# 12 foot v-hull aluminum mod



## Robvanbeck (Jun 9, 2014)

Alright! Its my turn. I just picked up a 12 foot sears aluminum yesterday for pretty cheap. No trailer. My plan is for a deck, small floor between the back seat area, and a nice little paint job on the exterior. I'm keeping it simple for obvious reasons. I already have a 4.5 hp evinrude, will get a small trolling motor for the front, and eventually a small fish finder. Already got paint and primer. Probly paint tomorrow. I'll do my best to keep updating!


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## Robvanbeck (Jun 10, 2014)

The beast...


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## Robvanbeck (Jun 10, 2014)

The plan. I'm not installing any seating for weight reasons. Old school white throwables. I messed around and put a deck on a 14 ft a couple years back and confident in how this will turn out. Still looking for a trailer also.


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## screamensemen (Jun 11, 2014)

Good start cant wait to see how it turns out.


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## Robvanbeck (Jun 11, 2014)

Primed and painted! Turned out better then I expected after never really painted before. Next up the deck cut out. That what the cardboard in back is for. Used Rustoleum spray aluminum primer and Rustoleum metallic black paint. 1 can of primer and 2 cans of paint. Less then $20 total for paint.


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## Robvanbeck (Jun 16, 2014)

Busy working this week but I found a trailer dirt cheap yesterday and paid about 1/4 of what I expected to pay. So I'm pretty happy about that. I have my supplies for the deck and now that I got the trailer I can get crazy. Need to put a new transom on, which may happen tonight. Also got the template for the deck done.


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## Robvanbeck (Jun 16, 2014)

Moved the winch assembly so the end of the boat sat flush with the end of the bunks. Raised the bunks about an inch and a half. Sits nice. Painting the transom black. Goes on when it dries.


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## Mattais33 (Jun 16, 2014)

I like that color scheme. 

I am interested to see how you frame your floor and your transom pictures.

Looking good.


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## Robvanbeck (Jun 16, 2014)

Go big or go home! Yep, I decided to go overboard with my transom. I also decided on going with natural wood after a day of work and thinking about how I like the worn natural look over time. So I treated a chunk of 3/4 ply and mounted it with 1 1/4 nuts and bolts. Sealed and a 2 x 4 inside for support. Very simple but very strong! And very easy to fix if needed. Also fixed the recoil and changed the gear lubricant. She is officially ready for water!


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## Robvanbeck (Jun 16, 2014)

Can't wait to run her!


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## Robvanbeck (Jun 17, 2014)

Well, it rained pretty good last night and there's no water dripping outta the boat so I'm chalking that up to a small victory. I forgot to mention there were 2 rivets that were replaced by the previous owner with SS nuts and bolts. They seemed good so I just sealed them on the inside. Time to start siphoning when I get back home! Need to cut the wood and the deck will be good to go. I got a 3 foot long piece of aluminum angle from menards to aid in bracing the deck with 2 x 4's. Feeling good.


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## Robvanbeck (Jun 19, 2014)

Its alIve!! Motor runs! Fixed recoil. New gas of course. And a little clean. Haven't ran it in over a year and was worrying about it sitting in rain, sleet, and snow. And how many pulls? 1. Also got the wood finally for the deck and borrowed a jigsaw from a buddy at work. I'm not going to be able to sleep.


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## Robvanbeck (Jun 19, 2014)

Boom


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## Robvanbeck (Jun 26, 2014)

Got the deck cut and supports in. All water proofed.just need to cut my hatch door. Stainless steel screws and angle aluminum with 2x4's for supports. Not to impressive but will work just fine. Carpet tonight hopefully!


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## Robvanbeck (Jun 26, 2014)

Little bit of carpet as a buffer between the front edge of the wood and metal. A brace is going in the middle also for added support.


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## Robvanbeck (Jun 30, 2014)

Carpet put on using locktight spray adhesive shown in a post above. Then screwed on edges below. Then screwed to middle seat at the mounted 2x4s. Even took the boat for a test run and everything held and did its job. Also sat well in the water and not really tippy at all.


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## Robvanbeck (Jun 30, 2014)

Waves were decent but the 4.5 evinrude chugged right along with 2 guys in the boat and never once did I worry about safety issues. Can't wait to run it alone to see if it picks up speed.


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## geeksterman (Jun 30, 2014)

Good Job !....Simple but effective.


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## Robvanbeck (Jul 1, 2014)

Thank you! Now time for a trolling motor, fish locator, and little odds and ends. I will continue to post upgrades.


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## BayouSerpent (Jul 1, 2014)

Great job on adjusting the trailer to fit the boat, that will make towing easier on the mind and the boat.  

Also I really like the color scheme, simple but very effective. 

Front fishing deck looks very nice. However, it looks like you placed the 2x4's flat, does it support pretty good with no bow?

In addition, on the transom looks very strong indeed. Thanks for the out of the box idea ( extending the transom on the outside the full length) my mind was stuck on keeping that part out of the water. 

Excellent progress and nice work!


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## Robvanbeck (Jul 1, 2014)

Thanks! I saw guys using 2x2s and figured sideways would not only be fine but also be good for attaching the floor. Very stable! With the transom I figured I wanted all the support I could as the hull is so thin and welded. No flex makes me happy. I think rod holders and cup holders are tonight! LOL!


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## Robvanbeck (Jul 7, 2014)

I forgot to mention that when I ran the boat I had to keep pressure by squeezing the bulb. As if it wasn't getting a steady flow of fuel. Well, I took it out for a run yesterday... started up on first pull like always. Then after 50 feet? Dead. Upon further review it wasn't the motor at all. The hose inside the tank including the barb that keeps it attached to the nozzle was somewhere in the bottom of my full gas tank! Must have been hanging by a thread last time it was out. Just enough to get gas in the line. Easy fix at least. I also am going to do a bow mount for a 30 lb minn kota this week.


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## Robvanbeck (Jul 7, 2014)

I was thinking of maybe a 2x10 cut to sit flush with the inside just under the rails up fron the SS screws outside in to secure it. Carpet it. Then a bracket for the motor. I think it will support the weight fine and look nice. If I get an actual bow mount I just have to take the bracket off. I also already mounted my rod holders. When I get the bow done I'll take a few pics. Just need some more time! 2 jobs are a killer!


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## Robvanbeck (Jul 8, 2014)

$3 fix. Works perfect! 1/4 inch hose barb and fuel line I already had installed in 5 seconds. And the first time I can remember the pressure being that good!


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## Robvanbeck (Jul 16, 2014)

Installed a bracket for a bow mount. Gonna do the reverse head minn kota. You can also see where I put the rod holders. The cooler will get bigger to. Just need a fish locator! Fishing a tourney next weekend, In a dIfferent boat. Maybe I can do work and win money for that.


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## onthewater102 (Jul 17, 2014)

I've seen brackets made that way they flex back and forth pretty bad. Do yourself a favor - center a carriage bolt through the center of the topside of the block that can tie to an angled shelf bracket/brace support







attach the backend to the deck away from the bace of the block and fasten it to the bolt using a butterfly nut. You'll be able to disconnect it to slip the TM bracket over, but you'll be able to tighten it down & keep the whole thing from swaying back & forth like this:


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## Robvanbeck (Jul 17, 2014)

Thanks for the input! I thought about that and put a small bracket on the opposite side to the top rail. Seems very sturdy. I'm going to run it after work tomorrow and do a speed test and see if the mount holds. If I need to I will add a bracket like the one you said for sure! If it works well I'll take a pic.


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## onthewater102 (Jul 17, 2014)

Don't think you'll need it - I'm sure if you added one to the topside of the rail you should be good. That's probably prettier too...


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## Robvanbeck (Jul 21, 2014)

Well, the motor mount in the bow works perfect. So that's cool. Ran the boat Friday by myself and used phone gps. With wind and good waves I hit 12 mph. I can only imagine what a 9 horse could do for me! With the fiance Sunday it went far slower. The extra 125 pounds in the boat doesn't help but it was nice LOL! Even managed some fish! Fish finder and I'm good!


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## Robvanbeck (Aug 12, 2014)

Ordered a bigfoot trolling motor switch from bass pro and installed. Pretty sweet little switch. I was surprised how small it was. I was expecting it to be bigger. But it works well. Screwed into the floor and wires go through 2 small holes directly to my battery under the deck.


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## ccm (Aug 13, 2014)

The Big Foot switches tend to wear out in a in a year to two years because the rubber part that covers the contact will degrade due to sun & weather exposure. When the switch wears out replace it with a TH Marine footswitch ( they invented the momentary foot switch for trolling motors ), they do cost more ( around $25 ) but they will last a decade or more because they are fully sealed & weather resistant. Last year my dad upgraded to a Fortrex 101 Foot control for his bass boat & he gave me the two TH Marine foot switches that had been on the boat for close to a decade. They still work with no issues at all.


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## Robvanbeck (Aug 14, 2014)

Awesome I will definitely look into that!


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