# 14' Naden Semi-V Modification



## gmoney (Apr 23, 2011)

Hey guys,

Finally got to start my boat mod today now that I'm done exam. Here's some pictures of my boat










I picked it up last year in the fall. It has a '03 15 HP 4 stroke yamaha that runs really well. I took it out for a test drive on the river before I bought it and everything seemed to work well. Then when I got it home and looked more thoroughly at it I noticed that part of the keel guard was missing and the head of one of the bolts was sheared off and that left a wide open hole in the boat once I removed the bolt. 










Should I get a piece of aluminum to fix the keel guard or just leave it and fill in the hole and the minor tear with some JB Weld?

I started stripping the paint from the hull today. I saw that a lot of guys use a grinder and a wire cup wheel to get the paint off. So I tried it, F that! lol I gave up after 15 minutes and went out and bought some paint stripper. Paint stripper worked like a charm. I have half the boat done and I'll finish the rest tomorrow.

The boat came modded already. The middle bench and half of the rear bench was removed and it had a flat floor and a casting deck out in front. The problem is, it was all pressure treated plywood so I thought I'd be better off taking it all out and redoing it. 
I plan on adding a few seats, trolling motor and a rod locker. 
I have 9 days to work on it before I start my new job so hopefully I can get it done in time!


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## gmoney (Apr 25, 2011)

Got some work done on the boat over the weekend. I stripped all the paint off the bottom portion of the boat because the previous owner just sprayed some paint over the old stuff that was chipped and flaking so it looked terrible.





Here's some pictures of the inside









I flipped the boat over today and filled it with water to see if she leaks. Definitely does.... Water seems to be pouring our around the plug. The water is getting between the two layers of sheet metal and pouring out the bottom, as shown in the pics.









Any suggestions how to fix this? 

I was thinking either jb weld right around the inside of the hole or use a more flexible sealer. Suggestions are definitely welcome.

The front seat mount was also torn so I glued it back together with some JB marine weld, hopefully it holds.
before




after





Anyone have any suggestions for the keel guard as well( in previous post)?


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## gmoney (Apr 27, 2011)

Quick update:

Bought a bunch of wood for framing, a seat pedestal and some bases, and a can of spar urethane. Got some framing done on the boat today, hopefully I can get the majority of the framing done tomorrow and finish by Friday.

Still having trouble finding self etching primer. I found some zinc chromate primer but I've read some horror stories abut that stuff online. Has anyone used zinc chromate primer on their tin?

More pictures to follow tomorrow


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## gmoney (Apr 29, 2011)

So I got a bunch of the framing done on the boat today. Hopefully I can finish the rest of the framing tomorrow. A buddy of mine helped me pick up some plywood tonight so hopefully I can begin to put in the decks and then coat everything in some spar urethane, carpet and possibly paint this weekend. It's suppose to snow sunday though  so we will see. Here are some pics of the progress:

front deck framing





middle framing. The seat and pedestal from the front will plug into here while driving so that it will be way safer





another shot of the front deck. You can see the yamaha tucked away under everything in the back there


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## gmoney (May 1, 2011)

Quick update. 
I finished framing the front deck and cut out a template for the plywood floor that still need to go in. I wanted more room up front for another hatch so I took out the front seat but left in the aluminum cross member. After building up some of the frame, shown in the last post, I realized that the cross member had tears in both sides of it and it creaked a lot when stood on. I thought the creaking would piss me off so I ripped it out and put in another 2X3 instead. It seems to be very sturdy so it should hold up.
Here are some pics of the progress.















finished framing










cardboard template















I'm still thinking about putting a hatch in the middle of the bench at the back of the front deck for a trolling motor battery. I don't have a trolling motor or battery right now but I plan on buying one once I get my first pay check. 

I can't believe how much deep cycle batteries are. I went to cabelas today and the Trogan batteries were $235 :shock: 
Walmart and costco do have cheaper batteries but I've heard a lot of mixed reviews on these batteries, so it's a tough call to spend $100 now on a cheaper battery and have to replace it or spend $235. I will have to think about it.

Although, I did score a cabelas prodigy casting rod for 50% off to go along with my bps pro qualifier reel. I can't wait to try out my first baitcaster combo.


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## gmoney (May 4, 2011)

I wish I had a lot more time to work on this build. Slowly making progress now. 

I decided to make a hatch for the battery in the middle seat.
This was a lot of work to do because I had to remove half of the framing I had already constructed in order to remove the bench top. Then I had to rip out all of the foam that was inside of the bench in order to make room for the battery. 
I started cutting some scrap aluminum into some aluminum angle pieces so that I could put a tray for the battery to sit on within the bench. I couldn't get my mind around how I was going to fit the plywood for the bottom of the battery box into the bench because there is a lip on the bench that makes the opening narrower than the bench. 
Instead of wasting time thinking, I switched projects and traced the cardboard template onto the plywood and cut it out. 






It needs some fine tuning, but it should fit perfectly. As seen in the picture, I have to add of two little pieces on each side of the front deck because the boat is wider than a 4 feet so the plywood wasn't quite large enough. Should be an easy fix, hopefully I can get it all done this week and then cut out all of the hatches as well.

The end is in sight!


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## gmoney (May 10, 2011)

I finished cutting out 3 of the hatches for the front deck, still going to add another hatch in the middle of the bench for a trolling motor battery. Here are some pictures of the progress










I bought some piano hinge for the hatches today. Still looking for non-loop outdoor carpet though...


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## Ictalurus (May 10, 2011)

Boat looks great man. How wide is that beauty? I like how you've set up the new front deck. As far as the crack in the keel, it may be worth the extra cash to have a welder tack it shut.


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## gmoney (May 10, 2011)

Ictalurus said:


> Boat looks great man. How wide is that beauty? I like how you've set up the new front deck. As far as the crack in the keel, it may be worth the extra cash to have a welder tack it shut.


Thanks Ictalurus! I haven't really measured how wide it is. I know it 52" wide at the top of the second bench. 

I'll talk to some friends and see if someone could tack the little crack shut


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## countryboy210 (May 10, 2011)

You're Making Great Progress, Coming Along Well ! =D>


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## gmoney (May 11, 2011)

Thanks guys!
I got some more work done on the boat tonight. I added the battery box in the seat at the rear of the front deck, just need to put a bottom in it. I added some 2x3 bracing along the sides of the box, it helped make the front deck so sturdy now. It's awesome!
Here are some pics















I made a minor miss cut in the corner of the one plywood side. Not a big deal though, you will never see it once the hatch is closed.

I can't decide whether to use sheet metal from the seat or a piece of plywood for the bottom of the battery box. Any suggestions? 

keep up the input guys, I'm open to suggestions


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## gmoney (May 14, 2011)

Quick update.
Worked a whole bunch on the boat the last couple of days.
I finished off the battery box, trimmed the plywood for carpet clearance, bought some carpet and adhesive and put a coat of spar urethane on all of the wood. Tomorrow I hope to start prepping for paint and finishing the lower deck. Will post some pics tomorrow


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## gmoney (May 16, 2011)

Ended up starting the lower deck today. Got the plywood cut out, still needs some trimming. Over the weekend I was able to get a coat of spar urethane on almost all of the wood, should be able to finish that up tomorrow. Still need to start on paint prep and carpet it all. I'm hoping to have it fishable by Friday so this week will be a lot of work to get it all done. Here are some pics of the progress from the last few days.

finished battery box





finished front of boat, I may end up cutting a whole in the middle of the plywood for more storage, haven't decided yet





completed front deck framing





rear deck in place


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## gmoney (May 30, 2011)

Wow it's been a while since I posted. I've been working on the boat almost every single day. I've gotten a lot done over the past two weeks. I never got the boat done for the long weekend, but I still went to the cabin to do some fishing. Ended up catching a small pike and perch and 4 decent sized walleye when fishing off of my dock with my girlfriend. 

The weather has been pretty cold/rainy here for the last two weeks so I wasn't able to paint the boat. I sanded everything down on the inside so the paint looks terrible but I will paint it in the summer eventually. 

Update on progress:

I completed carpeting the boat and all of the hatches. Installed hinges on all of the hatches and put back all of the flotation foam back under the decks. I also install both pedestal bases and purchased and install a swivel for the read seat. Today, I also install the battery and battery box. 

For the carpet I used contact cement and staples as several members have suggested. It worked great! the only probem was the carpet is thirst for contact cement. I went through 2 cans of the stuff and a tonne of staples, but I'm very happy with how it turned out.

Below are all the pictures of the progress (sorry I didn't take any pictures during the carpeting process)














































My list of to do's has gotten a lot shorter now, which is good, I can now see the light at the end of the tunnel.
I want to have the boat in the water at the cabin in on Friday so I have a bunch of stuff to complete before then. In order to fish I have to: 
1. install motor and gas tank
2. change oil and filter in motor
3. replace lower gear oil
4. charge boat battery
5. Cut out plywood to fit inside hatches
6. fix small leak in keel guard/ rebuild front keel guard
7. put ID #'s on boat
8. register trailer
9. find someone with a truck/buy a trailer hitch to get the boat out to the cabin

This list is very doable this week. I still haven't purchased any electronics for the boat. I need to wait for a paycheck or two in order to do so. I wanted to buy a Garmin echo 200 but they don't seem to be available now until the second quarter of 2011, so that sucks. I also want to buy a bow mount minnkota trolling motor, something along the lines of a powerdrive v2. I just want to fish in the boat first before I make the splurge to buy the trolling motor.


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## gmoney (Jun 16, 2011)

So I ended up getting the boat ready to fish two weekends ago. I was able to get a bunch of my list done including:
1. install motor and gas tank
2. change oil and filter in motor
3. replace lower gear oil
4. charge boat battery
5. fix small leak in keel guard/ rebuild front keel guard
6. register trailer

I ended up buying a trailer hitch and installing it on the car. It actually tows quite well behind the Accord. I still have to cut out plywood to fit inside hatches and put ID #'s on the boat. I will leave those things for the future and just fish for now.

Last weekend I took the boat out for the fishing derby at my work with my girlfriend. We ended up doing alright considering we had never fished the lake before. I ended up catching 3 walleye's and a 20" pike and my grilfriend caught 5 walleye and a small mouth bass. It must have been a tough day fishing because my 20" pike put me in 7th place out of 150 people, so I won a rod and reel!

I also purchased the Garmin echo 200 the other day. They had just gotten them in stock at Cabela's, so I scooped one up before they were all gone. I plan to install it and try it out this weekend. I will post some pictures of the keel fix and the new fish finder after this weekend. 

Here is a picture of me with a 16 and 1/4" walleye that I caught in the derby


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## gmoney (Jun 21, 2011)

Over the weekend I was able to install my new Garmin fish finder. I just attached the screen to a piece of plywood for now because I don't know where I should mount it permanently. Here are some pics











Below are some pics of the keel repair that I did. It seems to be holding out the water for now. We will see how it works in the long run. I just ended up cutting out a small piece of aluminum and bolting it back into place with some marine adhesive.






On the weekend I was pleasantly suprised to see that the ramp guy had finished installing the ramp for my boat. He just installed 2 2x6's or 2x8's and then screwed on some teflon strips along the length of the boards. The slick runners work like a charm!






Now I don't have to trailer my boat every weekend!


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## Bruce (Nov 16, 2011)

Just looked at this site again. It's been awhile. I have had a Naden for 6 years now, boy that time has flown by. It is a 16' Canadian Big Laker. I had used them on trips to Birch Island Lodge near Manitoulin Island in the last decade. I put a deck up front, and that has a pedestal seat. In back of the bow plate on top I put some plywood with carpet over that for the MinnKota PD 55. Wasn't too tough to do. I ha a battery up front for that motor nd another battery in tha back for starting the Honda and for electronics. My boat is an '02. I bought it in 2006 and it had never been in the water. Sat on a dealers lot in Mt Pleasant Michigan. It is the red color. I like the 'Naden' name on the rear corner plates. But I wouldn't want to drill thru them again for my stern light. [-X Your boat looks great. It just takes time. I didnt put the deck in til the 2nd or 3rd season. Little improvments every year.


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## gmoney (May 22, 2012)

Ended up working on the boat this past week getting it ready for the season. I wired up the bow and stern lights and a bilge pump. Put them all together with a few switches. Below are some pictures of the update. 











I also left an extra pair of wires running up to the bow in case I want to install a fish finder in the bow. The extra wire will pay off big time if I do end up doing that because it was a big pain to have to take both decks on all to run a couple of wires to the bow for a light.

I finally got the boat out on the water this past weekend. It poured rain for two days straight when out at the cabin and I opened up the hatches on my boat and I had a foot and a half of water instead :shock: Once that was drained I launched the boat and took it out for a spin. 

At first, it didn't want to start at all. Barely cranked over on a freshly charged battery, strange. I eventually got it going and it ran fine so I dunno what was up.

I'll eventually build in a rod locker on the one side of the lower deck of the boat and get a bow mount trolling motor. Just needs some time and money


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## fool4fish1226 (Jun 5, 2012)

Looks good, nice clean work on your wiring =D>


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