# 1997 Landau 1648 Jon Boat



## meonline06 (Oct 31, 2012)

Hello all. I purchased a 16ft flat bottom jon boat back in April and have been fixing it up every since. The boat was in bad shape when I first brought it home; it's still in pretty bad shape but it at least floats and goes. My original purchase included the boat, two 1985 35 hp mercury outboards(not running), trailer, and a few extras like an anchor and fuel tank; all for $500. I've been looking at the builds on TinBoats since April and have got a lot of great ideas for my own build. I saw a tutorial on how to add photos to a post but don't remember where I saw it. Could someone point me in the right direction of tell me how? I'll put some pictures up as soon as I figure it out. Up to this point I've only done what was needed to get me fishing and enjoying the river. My plan during the off-season this winter is to go back and really give it a thorough makeover!


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## meonline06 (Nov 1, 2012)




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## jasper60103 (Nov 1, 2012)

Welcome aboard and have fun with your project.


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## ifish4redd (Nov 1, 2012)

:WELCOME: from va,


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## meonline06 (Nov 1, 2012)

Ok, I think I figured out how to attach the images. This is what it looked like when I first picked it up. It is definitely beat up, but I like to have something to work on and I figured it should be a fun project. The mercury outboard shown in the photos is complete, but not running. I also got an identical spare motor that is missing some of its electrical components (don't have a picture of it). I will get together some photos of the work I've done so far and put them up here later.


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## meonline06 (Nov 2, 2012)

The first thing I did is tear this thing down to a bare hull. I built a motor stand with spare wood laying around the garage so I can work on getting the motor running. After pulling the motor I determined that the transom was in ok condition; it wasn't rotten but it wasn't in great condition either. Since my goal was to hurry and get this thing sea worthy I left it as is for now. I decided that it would be too hard for me to get the dents out of the bench seats and I also wanted to use that space for storage....so I drilled out the rivets and removed the two benches and the front deck. At this point the side of the boat was full of holes between the drilled out bench rivets and the livewell holes, so my next task was to get this thing floating. Before I started replacing rivets I filled it up with water to the livewell holes, that way I could make note of which rivets on the bottom were leaking (and there were quite a few). 

3/16 closed end rivets were ordered online from Drillspot.com and 3M 5200 marine sealant was picked up at Home Depot. The 5200 from Home Depot doesn't cure as fast as the Bass Pro Shops offering but it is somewhere around $10-$15 cheaper. I drilled out all of my leaky rivets then wire wheeled around all of the holes that needed new rivets. I think I plan on putting in a livewell at some point, but I don't really need one for the type of fishing I do. If I ever need to keep a fish on the boat, it's because I'm going to eat it and it can just go in my cooler. so.... for now I picked up a couple through-hull fittings from BPS and some plugs that would fit them. I picked up two different rivet guns. I bought one from Lowe's because it had a swivel head that would make it easy to get in tight places (comes in handy when doing aluminum deck framing), and I got one from Harbor Freight which has longer handles for more leverage and ease of use. Ironically, the one I got from Harbor Freight was manufactured far better.

After redoing a LOT of rivets I put a running water hose in the boat and proceeded to forget that I was filling the boat up. By the time I remembered, the boat was completely full. The good news was that all my replacement rivets were water tight. I did find three more leaking rivets which I replaced afterward. The bad news is that the old dry rotted tires on the trailer didn't survive all of the extra weight, so I went to Walmart and picked up two new tires for $70.


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## meonline06 (Nov 3, 2012)

I skipped over painting the boat since my main concern was getting in on the river. I kind of worked on the motor and framing/decking at the same time. 

The outboard is a 35 hp Mercury 2 stroke built in 1985. I started out not knowing anything about outboards. I didn't even know how to change the oil in these things, so the first thing I did was download a service manual which gave me a pretty good foundation. 

I first tried manually turning the flywheel and it wouldn't budge. After reading about outboards, this had me pretty worried; if the flywheel won't turn then the motor can't run. I next checked the oil in the lower unit. When I pulled the drain plug nothing came out except rusted metal flakes. I figured that had to be responsible for the flywheel not turning. After pulling the lower unit I confirmed that is what was locking up the flywheel. The good thing is that I got a spare parts motor with my initial purchase. Luckily the spare lower unit was in good shape. Before I put the spare on my motor, I went ahead and changed the impeller and replaced some gaskets. There was a lot of sand and small rocks in the water pump, so it's a good thing i decided to rebuild it.

The swivel bracket that mount the motor to the transom was also messed up so it wouldn't turn at all and wouldn't shift gears either since the shift linkage runs through this piece. I had to completely pull the powerhead in order remove the swivel bracket and replace it with the spare. I ended up cutting a pretty big corner here and I will need to fix it in the off season. Since I didn't anticipate pulling the power head I didn't order a gasket that goes between the powerhead and the exhaust housing. I ended up using red, heat resistant RTV to seal in place of the proper gasket.

My next goal was to see if I could get the motor to start. First I checked the compression and found that the top cylinder had 140 psi and the bottom had 135 psi. I had bought a transom mount trolling motor that came with a deep cycle battery which I used to try to crank it. Unfortunately, it wouldn't start. The starter would turn slowly but the pinion wouldn't engage the flywheel. After taking the starter apart and doing to internet browsing I managed to solve the problem by lubing the pinion shaft and upgrading to a 2 gauge battery wire.

Now I had the starter successfully engaging the flywheel and cranking with plenty of speed. I still couldn't get the motor to turn over unfortunately. Eventually I got the motor running by putting the motor in gear and giving it full throttle. I had to bypass the neutral start sensor by hot wiring the battery to the starter. It would run fine at full throttle, but as soon as you cut back the throttle it would cut off. So, I ended up rebuilding the carburetor and fuel pump. I ordered the carb rebuild kit from boats.net, I got the fuel pump diaphragm and gaskets off eBay, and a buddy of mine had extra fuel line that I used to replace all of the lines on the motor. 

After some idle adjustments and a new primer bulb for my fuel tank, I have a running outboard motor!


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## Nate T (Nov 3, 2012)

awesome work, and a great deal!


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## meonline06 (Nov 3, 2012)

Thanks Nate! I was extremely fortunate to get so much at that price.


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## meonline06 (Nov 4, 2012)

Since I ripped out all of the benches I figured I needed to do a good job of reinforcing the hull when I did my deck framing. My goal was to make the hull as rigid as possible while keeping the weight down. I'm about 215 lbs and most of my fishing buddies are around 200 lbs as well. So I decided to use aluminum for the framing. I picked up most of my materials from Home Depot, which was half the price of Lowe's. I found out later on that buying directly from a metal company would have been even cheaper; that's something I'll keep in mind next time I redo a boat. I used 1" square tubing because I wasn't sure how sturdy using angle would be. I started out using a hacksaw to cut the aluminum, but after the workout I got the first day of framing I quickly changed tact and used my miter saw. The saw works beautifully with a regular wood blade. It is loud however so I suggest using hearing protection if you are going to use this method.

I started with the rear deck, which I also tied into the transom to help reinforce the older wood. It is designed to have 3 storage compartments. It will also house the gas tank and cranking battery. The goal with the front deck was to make it large enough for 2 people to fish from. It has a 7ft rod locker along the right side and 3 other compartments for storage. The deep cycle battery is up there. It powers my 12/24 volt 55lb thrust trolling motor, fish finder and accessories.

I used 23/32" plywood on the rear deck and 19/32" for the front. I went with the thinner wood in the front after doing the rear and realizing that I could get away with the thinner piece. It' amazing how much lighter the thinner wood is. I picked up some grey indoor/outdoor carpet from Home Depot. I already had some carpet adhesive sitting around. Three coats Spar Urethane was applied to waterproof everything. I picked up some stainless piano hinges from Lowe's. The hinges were much cheaper online, but I'm a part of the "I want it now" generation so I paid the extra money. I was trying to figure out a way to make the compartments stay open when accessing them when I came across some springs in the hardware store that would do the trick. I don't have any pictures of how they work, but I'll try to take some tomorrow and post them in case anybody else wants to try it out. The springs work well to keep the hatches open, and they close easy enough with a little bit of pressure.


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## Scout27 (Nov 4, 2012)

Looking great. I like the 1" aluminum framing, looks strong and simple. How are you connecting the vertical pieces to the horizontal pieces? Also, I'm not sure how you are connecting the horizontal pieces to the hull?

Thank you. It's going to be nice when you're done.


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## meonline06 (Nov 4, 2012)

Thank Scout. I cut a stick of aluminum angle into small pieces and used them to connect my framing. I'll attach some picture below, but everything is held together with pop rivets and small pieces of aluminum angle. The horizontal pieces that run from port to starboard sit on top of the vertical pieces. The horizontal pieces running fore and aft are pop riveted to the other pieces. I had plans of using an elaborate framing layout but once I actually started cutting metal and squeezing the rivet gun those ideas simplified themselves very quickly. I must have used somewhere around 400-500 rivets when it was all said and done.

I used two different methods to connect the tubing to the hull. On the rear deck, while I was still learning, I actually riveted a piece of angle to the side of the hull, bent it to the proper angle and set the tubing on top of it. I ended up getting some flex around the edges doing it like this, so I had to go back and reinforce it to get rid of the flex. By the time I got to the front deck I had my act together. I connected the tubing to the actual hull using angle and pop rivets. I first made sure I cut the square tubing to the correct length and angle so that the ends fit perfectly with the contours of the hull. then I used the angle and rivets to secure them in place. Doing it this way helps to keep the hull rigid; that's especially important since I removed the benches.

The decking turned out to be very sturdy with the aluminum. It probably took a lot longer than it would have if I were using wood, but it is extremely strong and lightweight and I don't think I will ever do it any other way.


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## Scout27 (Nov 5, 2012)

Very nice and very clear explanation and details. I understand your method perfectly. Thanks for taking the time to reply.

Please keep the thread going with your progress.


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## RiverBottomOutdoors (Nov 5, 2012)

Greetings from Halifax, VA!


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## meonline06 (Nov 10, 2012)

Hey, I want to post some pictures of what the boat looks like right now. I haven't done any real work to it in a couple months with the exception of some electrical. I've added a fish finder, cigarette adapter, LED lights and bilge pump. The wiring is all fused and switched, but it is just thrown in there for now. I plan to make it look pretty when I redo everything this winter.


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## meonline06 (Nov 10, 2012)

The weather here has been pretty nice and it is supposed to be in the low 70's for a couple days so chances are I won't start working on the boat again this weekend. Instead I'll be out catching some fish, but when I do decide it's too cold for me to sit out on the water I have a few ideas of what I would like to do. 

The plan is to:
1. take all of the electronics and wood off and flip it over. 
2. I want to strip off all of the old paint and start from bare aluminum. 
3. I also want to fix the bent and missing rub rail on the port side. Not sure where to start with that.
4. I'm not sure that I really need to, but I'm considering using Steelflex on the portion of the hull below the waterline and then I will give the boat a decent paint job. It's very fishable right now but it's not much to look at at all. 
5. I want to add some additional aluminum framing to replace the wood for the bench seats that I added.
6. I intend to clean up the electrical wiring. I will add a nice marine fuse block. I will also add a switch panel to the console. I have an old car stereo that I will use for music on the boat and I will install two small speakers as well.
7. I'm going to enclose the compartment spaces so that the different storage areas will not be connected.
8. The cranking battery will be moved towards the front of the boat where my trolling motor/accessory battery is.
9. I am considering adding a livewell which would be in the storage area directly behind my bench seats. Not sure whether to fabricate something from aluminum or just use a cooler.
10. I need to get a jack plate for my outboard and add something to deflect water on back of the transom because when I'm driving the motor hard I get some splash over the transom. If anybody has any advise on how to deal with that I would be grateful.
11. I want to add more LED's (maybe red) to light things up while night fishing.
12. I already have a fish finder up front with the transducer mounted on the trolling motor; I would also like one on the console with a transom mounted transducer so I can see what's under me while at the helm.
13. I want to add a few rod holders for cat fishing.

I may or may not do all of this, or I may add some things. It depends on the time and money I'll need for it. So this winter I've got my work cut out for me if I want to have it all set up for the spring.


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## Scout27 (Nov 14, 2012)

#10 The cavitation plate on the motor is no doubt catching the water coming off the transom and spraying it up into the boat. If you can raise the motor so the the cavitation plate is level or slightly above the bottom, then that may fix it. If you can't raise it, then a jackplate will fix things as well, plus give you a better hole shot and a little better top end. You do have power trim, correct? Does the splashing get better when you trim it up some?


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## Gators5220 (Nov 14, 2012)

Man that's a nice lookin boat as is, gonna be sick once you get all the above listed done! nice work! =D> =D> =D> =D>


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## meonline06 (Nov 14, 2012)

Thanks Gators!


Scout,
Thanks for commenting. Looks like my cavitation plate is around 3-4 inches below the bottom of my transom. I don't have power trim on my motor. I will try manually adjusting the angle of it next time I am out on the water. I don't know much about how to determine the best trim setting for an outboard. Right now I have it set to where I think the prop shaft would be parallel to the water surface when on plane. I honestly never considered whether that was the right thing to do.


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## Gators5220 (Nov 14, 2012)

What does she run?


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## meonline06 (Nov 15, 2012)

GPS had it going 26-27 mph last weekend with about 450 lbs of weight between two people.


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## Scout27 (Nov 15, 2012)

The motor is definitely too low if the cavitation plate is 3 - 4 inches below the bottom. That's where the spray is coming from, and you're also loosing some power and speed with the additional drag of the lower unit. Raising the motor up a notch or two may help, but if the angle becomes too great, the prop will not carry the load of the boat well. A jackplate would definitely help. I also assume that you can't easily raise the motor on the transom as you would have empty bolt holes. However, you could plug the old holes with SS bolts and sealant if you do raise the motor and drill new holes. 

CMC makes a trimable jackplate that would be sweet on your rig. They run around $400, but sometimes you can find a used one on Craigslist. Some of the benefits would be:

greater leverage for carrying a load
allows you to set the motor at the correct height for the boat
allows you to trim the motor for any load
allows you to trim up the motor for slow shallow water running
allows you to trim up the motor when beaching or loading back on the trailer

Hope this helps.


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## meonline06 (Nov 16, 2012)

I wish I had $400 to drop on a jack plate. That would be almost as much as my initial investment. I definitely need to buy one so I am keeping an eye on craigslist for a deal. Even though speed isn't all that important for the type of fishing I do, I would like to see if it makes a difference in the top end. 

Thanks for your help Scout!


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## Scout27 (Nov 16, 2012)

My pleasure. There's always that "money factor" that gets in the way. I know the pain....

In the meantime, tilting up a notch or two may help.


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## meonline06 (Nov 25, 2012)

Ok, so I made it through the holiday and started doing a little work to get my rig ready for paint. I'm still fishing out of it every now and then on the warmer days so I haven't taken it apart yet. I started stripping the old paint from the hull using a paint removing wheel made by 3M that works pretty good. It's an extremely slow and tedious process so after several hours of work I don't have a whole lot to show for my effort. I managed to get the port side of the hull completely stripped with the exception of the registration since I'm still fishing. I also got started on the starboard side. After the next payday I will go ahead and order some Steelflex from fascoepoxies.com and some paint. 

Can anyone recommend a good (and affordable) paint to use? Also, other than stripping the paint is there anything special I should do to prep the hull for the steelflex?


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## Gregory828 (Nov 25, 2012)

Hey, I am at the same point on my boat as well. (Paint Stripping) have been for a while. I am using KleanStrip KS-3 Premium stripper. It works wonders if the temperature is right. which its not at the moment.... It comes in either a gallon can or a pray can. Just a suggestion. As for surface prep after the paint is removed. I plan on using a pressure washer first. let it air dry. then wipe it all down with denatured alcohol for a final clean. And from what Ive read online here is you don't need to self etch prime before steelflex.


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## meonline06 (Nov 26, 2012)

Greg, that's a nice looking boat you have. I guess paint stripping is a pain no matter what way you do it. Are you planning on repainting your boat after it is stripped? I was thinking that if I were not planning on painting and was going to leave it bare aluminum, I would have had to go the chemical route like you. The 3M wheel I'm using scuffs the aluminum some and wouldn't look very good as a result.


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## Gregory828 (Nov 26, 2012)

Yeah, I think I'm going to spray a light tan/sand color like the brand new models have. I haven't hit the whole boat with stripper, You can kinda see where I used the orbital sander in some spots too. just depended on what I was in the mood for. stripper is a bigger job with a big mess. Skuffing the metal a little is actually better for adhesion so i might go over the whole inside after im finished to scuff it up a little before the self etch primer.


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## meonline06 (Nov 28, 2012)

Here's a quick update. I spent a good part of today cleaning my garage to create some space to start working on the boat again. I had accumulated a lot of trash over the last few months. I also built some shelving to store some of the stuff I have to pull off the boat. Right now I have everything stripped down to the bare hull and framing. I haven't pulled the motor off yet (didn't have the energy); it's a lot of weight for me to move around by myself. I did deadlifts at work yesterday so my quads are killing me. I have to work again tomorrow, but I will try to finish stripping the paint this weekend.


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## Scout27 (Dec 1, 2012)

Wow. You're getting serious now! Keep us posted.


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## meonline06 (Dec 5, 2012)

Quick update. I got my outboard pulled off the boat and placed on the stand yesterday. I also got the rest of the paint stripped off the sides of the boat. I plan to use aluminum tubing to frame a step to make it easier to climb up on the front deck and I'm also going to frame a bench for my two drive seats. I'm also considering replacing the transom before I flip the boat over and get her painted. Unfortunately I'm going to have to get some welding done if I do that. More updates to come.


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## meonline06 (Apr 11, 2013)

Haven't posted in a while. I took a few months off from my build, but I'm back at it now trying to get everything done so I can get back on the water. Since I last posted I have: replaced my trailer jack, replaced the tires, altered the front deck frame for a recessed foot control for my trolling motor, framed a new bench to mount my seats on, painted the steering console (sorry no pictures), and primed the hull for paint.

I still want to: 

1-wire all my electronics to a switch panel on the console
2-buy a jack plate for my outboard(I'll probably do this first)
3-buy a new deep cycle battery(old one died)
4-add some pvc pipes to help organize/separate my rods in the rod locker
5-finish painting the hull
6-replace trailer bunks


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## killereef (Apr 11, 2013)

looking nice


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## meonline06 (Apr 17, 2013)

I finished painting the boat a few days ago. I decided to go with a simple black paint scheme. I originally planned on putting steelflex on the bottom of the hull and paint on the rest but decided to paint the entire thing. The folks at Fasco Epoxies down in Florida don't make it very easy for non-locals to buy their product. Since they don't take credit cards, I would have had to mail them a check. Too long of a process and I was anxious to get back on the water.

I also went to Bass Pro Shops and picked up a jack plate for my outboard. I had been looking locally on Craigslist for a good deal but no such luck. So I bit the bullet and picked up a brand new CMC model at retail price(almost $300 after tax). A day after I installed it a jack plate with hydrolic tilt/trim showed up on the Hampton Roads CL for $400.....figures. But that's ok, I'm happy with what I have, and it has solved the problem I was having with water splashing into the boat over the transom when on plane due to the cavitation plate being too low.

While I was at BPS I also picked up a switch panel to control my electronics. I like having everything on a switch at the console with easy access, so I'm not sure if the 6 switches that came with the panel are going to be enough. I have them all used up currently, controlling: running lights, anchor light, fish finder, bilge pump, LED strips and 12v outlets. I still want to add a radio/speakers and I'd like to have that on a switch as well. I also swung by Advance Auto and picked up a new Optima Deep Cycle. I've heard good things about them, but still to be determined whether it is actually worth the price tag.

Sorry I don't have pictures of everything and the ones I do have aren't very good quality. My new phone takes horrible photos. I still have plenty more work to do but it's coming along.


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## meonline06 (Apr 19, 2013)

I got a little more work done over the last couple days. I finished the side panel on the port side. I think it looks much better now without the ribs showing. I still have to finish the starboard side. I also installed hatch handles to make it easier to open the storage hatches. It gives it a finished look; without handles it's like not having any hardware on your kitchen cabinets. Lastly, I finally finished my aft casting deck. I couldn't install the rear hatch previously because the outboard steering cable was in the way. I no longer have that problem after installing the jack plate. I still need to install pedestal seats for both casting decks, but that will have to wait until i save up some more $$. I also realized the other day that having a fish finder on the console would make finding bait fish a million times easier. On the James River the catfish love shad, but if you can't find 'em it makes fishing very SLOW. 

My next project is to get the rod locker finished. I generally take 6-8 rods with me when I go fishing and I'm tired of my rod tips getting tangles together. I've already cut out the panels for it, I just need to install them and carpet. More updates to come...


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## bigwave (Apr 19, 2013)

Looks nice and clean nice job.


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## meonline06 (Apr 19, 2013)

Thanks bigwave! Yours is looking pretty nice too.


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## bguy (Apr 20, 2013)

im in "aaahhh" of your build, it looks great. i like the front casting deck all the way back to the front of the steering console. nice and roomy space. =D>


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## meonline06 (Apr 20, 2013)

Thanks bguy! The big deck definitely comes in handy when I'm bass fishing. I generally stand all day and it's nice to be able to walk around.


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## meonline06 (Apr 20, 2013)

No work on the rod locker today, but I did install a transom saver this afternoon. I forgot I had picked one up last year. It was a little too short for my setup so I used some of the aluminum tubing I had laying around. Sorry no pictures


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## markc (Apr 21, 2013)

Great job! This is going to be winter '13 project for me... I'll definately be "borrowing" some ideas! Again, looks great, you should be proud!


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## meonline06 (Apr 21, 2013)

Thank you markc


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## meonline06 (Apr 21, 2013)

I finished up the rod locker this evening. Right now it can hold 8 rods that are up to a little shy of 8' in length. I used some PVC pipes for tubes that I can slide my rod tips into so they won't get beat up. I had been considering the layout for a long time, so I thought I had figured out the best way to arrange things so that it would be easy to access all of the rods. I didn't want to have to move the rods on top out of the way in order to get to one on the bottom. I came up with a kind of J-shaped pattern for my configuration. It did prove relatively easy to access all of the rods, but unfortunately it made a somewhat bad angle for placing rods into the tubing in the bottom corner. Specifically, it's hard to put my 7'6" heavy action flipping rods there because they're not as bendy as the others. Anyhow, I think it will work out just fine; I'm going to put my shorter rods in the corner and I will see how well it works out this year. I may consider changing the configuration around later down the road. I'm sure I will at least add more tubes so it will hold more rods.


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## meonline06 (May 13, 2013)

I took the boat out twice this year before my tow vehicle decided to stop working. I don't think I will be putting it in the water anytime soon; at least not until I come up with the money for a new transmission. However, I can't really say that it has slowed my fishing down any. I just fish from the shore now. I figure I will try to use this as an opportunity to add a few things. The boat is "fishing functional" now, but I want to add some things to make it better. 

Largemouth have been my passion in recent years, but my roots are from fishing salt water in the Chesapeake Bay and Rappahannock River with my old man. I've been catching red fish and stripers lately off of my dad's dock on Grace Point and would really like to take the boat over there to go after some bulls. I also love going after the big blue cats on the James River. Anyway, I said all that because I realize that I need to make my boat more functional for a bunch of different types of fishing. My build has been all about bass fishing up until now, but I need to be comfortable whether fishing the Bay's coves and inlets for Reds, fishing the lakes for bass, or the rivers for cats in the dark.

I want to add a livewell for baitfish and shrimp, I need rod holder's for fishing catfish or croaker with the kids, pedestal seats, an onboard battery charger (to make it easier to charge the batteries at the dock), and a new fish finder that at least has down imaging. "Hell Week" starts tomorrow at work (96 hours in 7 days), but after that I hope to get some things rolling.


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## TMax27 (May 14, 2013)

meonline06 said:


> I finished up the rod locker this evening. Right now it can hold 8 rods that are up to a little shy of 8' in length. I used some PVC pipes for tubes that I can slide my rod tips into so they won't get beat up. I had been considering the layout for a long time, so I thought I had figured out the best way to arrange things so that it would be easy to access all of the rods. I didn't want to have to move the rods on top out of the way in order to get to one on the bottom. I came up with a kind of J-shaped pattern for my configuration. It did prove relatively easy to access all of the rods, but unfortunately it made a somewhat bad angle for placing rods into the tubing in the bottom corner. Specifically, it's hard to put my 7'6" heavy action flipping rods there because they're not as bendy as the others. Anyhow, I think it will work out just fine; I'm going to put my shorter rods in the corner and I will see how well it works out this year. I may consider changing the configuration around later down the road. I'm sure I will at least add more tubes so it will hold more rods.



How are you holding up the handle end of the rods? I see the half pipe, but how are you holding up the half pipe?


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## meonline06 (May 14, 2013)

The pvc was thick enough for me to drill two small holes in each one. Then I used two small screws coated in glue to secure each one. They ended up pretty secure.


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## meonline06 (May 23, 2013)

Didn't have a lot of time today to work on the boat, but i did manage to get started on the missing corner cap. I have been putting it off because I wanted to have one fab'd up and welded on, but I don't want to pay the money right now and I'm tired of looking at where the cap should be. I sent a friend the dimensions for the cap and he got some aluminum from work and cut it to size for me. With some angle, rivets and a hammer I managed to get it in place. I started by securing one corner and bending and hammering it out a little at a time to fit the contours of the boat. The cap is secured so now I need to get it prepped for paint. I was considering using JB Weld to smooth out all the lines before painting but I think that it would take quite a bit to make it look good. Does anyone know of another compound I could use that would cover more area/be cheaper?


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## meonline06 (May 27, 2013)

I finished up the corner cap this morning when I got home from work. All I had left was to use a little bit of JB Weld to help smooth out the corners, sand and paint. After putting fresh paint on the cap I realized how much muck the boat picked up the few times I took it out. I guess my next job will be to give it a wash. Here are a few pictures.


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## meonline06 (May 28, 2013)

I went out to the local Bass Pro on Memorial Day and picked up a few things for the boat. I finally got a pedestal seat for the front deck. I've had the base and pedestal for almost a year now but never bought a seat. It looks like it will be comfortable, can't wait to test it out. I also bought some straps to keep my rods from flying off the deck while I'm motoring from spot to spot. When I originally installed my bilge pump I just stuck the hose out over the transom, but no more of that now I have a thru hull fitting that any bilge water will be pumped through. I bought a spare tire trailer mount for I believe $16. I just had the spare thrown in the back of my truck before. And I installed a cleat at the front of the boat for tying off the anchor. Before I was tying off to one of the handles on the outside of the hull which was a pain. And lastly I came up with a fix for the missing gunnel I had right next to the missing corner cap. Still a lot of small things to do like install cup holders and a radio/speakers. I will probably never be officially done, but I feel like I'm getting closer.


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## meonline06 (May 31, 2013)

I finished up working on the gunnel today. I used a small piece of pvc with a 1-1/4" exterior diameter then wrapped it in a thin section of aluminum sheet I had laying around the garage. I could have done this without the aluminum but I felt that the pvc was too smooth and that it would stand out because of that. I bought this boat with a lot of nicks and dents, so I "aged" the new aluminum to match the rest of the boat. I used JB Weld to smooth out the transitions and painted with the same Rustoleum that is on the rest of the hull.


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## Buckethead (Jun 18, 2013)

Did you ever get around to fabbing a livewell out an old bench seat? Just curious. I've got mine mounted and covered for now just to get on the water, as soon as I get my pumps, hoses and a lid fabbed I'll finish.


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## meonline06 (Jun 18, 2013)

It turned out that my benches weren't quite big enough to work for the livewell I had in mind. I could have used the aluminum from two benches but didn't feel comfortable having that many seems. I plan on picking up some aluminum from a local company on Friday and getting started. A buddy of mine said he would weld it for me so it's still up in the air whether I weld or 5200 it.


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## meonline06 (Jun 23, 2013)

...so take everything I said in my last post and toss it out the window. Friday morning when I went to start the car I had no juice. After spending my aluminum budget on a new battery and an oil change I had to reconsider my livewell plan.

I'm going to go with my original plan of using the material from the old bench seats to make a livewell. I got started by flattening out one of the benches and marking my cut lines. I got about 12 inches cut before the battery on my cheap jigsaw died and needed to be recharged. So tomorrow I think I am going to have to run by Harbor Freight and find something better for cutting metal.


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## meonline06 (Jun 28, 2013)

I haven't had much time to work on the boat lately because of work. I got about an hour of build time in on Sunday and I planned on finishing up the livewell tank fabrication yesterday. Unfortunately, I only managed to get an hour in after a storm knocked the power out for most of the evening. 

...So the plan is to make a livewell using repurposed aluminum from the original benches/deck. 
I bought a new jigsaw from the trusty neighborhood Harbor Freight for $20 and got to business. I cut out three separate sheets that will form the five walls of the tank. The longest sheet was bent using a homemade metal brake thrown together using scrap wood and hinges laying around my garage.




This piece will end up forming the bottom and two smaller side walls. By the way I ended up making the brake because it%20was too hard to get crisp bends and flat walls without it. The three different sheets will be held together android sealed using 1" aluminum angle and 3M 5200. I had to drive to 3 different Home Depots to find the 5200. Someone had bought all the inventory from two of the stores.I hope to finish with all of the angle tomorrow.


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## meonline06 (Jul 2, 2013)

Got some work done yesterday. I managed to finish fabbing the tank and sealing it up. I will give it the water test tomorrow. If it holds water I will run over to BPS and pick up a livewell pump, switch/timer, hose and fittings. I am still trying to decide whether to have the water drain from the tank thru a drain hole in the bottom or with a pump that will pump it out.


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## meonline06 (Jul 13, 2013)

I water tested the livewell tank over the last week or so. I honestly never planned on leaving it full of water that long; I was just busy with work and family. The good news is that it didn't leak a single drop that whole time. I went by Bass Pro Shops to look at the livewell plumbing but I feel like they were way overpriced. I think my new plan is to pick up a pump from walmart and get the rest of the plumbing from the local hardware store. I will also check eBay to see if they have any deals. I would like to get a good switch that has an aerator timer as well.

I think I would like to paint it white, but I'm not sure what kind of paint to use.


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## nctlspider (Jul 14, 2013)

Looking good.

Are you worried about the livewell leaking in the future once the boat flexes as it runs? I'm just curious if the 5200 will hold up.....do you plan to rivet or bolt?


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## meonline06 (Jul 14, 2013)

I feel pretty confident that the 5200 will hold up. The reason why it is so popular with a lot of the builds on this site is because it is so flexible after it cures. For that reason I don't think that the hull flex will be a big deal. I've replaced close to 100 of the old rivets on the hull using the 5200 and haven't had any problems with any of them. I run the boat pretty hard and have had it power sliding many times. I plan to rivet it to the framing that is already in there.


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## joseph101088 (Jul 14, 2013)

wow its a small world. when i was in japan in march i wanted my wife to look at that boat so i could have one when i get back but when she saw the dent she wouldnt look at it. gotta love craigslist. nice job in a little bit of time. i ended up getting a 1648 mv in the end. what lakes do you fish in the henrico area? i have been to hopewell a few times but thats it.


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## meonline06 (Jul 14, 2013)

It's definitely a small world. When I first bought it I was a little nervous that I may have bitten off more than I could chew but it ended up ok. I fish the James River in the Dutch Gap/Osborne Landing area a lot. There are some monster catfish in there. Im not great at river bass fishing tho, so I go over to Lake Chesdin a lot for that.


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## joseph101088 (Jul 14, 2013)

one of the only reasons i bought my 1648 was to go after some blues up near richmond. but you know how it is when your new to an area you dont know where to start with so much water. i fish alot in williamsburg 4-6 lbs bass are pretty easy to catch in two of the lakes around here. i bit a big chunk off with my 12 footer but the satisfaction of completing it is all worth it.


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## meonline06 (Jul 16, 2013)

Yup, I've been going after the blues cats pretty often since I bought this boat and I still dont know the all the hot spots. People here are friendly but just like everywhere else nobody wants to tell you where they catch their fish. Softshell crab, cut shad and eels are the best bait on the james.


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## joseph101088 (Jul 16, 2013)

[url=https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=322582#p322582 said:


> meonline06 » Today, 17:39[/url]"]Yup, I've been going after the blues cats pretty often since I bought this boat and I still dont know the all the hot spots. People here are friendly but just like everywhere else nobody wants to tell you where they catch their fish. Softshell crab, cut shad and eels are the best bait on the james.[/
> 
> I know excactly what your talking about. everyone i ask says just go take a chartered trip. I have had one guy tell me a good spot but i have yet to try it. if im ever plan a trip up that way i guess i can try some spots.


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## meonline06 (Jul 25, 2013)

I finally bought a new tow vehicle so hopefully I can get out on the water a little more often now. I had been fishing from the shore and docks for the last few months. I've taken the boat out occassionally with a friend's truck, but now I can really get back at it. 

I should be able to plumb the livewell soon and get it wired up. Also I am in serious need of a new fishfinder. Ill take care of that as my budget rebounds. The only thing I have accomplished in the last few weeks is mounting rod holders to my console.




I will hopefully have more progress soon.


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## meonline06 (Aug 5, 2013)

I've been doing a lot of fishing on the boat lately and not spending much time working on it. I did however manage to install a few more rod holders for catfishing. After getting caught in a rain storm last week (local weathermen suck), I realized the need for dry storage. Rain water that collected in the bilge area soaked everything I had in storage. I may try using some tupperware bins for that.

Here is a picture before I took her out on Lake Chesdin Sunday morning.


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## meonline06 (Aug 28, 2013)

I worked on the boat some a few days ago and finally covered the ribs near the console. Nothing major, but it does make a difference aesthetically. Here is a before shot.


I cut out a few pieces of plywood, sealed them with spar urethane, covered with carpet and done.




Progress will be slow for the next couple months, but more to come when the fishing slows down.


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## nctlspider (Aug 28, 2013)

Might just be me, but i can't see any of your recent pics the way you load them. Are you using the mobile site? Maybe i can log in on my phone...


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## meonline06 (Nov 11, 2013)

It has been quite a while since I last posted on here. I did a lot of fishing over the last few months and I have enjoyed this boat. I sold it last week to a guy who I think will get as much use out of it as I did. I already started looking for a new project. I want to get a large fiberglass boat, but of course still need to have a tin boat as well. I'm going to either buy another 16' or maybe a smaller 14'. 

I also went back and fixed some of the images that weren't working. For some reason I think posting images from my cell phone was incompatible with the full website.


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## meonline06 (Jul 7, 2014)

I was cleaning out my SD card today and came across these pictures of the old Landau. Thought I would post them to show the finished project.


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