# 1997 Fisher Dominator 17 Remod



## drn1617 (May 5, 2016)

hello all new to the forum

I started a project on my 17 foot bass boat in which I was going to just replace the plywood and carpet, fix some broken parts, and paint it as a plan to hunt with this boat. As I started pulling everything apart I found the wiring needed redone, waterlogged foam needed to be removed, and it just needed a lot more than I had thought. I also didn't like that way the boat was set up so I decided to just go for it and rebuild/remod the entire boat. 

the boat is 17 ft long by 64 inches long I believe with a slight v, and I have a 2002 mercury 40hp 2 stroke prop motor that has been very reliable the 3 years I have owned the boat.

So far I have removed the motor, removed and discarded the carpet and rotten plywood, pulled out everything (console, wiring, fuel tank, live well, batteries, trolling motor, etc), removed disposed of all the waterlogged floatation foam, flipped the boat over and stripped all of the paint... this is where I'm currently at with this project... 

my plans are to put 1/8 inch aluminum decks and flooring and convert to a center console, shorten the decks some and just have some fun making it the way I want it. 

parts and supplies I have or bought for this include:

-3 sheets 5x4 and 1 sheet 6x4 1/8 inch 5052 aluminum, as well as some angle, tube, c channel etc ( I have a decent stock of aluminum from other projects)
-4 sheets of hydro turf
-new minn kota 70lb thrust 24 volt trolling motor
-a gallon of duralux aluminum boat green paint
-2 2lb floatation foam kits (enough to do 16 Square feet or float about 1000 lbs)
-3 new marine deep cell interstate batteries

I have a lot more to buy and build but I have a decent start...

-As far as tools I have a welder with a spool gun for welding aluminum, a variety of saws, air riveter hvlp paint guns, ect so think I should have everything I need to do this. 

I would love to hear some advice or comments and I will try to keep this updated

ill put some pictures below

Thanks,
Dan


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## fool4fish1226 (May 6, 2016)

:WELCOME: Thanks for sharing - keep the updates coming


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## wmk0002 (May 6, 2016)

I have a 1994 model of that same boat. Mine has not been modified much though aside from replacing the factory bench seat with twp fold down helm seats.

How well did that 40hp push your boat as it was? Mine has a 1994 70hp Force which I assume originally came with the boat and pushes mine about 38 mph with two people, 15 or so gallons of gas, 02 batteries, and gear. I'm just curious on what your 40 hp does as I don't think mine would do well at all with that small of one. I thought you might be trying to cut some weight to account for that.


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## drn1617 (May 6, 2016)

Its not all that bad (about 28 mph with two people gear and everything plus all that waterlogged foam) i had it up to 32 with just me..I do like the fact that it sips fuel however I may upgrade down the road.. well see how it is from cutting weight im sure its nice having a 70 on it


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## wmk0002 (May 6, 2016)

drn1617 said:


> Its not all that bad (about 28 mph with two people gear and everything plus all that waterlogged foam) i had it up to 32 with just me..I do like the fact that it sips fuel however I may upgrade down the road.. well see how it is from cutting weight im sure its nice having a 70 on it



28 is not bad at all, however, that speed is about as slow as my boat will cruise nicely on plane. I have actually always wondered if I just had too much stern weight that was hindering me or if the hull is just not that well engineered. 

Good luck with the mods. It's nice to see what the naked version of mine looks like without tearing into it myself.


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## drn1617 (May 6, 2016)

Something sounds off there i can stay on plain down to a little over half throttle... i wonder if your foam is waterlogged? I pulled a few hundred pounds of waterlogged foam out of mine..


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## wmk0002 (May 6, 2016)

drn1617 said:


> Something sounds off there i can stay on plain down to a little over half throttle... i wonder if your foam is waterlogged? I pulled a few hundred pounds of waterlogged foam out of mine..



I have wondered that too. I have had the rear plywood deck off many times running electrical and recarpeting and such and the foam was always good and dry up top though. I should clarify it technically stays on plane even farther down on the throttle but the stern squats enough that it seems like an inefficient cruising speed.


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## Shoedawg (May 6, 2016)

You've seen my project bro (we have about the same boat, link is in my sig on the bottom). I too had to remove the foam out of mine. There was some waterlogging going on, but not as much as yours. Pull the foam out and buy some 2-part pour foam (2lb Foam) to fill in those cavities on the aft end of the boat (port and starboard sides). Make sure you provided some way to accommodate draining. Just don't pour the foam into the cavity, or the water may not drain properly. I am book marking your thread to keep tabs on the build. 

P.S. Have you welded aluminum before? It a different beast compared to steel.


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## drn1617 (May 7, 2016)

yeah I just got the 2 part foam in the mail this week.. I read that the dry weight of the boat is 850lbs from the factory and my motor is 165lbs (1015) so at 60 pounds of floatation per square foot I ordered 16 square feet so 960lbs of floatation... I figure after using aluminum decks instead of plywood it should be about right on the money however I like how you used the foam board in your build for support and also a little added insurance.. honestly I went back and forth on if I was going to even add the foam back in as I usually just run this boat on the river (never far from shore) but I use it all the way until the river freezes over so its probably a good idea. and for I've done a good bit of aluminum welding with a miller 252 30amp spool gun I have access to and also I own a miller 211 with a spoolmate 100 which I modified to take different tips because it had serious burn back issues. but now that its set up I can get nice welds with it up to about quarter inch


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## Shoedawg (May 9, 2016)

Nice man. Wish I had the skills to weld Aluminum. Keep a eye on my build. I would just add the foam. Never know when you may take it to a lake to fish or sell it down the road. Doesn't really take up much time and is cheap to do.

Do you have the original hatches for the boat? My original ones were in bad shape, so I ordered new ones from R&R Design. The old ones didn't even latch and were just lids that closed on a hinge. Keep the pictures rolling. I plan to throw some more work done to my tin up on my thread sometime this week.


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## drn1617 (May 9, 2016)

yeah I've committed to adding foam back in, as far as the hatches I do have the original ones but I agree they suck but I was able to use c channel and angle and used the original ones to make a drop in hatch (pic in first post). looking forward to seeing pics of when you put the foam in as I have the same brand of foam.


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## drn1617 (May 9, 2016)

got a decent bit done this weekend.. I filled the boat with water and checked for leaks and found about 10 so ill either have to tighten or replace the rivets and I plan on painting on some gluvit as well. Also I picked up a harbor freight 36" brake to make the center console (I wasn't sure if it was going to work but I figured it would get plenty of use either way). my experience was that out of the box it would not bend 1/8 or 12 gauge aluminum so I modified it hoping it would work. I used 1/4 steel plate to make rear slotted mounts so I could put more pressure on the brake without it bending. between that and the use of C clamps I was able to successfully bend 12 gauge 5052 aluminum sheet at a full 36 inches but it was not easy I had to use cheater pipes and harp on it! 


So as far as building the console I just found an old cardboard box the was big enough and did all my measurements and basically built the console out of cardboard and then brought it out to the boat to see if I liked it and if would work 



From there I just took a sheet of 12 gauge and cut it down to size using a circular saw with a non ferrous blade and then taped the cardboard to the aluminum and traced it, and then cut it to the same shape using a jig saw with a wood blade.




Then I made my measurements on the aluminum and made my bends with the brake..it was difficult and took a lot of time but I'm happy with how it came out.



I used the brake to make a top to fit and then welded it up.. it is very sturdy and I'm happy with it. it is 36" high by 20" wide by 20" long. the batteries fit so I'm not sure if ill put them in the console or transom hatch. also I plan to add a grab rail and windshield.


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## smarriott165 (May 10, 2016)

Looks great! I am following your build and can't wait to see how it turns out. 

Sent from my SM-G900P using Tapatalk


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## Shoedawg (May 10, 2016)

Console looks good bro. I almost bought the same brake from HF, but decided against it. Just don't have the room in my little shop to accommodate one. I'm just using 2x4's and hands for all my bending needs. Are you fabricating the steering housing as well?


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## drn1617 (May 11, 2016)

Thanks for the feedback guys! As far as the steering housing im planning on mounting a teleflex rack and pinion style system to the cover plate i welded on and putting 1/4 diamond plate behind it for support. Not sure if that answers your question?


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## Shoedawg (May 11, 2016)

drn1617 said:


> Thanks for the feedback guys! As far as the steering housing im planning on mounting a teleflex rack and pinion style system to the cover plate i welded on and putting 1/4 diamond plate behind it for support. Not sure if that answers your question?




I have the same system, that is the Teleflex rack and pinion. Yea, that answers my question. Its a pretty easy system to work with. I, however, had one hell of a time removing the steering cable from the back of my motor (near the transom bracket). It was caked in dirt, grease and other crap, but it came off.

You can do a lot with that console, like adding a switch panel, gauges, etc. Are you adding a stereo system to the boat? I still back and forth on the idea. Not sure where I want to mount the speakers. I may just put them on the side of the drivers console. One on each side. Be easier to install and replaced down the road if the speakers go KAPUT! Not going to get a CD player deck. Just sticking to a deck that supports mp3/i-pod player.


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## drn1617 (May 12, 2016)

yeah I can see how that would be hard to get off in that condition. I took mine apart when I first got the boat and greased it so it wasn't that bad. the struggle I ran into was getting the steering wheel off but it eventually came off with enough force... as far as putting a radio in absolutely! gotta have tunes! I want the boat to be an all around pleasure/fishing/hunting boat. My plans for now at least are to put a 4 speaker system with cd/mp3 in with two speakers in the console and two in the step/shotgun/misc box I plan on fabricating ( pics to come in the next post of the box). I think I'm going to put the batteries in the console so I can put the battery charger, fuse panel, bus bar, and basically all electrical items all together. I guess then I can make the transom hatch storage for a tool box, extra parts and that kind of stuff.. not 100% still in the idea phase


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## drn1617 (May 12, 2016)

I had some time today so I mocked everything up to see if I liked the set up. I cut the front deck down and found the frame for the old bench seat in my scrap pile and put it in place behind front deck as a step/storage box/seat/ whatever. I can build a lid for it later if I decide to keep it. I pulled out an old cooler and put it in front of the console and also put in a seat with a back a built a month or so ago.. I think I made the seat to wide because It might be hard to get around while out on the water so that's going to need some work. let me know what you guys think and any ideas. 

thanks


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## Shoedawg (May 19, 2016)

Hows the build coming along??


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## drn1617 (May 24, 2016)

pretty good man.. I've been pretty busy lately but I was able to get the inside cleaned up and removed the rivets where the decks were held on to the side of the boat and welded up the holes and also welded up the holes in the transom where the speedo pick up and transducer were mounted. I also change the configuration again...(cant ever make up my mind) I moved the console toward the front and chopped down the rear deck some, then put an aluminum truck box I acquired in the center to be used for a bench seat/storage.. I started welding in square tube for the front deck framing as well. other than that I got the tools to tighten up the rivets ,a windshield for the console ,and a pint of gluvit to paint on the rivets and seams. (ill post some pictures when I get a chance)


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## drn1617 (Jun 1, 2016)

update:

Took the rear deck out chopped it down some. Used stripper wheels, wire wheels, wire brush, scotch pads, and sand paper to clean up the inside and prep it for gluvit. Re "bucked" all leaking rivets. Painted gluvit on all rivets and seams inside and out and let it dry for 48 hours before scuffing it and painting on some primer (to be painted later). built up the front deck framing and welded it all in ( some welds have to be finished up (I was running low on argon and wanted to get it all tacked in.

that's all for now I hope to get a lot of work done in the next couple weeks!


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## Shoedawg (Jun 3, 2016)

Looking good man!!! Wish I knew how to weld aluminum :? :? :? :? Question though. I noticed that you have some weld areas sitting on top (near a joint) where I am guessing a deck is going to go right on top of. Is the welded area gonna cause a problem from keeping the deck being flush with your support?? I can't tell if you grind'ed down some of the joint areas in the very front of the deck support. Are you going to rivet or weld the deck down? Keep us posted and keep the momentum going, =D> =D> =D> =D>


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## drn1617 (Jun 3, 2016)

Thanks! I didnt grind all of it yet I still have to finish some of the welds and clean it all up...im hoping to have all the welding done this weekend so i can paint some time next week. Im planning on riveting down the decks so its still posible to get them back out if i need to.


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## Shoedawg (Jun 11, 2016)

Hows the build coming along man? I just put my motor on today, but its not getting enough fuel, so I have to clean the carbs.


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## drn1617 (Jun 11, 2016)

Nice! That has to be a great feeling i cant wait to get mine done its so hard not being out on the water. My motor was acting up last year and i got the carb rebuild kit and re adjusted the float and it fixed it right up. (Mine only has one carb). But my boat is coming along.. i got the decks just about cut out and all the supports in place. I just have to wait for a day off and some good weather so i can paint


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## drn1617 (Aug 3, 2016)

its been a while since I've posted.. I had A LOT more time into fabricating then I thought I would but I finally feel I'm at a point where I can paint.. I ordered some more gluvit because I want to paint it over all the welds to ensure I don't have any pinhole leaks. so I flipped the boat over and I'm going to paint on the gluvit wait a few days and hopefully if the weather is good paint the duralux on.. also I picked up some mossy oak shadow grass stencils and 2 of the styx river spray paint kits (8) cans in all... I'm looking forward to doing something other than cutting grinding bending and welding metal haha... I mocked it all up to get a picture of how its going to look..


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## drn1617 (Aug 7, 2016)

I painted the boat today. this was my first time painting anything major but It went pretty well. As stated before I painted gluvit on the entire area below the water line. I then let that cure for 3 days just to be safe and then spent about 5 hours scuffing it up with a scotch pad and going over it lightly with 80 grit to take the shine off and then washing it as per the instructions on their website. I then rubbed the whole boat down with white vinegar, let it dry and then spayed a thin coat of self etching primer on. (the duralux paint I used stated I did not need to use primer but that was for painting over bare aluminum.. so it made sense to me to paint over the gluvit and aluminum with self etching primer so it would stick to both and give the duralux something to stick too....) It might have worked fine without it but it made me feel better so I went with it. any way I used a harbor freight HVLP gun and my compressor rated at 10 cfm @ 90 PSI and it worked great.. the only thing I ran into was that the duralux paint was too thick to spray without thinning and on the can it says thinning is not recommended.... so I looked on the website and it said to thin with MEK if thinning is needed... any way I ended up going with xylene because duralux is an epoxy enamel and the MEK said it was for epoxy when fast drying is wanted and xylene said its for epoxy when medium drying is wanted, and its 85 degrees and low humidity and I painted the boat outside so I didn't want it to dry to fast.. I'm glad I went with xylene because even it was drying so fast I could barely keep up.. I used 4oz of xylene for 16 oz of paint and that worked pretty good but as I went I found myself adding more xylene with each batch until it was the viscosity I wanted.. probably somewhere around 1/3 part xylene... I knew it wasn't going to be perfect but for my first time using an HVLP gun I think it went ok.. Next is the Mossy oak shadow grass paint and stencils! 

take care
-Dan


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## drn1617 (Aug 26, 2016)

I just finished up the camo pattern. I spent 5 days a (few hours at a time) after work painting the 3 different stencils on and just followed the instructions... I think it came out pretty good. here's some pictures


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## drn1617 (Apr 2, 2017)

UPDATE

I brought the boat out of storage a few weeks ago and started working on it. I tried to add all of the photos of the work I've accomplished from my last post until now but the session timed out on me so I just added a few pictures of where the project is now. If anyone wants to see the pourable foam or seat mounts or fitment of the floor or anything else I have a lot of pictures. I just ordered the rest of the parts I need to finish this so ill try to keep up with posting pictured down the home stretch

Thanks,
Dan


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## drn1617 (Apr 21, 2017)

Here's some more pictures of the build. Won't be long now!


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## Shoedawg (May 8, 2017)

Looking good bro!! I am about to redo the wiring on my boat. Didn't do it last year, but ran the boat without it. Keep trucking along, I wanna see that puppy on the water!


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