# Lowe Big Jon 1648 Hunt/Fish Build



## NLaudy (Feb 10, 2013)

Asked a few questions here and got some good help so I figured I would join the family and document my fishing/duck boat build here...

I got a good deal on a 1980 Lowe Big Jon 1648 boat. It came with a descent galvanized trailer and a 2003 25hp Mercury 2stroke.

I bought it about a month and a half ago. My goal is to build a nice budget boat that can be used for hunting during the season and fishing the rest of the year.

Here she is when I bought her...


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## NLaudy (Feb 10, 2013)

I was having a hard time keeping the engine running when I got it so I took it to a boat mechanic in Fredericksburg, VA (Nautical Healers). David Angel, the owner of Nautical Healers did a bang up job on the engine. Here she is on her maiden voyage... drove it a good 10 miles. Wanted to take it out a few times before changing anything to see what exactly she needed and think about what I wanted to do.













Here is the second journey. Ran around 40+ miles on Lake Anna. Day started out as snow and fog but ended up being nice and sunny a few hours laters.


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## NLaudy (Feb 10, 2013)

And the work begins...

1- Added a new Winch.
2- Put new chains on the trailer.
3- Grinded down some of the old metal pieces from where they had a deck on the boat.
4- Removed the rod holders from the boat and the other stuff that wasn't needed.
5- Re-wired the trailer and put new lights on.
6- Removed the front bench.


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## NLaudy (Feb 10, 2013)

There was some tar stuff in the floor and I figured it was there to try and stop the leaking but it looks like there were some other surprises such as cracking in the braces...

Took a long time to remove all the tar crap but most of it is off now. You can see that the previous owner drilled some new rivet holes and put them in to secure it better but unfortunately they are the source of most of the leaks. Just goes to show... if you are going to try and "fix" something... take the time to fix it correctly!


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## NLaudy (Feb 10, 2013)

Sure doesn't look like I have done a lot but I feel like I have! lol.

Needed a place to put the motor for a while and didn't have time to build a stand, lol. Also pulled the boat off the trailer so it should be a little easier to work on.



















I didn't take any pictures but while the boat was on the trailer I put a few inches of water in it and marked the leaking rivets. Also found a crack SMALL crack. Shouldn't be too hard to fix.

Crack in the seam...













Here are the extra rivets the previous owner tried putting in. Kind of stupid to put a rivet in a bend... thats going to be tricky to fix! Oh and the third picture... can't figure out why that would leak... duh!


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## Brandon (Feb 10, 2013)

Looks like ya found the site before I posted it today! Good luck on the build buddy. These guys should take good care of ya!


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## bigwave (Feb 11, 2013)

I love your motor stand........ :lol:


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## SDHawgs (Feb 11, 2013)

Love the goose pictures! And nice start on your boat!


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## NLaudy (Feb 11, 2013)

Thanks all! Hoping to go home and drill out some rivets today. Anyone know any local stores that carry the 5200 sealant for use on the rivets when installing? Curious if Lowes or any of them stores would carry it.


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## BigTerp (Feb 11, 2013)

I get my 5200 from Home Depot. You should be able to replace those rivets pretty easily. Looks like the PO did a crappy job setting them. If you have an air hammer, it will be worth it to pick up a rivet setting tool and replace those leaky rivets with solid rivets and a bit of 5200. Good luck!!

You planning on any flooring or decking? I'm working on a 1648 as well to hunt and fish from. Haven't gotten very far other than transom replacement. But goose season is about over and I'll hopefully have the time to get her finished up then.


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## NLaudy (Feb 11, 2013)

Hey Terp!

Thanks, I will check out Home Depot! He definitely didn't set the rivets good but I think a lot of it is placement. He put some of these rivets on the curves of the bottom so it is kind of hard to seal them. At this point I am renting a house and most of my stuff is in storage so I dont have an air compressor or air hammer. I bought some closed end rivets and am going to try and go that route for now.

I am not doing any decking as the primary purpose is for waterfowl hunting. I will use it throughout the summer to fish but the main things I have always fished for are stripers, catfish, and crappie so I dont really need a deck. Mainly looking for storage and open areas. Still on the fence as far as the flooring goes. Not sure whether I want to shell out the money for aluminum sheets or just put down wood.

Saturday was my last day of goose season for the year so now it is mainly working on the boat time until turkey season.


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## Ictalurus (Feb 11, 2013)

NLaudy

I used a #8 SS bolt and nut coated with 5200 where I had to take some rivets out (I believe the #8 is the same size as the rivets I replaced). I also just stuck with wood on the deck, first I had 1/2", but then switched to 1/4" to reduce weight, I put blue board underneath and it works just fine. The non-slip paint has worked well so far, very easy to clean. Nice boat and good luck with your build.


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## BigTerp (Feb 12, 2013)

Like Ictalurus said, many guys on here have used stainless steel nuts and bolts with some 5200. Seems to work well. If you have some tough to get to places that have holes/cracks you can also consider to have it welded.

I hear ya on keeping things open. I'll be removing my middle bench seat as well and installing a pin mounted seat for my stick steering setup. I'm only extending my front deck by about 12-18" or so. Primarly for more storage room. The nice thing about doing this is you increase storage without loosing any floor space. You can still throw your decoy bags on the deck for transport, unless you drive like my wife then EVERYTHING will need strapped down!!


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## T Man (Feb 12, 2013)

Im glad terp chimed in on this. I also have a double duty boat (Lowe 1652 Olympic Jon) that i am getting to the end point on. I extended my front deck by about 12 or 14 inches and am very glad I did. I have covered storage, a livewell, and a casting deck that is comfortable enough in the summer, and kept plenty of floor space for hunting in the winter. We hunted 3 comfortably (no dog) and myself and a buddy of mine who is a big old boy hunted out of it with his 100lb lab and were plenty comfortable. 

I need to get some current pictures of the boat up, and find the pictures of the blind I built


The start of my build.
https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=28142


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## NLaudy (Feb 12, 2013)

Fellas, thanks for all the information! I got to spend some time today working on the boat and pretty much took it down to the bare hull. Removed the front platform, rear bench, and the transom. The platform and bench will be going back in but they were in rough shape so I figured I would just pull them out to work on them. Kinda stupid in a way but it just adds to the fun of putting it back together 

I am going to be painting the boat so I am first going to strip the paint. With that said, do you recommend stripping the paint prior to re-installing the rivets I drilled out so that the rivets are locking straight to the metal? I bought some aircraft remover today, never used it before. Is there anything I need to tape off before using this stuff?


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## BigTerp (Feb 13, 2013)

I've yet to paint mine but I'm certainly not going to strip it. I'm just going to sand down to the aluminum where paint is peeling or cracking. Then I'll hit those areas with some self etching primer and give the rest of the boat a little scuff with some higher grit sandpaper and paint from there. When I replaced any rivets I sanded around the holes, set my rivets and primered over top once the 5200 had a good chance to cure.


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## Ictalurus (Feb 13, 2013)

BigTerp said:


> I've yet to paint mine but I'm certainly not going to strip it. I'm just going to sand down to the aluminum where paint is peeling or cracking. Then I'll hit those areas with some self etching primer and give the rest of the boat a little scuff with some higher grit sandpaper and paint from there. When I replaced any rivets I sanded around the holes, set my rivets and primered over top once the 5200 had a good chance to cure.



X2


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## NLaudy (Feb 15, 2013)

Now yall got me thinking. I may not strip it before painting it like yall mentioned. If I am not stripping it then I can just go ahead and skip the primer part except on places that are sanded down to bare metal correct?


I also need a little brainstorming help! Been trying to think of how I want the layout for the boat. I will be running 2 batteries and a 5gal gas tank. Currently they are all behind the rear bench but I absolutely hate having that much weight back there ESPECIALLY if I am out on the water by myself. I weigh 260 so that is a lot of weight in the back of the boat. With that said, the batteries weigh more than the gas tank so I guess it would be preferable to move them. But my question is... if I move them to the front of the boat what does that effect? Would I still be able to have my switch panel in the back of the boat? I am assuming I will need to get bigger wire in order to not drop power since it will be a longer run. Any input would be greatly appreciated... I need some brainstorming help. lol


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## Ictalurus (Feb 15, 2013)

Sounds like a plan on the batteries. I ended up buying a Reese trailer wiring harness, can't remember length (thinking around 20' or so). It has four wires all together, you can leave them that way or pull them into two's if needed. It was only $12 or so and was cheaper than buying indivual wires. I've attached a gauge chart for size determination.


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## NLaudy (Feb 15, 2013)

Thanks Ict! Ill post a diagram later of all my components and how I plan to hook them up. I bought a 6 switch panel that uses circuit breakers. 3 of them are 10amp and 3 are 5amp.


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## NLaudy (Feb 16, 2013)

Didn't get a whole lot done this week due to working extra hours. Did get the foam cut for the floor and test fitted it. Also picked up the aluminum sheets for the flooring.

The biggest thing I have been working on is the layout for the boat. Think I finally got it figured out and now I just have to get it all done.

Foam for floor:







Aluminum sheets for floor:






Boat Layout:


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## Pweisbrod (Feb 16, 2013)

Looks great, very nicely done thus far, especially the bird pictures!


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## NLaudy (Feb 20, 2013)

Started building the front deck/storage area. Have changed the design of the boat AGAIN lol. I believe at this point I am going to keep the batteries in the back and just leave the front as storage.












I had a little situation which shook me up a little bit. While drilling one of these aluminum pieces I wasn't paying any mind to the strings on the hoodie I was wearing and next thing you know I was being choked out by it. Not sure where or how the drill bit broke but I am extremely lucky that it didn't go in my neck and that the sweatshirt didn't strangle me. Of course I am probably the only dummy that stops to take a picture as a "learning" experience, lol. Here you can see im not even holding the drill... it is basically choking me out, lol. My wife ended up having to cut it loose. She wasn't too happy.


Here is a picture after my wife cut it loose and then a picture of how much it tangled up before I got the drill stopped. I would say an inch more and it would have cut off my air flow.


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## fowl mouth (Feb 21, 2013)

So i get on tinboats because im looking to re-do my boat deck setup and sure enough I find your thread with my EXACT boat and motor setup. My boat currently has all wood floor and wood front deck but I plan on stripping all of the wood out due to weight and going back with aluminum. Your's is looking great so far, are you not going to put the middle bench back in? Im afraid to take mine out, I dont want to hinder the structural integrity. Also what is your person and weight rating on there? The previous owner painted over the capacity plate on mine. What kind of speeds were you getting when you ran it?


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## RiverBottomOutdoors (Feb 21, 2013)

Gave up a lot of structural strength taking the benches out. That will put even more stress on the rivets and joints. Just something to consider, that's all.

Ever do any bowfishing in Lake Anna?


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## NLaudy (Feb 21, 2013)

fowl, that is funny! I do not plan to put the middle seat back in. I am willing to give up a little structural integrity for more space. Once I get it back on the water I will do some stress tests with hard turns and see how it acts. If it is stressing I will figure something out or throw it back in but from the reading I have done, lots of others have taken it out without an issue. As you can see I have extended the front platform a little so that provides a little extra something but of course the middle is where you have to worry. I am not real sure on the capacity plate, I will have to take a good look at it later. The previous owner put the trolling motor over it so a lot of the good info is rubbed off. As far as speeds I didn't carry a GPS but will next time. If I had to guess we were doing about 30 but I could be wrong and probably am.

RBO, I haven't really done much of any type of fishing on Lake Anna. Not sure many people bowfish it though. The Potomac and Rapp are where I hear people bowfishing. Can't wait to give it a try.


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## lbhansford (Feb 22, 2013)

always loving seeing some VA honkers on the bow


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## fowl mouth (Feb 24, 2013)

any updates buddy? I'm from VA myself which makes this story even funnier.


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## NLaudy (Mar 6, 2013)

No updates yet. We took a few trees down in the yard and then I went on Hog hunt in GA so haven't had much boat time.


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## NLaudy (Mar 9, 2013)

Got a little more done on the boat. Before one of the storms came through I wanted to get the motor into the garage so I built a stand for it. Threw it together in about 5 minutes and when I got back from GA my father had painted it for whatever reason... lol. He also put some wheels on it so that makes it really easy to roll around!

Other than that I finished the front storage area and am still working on the transom. After the test fits I pulled everything off and am coating all the wood in spar urethane. All fairly boring stuff!

Ordered the paint I needed. Plan to paint the boat in "Natural Gear" camo.

Motor Stand:






Bracing Done:










Storage Done:






Storage Open:


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## Pweisbrod (Mar 9, 2013)

I love the natgear camo! Looks great dude.


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## NLaudy (Apr 15, 2013)

The progress has been fairly slow as I only get to work on it some evenings...

I am pretty much done all the hull cleaning so we are getting closer to the painting stage! I got the pods installed on the boat and they look great! Should definitely more than make up for some of the weight I am adding.


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## bigwave (Apr 16, 2013)

The boat is starting to take shape, looks real good. =D>


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## NLaudy (Jun 16, 2013)

Been a while since I have posted updates... Turkey season got in the way!

Pic 1 - Test fit of the flooring and Nautolex installed.

Pic 2 - Steelflexed the bottom.


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## NLaudy (Jun 16, 2013)

Pic 1 - Figured it would be fun to have a matching cooler!

Pic 2-4 - Finally done painting boat...

Pic 5 - Installed new bunk holders and bunks.


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## Zum (Jun 16, 2013)

Nice work,paint job looks great.
Have you had it in the water yet with the pods?


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## BigTerp (Jun 17, 2013)

Nice work on the camo job!!


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## typed by ben (Jun 17, 2013)

incredible paint job. im interested to know how those rivets hold up on your extended deck. is that .125" angle?


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## NLaudy (Jun 18, 2013)

Thanks for the comments fellas. Ben, to be honest I am not sure which angle it is. I bought it from Lowes and it was the thickest stuff they had. Can't imagine that it wouldn't hold up as it is VERY sturdy but only time will tell. Ill post here if I run into any issues with it.

Zum, haven't had it on the water yet. This weekend hopefully will be the maiden voyage.


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## typed by ben (Jun 18, 2013)

[url=https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=319245#p319245 said:


> NLaudy » 11 minutes ago[/url]"]Thanks for the comments fellas. Ben, to be honest I am not sure which angle it is. I bought it from Lowes and it was the thickest stuff they had. Can't imagine that it wouldn't hold up as it is VERY sturdy but only time will tell. Ill post here if I run into any issues with it.


i think they sell both .0625 and .125. i ask because im doing the same with my casting deck and am interested to know how it will hold up over time. my normal partner is about the same size as you, where im 100 lbs lighter- and i dont want to design the braces good enough to support me but not him. i may end up welding my braces except where they contact the hull, which will be riveted.

just noticed all the matching paint work you did. that thing is a hunting cadillac. very sharp!


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## NLaudy (Jul 17, 2013)

Well the boat is about 95% done stage 1! Stage 2 is just putting a duck blind on and getting it ready for duck season rather than fishing season.

Battery Storage, On-board charger, anchor/bow light, and storage compartment:






Switch Panel, Bilge Switch, 12v accessory, console for holding wires, cutting board, and of course the fish finder:






Others:


























Bilge Pump and Gas Tank:


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## willsbarbour (Jul 23, 2013)

I like the camo job and how the cooler matches. What do you think of the flotation pods? Do you notice a change in performance? Thinking about putting some on my boat but I've never been on a boat with them so I have no idea what to expect but I think they could be a good thing to have.


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