! Looking at projects like this make me want mine done that much faster. Looks like you took your time and it shows!

 

[Boater]

Well the project got put on hold so I could spend some time on the water fishing out of if. Everything works, I like the layout and the front deck is great. The boat is stable while standing and fishing off the front deck, it runs out at 21mph with the 16hp Suzuki clocked with GPS. I will be changing a few things from the first plan, I am now going to add a trolling motor on the bow install a seat on the front deck, add a 2nd battery, add a locater at the bow. I still have some finishing work to do on the carpet edge but other than that its done... Oh yea did I mention it catches fish..

 

[SmallieBigs]

That is one of the smoothest looking boats I've seen on this site man! Goes to show that knowledge and the right tools can work miracles on an old boat =D>

 

[Boater]

I was thinking it time once again to post some info on my build here. So after thinking about what to post I have decided to make it like a boat test report. First off the boat was stable on the water even with 2 people fishing out of it. The front deck is large enough to stand on and fish. The boat comes up on plane and runs a true 21mph (clocked with GPS) with two people and gear in it thanks to the 16hp Suzuki. Paint looks like it did the day it was sprayed, holding up like a factory finish. Carpeting to is same condition as the day it was installed, none letting loose or puckering. Now on to the trailer, two things I wish I would have done different, 1 is the winch, it was a cheep one approx $20 bucks and sometimes binds. The second is the tires, I left the small 8" tire rim combo on it that was on the trailer when I purchased it, I would not do another with this small of tire wheel combo. I found a few landings where the trailer wheel droped into a hole. The weather here in Minnesota has been below freezing for the last week and the smaller lakes are iced over hoping to get out and do some early ice ice fishing for pike this weekend. Due to a old friend, all the way back to high school days, who is a MUSKIE guide it looks like I will be upgrading to a new custom 2011 LEGEND ALPHA 211 for next season and doing some guiding. A new boat, a new business, 4-5 days a week on the water, could life get any better???