Reed's 1542 Alumacraft Swamp Sled.

[flatboat]

reed
i picked up a lower pitched prop just for those times when i was really loaded .we loaded boats way beyond cap with hunting stuff , blind material and grass , tools and such and we would just change props really made a difference aluminum works good
i just noticed the jack plate isn't supported on the top . there is a lot of stress on the top bolts . if i'm not mistaken thats cast aluminum , it doesn't usualy bend it just snaps , catastrophic failure is not good ,check for cracks
ed

 

[reedjj]

Thanks Flatboat I wondered about how they mounted it when i saw it. I was assured it would hold just fine. So far its holding up just fine. I have probably hit more logs, and ran aground more times in the last 2 weeks than most people do EVER. LOL.

 

[reedjj]

So I figure I am as close to done with this project as I will ever be. I still have a few things to add like the trolling motor and maybe a power tilt and trim jackplate. That will all be in the future if I don't sell her off for something else.

I may end up removing the center bench and turning it into a center console jet drive at some pt. But that will be another modification thread in itself.

I would like to thank all those who helped me and offered insight into my first ever attempt at building a boat. I am very happy with the results and have had a lot of compliments on the SwampSled while out on the water. I never would have had the guts to attempt it without this site, and without the advice I got from you.

Now its on to find another boat to mess with. Here are a few pics I took while out today. Just me and the dog! I used the GPS and hit 31mph with a light load. It sure felt faster though. LOL 31mph is fast enough for me in a little flat bottom jon boat.......ehhh not really! The next one will be faster. hahaha

 

[crkdltr]

Boat looks good ReedJJ.

Wanna race? :lol:

 

[reedjj]

Not if your runnin that 88hp OMC you mentioned. LOL

 

[crkdltr]

Not if your runnin that 88hp OMC you mentioned. LOL

Naw... 8) Just the 40 hp Force (no Jedi powers)

 

[Flatsdaddy]

That is a sweet boat and a great thread on the build! Thanks fo rsharing all the info and ideas.

I love running up and down the rivers here in Florida too, there's nothing like it.

 

[fish2keel]

reedjj,

Great boat project! Ive followed it every step of the way!

I live in daytona beach right now since I go to school here and saw that you are in clay county running. We should run the rivers some time once I get my boat up and going! I just got another boat which wasnt even planned( I just wanted the outboard) but as soon as I get the 1648 grizzly going we should take a trip up the river and fish.

If you ever need a helping hand let me know

f2k

 

[reedjj]

Sounds good. Now that the weather is starting to get unbelievably hot I plan on spending as much time as possible on the water!

 

[reedjj]

Last week my motor was acting a little funny in the midrage It would miss and spit and sputter and It would barely idle. The only time it ran smoth was at about 80% throttle all the way to WOT. No where on the low end would it run smooth. I had to run WOT or idle around with it smoking like crazy and spitting oil.

I changed the plugs, put some gas treatment in the tank (2 times) and it still didn't help. Needless to say I took it to my motor guy, Thought maybe there was something more serious wrong with it like reeds, or a bad cylinder or something. When I went to pick it up I fully expected to hear that I was going to either need some serious repairs or a new motor.

Turns out, the carb was stuck. Apparently there was some junk stopping it up and it was running on only 1 cylinder the last time I took it out and even then the one cyl that was firing was missing (the time before that it was in and out) . That explains the oil all down the motor. The top Cylinder wasn't firing at all, the fuel mix that cyl was getting was just spitting out the exhaust. It was a mess.

He cleaned it, out and I picked it up today and went straight to the boat ramp. It was like a whole new engine. Smooth, quiet and alot more power. It jumped on plane quick, before it would sputter a little till the rpms got up then the 2nd cyl would kick in around 5,000rpm. Top speed was not much higer than before. I could go 30-31 before and today hit 33mph for just a second or so on GPS. And I was able to run on plane as slow as 15mph I like to run on plane at about 20mph which is about half throttle. Before it would not run slow on plane. WOT or idle was all I had, so I was buning though gas quickly. Toda I cruised at around 18mph to 21mph for over and hour in one direction and then about another hour at 25mph on the way back. From Middleburg, FL to the St Johns river at St Rt 17 near Flemming Island and back with a few dtours into some small creeks to look for gators. I barely used 2 gallons of gas.

Very happy I didn't have to spend a lot of money!

 

[crkdltr]

Kudos! Just from your initial description I was going to tell you it sounded like a fuel/carb problem.

Are you running ethanol blended gas or non blended?

If running ethanol blend, be sure to pick up some kind of ethanol fuel treatment and when you're done motoring your boat, pull the fuel line and let the motor run until it runs out of fuel. That is if you're not doing this already.

8)

Last week my motor was acting a little funny in the midrage It would miss and spit and sputter and It would barely idle. The only time it ran smoth was at about 80% throttle all the way to WOT. No where on the low end would it run smooth. I had to run WOT or idle around with it smoking like crazy and spitting oil.

I changed the plugs, put some gas treatment in the tank (2 times) and it still didn't help. Needless to say I took it to my motor guy, Thought maybe there was something more serious wrong with it like reeds, or a bad cylinder or something. When I went to pick it up I fully expected to hear that I was going to either need some serious repairs or a new motor.

Turns out, the carb was stuck. Apparently there was some junk stopping it up and it was running on only 1 cylinder the last time I took it out and even then the one cyl that was firing was missing (the time before that it was in and out) . That explains the oil all down the motor. The top Cylinder wasn't firing at all, the fuel mix that cyl was getting was just spitting out the exhaust. It was a mess.

He cleaned it, out and I picked it up today and went straight to the boat ramp. It was like a whole new engine. Smooth, quiet and alot more power. It jumped on plane quick, before it would sputter a little till the rpms got up then the 2nd cyl would kick in around 5,000rpm. Top speed was not much higer than before. I could go 30-31 before and today hit 33mph for just a second or so on GPS. And I was able to run on plane as slow as 15mph I like to run on plane at about 20mph which is about half throttle. Before it would not run slow on plane. WOT or idle was all I had, so I was buning though gas quickly. Toda I cruised at around 18mph to 21mph for over and hour in one direction and then about another hour at 25mph on the way back. From Middleburg, FL to the St Johns river at St Rt 17 near Flemming Island and back with a few dtours into some small creeks to look for gators. I barely used 2 gallons of gas.

Very happy I didn't have to spend a lot of money!

 

[reedjj]

Yea, unfortunately I run regular pump gas with ethanol. I always put in my 1/2 oz of ethanol treatment in every tank. The closest place that sells NON-ethanol that I could find was about 40 Miles away. If I had a big boat that had a 150 gallon tank It might be worth it but not for a jon with a six gallon.

My motor came off a Pontoon and had sat for a few years before I got it. It ran great for the first several times out. What I think happened was that some of the buildup that was on the carb finally broke loose and gummed up or blocked a jet causing it to run bad or make something stick. I was hoping it was just a dirty carb, but I used to race dirtbikes and the way it was acting was alot like a 2stroke dirtbike does when a reed valve is going bad but hasn't gone completely out yet.

Although I am happy it was an easy fix, It wouldn't have broke my heart if I had to put in som V-Force or Boysen reeds. They make a huge difference on a 250cc dirt bike as far as throttle response and torque. I wonder what they would do for a 25hp merc. Plus had I known for sure it was the carb I would have done it myself. Still didn't cost much for the shop to work on it and I probably would have lost a little spring or screw or something anyway and had to let them put it back together for me in the end plus buy a new parts. LOL

 

[fishingbear]

I have an alumacraft 1442 ncs no seats only front and back decks. The open floor is 8' long. I have a lot of open space. I got it from state surplus, an old wildlife boat.($200). Got a new trailer and a used 20hp 1998 merc. Now I am wanting to set her up for salt water, back water reds and flounder. Like your floor and flotation. Hope to send pics later. Fishingbear

 

[FFDOZIER]

Boat looks amazing brother. Very impressive build!!!

 

[reedjj]

Thank you.

 

[Southernman]

Reed,

Your boat turned out great man. I am new to this site as of last week. I am planning on buying a 1542 alumacraft also! A friend is on the this site and he told me to get on here and look for info regarding the boat I wanted. I just got done looking at the pictures and reading all the posts that people put on your post.

Anyway, I am now very excited to get my boat and start working on it. Good job man!

Ps. Thanks for your service and dedication to your country

 

[BoatingCop]

Reedjj, GREAT job on your build!! I'm wanting to add decks to mine and was wondering how you anchored down your framework for the decks to the boat? Or are they removeable and how to you keep them in one place? Thanks in advance!

 

[reedjj]

Thanks for the compliments Southern boating man. Make sure to post pics and keep us up on your boat when you get started.

Boating Cop, thanks...

The flooring is held in place with 2" wide industrial self adhesive velcro strips. They come with both the fuzzy side and the sticky side stuck together. All you gotta do is peel off the film and stick it to the ribs on the floor. Then when your ready to put your floor in for the final time (after fit testing and making sure its just right and clean enough to accept the adhesive on the other side of the velcro) peel the film off the other side of the velcro and drop the floor in place. As long as you sealed the wood good and its clean the adhesive strip will stick just fine. I then walked around on it to make sure it was stuck down good n tight.

The bench I built that the seats mount to is screwed into the floor using the "L" shaped brackets from Home Depot They are the same ones pictured in the front deck construction.

The Front deck is held in place with the "L" shaped brackets screwed into the wood floor and where it sits on the front aluminum seat I used the Velcro all along the 2x2's where they meet the aluminum.

Some people laugh when I tell them that I used Velcro. But It is strong stuff. Plus I didn't have to drill any holes or screw anything into my aluminum boat. I think that is a big plus for when I go to sell it. If I was looking for a jon boat I wouldn't want one full of holes.

The side console is bolted through the gunnel and screwd into the wood floor. Other than the 4 bolts that hold the jackplate on, the 2 bolts that hold the throttle control to the gunnel and the 2 that hold the side console to the gunnel there are absolutetly no other holes in my boat.

This is what I used https://www.homedepot.com/Tools-Hardware-Hardware-Fasteners-Fasteners-Household-Velcro/h_d1/N-5yc1vZaqxm/R-202261919/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053

 

[reedjj]

I had to pull the front floor out from under the front deck and needed help to get it out. As for the front deck....I just towed my boat at 70+ mph from Middleburg, FL (just south of Jacksonville) all the way to Flolkston,GA and no issues with anything. That plus all the beating and banging I have done on the creek its not ever coming off there without some serious muscle.

If whoever buys it wants it off or wants to redo it all they have to do is remove a couple of screws where the rear of the deck meets the wood floor and pull it off. It will take some muscle but it will come up. They will need to use some "Goo be gone" to remove the adhesive from the aluminum but thats no big deal. Better than welding or JB welding screw holes.

Hope that helped. I tend to be long winded. LOL.

 

[Flatbotm]

Reed I wanted to say great job on your 1542 boat build. Your build was how I found tinboats. Power of google. My question is related to using a long shaft motor and a mini jack plate vs using a short shaft and no jack plate. Did you use the long shaft motor because that's what you found or is there a reason when converting to a console that you need the Long shaft motor? Thanks for the help.