# Fisher Water Rover complete rebuild - MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!



## Skipjack (Mar 4, 2018)

Well here we go with another "quick" project. This winter I managed to pick up a nice little fishing boat with a 2006 Mercury 15hp tiller. I believe it's a 15' 1985 Fisher Water Rover. Just like EVERY boat i've bought it had it's problems right away. The owner said (like every boat owner I've bought a boat from) no leaks, bearings and lights work on the trailer and the foam is good, its a great boat and no issues, tires are perfect except for the dry rot.:---) . 
Really nice boat with a open layout that I plan on keeping the same but of course I need to do my updates to make it the best it can be. Not sure what i'll name her but it might be K.I.S.S. LOL! 

To all reading; this is a complete rebuild. Everything is getting fixed, updated or replaced. My style is details matter and no cut corners or half assing it allowed. 

Another basket case ready to be reborn! 














Time to start gutting it and see what we have to work with...





So far so good, floor was removed as well as about 300lbs of water logged foam. 





Here is what it looks like after I gutted it. 










Boat and trailer. Notice I re carpeted the bunks already. Drove me crazy!





I rolled the hull over to look for leaks since I saw a bunch of goop on some rivets.





Seen this a thousand times. Goop on rivets won't work. Period. Quit being stupid and lazy and either re buck them or replace. 





I filled her up to see how bad it was on the leaks. "It doesn't leak" said everyone selling a boat!





All leaks found and now time to get out the super specialized Alabama Jon boat leak repair kit. 





That's it for now but keep watching. This thread DELIVERS!


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## LDUBS (Mar 4, 2018)

What is the rebar for (in your "repair kit")?


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## Skipjack (Mar 4, 2018)

Using it as a long punch for hard to reach rivets. Sometimes on the ribs by the corners or edges you can't get a hammer in to buck them so the long bar gets you up out of the way so you can hit it.


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## thedude (Mar 4, 2018)

No leaks as long as you squint your eyes and pick your feet up!


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## GYPSY400 (Mar 5, 2018)

Skipjack said:


> Using it as a long punch for hard to reach rivets. Sometimes on the ribs by the corners or edges you can't get a hammer in to buck them so the long bar gets you up out of the way so you can hit it.


I'm new to this boat rebuild thing.. do you hammer the rivets from the inside out.. or outside In?

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## Skipjack (Mar 5, 2018)

You use the dolly on the rivet head applying pressure and hit it with a punch on the other end.


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## Skipjack (Mar 5, 2018)

The leaky rivets were marked and then I went to work bucking them. You can see the flat spots on the heads so it was easy to see which ones were done. Once all done and no leaks I re marked them so I made sure I didn't forget anything.





Once that was done it was time to replace the broken bow eye. These are always broken and never understood why the manufactures used cast aluminum for this... 





Quick work with my new HackZall got it ready to be ground down and smooth





All ready for the new stainless bow eye to be installed.





Presto! it's fixed. 





Next was tearing out the old rotten wood in the transom. Looks good right?





The braces were riveted in so I had to grind them down and punch them out to remove the wood. Would be nice if it was all bolted together but i'm sure the rivets during production saved the manufacture $.30 





And here is the reason why I did this... Rotten wood! They feel ok since they are sandwiched in between two sheets of aluminum but they are always bad.


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## Skipjack (Mar 6, 2018)

Alumiweld time!

Since I want to make sure this boat is solid and no leaks I went ahead and got all the random old holes prepped and ready for Aluminum brazing with a product some know about - Alumiweld. It works if you don't want to half a$$ it and use JB weld and don't have access to a Tig welder. It takes time to get the hang of it and temperature control is paramount. I'm not a welder and don't claim to be but it got the job done with satisfactory results.

Some of the offending holes below the water line





Filled in





More holes!





And the "Mystery hole" that looks a lot like a bullet hole once I removed a glob of JB weld... :shock: 





All done and covered up!


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## JMichael (Mar 12, 2018)

I've got a 77 model water rover that is almost identical floor plan. Only real diff I see at this point is the front drink holder and trolling motor mount are on the opposite side to what mine are. I had to all but replace the transom on mine once I removed the wood and saw all the corrosion.


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## Skipjack (Mar 15, 2018)

Yup they get bad in the transom but luckily mine was good.


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## Skipjack (Mar 15, 2018)

Now that I got the holes, leaks and big stuff out of the way its time to shine the hull up!

Before









After the acid wash





The stuff I used was the aluminum hull cleaner you buy a places like academy ect... Works good but can get outa hand if your not careful!

Took some time and used a scotchbrite pad and a mountain of elbow grease to shine the hull up and create a brushed finish. 

Here is a pic of the decal that I want to get reproduced along with the beginnings of the brushed look hull.


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## Captain Morgan (Mar 16, 2018)

Looking good! I'm going to experiment with aluminum rod , I solder copper all the time. I might have a chance.


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## Skipjack (Mar 25, 2018)

Not time to build the transom!

I got 3 pieces of plywood I will sandwich together to get the correct thickness so it will fit perfectly. 





All cut to length and glue applied 





Alabama clamps in place to ensure a complete bond :lol: 





Once the glue was cured it was time to cut to final dimensions





Final cut revealed success in bonding the plys together





The old face of the transom was used as a template to drill the holes





Drilled and mocked up to the boat to make sure the holes lined up before sealing


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## Xxstang90 (Mar 25, 2018)

Alabama clamps lol


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## Skipjack (Apr 5, 2018)

Worked on some of the hardware today, decided to blast and clear the parts to clean them up and look nice. 
Left side grungy - Right side sparkly new!





Also got all the bare spots primed for the Tuff coat i'll be applying 





All taped off ready to put on the first coat





Went to the store and got some new foam for the floors and cut them to length and installed





Next up after a month of trying to get my carpet (they sent me the wrong stuff then lost my order) it was time to prep the pieces 





Now the real fun begins - Carpet! 





This next week I hope to get it all buttoned up and hit the water. I need to do 2 more coats of Tuff Coat, wire up the lights, build a fuse panel, install the fish finder, cut the new floor out, install the vinyl flooring on new floor, install assembly, make two custom panels, rebuild the front deck, install seat bases, more carpet... Shouldn't take more than a afternoon right??


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## Skipjack (Apr 6, 2018)

Got all the panels carpeted today and was going to do a couple coats of Tuff Coat so I could get the panels in but the gallon I received was bad. Not sure what happened but it was a off color and wouldn't roll. I noticed right away but decided to put a little on and its bad. #-o 

So I shifted gears and decided to make a couple end pieces to box in my control center that will house the switch panel and depth finder. 

Step one - Look at part then get some scrap and trace out what you think you need for material. 





Step two - Cut out pieces, bent at desired locations to fit box and then mock up assembly to see how bad you screwed up. Looks decent and it will be carpeted.





Step three - Drill and rivet together and sit back and relax for a minute on another finished step on the boat...


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## LDUBS (Apr 6, 2018)

Xxstang90 said:


> Alabama clamps lol




My father was originally from Alabama. He called baloney Alabama round steak. Haha.


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## Skipjack (Apr 6, 2018)

LDUBS said:


> Xxstang90 said:
> 
> 
> > Alabama clamps lol
> ...


Sounds about right!


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## gatorglenn (Apr 7, 2018)

Skipjack said:


> Got all the panels carpeted today and was going to do a couple coats of Tuff Coat so I could get the panels in but the gallon I received was bad. Not sure what happened but it was a off color and wouldn't roll. I noticed right away but decided to put a little on and its bad. #-o
> 
> So I shifted gears and decided to make a couple end pieces to box in my control center that will house the switch panel and depth finder.
> 
> ...


Hey great job, curious how did you bend the flanges on the pieces you cut out did you use a break or what other method thanks.


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## .356luger (Apr 7, 2018)

those m18 hackzalls are an excellent tool i love mine. nicely done on the boat so far


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## Skipjack (Apr 15, 2018)

gatorglenn, to bend the pieces I just used a vise and a big hammer with careful persuasion.


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## Skipjack (Apr 15, 2018)

Had a nice day last week so I decided to paint the trailer. It was in decent shape but needed a new fresh coat to spruce it up!

Before






After





Hard to see but it looks way better now!

One more job checked off the list now it was time to fab up some brackets to get my new hatch fitted in. I picked up some angle and cut it to length so I could rivet it to the braces so the hatch would have something to sit on






Brackets installed and ready to see if the hatch fits





Looks like it will work!





For the front deck I'm using some PVC sheet material and got it cut to length. I will be wrapping it in Marine vinyl 





Got it cut to size and dropped in the hatch to see how it fits





That's it for now. I got to get this thing done!!


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## Skipjack (Apr 16, 2018)

Today I decided to get the hatch and front deck done as well as get the rough cut out of the floor done. 

Laid out the vinyl and got it ready to glue on to the PVC sheet





Fast forward about 3hrs and its all done except for the nav light base. If only I can remember where I put it... #-o 





Didn't get too many pics of the flooring but here is the messed up factory floor. Not much to salvage so I'm using 1/4 exterior plywood that will be epoxy sealed and wrapped in the marine vinyl. It won't add too much weight maybe a extra 20lbs but will be much stronger and provide some rigidity unlike the pop can thin aluminium factory flooring.


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## dwjones16 (Apr 18, 2018)

Very nice build...do it right or go home! Never, ever underestimate Alabama ingenuity! Can’t wait to see the finished product!!!


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## Skipjack (Apr 21, 2018)

Well I got some serious work done on the boat this last week! The pictures make everything look easy but it takes a lot of time and work to do these rebuilds. I guess for me it takes twice as long, I can't settle until its perfect.  

Took a while but I got the flooring cut out and ready for epoxy resin. This really won't add too much strength but it seals the wood up nice. I thinned it with acetone and did two coats to make sure it soaked in. 





Second coat done and drying. This is the part I hate, can't do ANYTHING until its cured. 





Now we have the wood all sealed up nice it's time to lay out the vinyl and trace out what I need. This Nautolex Marine Vinyl Flooring is not cheap so I make sure to measure twice and cut once!





Once all that was done I glued and trimmed the vinyl on the flooring and laid it in to see how everything fit. One thing you need to watch out is "tolerance stacking" that is where you add extra dimension from the thin flooring itself and may end up with everything too big. You especially need to watch out on thick marine carpet. Luckly you can stretch the vinyl out and pull it tight so it only adds maybe 1/16".





Floor is all ready to go in so I got it square and started to rivet the floor down to the crossmembers. That was a pretty easy task but cranking down 50 big rivets by hand wasn't too fun. 

Here's a shot of how the side panels go in, they slip into a channel on top and have a piece of trim that secures everything together. Pretty slick idea. 




Installed





Next morning I decided to take a pic of the progress... Floor is all installed but I still need to do the side panels and put the seat bases in as well as other bits and pieces.


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## Skipjack (Apr 22, 2018)

We are getting close to finishing this puppy!

A couple things I do that some people overlook are small but important in the long run. I like to fill all the random holes up in the hull the correct way (weld/braze) and install things like transducers using epoxy. You end up with no holes and a solid bond if done correctly. Adhesives have came a long way and do a perfect job. Heck some new cars a basically glued together now so it works. The other thing is to make everything laid out and accessible if you need to do upgrades or repairs. The entire hull is riveted or screwed so you can drill out a couple rivets or remove screws and you have access. 

Here is a example of what i'm talking about - 

Wont lose this drain plug anymore. 





I attached a simple chain to it and screwed it to the transducer cable tie. No more lost plug!





One of the biggest mistakes is mounting the transducer for the fish finder. You usually see a bunch of holes where someone kept shooting screws thru the hull to finally get it right. 

I have a simple fix for that - Get a piece of plastic (PVC/Starbord etc.) to mount the transducer on.





Here I drilled some holes on the mounting surface for the epoxy to "hold on" to





Glob some epoxy on and position it where you want and get some tape to hold it into place until it sets. I've done this on many boats and have yet to have one come off. Now you have a mounting point for your transducer with out drilling a bunch of holes in the hull. As long as you don't use long screws! :wink:


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## Skipjack (Apr 23, 2018)

Today is the BIG day!

I got all the carpet in, floor done and all wired up.





My little control center completed and ready to go





Well here it is all done and ready to find a new home!





























This was a LOT OF WORK! so many little pieces of trim, so many things to be fixed and corrected but in the end it was well worth it. This little boat has a open floor, solid and perfect for crappie fishing down here in Alabama. I'm lucky to have the Mercury four storke on it and it purrs like a kitten. Before I sell it I need to take it out on the water to get some final "testing" done. :lol: 

Like my last boat I did, it takes twice as long to get it finished as you initially think, I have probably over 80hrs on this project. Everything I used as far as materials was marine grade and of top quality. I want these boats I restore to last as long or longer than the factory builds. Everything was either replaced or repaired and then refinished. 

Before - 









After - 









I'm all done and MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!!!!!


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## Bateman (Apr 23, 2018)

Nice work. Gotta be pretty close to me. I live off Maysville Road ha


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## dwjones16 (Apr 23, 2018)

Nice build...great tips!


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## mtntop (Apr 23, 2018)

what a incredible transformation! very nice work and great attention to detail


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## Drock (Apr 23, 2018)

SELL IT no- that's a fantastic build thanks for all the details.


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## ohiobass (Apr 24, 2018)

AWESOME work! =D>


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## gatorglenn (Apr 24, 2018)

Really turned out great [emoji106] 


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## atw7 (Feb 20, 2020)

Wow. I think I just bought the same boat 2 days ago. I was looking for more info about the boat when I came across your rebuild . . . which came out very nice!


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## nowgrn4 (Feb 21, 2020)

Great Job!


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## akboats (Jul 23, 2021)

I like what you did with this boat clean. did you eventually sale it.


atw7 said:


> Wow. I think I just bought the same boat 2 days ago. I was looking for more info about the boat when I came across your rebuild . . . which came out very nice!



did you ever do anything with yours. I just bout a fisher marine 15 footer couple months ago didnt have the front seat though.


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