Ready to get working on my first boat

[esoxkid06]

that thing is looking pretty good!

 

[ChitownBasser]

UPDATE! PICTURE HEAVY This past weekend was great. The weather in Chicago has been record breaking. It also allowed me to finish up my painting.

The final product minus a few touch ups. I plan on stencil painting my tags and reviving the "Aqua Queen" logo on the back sides. Not too hard of a project. I rolled the bottom of the boat and brushed the tighter sides of the boat.

Now on to the electronic portion of the build. BTW I only went thru 1.5 quarts of the red paint and 3/4 of the quart of black for the inside and outside of the boat. The white paint, I believe, was a pint. AND you can't go wrong with green frog tape. I ran out and used some blue tape and white tape. Not the same.

 

[UtahBassKicker]

I like the paint, good job!

 

[ChitownBasser]

Thanks Utah. Almost at the end of the project. I can almost feel the water beneath my feet.

 

[bigwave]

Wow that looks awesome chitown, I am not a red kinda guy, but the way you combined the colors looks real retro to me. I like it =D>

 

[ChitownBasser]

Thanks bigwave. My trailer is red, so that was my starting point. I just went from there. Kinda got a Chicago Bulls vibe, not intentional. Plus I wanted to add some cool stripes or design of sorts on the side.

 

[ChitownBasser]

UPDATE! Almost there.
I pretty much finished the electronic wiring and hook ups. I still need to clean up some wiring and get something to hide wires. But the hard part is done. I also want to get two more red led lights for the middle of the boat. Here is the video of the lights.

I installed my trolling motor and fish finder wiring/transducer. My stern light base and anchor thing also installed. I picked the middle of the boat as the spot for my fish finder. More pics.

Besides a couple of small things, it is just about ready for the water. I have to get the plates for my trailer. Hopefully, Easter weekend will be the maiden voyage. Pics of that to come later.

 

[Jdholmes]

Wow, fantastic job you are doing.

 

[62kodiak]

Awesome boat. I have a 15' Alumacraft open C and I am going to build it like yours. Thanks for the ideas.

 

[ChitownBasser]

Thanks guys. Really without this website, I wouldn't have known what to do. Everyone's posts have helped out a bunch.

 

[Brine]

Looks great man. =D>

Most GA Bulldog fans would agree :LOL2:

 

[fool4fish1226]

Nice work let us know how it fishes

 

[bigwave]

Looks great, I must say the red is growing on me. =D>

 

[ChitownBasser]

FINAL UPDATE.
The Aqua Queen floats.

After getting my hitch installed and my trailer light wiring installed, it was time so cash in after all that hard work. Saturday morning, I loaded up the boat and headed out to the lake.

It was my first time ever launching a boat. Very tricky. It's gonna take some getting used to. Well I put the boat in the water and she floats great. It was a bit windy out and I regretted not installing my cleats for connecting to the dock. Other than that, I dropped my TM down and headed out.

Everything was going good. Very stable towards the back where the boat is flatter. It gets more of a side to side action when you move to the front. It should fit 3 persons easily. Before my next trip out, I want to install my older TM in the front of the boat. I think this will help me navigate better when I am drifting and just want a little push. We (my girlfriend's son) managed one decent little bass for the day on a red shad colored power worm. We decided to call it quits for the day after 3 hours. I can tell when kids get bored.

I decided "what the heck", I'll go fishing tomorrow too. Got home and started charging my battery up. Now my battery tester said it needed a recharge. I think I didn't have a full charge for my first trip out. I went out the next day. The ramp was easier to launch at this other lake. Water was like glass at 7 am.

I fished for about 4 hours. No fish. That's okay. It's great just being on the water.
That's it. That's my build. After 3 months, spending for parts, and trips to the store, she's water ready. There are probably a few things I need to tinker with in the coming weeks. The paint job already has some scratches on it. I understand it's gonna happen. Before my next trip, I want to install my front trolling motor and my cleats. Now to put some fish in the boat.

 

[skysail]

Hey boat looks great, if you dont mind me asking, which 2 lakes are those in the pictures? I have been out a few times too. Heidecke, Shabonna and the calsag. I still havnt caught a fish. Im looking for a nice lakes with launches like that.

 

[ChitownBasser]

It was Busse Woods. The main pool. It has a great launch. No fish though. Very windy and cool. The first lake was Wolf Lake. The launch there is more trickier to launch. Next up, Tampier.

 

[phxbuckeye]

You did a great job on your boat. We all now the amount of time and energy it takes to get it done from start to finish, but its fun and rewarding. Unfortunately the dollars do add up haha. I have my trolling motor mounted off the bow of my boat and it works great. My fishing buddy sits up front and he usually just stears it. I have my 9.9 on the back. The wind does make it a bit tasking when trying to troll in an aluminum, we have all been there, especially trying to land it on the trailer!. The great thing about these boats is they are essentially a giant lego set, you will always find something else you want to do, especially after watching all the new builds on here. Again, great job! =D>

 

[ChitownBasser]

Thanks phxbuckeye. It has been very rewarding. And the money did add up. I am happy to have a water ready boat sitting in my garage, ready to be taken out at any moment (for years to come). I eventually want to get a gas powered 9.9 hp motor in a couple of years but I am satisfied with the way it is now. I really couldn't have done it without this site, forum posts, and some members input. Now to put some fish in the boat.

 

[fender66]

This is a very nice build. Not sure how I've missed this thread.

 

[Redfox03]

nice rig ya got there. looks very clean. i might have to steal some of your ideas