# 14' MirroCraft Project



## Mossy535 (May 3, 2008)

Hi Everyone,

Well, I just purchased my first boat, a 1966 14' Mirrocraft with console steering. Here are some pictures taken at the home of the guy I purchased it from:

















She's powered by a 1966 Johnson 20 hp with electric start, and a 1963 6 hp Mercury "Merc 60" as a backup:






I plan on cleaning up and painting the outboards, along with thoroughly checking them out, but they crank easily and appear to run fine at first glance.

As to the boat, she'll get cleaned up and painted. I'd also like to deck her out but haven't decided on the layout yet. Any and all suggestions are welcome. By the way, capacity is listed as 600 lbs.

I look forward to participating here; it seems to be a terrific group of folks!

Regards,

Mark


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## caddyjosh (May 3, 2008)

welcome


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## Captain Ahab (May 3, 2008)

Another MirroCraft owner I think you are number 3!

Welcome aboard - I have a 16 ft Mirrocraft with a custom steering console.

We need and all MirroCraft section #-o


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## Ouachita (May 3, 2008)

Welcome Aboard! Really nice looking boat. Look forward to seeing it when you have it lake ready. I Used to have that same model and year Johnson on a 1952 Lonestar.


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## Waterwings (May 3, 2008)

Welcome Aboard! Looking forward to the progress of your mods 8)


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## alumacraftjoe (May 3, 2008)

:WELCOME: aboard! Look forward to seeing your progress!


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## Jim (May 3, 2008)

Welcome man, Thanks for joining. Great boat you got there. IT needs nothing. If it were mine, I would put a nice small deck in the front, and floor the rest of it. Nice, clean plain and simple. You culd even box the back to hide the gas and batteries....

How is the trolling motor on it?


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## Mossy535 (May 3, 2008)

Jim said:


> Welcome man, Thanks for joining. Great boat you got there. IT needs nothing. If it were mine, I would put a nice small deck in the front, and floor the rest of it. Nice, clean plain and simple. You culd even box the back to hide the gas and batteries....
> 
> How is the trolling motor on it?



Thanks Jim! The trolling motor runs just fine. It's a Minn Kota, though I forget which model. Since I know next to nothing about such things, is it possible to economically add a foot control or is that something that's best purchased already set up with the trolling motor?

I'm tempted to follow your advice and set up something similar to Gator Tom's rig, except with mine having a steering console:

https://www.shareaproject.com/pages/projectTut,p,345,00.html


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## Zum (May 3, 2008)

thats the first time ive seen gator toms boat...real nice job

if you can do something like that,it be real nice


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## tholdah (May 4, 2008)

Welcome aboard! Nice rig. Can we ask how much you found it for? Also, my first suggestion would be to remove the Dr. Pepper can and replace it with a fresh can of Budweiser! :beer:


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## Mossy535 (May 4, 2008)

tholdah said:


> Welcome aboard! Nice rig. Can we ask how much you found it for? Also, my first suggestion would be to remove the Dr. Pepper can and replace it with a fresh can of Budweiser! :beer:



Everything you see in or attached to the boat, and I do mean EVERYTHING, for $600. The owner was asking $800, but I offered $600 and he accepted. I hate when they do that, as it means I should have offered no more than $500!  

And the Dr. Pepper can has been removed...

Mark


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## Popeye (May 4, 2008)

Don't kick your self for that. You might have offered $500.00 and he might have been offended and never gone below $650.00. Besides at $600.00 looks like you got a good deal and the seller was happy as well. win/win


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## tholdah (May 4, 2008)

I would definatly say you scored for $600.


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## bassboy1 (May 4, 2008)

Kinda funny how you are using a merc as "backup" for a Johnson. Usually is the other way around.....  

You asked about adding a foot control to the the troller, but no, there is no conversion kit. And, although there is a way to do anything, practically speaking, there is no way to convert it.


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## Mossy535 (May 6, 2008)

*OK, if GatorTom lends his permission I'm going to try and turn my heap:*






*into something similar to GatorTom's thing of beauty:*
















I've decided to go with a forward trolling motor deck that's even with the gunnels from the back of the forward bench to the bow plate. Note that the front seat is only 3/4" or so lower than the gunnels now, and the previous owner had a pedestal mounted on top of that. Therefore I think I'm pretty safe with a deck at the same level.

Then I'll install a lower deck, probably 8" or so lower, from the rear of the forward bench to the front of the console. Rear of that I'll just put in a floor except for a covered area between the rearmost bench and transom to house the fuel tank and associated items.

Discretion being the better part of valor, and this being only a 50" transom vessel (14' length), I don't want to run the risk of getting her top heavy! That's why I really like GatorTom's rig; all the functionality of the decks up front while retaining the benches in the rear. 

Now to the questions:

1. I want to retain the console steering, but the cables and pulleys are in need of replacement. They still function, but the outer sheath on the cable is cracked along it's entire length. The pulleys have seen their better days as well. My question is should I stay with the pulley system, or would it be economical to convert to one of the newer steering systems? Keep in mind I'm a complete newbie, so I may be asking something that's elementary. Forgive me if that is the case.

2. I want to set up my seating almost exactly like GatorTom has done. I'd appreciate it if any of you would pass along the info if you know of a good deal on some quality seats. I do have a severely limited budget, but at the same time I don't want to spend $30 per seat on the plastic-framed Bass Pro jobs that have such poor reviews. 

3. Knowing that GatorTom's rig is 16', and probably wider than mine, does anyone see any obvious places I may be getting in trouble if I follow his general principles on my rig?

4. For some strange reason I'm considering adding a windscreen to the console. Anyone have any suggestions, or possible design ideas, for accomplishing that?

Thanks,

Mark


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## FireWater (May 7, 2008)

Hey Mark,

New the web page not new to boats. Can you take a photo of the front of the motor. I think what I just did to one of my boat will work for you... It also may be a good idea for a stick control on this boat (For more room)... By the way the boat looks like it is in great shape!!!!


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## Mossy535 (May 7, 2008)

FireWater said:


> Hey Mark,
> 
> New the web page not new to boats. Can you take a photo of the front of the motor. I think what I just did to one of my boat will work for you... It also may be a good idea for a stick control on this boat (For more room)... By the way the boat looks like it is in great shape!!!!



Thanks FW! Here's one pic. If you need more detail I can take one without the seat in the way.


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## WTL (May 7, 2008)

The seat is kinda in the way. What I think you will be looking at is getting a teleflex rack or rotary and cable - that is the easiest way to fit steering to an outboard these days. I can't see if you have a tilt tube on that outboard, that is what I'm hoping you have cause it makes using the newer cables so much easier. 

I have a very similar boat that is halfway through a conversion, I'll try to post some pics soon so you can see what I am doing - the plan is similar to yours as well - console, cable steering, forward and middle decks.


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## Mossy535 (May 7, 2008)

Hi WTL,

I don't think I have a tilt tube (not that I really know what that is). Here's a bad pic I took with my camera phone tonight, but maybe it'll help. I can get a good pic tomorrow.

Anyway, this is a simple pull-pull system that attaches to each end of a bracket clamped to the front of the motor. You can see the bracket below, and where one cable attaches in the left-side of the photo. There's an identical attachment on the right side of the bracket that you can't see.


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## FireWater (May 9, 2008)

Should be a easy fix. Take the old cables to any boat dealer. Are you going to leave the controls at the same location? I think front stick controls would be cool on this boat... I have a game warden friend who has one for the river and it works great when by yourself... It may cost around 200+ $. Just an idea.. Good luck!!!


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## WTL (May 9, 2008)

Either you are looking at using the new cables like a Teleflex rotary cable, which is just 1 big cable in a tube that feeds on one end to a helm and steering wheel and on the other attatches through the tilt tube to the outboard, or you are looking at replacing the existing old style cable and pulley system with some new cables and new pulleys. I think from the pics you do not have a tilt tube, which would complicate using the new teleflex style cable somewhat, so you might ought to do as you were advised and take it to a dealership, let them see about getting some new pulleys and cables. As I understand it the old cable and pulley systems worked just fine, I think they just got in the way a little and they were complicated to assemble compared to what we have now.


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## Mossy535 (May 9, 2008)

Thanks FW and WTL. I think I'll just stay with the current pulley and cable system. I've found some reasonable pricing on new cabling and pulleys, so that shouldn't be any problem.

FW, I plan on just leaving the console where it is. 

Thanks again guys, I really appreciate it. Tomorrow I plan on removing the motors stripping the seats out, and starting the pre-paint prep work. I've also got to sandblast the trailer to get it ready for paint as well.

I was lucky enough to score some aluminum channel and square tubing free of charge, so now I don't have to worry with buying and sealing 2 x 2's for the support structure.

Mark


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## Mossy535 (May 12, 2008)

For sake of completeness, here are a couple pics of the cable and pulley system:












All of this stuff was removed this weekend. I also got around to removing the seats. I think capital punishment is in order for anyone who mounts bench seats with carbon steel carriage bolts, or slotted head bolts for that matter. I ended up having to grind the heads off most of the seat bolts to remove them. ](*,) 

Each of the bench seats are filled with styrofoam, and between the foam and the bench top are three 1 x 3's running the length of the seat. Of course all those 1 x 3's are rotted in a 42 year old boat, so I don't know if I'll dig out the styrofoam and replace the wood or just build up new benches as part of the mods. The old benches were going to be used for structure only, so I may just scavenge the foam and use it in new structure.

In the first pic above, you can seat that the top portion of the transom is a 2 x 4 aluminum "channel". I fear that the wood in this channel is rotted also. I can put a finger in each end of the channel and the wood is crumbling. I think I can remove all the through bolts from the channel, and the corner gussets from the gunnels, and it will come close to lifting off. Close, except for the bit of aluminum that is bent over the channel as you can see in the middle left of the first picture. 

Anyone have any experience replacing the wood in a similar transom configuration?

Thanks,

Mark


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## Mossy535 (May 12, 2008)

I had a bit of spare time this afternoon, so I decided to pull the transom and check out the wood. Here is what I found:






Just a simple pine 2 x 4 in there. The channel is 4 1/2" wide, but I guess someone thought 3 1/2" was close enough. 
















As you can see, the middle isn't too bad but each end is shot. I'm glad I decided to pull that sucker out!

I'm considering replacing it with two pieces of 3/4 x 4 1/2 plywood, laminated together to give the required 1 1/2 x 4 1/2 cross section. I'd appreciate any additional thoughts anyone might have.

Mark


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## Jim (May 12, 2008)

Nothing to add, But glad you pulled it out to get rid of that rotting stuff! =D>


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## Mossy535 (May 15, 2008)

OK guys, I need a little advice on determine what "level" should be. Here's a rough sketch of the bow:






As you hopefully can ascertain, I plan on putting a small deck at the bow for a trolling motor with storage underneath. Then I'll add a casting deck lower down. 

Question 1. Would it be advisable to level everything with reference to the gunnels? The current seat brackets were installed by a previous owner, and I've shown were the original bracket was riveted. I'm not sure that even using the original seat brackets would be a good reference, but should I be okay referencing everything to the gunnels?

Question 2. What's your opinion on the casting deck being about 11" below the gunnels? Should I raise it up a bit? It will probably travel farther back towards the stern than I've depicted it, perhaps as far back as the console.

Question 3. The bow deck is planned to go just as far back as the bow seat brackets, which gives me a deck approximately 24" in length. Is this long enough, or should I consider lengthening it?

Thanks,

Mark


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## Captain Ahab (May 15, 2008)

I think what you have there will be fine. Level to the top of the boat will be best - hopefully that is level to something for you


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## Mossy535 (May 15, 2008)

esquired said:


> I think what you have there will be fine. Level to the top of the boat will be best - hopefully that is level to something for you



Thanks esquired! Would this be considered free legal advice? :wink:


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## Captain Ahab (May 15, 2008)

Mossy535 said:


> esquired said:
> 
> 
> > I think what you have there will be fine. Level to the top of the boat will be best - hopefully that is level to something for you
> ...



WHAT? FREE?????


That hurts - it really, really hurts


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## Mossy535 (May 19, 2008)

All stripped down and a blank canvas; ready for the artist (or hack) to get started:











First up, replacing the old transom wood (foreground) with the new transom wood (background):


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## Waterwings (May 19, 2008)

Dang, that transom wood was really shot. Good thing you decided to check it. Keep us updated on the progress 8)


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## Mossy535 (May 22, 2008)

Well, I'm into stripping the paint. I've just done a few small areas so far, but that Klean-Strip Low Odor Aircraft Remover is some great stuff:






I've got to get busy, as my Bass Pro carpet kit arrived today! I've also got my Advantage Max 4 camo seats setting in the garage just waiting to get mounted. Now I need to get serious about ordering all the cables and pulleys for the steering, plus a new steering wheel. 

So much to do, so little free time!


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## alumacraftjoe (May 23, 2008)

looking good!


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## Mossy535 (Jun 26, 2008)

Hey guys, I need a little info if some of you could be so kind.

The boat didn't originally have a floor, so now that I'm adding one and replacing the bench seats with folding seats I'm in need of some measurements for the steering console and driver's seat.

Assuming a "bass boat" configuration, what are the:

1. Typical distance from floor to top of driver's seat cushion.

2. Typical distance from floor to center of steering wheel for a side console.

I know these will vary by boat manufacturer, but I have no general numbers to go by.

Thanks!

Mark


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## LeftCoastAngler (Jun 26, 2008)

How 'bout sloshin' some Thompsons Water Seal on that transom board?
...Lemme pull up a chair so I can watch your build...  

~LCA.


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## Jim (Jun 26, 2008)

Mossy535 said:


> Hey guys, I need a little info if some of you could be so kind.
> 
> The boat didn't originally have a floor, so now that I'm adding one and replacing the bench seats with folding seats I'm in need of some measurements for the steering console and driver's seat.
> 
> ...




1, On my G3 it was about 12 inches

2, On my G3 it was about 20-24 inches I'm trying to remember off the top of my head


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## Mossy535 (Jun 26, 2008)

LeftCoastAngler said:


> How 'bout sloshin' some Thompsons Water Seal on that transom board?
> ...Lemme pull up a chair so I can watch your build...
> 
> ~LCA.



No Thompson's Water Seal, but I did put four coats of Helmsman Spar Urethane on her!  

Please do pull up a chair and watch. She's down to bare aluminum now so hopefully things will start moving pretty fast. Still have to prime, paint, install deck supports, install and carpet decks and wire everything up.


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## Mossy535 (Jun 26, 2008)

Jim said:


> Mossy535 said:
> 
> 
> > 1. Typical distance from floor to top of driver's seat cushion.
> ...



Thanks Jim, much appreciated!

Mark


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## Mossy535 (Jul 1, 2008)

Making a little progress. Hopefully the pace will be picking up a bit now.

Here she is with the new transom installed and the interior primed:


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## Waterwings (Jul 1, 2008)

Looks good! 8)


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## Tompatt (Jul 1, 2008)

Looking Good and Clean.. =D> =D> =P~ =P~


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## LeftCoastAngler (Jul 1, 2008)

mmmmmm. primer.

~LCA.


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## Mossy535 (Jul 2, 2008)

OK, got the boat turned upside down on sawhorses so I can tackle the bottom. 

First question, why do I have a hole in my keel runner? There's a 3/16" hole in the keel runner at the stern. I'm assuming it's for drainage, but what do I know ...


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## Popeye (Jul 2, 2008)

As the Keel runner is attached with rivits and thusly not water tight it will allow water in. Also as it is "U" shaped it will hold the water unless there is a drainage port. That's what you have there.


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## Mossy535 (Jul 2, 2008)

Thanks Andy for confirming my suspicions.

Now for the trailer ...






I'm not really happy with the lack of support/guidance between the bunks and the front "V" support. The lack of intermediate support allows the keel to bump the center member as the boat travels on/off the trailer.

I'd appreciate any suggestions the membership might have for improvements to the trailer as it currently exists.

Thanks,

Mark


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## Quackrstackr (Jul 2, 2008)

That's a fairly standard setup for a trailer. You could lengthen the bunks toward the front or install another V or roller between the bunks and the existing V. The addition of a roller off of the winch post may help you as well.

The trailer under my big boat has no bottom support except the rear bunks and the V roller on the winch post that mates to the bow. No problems whatsoever.

I will say that your bunks look like they are mounted straight to the frame without any standoff. Both of my trailers' bunks have adjustable standoff and sit higher off of the frame than yours.


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## Mossy535 (Jul 2, 2008)

Thanks Quackrstackr. This project is my first boating "experience", so I'm learning as I go.

Regarding standoff, could you elaborate a bit on what you mean by that?

Here's a rear view of the trailer, in case that helps.






BTW, I took her all apart last night. Time for new wheel bearings, bunks and carpet, and a good sandblast and paint job!

Mark


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## Quackrstackr (Jul 2, 2008)

Your bunks are mounted directly to the tube frame. Most trailers have them on some sort of bracket that are height adjustable. On my 1448 they are a U shaped clamp (like the ones holding the backbone of your trailer to the subframe) holding a solid post that is mounted to the bunk. You can loosen the U to slide the post up and down for adjustment.

I can't honestly say that I have paid any attention to my new boat's trailer to tell you what they are but I'm sure they are adjustable as well. All of my previous boat trailers have been.

If your bunks were higher, you could solve the problem of your hull striking your frame (I would think).

I would put some PVC pipe over your side guides and have a washer welded to the top so that your boat isn't sliding metal to metal when you load it. I had this done to my 1448's trailer and it works great. My tail lights are mounted to the top of them too.

I would also have some diagonals welded in between that square frame and the pipe backbone up toward the front. That setup doesn't look particularly rigid and has to be depending on the hull of your boat to help strengthen it during trailering. Not a good thing.


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## Mossy535 (Jul 8, 2008)

Exterior hull is done:






Now I have to finish refurbing the trailer so I have somewhere to put the boat while I mod her. The trailer is completely stripped and I've got the axle sandblasted, primed and painted. I've also got the hubs painted and refurbed including new bearings, races and seals to replace the junk I pulled out. I'm still amazed I got the setup home without completely seizing both wheels! I also have a nice new set of tires and wheels. But first I've got to sandblast, prime and paint the rest of the trailer.


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## Popeye (Jul 8, 2008)

Looks good, except for that small spot you missed :lol:


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## Mossy535 (Jul 8, 2008)

flounderhead59 said:


> Looks good, except for that small spot you missed :lol:



I thought it was bad luck to completely cover the previous paint job, unless you are eating a banana and whistling while painting? [-X 

Mark


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## Mossy535 (Jul 10, 2008)

Here's my planned layout. I'd appreciate any comments/suggestions from the peanut gallery, er, I mean members.  

https://tinboats.net/forum/images/albums/userpics/Layout_Annotated.pdf

The circles just show the envelopes of the seat corners as they swivel around.

Since I don't tournament fish, I think I'll forgo adding a livewell. I'll just throw the keepers on ice in the cooler.

The two fixed seats will be hinge mounted on top of "boxes" for storage. 

I would have liked a rod/gun storage box that ran bow to stern, but on this 53" wide 14 footer I think I'll really be cramped for space if I try that, especially since the sides run vertically and are not "flared" like many flat-bottom jons. And all my rods are two piece and 53" should be plenty long enough for my shotguns come duck season.

Thanks for any and all commentary,

Mark


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## Waterwings (Jul 10, 2008)

Mossy535 said:


> flounderhead59 said:
> 
> 
> > Looks good, except for that small spot you missed :lol:
> ...



Only if you're on the water, lol  

Floor plan looks good! If there's a Lowe boat dealer close to you they can order you a 60" storage/gun box (and they're lockable). Vertical sides shouldn't matter as far as fitting.


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## Mossy535 (Jul 26, 2008)

Slowly making progress. I've got new wheel bearings, wheels and tires on the freshly-painted trailer and now I'm preparing to carpet the bunks and install the trailer lights. Heres how I'm mounting the tail lights:






I'm mounting them on top of the side posts per Quackrstackr's suggestion. I'm using the PVC components shown below, and riveting an aluminum L bracket to the PVC cap:






Here's a close up of the left tail light:






And here's a closeup of it's mounting bracket:


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## SlimeTime (Jul 26, 2008)

Paint looks good! In the 2nd pic of the trailer, it looks as if the center member of the trailer has a slight downward bow in it, but doesn't in the 1st, probably just an optical illusion? Still, wouldn't hurt to tie it into the square frame of the trailer like --<[]
it might be flexing while trailering, and adding weight will only compound it.

ST


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## dedawg1149 (Jul 27, 2008)

looking good nice job


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## Waterwings (Jul 27, 2008)

Looks good! 8)


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## Popeye (Jul 27, 2008)

Looking good...'cept it's crooked :lol: :lol:


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## Mossy535 (Aug 18, 2008)

OK, time to start framing for the deck. First, let's get a good look at what we've got to work with:






Given the construction of the boat, I'm wondering if I need to tie the decks into the sides or not? I'm planning on putting a 4 ft. deck on the bow at about the level of where the curved bottom meets the straight sides. At the rear, I'll have a 3-4 ft. deck even with the gunnels or perhaps just a bit below.

For the left and right seats near the steering console, I'm thinking about putting the seats on a bench with storage underneath. Again, I'm wondering how necessary it is to tie everything into the sides of the boat?

Next question, is there any issue gluing carpet over plywood coated with Thompson's? I've got a gallon lying around, and it would be nice to use it versus buying enough spar urethane to coat everything.

Thanks in advance for your comments!

Mark


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## hcsdchief (Aug 18, 2008)

I used to much thompson's on my plywood and it made it pretty oily and the carpet didn't want to stick to the wood.


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## Popeye (Aug 19, 2008)

hcsdchief said:


> I used to much thompson's on my plywood and it made it pretty oily and the carpet didn't want to stick to the wood.



Is using a staple gun with S/S staples an option you are willing to consider?


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## Mossy535 (Aug 19, 2008)

flounderhead59 said:


> hcsdchief said:
> 
> 
> > I used to much thompson's on my plywood and it made it pretty oily and the carpet didn't want to stick to the wood.
> ...



Yep, in fact that's what I used to carpet my bunks this past weekend. Are you suggesting forgoing the glue altogether and just using staples?

Thanks,

Mark


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## Mossy535 (Aug 19, 2008)

Here's a sketch of what I'm planning. Both the bow and stern decks are 48" long, with a 24" mini-deck located even with the gunnels at the extreme end of the bow. This mini-deck is simply to provide a storage area underneath, and perhaps mount a bow trolling motor at a later date.The red item is the gas tank and the blue item is a cooler, both located underneath the rear deck. The black box is the battery which I plan to locate under the front deck. The boxes with circles around them represent seats ; one pedestal mount on each of the decks and two located on a bench amidships. The other rectangles represent hatches over storage lockers and are not to scale yet. The 19.5" rectangle represents the steering console, and the little box just behind it on the starboard side is the shifter.







Any comments on the need, or not, to attach the decks to the sides would be greatly appreciated.

Mark


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## monsterkat11 (Aug 19, 2008)

do we have another user of solidworks on the forum?


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## Mossy535 (Aug 19, 2008)

monsterkat11 said:


> do we have another user of solidworks on the forum?



I'm probably more of an "abuser" of SolidWorks, but I muddle through. The tough stuff I send downstairs to the draftsman! 

Mark


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## Waterwings (Aug 19, 2008)

hcsdchief said:


> I used to much thompson's on my plywood and it made it pretty oily and the carpet didn't want to stick to the wood.




From what I've heard, Thompson's is paraffin-based.


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## Mossy535 (Aug 19, 2008)

Ready to frame up the deck! She's gone from this:






to this:






*AND IT'S ONLY TAKEN 4 MONTHS!*


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## dedawg1149 (Aug 19, 2008)

you are doing a good job


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## russ010 (Aug 19, 2008)

looking good man! Keep up the good work


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## ben2go (Aug 22, 2008)

That's gonna be a mighty fine sportsman's dream boat.Wish I'd waited and found a v hull.I gotta flattie Jon.Tiny too.


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## Mossy535 (Aug 22, 2008)

Thanks guys! Tomorrow morning I begin the decking.  

Mark


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## Waterwings (Aug 22, 2008)

Paint job looks good! 8)


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## Mossy535 (Aug 26, 2008)

Well, I've done more rethinking that I have decking! But I believe I've finally settled on a layout that I can make work. After actually getting out and seeing things in 3-D, I've settled on the following layout:






and now I've finally started adding the deck supports!






I got the idea for having the cooler below the forward deck from looking at the Tracker Panfish 17 at my local Bass Pro:






You can't see it in the picture, because they have it disconnected, but the deck hatch is actually connected to the cooler lid via a nylon strap. When you open the deck hatch the cooler lid opens with it.

I know, it doesn't take much to impress me. :roll:


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## cprince (Dec 14, 2008)

So what happened? Perhaps I am missing some posts? This is a hell of a project... loving every picture and sentence. Giving me many ideas about my current bucket of rivets and possible future ones.

One suggestion to you would have been to use either poly-fiberglass resin or epoxy resin to encase that transom support wood. It would out last you and I in longevity. 

One question; How did you get a hold of FREE aluminum? One heck of a score!!! How many feet worth did you get?


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## ACarbone624 (Dec 14, 2008)

That is some fine work there Mossy! Keep at it and soon you will be out fishing in it! =D>


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## Big Buck (Dec 14, 2008)

Its looking really good, I cant wait to see the finished product!!!


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## Mossy535 (Jan 2, 2009)

Thanks for all the comments guys, they're much appreciated. 



cprince said:


> So what happened? Perhaps I am missing some posts? This is a hell of a project... loving every picture and sentence. Giving me many ideas about my current bucket of rivets and possible future ones.



You're not missing anything, I'm just running behind. All the aluminum framing is complete so I need to post up some more pics. I've also got all the decking cut. Right now the only things that are left to be done are:

1. Seal the wood
2. Fabricate console
3. Install carpet
4. Install steering
5. Do a bit of maintenance on the motor.

Winter (what winter we have around here) has slowed me down a bit, but as soon as it gets warm enough to lay on the spar urethane and carpet glue I'll be finishing her up. In the mean time, I guess I could be doing the routine maintenance on the motor. :roll: 



cprince said:


> One suggestion to you would have been to use either poly-fiberglass resin or epoxy resin to encase that transom support wood. It would out last you and I in longevity.



Now you tell me! :lol: 



cprince said:


> One question; How did you get a hold of FREE aluminum? One heck of a score!!! How many feet worth did you get?



We had a bunch of angle aluminum piled up out back of the plant. It was bought as scrap over the years for various small projects and what wasn't used was just thrown in a pile. The plant manager told me to have at it, so I did. Overall, I probably took about 80'-100'.


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## Mossy535 (Jan 2, 2009)

Here are a few pics of the framing at the 95% completion stage:


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## who pooted? (Jan 4, 2009)

What kinda paint did you use and did you use rivots or bolts for framing?


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## Mossy535 (Jan 4, 2009)

who pooted? said:


> What kinda paint did you use and did you use rivots or bolts for framing?



I used Duplicolor self-etching primer from AutoZone:






and Rustoleum Painter's Touch in Nutmeg from Home Depot:






All the framing was done using pop rivets.


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## Waterwings (Jan 4, 2009)

Looks great! 8) 

Are you going to install any type of support where the edge of the decking will be near the gunwales?


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## Mossy535 (Jan 4, 2009)

Waterwings said:


> Looks great! 8)
> 
> Are you going to install any type of support where the edge of the decking will be near the gunwales?



That's a thought that keeps nagging at me. I'm thinking about filling those areas with styrofoam, which might be sufficient, or if not perhaps I do need to add some bracing there for the 1/2" ply decking.


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