Project swamp boat: Lowe rover 16

[soggybottom]

I keep thinking of little things to add to the boat. Today I decided I wanted an out of the way place to store the couple small tackle boxes I carry.

So I started playing around with some scraps





I came up with this shelf under the deck



Thought about making a door for it, but I think I’ll just put a bungee across the front to keep the boxes from sliding out.

 

[soggybottom]

Threw this pole holder together quick out of some scraps. Added a shim inside the one tube to fit my fly rod better.





Getting set up to do paint this weekend

 

[sss]

Looks great, I bet the tackle box shelf will be one of the those little details you appreciate every time you use it.
What kind of paint are you going with?

 

[soggybottom]

I’m using rustoleum green camo. It was the closest match I could find for the old paint.

 

[moecarama]

Nice welding and creativity, I've enjoyed your build! =D>

 

[soggybottom]

Primer on



And paint







Decided to do a couple things in black just to break it up some

 

[soggybottom]

With painting out of the way I’ve moved on to final assembly.









Still have to get screws to mount the seat base, and wire everything up, but we’re nearing the finish line!

 

[LDUBS]

Craftmanship really shows. Nicely done.

 

[soggybottom]

Thanks! I’m getting pretty excited to get it out on the water.

Decided I’m going to give a pole anchor a try. The lake I live on is mostly 6ft deep and under with a mucky/sandy bottom, so I think a pole anchor will really work nice.

Made this fold out mount for holding the pole



And here it is stowed/folded



Just have to get a long fiberglass pole and I’ll be in business. All the ice is starting to melt off the lake, so hopefully it won’t be too long before I can give the boat a trial run with all the improvements.

 

[soggybottom]

Got the surface drive mounted up





Added a pull to the battery hatch



All the ice is almost off the lake. Might be able to get the boat on the water this weekend!

 

[Roy]

Craftmanship really shows. Nicely done.

I agree 100%. A great job!!

 

[soggybottom]

Got her out on the water for a test run







Didn’t do any fishing, but I trolled around a little and played with the fish finder. I think I’m going to really like this whole setup. Hopefully the next post will have some fish!

 

[jrjr12]

Sweet setup, nice work and great craftsmanship!

 

[LDUBS]

That is terrific. All the lakes around me are closed down. Seeing some "on the water" pic's sure makes my day. Thanks for sharing.

 

[soggybottom]

Thought I’d post a little update. After using the boat all spring and summer I can say I’m totally happy with all the upgrades I’ve made. Caught tons of fish, and did it in much more comfort than the original layout.










This boat is the perfect setup for the shallow lake I live on. This winter I plan on making a removable light bar for the bow so I can try shooting some carp this spring. Our little bay gets packed with carp every year. For now I’m looking forward to some serious fall fishing for crappies and northern pike.

 

[DM1975]

Nicely done! Great welds and wonderful attention to detail! I want to build a boat just using aluminum but my skills aren’t up to par yet like yours.

 

[BillBeams525]

So last year I bought a lake house! I’m living the dream, I can walk out my back door and go fishing. Only catch is I live on a bay that’s so choked with lily pads/weeds regular boats can’t get through to open water.

Here it is before the pads get too bad

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My solution is to build a swamp boat! I bought a Lowe Rover 1640 for $700. Included a trailer, 25 horse motor, and plenty of rotten wood.

Here she is after I got her stripped down and evicted all the mice

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I traded the motor for a nice John Deere snow blower, and bought a surface drive to replace it

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I spent the rest of the season fishing out of it as is

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Plans are to add some decking and make it a little more comfortable to fish out of for this season. Stay tuned!

I’m liking your boat a lot. I have a Lowe 1640 rover Jon like yours. My title says 1960 but I thought Lowe started in 1971. Do you know what year your is? Thanks