# My 79 Lowe 1648 project



## tinboatlover (Jan 14, 2011)

This is my 1979 Lowe 1648 jon boat. I have a 91 Honda 9.9 motor that will go on the boat. These pics show the rough condition of the boat when I got it. I have since stripped the boat to bare metal and I am going to be starting work on the boat again in a few weeks. I am looking forward to getting it done and on the water, but I have been so busy since I picked it up, I haven't made much progress. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Oh, by the way, I love the site. I have read the info on the site for the last year, but I just joined today.


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## jasper60103 (Jan 14, 2011)

tinboatlover said:


> This is my 1979 Lowe 1648 jon boat. I have a 91 Honda 9.9 motor that will go on the boat. These pics show the rough condition of the boat when I got it. I have since stripped the boat to bare metal and I am going to be starting work on the boat again in a few weeks. ...



That's a nice size tin, and from the looks of it, you did a lot of work already. Stripping it down is no small task. The trailer looks great. Look forward to seeing more progress. Good luck.


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## cali27 (Jan 14, 2011)

Nice boat man. I myself am looking to upgrade to a boat that size. Looking forward to seeing your progress. Post lots of pics


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## tinboatlover (Jan 19, 2011)

I have made a little progress on my boat. I have the outside of the boat mostly stripped down and I added a new crank and wheel on the trailer. I still need to change the chains and the tires on the trailer. The boat still needs a ton of work, but at least everything is torn out and the outside can be ready for a line-x spray on liner for the bottom and paint for the remainder of the boat. I could probably get it ready in a weekend (the hull)   if I could coordinate my schedule with the weather. I included a few new pics. I am going to try to work on fixing the transom which is full of holes this weekend or next. I am starting to get excited about the whole project again.


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## River (Jan 19, 2011)

Looks like the transom was used for target practice, wonder who the previous owner was running from?
Good looking boat, have fun with it.....


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## tinboatlover (Jan 30, 2011)

I finally made up my mind I am going to coat the boat with Line-X. It uses polyurea and I finally got to see what that stuff can do. I went to a local boat show and they had a Lowe Roughneck sprayed with Line-X. It was sprayed on the inside but he showed me a sample of what he could do on the outside. That stuff is awesome. He sprayed a balloon with it and I could stand on it. He sprayed a pop can and drove a Ford F250 on the can and parked it - it didn't collapse. It is used in bomb mitigation and it is 100% waterproof. As a matter of fact, he said the local hospitals are starting to spray their showers with a smoother version of Line-X which is the same version I would put on my boat. I can't wait! It will probably be another 3-4 weeks before it will be ready to spray because I am doing some extensive work to the transom, but I am also having him do it in blue because I saw that color and it looked awesome! Look at the Line-X website and there are 2 jon boats that have been sprayed inside and out. I think I will use Herculiner on the inside since it is a bit cheaper (a lot cheaper). It will work well over the aluminum flooring I am going to install. I can't wait to get started.


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## tinboatlover (Feb 1, 2011)

I am getting ready to order aluminum to make an all aluminum transom. I don't want any wood on my boat. It should be really strong and should last longer than the boat. Hopefully it will be here by the weekend. If I do get it by Friday, hopefully I will get part if not all of the transom done this weekend. I will post pics as soon as I get the new transom done.


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## bulldog (Feb 2, 2011)

Take pics of the process you use to replace the existing transom. You never know what might help the next guy and a picture is worth 1000 words. 

Good luck.


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## tinboatlover (Feb 4, 2011)

I will do that Bulldog. I am as curious as you are how it is going to turn out. I have a couple different plans in case something doesn't work, but either way ought to be sturdy. I just thought I would mention my aluminum for my transom ought to be here tomorrow. Knowing my luck it won't show until next week. Oh, I was able to get about $120 worth of angle for $10 at a scrapyard. It was brand new angle!   He had just sold a bunch more or I would have been set. Oh well. I'll have everything I need by the end of the month to finish the boat. I am still contemplating various layouts but I pretty much have it narrowed down to 2 layouts. I am trying to make the layout versatile because I will use it primarily for bass, but I also will be using it for flatheads, muskie, and whatever else I decide to try.


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## tinboatlover (Feb 5, 2011)

I finally got started on some of the build. My aluminum for my transom didn't show up because of bad weather up north, but it should be here Tuesday. Anyhow, I started on the bracing for the front deck while I wait on my transom. Here is a pic I took after my first brace was riveted. It was after dark and I called it a day since my wife was ordering, er...uhh....asking me to do something. I will get back to work tomorrow with what aluminum I have. I should be able to get about half of my front deck bracing completed tomorrow. I would get it all done tomorrow but I don't have enough aluminum. Oh, the rivets are strong as crap. VERY sturdy. I am using 3/16". Will post more pictures tomorrow.


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## tinboatlover (Feb 6, 2011)

I guess I might as well write to myself.


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## greenhead206 (Feb 6, 2011)

looking good, should be a nice looking boat when finished.. It would be a heck of alot easier on ya if you knew anybody with a welder, putting rivets in can be a pain sometimes. them rivets should hold up pretty good tho...


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## tinboatlover (Feb 6, 2011)

Greenhead206, 

I am hoping it will be pretty nice when I am done with all of my craziness. I am starting to think it would have been much cheaper to just buy a new boat and forget about it. Then I think, well I would want to customize it and I would just end up spending 4x what I will on this boat. I do know a welder. My father-n-law is certified in every type of welding known to man. He is very good at what he does. Unfortunately, he does not own a TIG welder and his employer will not let him bring one home to work on my boat. My uncle is a fabricator that builds custom Nascar trailers and he used to fabricate engine parts when he was a head mechanic for various race crews. He can weld anything - especially aluminum - but he lives in Tennessee. Oh well. The rivets are really cool and easy to use. I am glad I went with aluminum instead of wood. I didn't get anything done today because of school work and running 100 places for my kids, but my supplies should be here Tuesday. Next week will begin my assault on trying to fix the boat. I'm ready to roll!!!!


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## tinboatlover (Feb 8, 2011)

I am sitting here waiting on my aluminum for my transom. It should be here this evening so I am waiting by my door. I priced the sheet aluminum today and shipping is OUTRAGEOUS!!! I found a local machine shop that can order it for me and it is much more reasonable. I found a 4x8 sheet online for as cheap as $160, but then they want $480 for shipping because it is shipped via freight. That wouldn't be a bad price if I bought a lot because the shipping is the same for 1 sheet or 10. Anyhow, I found 4x8 sheets locally for $273.79 per sheet. Now here is the weird part - I can get 4x12 sheets for $264.60! I thought that was weird. I guess they need to get rid of some of the 4x12 sheets so they are cheaper. That works out really well though because I was going to need 4 sheets of 4x8 and I was going to have a lot of waste, but now I can get by with 2 sheets of 4x12 with hardly any waste. That will save me 50%. If I need a couple small pieces I can get what I need and have it shipped for under $100. That means I can finish the whole inside of my boat including bracing and 1/8" sheeting for about $650. That sounds expensive until you figure in the weight savings and the permanent nature of aluminum. I am going to be really busy the rest of the week so I can't get started until next week, but at least I will have the supplies ready to go. I MAY be able to get the inside done as well as the outside and be ready for my polyurea coating by next weekend. I am keeping my fingers crossed.


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## tinboatlover (Feb 14, 2011)

I found sheet aluminum for $167 locally. I bought 3 sheets and tomorrow the work starts back up. I have been busy for so long, I have been really aggravated wanting to get busy on my boat. I am working on the transom and some of the deck bracing. I will have to wait until later in the week to finish the decking since I still don't have all the bracing I need yet. I hope to have the inside and outside done and ready for the water by next weekend. I think I can do it. I have 3 weeks off and I am ready to get busy. I will post pics tomorrow! Wish me luck! Why am I a little nervous?!


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## Decatur (Feb 14, 2011)

Too bad you couldn't score some sheet aluminum like you did on the angle!


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## tinboatlover (Feb 18, 2011)

I started work on my transom. I only have a few pics of the preliminary work I did, but I will post more pics tomorrow.


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## tinboatlover (Feb 25, 2011)

I have done some more work to my transom. It has been slow going from the initial strip of the boat, patching leaks or holes, and now a major overhaul of the transom. I fully believe the transom will be much stronger than it was when it was new. I know it will be much better than when I got it. I plan on using a 9.9 as well as a 35 h.p. motor so it needs to be as strong as possible. I first had to strip down the old transom and what you see is me inserting a new top by sandwiching the old transom top between a 1"x1.5" and a 1.5" piece of angle. I first straighten the old piece by molding it around square tubing and clamping it to bend it. Then I place everything together with clamps and riveted the three pieces together making it incredibly strong already. What you see in these pictures is fiberglass I used on the inside and the outside of the old transom to seal all of the holes. I have cut a new transom that will be riveted over the old transom and connected to the inside bracing with rivets and 6 large bolts that will squeeze the old transom, new transom, and rectangle tubing to make an extremely stiff transom that will be waterproof and provide ample support for the 35 hp motor I plan on using. Here are some of the pics. I have everything ready to attach the new transom tomorrow and I have already cut the sheet aluminum and pieces of the bracing.


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## tinboatlover (Feb 25, 2011)

Here are the pics.


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## tinboatlover (Mar 4, 2011)

I did some more work to the transom. I cut out a new transom and placed it over the old transom. The red fiberglass was used inside and out to seal the old transom. The old transom is being sandwiched between the new wall and the bracing on the inside. I am riveting the new transom to the bracing on the inside by using rivets and then welding the outside of the transom to seal the new transom. It is already many times stronger than it was with the wood transom and the thin, torn, transom wall. I have 4-5 more supports to add to the transom, but I haven't attached all of the pieces yet.


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## tinboatlover (Mar 13, 2011)

I got the rest of the boat stripped and ready for Line-X. The transom is almost done and I will post pics as soon as I get it finished. The transom is looking pretty cool. I'm impressed with how strong it is turning out. Really glad I went with aluminum instead of wood. I hung off the back of the jack plate and I weigh 250 pounds and it was fine. That is good considering I haven't got all the supports in or any of the tie-ins that will attach the transom to the back fishing deck. I can't wait. It is taking forever doing it a couple hours at a time, but I will get the outside of the boat completely done this week. It will be a deep blue. There was a lot more wrong with the boat than what I am showing, so that is another reason it seems like forever getting anything done. I'll post pics tomorrow.


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## tinboatlover (Mar 21, 2011)

I got to work on the boat some today. I have several pics and I will load them in 2-3 posts. Here they are. Especially notice the transom pics and the difference between the transom earlier in the build and now.


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## tinboatlover (Mar 21, 2011)

Here are the transom pics. Notice how I made the transom with channels to be able to attach the decking directly to the transom to make both the deck and the transom stronger. I am 6'5" and 250 pounds and I am able to hang off of the jack plate and there is not even a little flex or twist in the transom. It is a far cry from how it started. It was torn, twisted, flopped back and forth - and that was with no motor on the back. I wouldn't think twice about putting a 35 hp on the back now. I could put larger, but that is all it is rated for. Now it is much stronger than when it was new 32 years ago! It took forever, but it is almost done. I still have to tig weld the outside edge of the new sheet aluminum I put on the outside and add some additional tie-in bracing, but it is a huge relief to get the biggest problem on the boat taken care of!!!!! I will be able to get the outside ready for steelflex by the end of the week. I think I am going to use that now instead of line-x because of cost (I plan on selling it before next year). Let me know what you think or if you have any questions.


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## tinboatlover (Mar 21, 2011)

Don't forget what that transom looked like. Here is the original transom.


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## bulldog (Mar 22, 2011)

That boat was as good as scrap and look what some elbow grease and some time/money did to it. Craziness. Looks amazing so far. Keep up the good work.


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## tinboatlover (Mar 22, 2011)

Thanks Bulldog. I have a long way to go, but that was probably the biggest challenge on the boat. Things should move a little faster now.


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## njTom (Mar 22, 2011)

Your doing a great job so far! keep it up =D>


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## SlowRollin' (Mar 22, 2011)

Wow! You turned a piece of weak tin into a tank. What a transformation already.

What prep work did you do to the trailer before paint and what kind of paint did you use?

As for the tears in the hull, did you have those welded?

Keep up the amazing work. =D> 

T.


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## tinboatlover (Mar 23, 2011)

njTom said:


> Your doing a great job so far! keep it up =D>



Thanks njTom. I hope I can stay focused and don't get sidetracked.  



SlowRollin' said:


> Wow! You turned a piece of weak tin into a tank. What a transformation already.
> 
> What prep work did you do to the trailer before paint and what kind of paint did you use?
> 
> ...



I took a disc that works with a drill and ground most of the old paint off - which was difficult because it had about 6 different colors of paint on it. I used Rustoleum spray cans for all the hard to reach areas and some enamel paint from a local tractor store for everything I could brush on. It still needs some work (2 of the middle supports need cut out and new ones welded in), but I will wait until the boat is done or until next year to tackle that. I want to get the boat done at this point! 

As for the tears - yes and no. I did not actually have the old tears welded. I sandwiched the old transom wall in between a new piece of sheet aluminum that I cut out and placed on the back and 1.5" tubing on the inside of the transom wall. I also used 1.5" angle on the top and riveted through the new angle, old transom, and then through the new tubing. It in effect acts like several pieces of wood that are stacked on top of each other to gain strength by layering - except it is aluminum (but same principle). I then bolted the 2 transoms together with the bracing on the inside of the boat with 3/8" stainless steel bolts. I then used 3/16" rivets to attach the 2 transom pieces together in the middle first - so I didn't get a bow in the sheet aluminum - and then I worked my way out to the sides. I made sure to seal each rivet with 3m5200 marine sealant. I probably went a little overboard because I used 3 tubes of it on the transom! :LOL2: It went through into the tubing though and I shouldn't have to worry about leaks. I then took 2 1.5" pieces of angle per 1 piece of tube and doubled them up to form a channel. I held them in place with clamps and drilled through the 2 transoms, the tubing, and the 2 pieces of angle. The ss bolts were snugged down with locking nuts and completely covered with 3m5200 until it was running out of the holes on the inside and the outside. The only thing I have left to do on the transom is I am having the outside of the entire transom tig welded tomorrow. I will be like a completely new transom. The old torn pieces will not even matter because I have gone over it with all new aluminum, re-enforced it, and now it will be welded like it was new. It was really hard to get everything lined up to weld the outside edges of the 2 transom pieces, so that is why I used all the rivets - to snug everything down so it would be easy to weld and there would not be any flopping between the 2 pieces.

I am very pleased with the results. I didn't realize until after I had completed the new transom that most welded bass boats are supported the same way and covered with an additional piece of sheet aluminum so you can't see any of that. That just made me feel better since they are putting 40-115 hp motors on the back of aluminum bass boats. Didn't mean to be so long, but I was trying to be as complete as possible without writing a book. Oh yeah, I used long strand fiberglass to coat the old transom inside and out to seal all of the holes in the old transom before attaching anything new. I just thought I would point that out. It was probably overkill since I put a new transom over it, but I just thought I would mention that too.


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## tinboatlover (Mar 23, 2011)

One more thing - saved a TON of weight compared to the old transom. The last guy had a 30 pound piece of 1'/2" aluminum stuck over top of a water-logged piece of wood. The wood didn't provide any strength at all and the weight was probably 10-15 pounds for just the wood. It probably totaled around 50 pounds for the old transom re-enforcement that obviously didn't work. The new transom weighs in at about 10 pounds ( and 10x stronger) versus almost 50 pounds for the old transom. I was pretty pleased with the weigh reduction.


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## SlowRollin' (Mar 23, 2011)

Appreciate the detailed explanation. Looks very solid.

Keep it up!


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## tinboatlover (Mar 25, 2011)

Well, good new and bad news! Bad news first. I took my boat to get it tig welded and the guy was flying out the door on an emergency call. He said he could do it but not until next week. Figures!!!! Everything on this boat has been like that. I was telling my wife on the way to drop off the boat that it was just too easy. Something had to go wrong - and then it didn't get welded. 

Now for the good news! I did a water test before I start to go back and fix individual rivets and leaks and I was pleasantly surprised. The transom, although it is not welded yet, is still waterproof. The bottom and the bottom part of the sides were almost waterproof. I had 3 SMALL leaks that were less than a drip every 1-2 minutes. Actually one of the three was a drip every 30 seconds, but still not bad. I expected FAR worse. It was one of the few good things that has happened during this project.

One more bit of good news - my Steelflex is here! I ordered something I had not seen and I was hoping I wouldn't be disappointed. I like the color but I wish it was a shade darker. The color is Hialeah blue (they call it royal blue but I think it is a shade lighter because royal blue is my favorite color). Maybe it will be a little darker when it dries on the boat, but if not, it still will look a lot better than it did when I bought it. I uploaded a pic of the pigment lid. Let me know what you think. I haven't seen anyone on here use this color so far and I thought it may help someone that was trying to make up their mind. By the way, it is actually just a shade darker than it looks in this picture. Not much, but a little. Until next time......


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## Oldgeek (Mar 25, 2011)

Wow, nice job on the transom, but you'll need it strong for the two motors. It is amazing how many holes get put in a boat over the course of 20-30 years. My 1640 Lowe has over 100 holes in it but most are on the seats or on the top rail. I guess every owner has their own ideas of how to set them up.


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## tinboatlover (Mar 25, 2011)

Thanks Oldgeek. Yeah, my boat had over 100 holes too. I think there were 119 to be exact. You couldn't see all of the holes in the old transom because there was some of the old fiberglass still covering holes that I hadn't cleaned off yet. Amazingly, it's still virtually watertight. As always, I am going a bit overboard with sealing the boat, but I always seem to do a bit more than what is necessary. Anyhow, I'll be posting my new blue boat as soon as I can get the edge of the transom welded this week. Check back for more pics!


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## Nussy (Mar 25, 2011)

Well, how'd the Steelflex go?


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## tinboatlover (Mar 25, 2011)

Well, it has been postponed for a few days. I took my boat to have the transom edges tig welded and the welder was running out of the door on an emergency call when I showed up. He said sorry, but I'll get you Monday or Tuesday. I thought CRAP!!! I am ready to Steelflex as soon as he welds the edges. I have even asked if I could bring it to his house if it would be any quicker, but that didn't fly! :LOL2: Oh well. I was trying to get the whole boat done by next weekend, but now I don't know if I'll make it. I will Steelflex it as soon as it's welded. I HATE waiting though. It sucks!


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## tinboatlover (Mar 26, 2011)

I changed my mind on the color. I decided I didn't like the royal blue they sent because it was considerably brighter than most royal blues I normally like. So, I did a custom mix my self and now you can see the new color.


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## tinboatlover (Mar 28, 2011)

The boat is finally welded! Tomorrow I get to apply the Steelflex! I can't wait. I feel like I'm finally making some progress.


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## hsiftac (Mar 29, 2011)

lookin forward to hearing how the steelflex went, good luck


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## alanbird_87 (Mar 29, 2011)

Great job on beefing up that transom! =D>


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## tinboatlover (Mar 30, 2011)

Here are some pics of the steelflex. I couldn't really get the temperature to the point I wanted, but I put it on anyhow. It ended up being around 70 degrees, but I had to shut off the propane heater when I left. It was about 25-30 outside, so I didn't get to let it fully cure at that temperature. It was extremely difficult to work with and I didn't have nearly enough to do what I needed to do. I don't know how people say they did 3 coats and had enough left over for their trailer. I did a decent coat on the bottom with a few touch up spots and I put a thin coat on the sides with a few touch ups there as well. I barely have enough to do the top rail when I flip it over and I really wanted to put another coat on it (but I don't have enough). I used 1 gallon if you are wondering. It came in 2 half gallon containers that I mixed equally in small batches. It would have probably turned out much smoother if I had more to put on because everywhere I applied it thick, it looks much slicker. Anyhow, hopefully it is sealed now.


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## tinboatlover (Mar 31, 2011)

Here are some pics after I put it back on the trailer. I still have to Steelflex the top and a little in the front and the top of the transom, but I will wait till it warms up a little before I do that.


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## tinboatlover (Apr 4, 2011)

Well it floats! The engine is running good, but it needs a new carburetor. It has one slow leak somewhere, but not enough to get my feet wet.


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## tinboatlover (Apr 4, 2011)

I am trying to figure out how to post a link to my YouTube page. Does anybody know how?


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## tinboatlover (Apr 5, 2011)

Videos of my first run with my Lowe and Honda 9.9.

[youtube]I9V8nfn9VIE[/youtube]
[youtube]9T7AVtNZKkM[/youtube]


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## tinboatlover (Apr 8, 2011)

I got a little more done today. The floor is now cut out and I will rivet it down once I get the deck supports measured. I want to make sure of my deck design before I rivet everything down. Here are a couple of pics of the new floor.


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## JohnT (May 4, 2011)

Nice build , Where do you live at in West Virginia ? I live in the northern panhandle WV . I've been looking for a buildable jon . Yea that hasn't worked well . Thinking about just buying a new one from Cabela's . Anyway nice job ! =D>


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## tinboatlover (Jan 26, 2012)

I haven't had a chance to work on my boat for a while, but I think I might try to work on the decks tomorrow. I was working on it last summer and I was cutting the aluminum tubing for the deck frame. I started cutting the last piece of the frame and I heard a loud bang and felt pain in my hand. The saw had gotten in a bind and it kicked the piece of aluminum out. My hand was well away from the blade, but the jagged edge of the tubing was directly under my hand and it kicked up into my hand. Needless to say, I had a cut about 2 inches long and I lost a lot of blood. I refused to get stitches, but I probably should have. I am just crazy enough that I am ready to attack the project again. I still can't believe that happened on the last piece of bracing for the front deck. Now I just have to find all my pieces I have already cut. Too many people have been in my garage moving all of my "junk" around. I will try to keep from getting bloody this time! :wink:


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## tinboatlover (Jan 26, 2012)

Wow! Looking back through the thread, I remember now how much work I have put in this boat. I went out and looked at it and the hard work has definitely already been done. Now I need to make sure my decks are laid out like I want and then I need to get busy. It should be fun!


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