norshor
Active member
Hello to everyone that has provided information and tips on this site. This place is a wealth of knowledge!
I purchased this boat with the intention of having a deep/wide tiller rig for inland lakes in northern Minnesota. We have a lot of wilderness lakes that are limited to 10 hp motors. I need to be able to run my 9.9 as efficiently as I can. I also have to run a 2 stroke, because the motor will occasionally ride on the rack of my wheeler or in the back of a truck or camper on backroads. I also plan on getting back into duck hunting again, as I have 2 yellow labs that look longingly every time they see a flight of greenheads go over when we are chasing grouse or pheasants.
I was running a 1400 Northwoods, with a 15" transom, but with a new addition to our family coming in early June, I felt it necessary to get a bigger boat. I really like my outboard and trailer, so I hooked up my fishing buddy with the Northwoods and spent months trying to find this Mirrorcraft. They are very sought after up here, because a lot of BWCA guides put portage wheels on them and run them into Basswood. Tracker/Fisher/Lowe no longer make the really deep 14' outfitters (or so I am told by the dealers) so I had to look for a used model.
This is a 1988 Mirrocraft 4560 Deep/Wide. Weighs under 200lbs, 14' long, 64" wide, 30" at the bow with a 15" drop transom. I found it 3 hours south in the Twin Cities. Turns out the guy who had it on Craigslist is a mile from my parent's house and we worked together at Gander Mountain 12 years ago. Small world. He bought it years ago, from an old guy who never used it. He pulled the console (worthless with a non tilt motor) , built a blind system (which he kept) and did a nice camo paint job inside and out. He used Parker's duckboat paint from Cabela's with a homemade stencil and drywall tape.
My intentions for adding a floor, is to keep it modular, easily removed (so I can wheel portage the boat for a guide trip, put it on top of a camper or run it back into the woods with the wheeler) and give our new little boy a place to hang out in the boat. I used 2x2's and some leftover cabinet material that I had laying around. They are only attached in 2 spots so I can easily remove them by pulling a few screws. I will be adding another floor in between the front 2 seats, and then a bow deck below the level of the front seat with a hatch for battery and anchor storage. I have a pin mount for the front seat, and will pop a post in/out for fishing/ running up on step.
I need to put a deck on top for my bowmount trolling motor. I was just planning on keeping my stern mount Minn Kota, but there is no room with the angle of the drop transom. I will eventually put a kicker dropdown mount on the back, and run a 25 hp 4 stroke main motor, and jockey my 9.9 over for bigwater fishing on Superior.
I need any advice you can give about building the bow deck and trolling motor platform.I have done quite a bit of searching, but still want more ideas. I am also torn between what to get for a bow mount, but I will throw that in a different thread.
I don't have much for pics right now, but here's what I have so far.
Camera phone pic the day I got it.
Rear decks/floor installed.
I purchased this boat with the intention of having a deep/wide tiller rig for inland lakes in northern Minnesota. We have a lot of wilderness lakes that are limited to 10 hp motors. I need to be able to run my 9.9 as efficiently as I can. I also have to run a 2 stroke, because the motor will occasionally ride on the rack of my wheeler or in the back of a truck or camper on backroads. I also plan on getting back into duck hunting again, as I have 2 yellow labs that look longingly every time they see a flight of greenheads go over when we are chasing grouse or pheasants.
I was running a 1400 Northwoods, with a 15" transom, but with a new addition to our family coming in early June, I felt it necessary to get a bigger boat. I really like my outboard and trailer, so I hooked up my fishing buddy with the Northwoods and spent months trying to find this Mirrorcraft. They are very sought after up here, because a lot of BWCA guides put portage wheels on them and run them into Basswood. Tracker/Fisher/Lowe no longer make the really deep 14' outfitters (or so I am told by the dealers) so I had to look for a used model.
This is a 1988 Mirrocraft 4560 Deep/Wide. Weighs under 200lbs, 14' long, 64" wide, 30" at the bow with a 15" drop transom. I found it 3 hours south in the Twin Cities. Turns out the guy who had it on Craigslist is a mile from my parent's house and we worked together at Gander Mountain 12 years ago. Small world. He bought it years ago, from an old guy who never used it. He pulled the console (worthless with a non tilt motor) , built a blind system (which he kept) and did a nice camo paint job inside and out. He used Parker's duckboat paint from Cabela's with a homemade stencil and drywall tape.
My intentions for adding a floor, is to keep it modular, easily removed (so I can wheel portage the boat for a guide trip, put it on top of a camper or run it back into the woods with the wheeler) and give our new little boy a place to hang out in the boat. I used 2x2's and some leftover cabinet material that I had laying around. They are only attached in 2 spots so I can easily remove them by pulling a few screws. I will be adding another floor in between the front 2 seats, and then a bow deck below the level of the front seat with a hatch for battery and anchor storage. I have a pin mount for the front seat, and will pop a post in/out for fishing/ running up on step.
I need to put a deck on top for my bowmount trolling motor. I was just planning on keeping my stern mount Minn Kota, but there is no room with the angle of the drop transom. I will eventually put a kicker dropdown mount on the back, and run a 25 hp 4 stroke main motor, and jockey my 9.9 over for bigwater fishing on Superior.
I need any advice you can give about building the bow deck and trolling motor platform.I have done quite a bit of searching, but still want more ideas. I am also torn between what to get for a bow mount, but I will throw that in a different thread.
I don't have much for pics right now, but here's what I have so far.
Camera phone pic the day I got it.
Rear decks/floor installed.
