# Xpress 1546D Makeover... -- SOLD!



## russ010

Ok.. so I'm going to transfer this mod into a new one....

Turns out, this boat is a 1999 model Xpress Boat by Alumaweld. And I do believe this thing may be too heavy to pull with my truck - but by God I'm going to try. I didn't bring it home yet, but I do have pictures. I forgot to look at the placard in the boat, but I'm pretty sure it's a 1546D model, but the length across the gunwhales was more on this boat.

Total Length - 15' (well... 14'6", but I think they call it a 15') 
Floor Width - 46"
Gunwhales - 68-69"
forgot to look at the depth, but it's nice. There is a carpeted floor in it, and even though it's marine plywood, I'm going to take it out because I swear it was holding a ton of water and that might be part of the problem why I couldn't lift the tongue. 

I'm going to pick it up later this week and the first thing I'm going to do is take it straight to a car wash and get rid of the mildew and trash.

Here she is.....


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## russ010

here are my plans...

If you can think of anything that might make it better, please by all means give me your suggestions.

1 - extend the front deck back about 2'. I think that is a 42" deck, but I didn't measure and I'm going from looking at the photos. I want to put 1 battery on the left and right, then put a middle storage. I want to keep life jackets in that cubby hole under the front pedestal seat. I even thought about leaving that space open as a walk down and then extend the battery compartments down the side of the boat a little for my plano boxes with baits.

2 - scrap the rod box.

3 - extend the rear deck foward about 2' for storage and a place to put a livewell.

4 - the livewell.... I'm thinking I can get a big plastic box and make my own, or keep the cooler and just fix it so that it can still be removable.. BUT, I want to put a pump in the back to fill it up, a recirculation pump on the actual cooler, and then rig up a bilge to pump water out. I've got the plans in my head, I'm just scared to death to drill into the boat. Does anybody see any problems with putting the drain hole on the side of the boat? I've seen one other boat done this way at one of our tournaments, but I didn't look at it closely enough to see how he did it.

5 - batteries in the rear. I think I'm just going to deck over that space, but leave compartments on the side to store anchors, and any other nonsense.

6 - wiring... I think I should run all the wires under the flooring, but I'm wondering how well the boat will still drain. I could run the lines down the sides of the boat, and I'm actually thinking of putting 1/4" ply walls up and incorporating some type of storage.


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## russ010

Tyler (bassfisher6) and I finally trekked out to Athens to pick the boat up, we walked down the hill to check it out and see what just needed to be done. We immediately started taking out the screws holding the decking in place. I told Tyler to see if he could pick the tongue of the trailer and it was heavy. We spent about 30-45 min just trying to get all of the rusted deck screws, lag screws and everything else this guy could find to put the rod locker together. I cut back some of the carpet on the floor and saw the wood was wet - and I mean SATURATED THROUGH WET. We finally kicked the rod box apart and it took both of us to lift the floor out - a full 4x8 sheet of saturated marine plywood that weighed about 200lbs (no joke). I get on the lady's 4 wheeler and back it up to get a running start at that hill - no prob, it made it up without the added weight of the decks. We were going to leave the wood and stuff at the bottom of the hill (out of sight, out of mind) - BUT, the lady called me and asked what I did with it. Needless to say, we ended up going back down the stupid hill to get it out. Now it's in the woods behind my house... Tyler and I did stop and wash it on the way home... you'll see the clean boat pics in a bit






















Now that I have the boat home!!!, here comes the pics. I couldn't decide what I wanted to do first so I looked at the inside of the boat and remembered I had just bought a 150qt marine cooler (BJs wholesale has them for $70, so Tiffany approved and I paid.. man this thing takes up some room... guess I'm going to have to put a small sheet of something underneath because it barely sits on top of the channels. I've got a size 24 battery that will run all the electronics in the boat, including the circulation pumps and all that jazz for this bad boy.






Then how much room it takes in and then what it looks like when it's out...











Then I looked up and remembered the shotty wiring... this guy took Liquid Nails and put the wire conduit against it and the side walls... needless to say a putty knife, flat head screwdriver and hammer were necessary.











Then I decided to go ahead and take off the trolling motor (which didn't work).. The #@#[email protected] owner used 3" lag screws (phillips head) to connect the top 2x6 to the bottom and then counter sunk lag bolts in the bottom piece to the deck. I ended up having to split the wood - I even found a nest of TINY ants in the middle of one of the pieces. 










(here are the ants)













but then I remembered that I better take care of the trailer. So once I knocked off the mis-matched bearing buddies (non bearing buddy brand) I saw why the wheels had about 1/4" play in them - the castle nut needed to be tightened up another notch. But I went ahead and repacked the bearings since I took off the bearing buddies - MAN THAT STUFF WAS NASTY! Keep in mind this boat hasn't been moved since 2004. And before I could make the journey back home, I had to replace the wheels/tires. The other ones were dry rotted and had flat places, not to mention not holding air.






Then it was on to the trailer light issues... the casings were there, but like most of the openings on the trailer, they were inhabited by wasps. I took out 6 nests on the trailer (not including the nest in each of the rear lights). Anyways, new LED lights and new wiring. They did this trailer right... they welded nuts along the inside channel (out of sight and I forgot to get pics) to run the wiring through. Piece of cake!! and these Blazer LEDs are brighter than the LEDs I got at Wal-Mart for my last boat. I got these at AutoZone (military discount works at some of these places too if you keep it quiet)...











The right turn signal is on... that's why it looks like it's winking - these things pulse when the flashers are on - they're awesome






I don't like the plastic license plate frames that come with these lights, and for some reason I had a metal one laying around. Found a can of flat black spray paint and painted it up. While I was waiting for it to dry, I got to looking at the trailer... well, the tongue got painted black. And I was considering changing the coupler, but it's welded and paint makes it look brand new again. I think I'm going to use Herculiner on the trailer like Brine did. I've got a gallon a coworker gave me, but I'm going to wait and see how Brine likes it first..

Before





After





Well, it's rack time and I've been up since 6am. Fished for a little while this morning and caught one, but it's been sent to Jim, so I won't post it here... BUT, the sorry rascal finned me. I've never been finned by a spotted bass, but my pinky is swollen about twice the size (not any more) but if you look, there are 2 pin holes up top, well the one to the right actually went all the way through my finger and came out - that's what the slit is at the bottom. 






Here's some cleaned up pics of her... still trying to come up with a color scheme - right now I'm thinking black paint with yellow lettering (even though another guy in my club did that, I'm going to see how his heat issues are this summer before I follow through.)... but then again, I may leave it like it is - I have no idea how I would be able to get this boat off and flipped over by myself


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## russ010

I did cut me a floor last night out of 15/32 exterior grade plywood... I just didn't get a chance to post the pics last night, but hopefully I'll get it done tonight.

I'm going to have to put me a temporary TM mount up front. I had some 2x10 laying around the house, so I'll use that for this weekends tourney, then I'll fab me something out of sheet aluminum. Anybody got any ideas how I can bend it without a break?

I also have to do some simple wiring for the batteries, but that's the easy part...


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## bassfisher6

cant wait to see Saturday what u have done with it


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## bassboy1

russ010 said:


> Anybody got any ideas how I can bend it without a break?


If you are using .063 or something in that range, you can bend it fairly well. Line up your bend line with the edge of a sturdy table (preferably steel), and clamp a piece of steel over the top with a pair of sturdy C-clamps. Now, work back and forth with a large rubber mallet, and bend it a little at a time. 

There is a bunch of .063 aluminum over at the local scrapyard right now, and the current price is $1 a pound. I have got a metal bandsaw, so if you want to swing down here one day, you can use the bandsaw to make your cuts, if you have all the sheet pieces in mind.


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## Zum

Still can't get over that livewell,thats gotta weigh 300+ pounds when full?
I know it gets alot hotter there then here so maybe you need it there.
I wouldn't be able to catch the fish once there in there,I'd have to fish for them again
Sorry can't help you with your aluminum bending but I'm sure you will figure something out.


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## russ010

well... here it is 1230am and I"m just getting in from working on the boat. 

Started out with the carpet. I made a run to a different Lowe's because they had remnants left over a few months ago.. but no luck. I got to looking at their carpets, and they actually had 1 marine carpet on the line. And this is NOT indoor/outdoor carpet. This one has twice the amount of rubber on the bottom, and it's actually plush carpet. It's gonna suck for hooks, but my feet are more important than hooks.






And here is how I get my clean corners without overlaps when doing carpeted edges
















and..... voila!




\

I wanted the batteries to sit lower, so I cut out the dimensions of the battery so that they set down inside the deck... that's close to 2" so they won't be moving around.
These 2 motors will be wired 24volt to run the front trolling motor...





This is a 24 series deep cycle. I'm going to run all the electronics off of it (radio, livewell, BluewaterLEDs, fish finder, etc)..







I decided to see how hard it was going to be to do the wiring and be able to hide it... so I got down on my newly laid floor and looked inside the little cubby hole - HOLY CRAP - there was wasps nest, mice nests and a birds nest in there... along with some ground up plastic bags and an OLD fish stringer. I have no idea what this foam is in there.. looks like it was - well hell, I don't know what it looks like
















Ok.. so then it was on to mounting the trolling motor. This is just a temporary fab job - so don't think this is how it's going to stay. I took 2 - 2x10s and laid them on top of each other. The bottom 2x I ran aluminum angle iron down the sides so that I could attach that piece to the boat. The top 2x was attached to the lower 2x with about 10 3" fine wood screws (remember, temporary). Then I put the TM mount on there and tried to figure out where I wanted it placed.
















Then I mounted the motor on just to see what it would look like... I like it alot, but something gripes the crap outta me. When the motor is down, I know where I want the foot pedal and I wanted to build a tray to put it in - BUT, when I go to stow the motor, it pulls that foot pedal back and around. I guess I could put it further in the water, but I really don't think it needs to be any lower.


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## ben2go

Russ,if my 2001 Ranger, with a 2.5 liter 4cylinder with 2 bent valves and a weak automatic trans,can pull a loaded Escort wagon on a dolly 220 miles through the mountains of KY,VA,TN,NC,and SC, then your truck can pull that boat. :roflmao:


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## Jr Branham

Russ,
Nice find. That is going to make a nice one when finished. Good luck, BTW, shame on you for leaving that old wood at the lady's house [-X .....lol
Jr


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## russ010

I didn't leave it at her house... she called me as I was about to leave and asked what I had done with it. I tried to pawn it off that we couldn't make it up the hill with it - the she said "can't you use the 4wheeler?" - at that point I was stuck... so we grabbed that heavy sack of shot and carried it up the dang hill. We were both give out after that and I wasn't worth 2cents the rest of the day


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## Brine

Russ,

Nice Stalactites! You've got Rock City under that deck! :lol: 

Tough to tell from the pics, but from what I have seen on other boats, that pedal well is normally postioned another foot aft. If you decide to put it where you have it in the pic, I would cut out a small area in the middle of the pedal well position to make sure that the hull doesn't interfere with it being that far forward. That way you have some flexibility in moving the well forward or aft if needed without making a cutout to big. I don't have the option of mounting mine that far forward, because the slope of the hull would prohibit the well from recessing flush with the deck. As far as getting it to sit still, have you moved the mount forward an inch, moved the pedal back an inch etc.....to find a happy medium?

On a sidenote, I was in Wallyworld the other day and saw a cake pan that sure looks like it would work for a pedal well for $14. I might have to play guinea pig with it if the measurements are close. 

Thanks for posting the carpet seams, I wondered how to do that myself.


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## poolie

Dude... that is looking so good! The underside of the front deck looks like a cave with the stalagmites or is that stalactites hanging down  

That's the carpet I have in my boat and it's oh so comfy.


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## russ010

I guess I'll leave the mount for the TM where it is right now... but I'm going to bend some aluminum to mount the bracket on for the tm. I guess I'm going to have to move it forward some more - I have it forward about 2 inches past the bow line - I guess I can move it a few more and not have to worry about it.

The part about the carpet that I never was able to figure out was cutting the squares where the plywood is cut to fit down inside the ribs... but somehow I managed to get all of them covered up.

I wish my tournament wasn't this weekend... I really wanted to paint that plywood - but no way in HADES am I pulling that carpet back off to do it. I might paint the underside, but for now I'll keep taking it in and out until the boat tarp gets here


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## poolie

You fishing Lathem this weekend?


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## russ010

yea.... and someone else decided to have a pot tourney at the same time..


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## russ010

Just made a quick trip to Bass Pro... man I can drop some dough in that place!

Ended up getting a lot of recessed hatch openings, automatic livewell switch/timer, power distribution plugs (for TM), and some new looking baits to try out this weekend during the tourney. 

I know I got something else, but for the life of me I can't see what I put in my basket - more pics to follow tonight of what I get done (got a lot just to make it tourney ready!)


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## russ010

I forgot this was the post I was supposed to be doing all of this talk in.....

-------------------------

I finally got that front bearing and bearing buddy part out.. had to take the rear seal and bearing out, then use a 2x2 and a hammer to knock it out. I cleaned it out and the inside of the hub at the rear was chipped pretty good on one side.. one of the bearings had worn through the outside frame of the bearing and was rubbing against the seal and the hub itself... so I'm going to replace both hubs and keep the other side as a spare just in case.

Anyways, heres a few pictures of the process... I was fussin about the wheel to Tiffany and she walks over with some Clorox Cleaning Wipes and says this should do it. I was like, go ahead - thinking to myself no way will that work, but I'll do it to appease her. Well.... she won. Those little wipes cleaned that grease up like it was nothing. I was glad too, I didn't want to use the brake cleaner on a painted surface. 
Here's a picture of what it looked like before I started...






Forgot to take pictures of it before I started cleaning, but the whole inside of the wheel was covered in grease






And then off with the hub and I decided to check the spindle... well - let's hope I never have to change it because it's welded to the axle. But it was good to go






Then the outside of the hub






and the inside or rear..






And here is the rear seal, housing and all the little bearings... and the spring that fits inside the rear seal that ended up being wrapped around the inside of the spindle...







Since this post on the other thread, I have ordered REAL Bearing Buddy's (actual name brand from the actual manufacturer)... and I'm trying to get in touch with Trailer Parts Depot to see if they can get me the hubs by Friday... but they haven't called me yet.


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## poolie

That wheel bearing has definitely seen better days. Hope they can get you taken care of by the weekend. Did you find hub replacements?

EDIT: I was distracted.... work can do that. I see where you're trying to get the hubs.


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## BassNBob

Russ, once you removed all the trash and dirt, that boat looks really nice. You will make into a nice bass rig when your through. Keep the pics coming.


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## BassAssassin

Nice boat. I like the open floor plans. do you plan to add anything else or leave the floor open. My boat is set up the same way. I really need to figure out how to hide my wiring and battery, all that cable showing is a pet peeve of mine, not to mention a fire hazard. Do you have some kinda power distribution block that you are going to use? If so, post some pics of that.. Good build and good luck


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## russ010

I ran the wiring under the ribs in the flooring... I just haven't posted pics of it yet.

I don't have a distribution block set up yet. I had to get this boat ready for a tournament this past Saturday so I was running short on time to do it the way I really wanted to, but I'll get it done before the next tourney.

I have a 150qt cooler as a livewell which I sit in the center - it takes up a lot of room, but I made it removable and it will only be in there when I'm doing tournaments. I still have room to walk all the way around it, so it's not that big of a deal.


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## Quackrstackr

russ010 said:


> Thanks Quack - I'll definitely do that...
> 
> do I need to put a little grease on it before I put the hubs on too? Just to make sure it slides right into place? I don't think it would hurt, but I want this to be right when I do it... don't need any surprises going down the road that early in the morning!



You shouldn't need it to slide the hub on but a light coat on the axle will insure that the spindle isn't dry until you drive the trailer for a distance. I would pack as much grease into the hub as I could get in it between the bearings before I slid it in place. You said something about the assembled hubs coming with grease in them already but I'm not sure how much they will have. I have never dealt with any that were preassembled. You want as much inside the hub as you can get before you slide them on or else you will have to displace a lot of air filling it with your grease gun afterwards.

You actually need to find out what kind of grease is coming in those hubs if the hubs are not dedicated boat trailer hubs. They need to be filled with marine grease and not just regular axle/bearing grease. The two do not mix well when one is pumped in and combined with the other, either.


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## russ010

never though about the different greases... I'll have to check it out.

Here are the hubs I'm ordering - https://www.trailerpartsdepot.com/itemdesc.asp?ic=0003&eq=&Tp=

If anybody needs trailer parts - I highly recommend using these guys. I've been talking to Mike who works there and he is sending them to me 2nd Day Air (Ground is the only option available at checkout). But it's still a good price with the Guaranteed Shipping which I was afraid would be an unbelievable price and hate to spend, but it was actually cheaper than expected.

They have a lot of stuff on their site - a lot more than other places I have seen.


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## russ010

BassNBob said:


> Russ, once you removed all the trash and dirt, that boat looks really nice. You will make into a nice bass rig when your through. Keep the pics coming.



Thanks Bob.

I've got more pics... but unless I've already uploaded them to Photobucket, I'll have to post them later tonight. I have been so far behind lately it's not even funny! Work is crazy right now, and I'm about to start travelling, but I need to make time for TinBoat members... I love pictures just as much as you guys do - and it's amazing what I see myself when I look at my own pictures... I see stuff I missed when I was actually doing it.

By the way - never use Brake Cleaner on painted surfaces... that is one of the best paint removers I have ever seen!


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## russ010

Sometimes I don't post all the pictures... so if anyone wants to browse more - you can look through my photobucket - https://s15.photobucket.com/albums/a382/russ010/Xpress Boat/

I didn't upload all the wiring pics, so I'll have to do that tonight when I get home


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## Quackrstackr

russ010 said:


> By the way - never use Brake Cleaner on painted surfaces... that is one of the best paint removers I have ever seen!



Never use it around plastic either unless you are just trying to formulate some sort of goo with the consistency of corn syrup.

That's a darn site cheaper for the entire unit than I had imagined. Bearings, seals and grease for both sides would probably cost you about what one preassembled hub is but you are getting the hub and a heck of a lot less work going that route.


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## ober51

Russ, out of curiosity, did you get any of those electronics to work - FF or trolling motor? Looks like you'd need a miracle, but hey, you never know.


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## ober51

Not to highjack this thread Russ, but maybe you can help. Your big jon has a really flat front, making it a true jon, no? I am looking at my boat and see more of a v. I didn't think its a mod-v but there is definitely more of a v than I previously realized. Any thoughts?

I have attached a picture of mine and yours just for reference.


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## ben2go

Ober51 your blue and gray boat is a mod V and the green boat is a standard jon.


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## ober51

ben2go said:


> Ober51 your blue and gray boat is a mod V and the green boat is a standard jon.



Alright, thanks B2G. I was looking at it the other day but forgot to mention it. Then when I was leafing through Russ' bucket album, I thought, "Maybe mine is a mod-v." I feel a bit more comfortable when taking it out in a bit more wind/chop, not that I'm going out to sea or anything.


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## russ010

ober51 said:


> Russ, out of curiosity, did you get any of those electronics to work - FF or trolling motor? Looks like you'd need a miracle, but hey, you never know.



The fish finder actually worked... but not very good - it has broken lines in it, but I think it will still show the depths and stuff like that ok. I ran it in simulation mode and I could make out just about everything.

The trolling motor on the other hand fried. I hooked it up to the battery, turned it on and it did a quick spin and I'm pretty sure it said "not in this lifetime". So I traded it to another guy for some Hella spot lights because he wanted the mount.

The front navigation light actually worked when I took it apart and cleaned the corrosion off the connections inside the bulb housing. I put it back on, but I still have to wire it. 

I haven't tried the rear light yet - but I'll have to replace the dome on it if I want to use it and it works. I have to move it though because it's on the wrong side - shouldn't that light be on the right side of the boat (if your looking at it from behind the boat towards the bow)?


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## ober51

russ010 said:


> ober51 said:
> 
> 
> 
> Russ, out of curiosity, did you get any of those electronics to work - FF or trolling motor? Looks like you'd need a miracle, but hey, you never know.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The fish finder actually worked... but not very good - it has broken lines in it, but I think it will still show the depths and stuff like that ok. I ran it in simulation mode and I could make out just about everything.
> 
> The trolling motor on the other hand fried. I hooked it up to the battery, turned it on and it did a quick spin and I'm pretty sure it said "not in this lifetime". So I traded it to another guy for some Hella spot lights because he wanted the mount.
> 
> The front navigation light actually worked when I took it apart and cleaned the corrosion off the connections inside the bulb housing. I put it back on, but I still have to wire it.
> 
> I haven't tried the rear light yet - but I'll have to replace the dome on it if I want to use it and it works. I have to move it though because it's on the wrong side - shouldn't that light be on the right side of the boat (if your looking at it from behind the boat towards the bow)?
Click to expand...


Yeah if you are looking at the boat from the back, it should be on the right, the starboard side of the stern, and be visible 360 degrees with white light. 

Nice, so some stuff works, that's great. That's something I'm not looking forward to doing, though by reading posts and the 12V Bible, I feel at least semi confident. I have a question though and since I'm typing hoping you can help- what is the advantage of using two buss bars, one for neg one for pos? Do I wire everything to them? Meaning each electronic's negative to the neg buss bar and then each electronic's pos to the pos buss bar? Did you use them on your last boat? WHat are you planning on this one?


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## Loggerhead Mike

those bearings look pitted pretty bad good thing you caught it before it left you


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## russ010

Nice, so some stuff works, that's great. That's something I'm not looking forward to doing, though by reading posts and the 12V Bible, I feel at least semi confident. I have a question though and since I'm typing hoping you can help- what is the advantage of using two buss bars, one for neg one for pos? Do I wire everything to them? Meaning each electronic's negative to the neg buss bar and then each electronic's pos to the pos buss bar? Did you use them on your last boat? WHat are you planning on this one?

Ober, I am actually contemplating on using bus bars now that I'm thinking about it... The electronics I have in my boat right now are as follows - radio, fish finder, trolling motor, and the livewell pump and bilge pump for my livewell. I'll also have interior leds, and the nav lights. I'm typing this as I imagine it in my head, so bear with me...

The front trolling motor is wired in series (24v) so I have 2 batteries up front for that. The only other device that will run off of those batteries is the Fish Finder, and I have it wired directly to the battery that puts out 12v.

The radio, livewell pump, bilge pump, and all lights will run off an "accesorry battery" (24 series deep cycle) that I have located infront of the rear bench. Right now, I have everything hard wired to the battery there (except for the nav lights) with all wiring running under the floor that I installed. I'm going to install a switch panel somewhere and probably leave everything hooked directly to the battery toggle posts.

I'll take pics tonight when I get home to show how I'm doing all the wiring, but I don't have any of the batteries or flooring in right now because I've been having to take it out until I get my tarp (which should be there by the time I get home). 

I'll take a ton of pics tonight and post them later... I can describe how I did all of it then and it will make more sense


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## ober51

Russ, thanks for this. The more pics the better - as I have always let my brothers do the wiring on anything around the house. If you should how you hooked this up, with switches, fuses, etc, that would be awesome. I know positive and negative, but get confused when bus bars and switches are introduced. I am sure I am overcomplicating things, but I don't want a fire or anything, you know?


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## poolie

It's actually pretty easy ober51. We'll help ya out. But yea, bus bars or fuse panels (or switch panels) are usually the way to go when you have one source and need to feed several accessories.


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## ober51

poolie said:


> It's actually pretty easy ober51. We'll help ya out. But yea, bus bars or fuse panels (or switch panels) are usually the way to go when you have one source and need to feed several accessories.



Thanks, man. I am not at that point yet - freaking weather and work - so I will have to take you up on that when I am. I did get a great deal on some 12 ga wire, though. Two weeks ago I went to Boater's World, now defunct, and got I think 250 ft (I think) for 15 dollars. From what I gather, that's a good deal.


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## bassboy1

> Yeah if you are looking at the boat from the back, it should be on the right, the starboard side of the stern...


Actually no. 

Technically, they are supposed to be as close to the centerline as possible, and technically 3.3 feet above your bow nav lights. However, on small pleasure boats, especially those on inland waters, no one cares about whether or not it is on the centerline, so your port side light should be just fine. Also, as long as it is visible above all motors and such, not too many follow the 3.3 feet rule, here in inland waters.


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## ober51

bassboy1 said:


> Yeah if you are looking at the boat from the back, it should be on the right, the starboard side of the stern...
> 
> 
> 
> Actually no.
> 
> Technically, they are supposed to be as close to the centerline as possible, and technically 3.3 feet above your bow nav lights. However, on small pleasure boats, especially those on inland waters, no one cares about whether or not it is on the centerline, so your port side light should be just fine. Also, as long as it is visible above all motors and such, not too many follow the 3.3 feet rule, here in inland waters.
Click to expand...


I'm demanding my money back from my boating course then, lol. Oh well, thanks for that lesson though.


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## Brine

ober51 said:


> That's something I'm not looking forward to doing, though by reading posts and the *12V Bible*, I feel at least semi confident.



Sounds like a book I could benefit from reading


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## bassboy1

ober51 said:


> bassboy1 said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Yeah if you are looking at the boat from the back, it should be on the right, the starboard side of the stern...
> 
> 
> 
> Actually no.
> 
> Technically, they are supposed to be as close to the centerline as possible, and technically 3.3 feet above your bow nav lights. However, on small pleasure boats, especially those on inland waters, no one cares about whether or not it is on the centerline, so your port side light should be just fine. Also, as long as it is visible above all motors and such, not too many follow the 3.3 feet rule, here in inland waters.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> 
> I'm demanding my money back from my boating course then, lol. Oh well, thanks for that lesson though.
Click to expand...

A boating safety course said that? That's funny, as it was the boating course I took that I learned otherwise.


----------



## russ010

well... I'm probably still going to move it to the other side - but I may not. I still need to put my antenna for my stereo up on there... I wish I would have actually looked at the radio I bought. I thought it was XM Ready, but it's not. I can add an extra subscription to mine and then I could pick up basically anything I wanted to listen to while out on the water.

I may be looking into doing that one later.

Ober - I didn't get to take but one picture tonight before the bottom fell out of the sky and I had to put my tarp (which is too freaking small) on the boat. I'll get you some pics, but since you aren't at that stage yet let me get my stuff straightened out with how it should be ran and I'll take better pics. This is how I have my front set up though for the trolling motor.

I drilled into the lip of the bow and ran 4ga cable in from the 2 batteries I have sitting behind the front deck. I've got them wired parallel, so positive goes to one battery, and negative to the other battery. Then there is one cable that connects the to batteries together (1 on pos, 1 on neg of other battery). These are 50amp bus bars that I'm using.

and wouldn't ya know it... my camera is in my stinking boat out in the rain underneath the tarp... so I guess this picture will have to wait too. 

I give up - I'm going to bed... tonight is just not working out for me!


----------



## ober51

Russ, don't sweat it at all. Like you said I'm not there yet, just was wondering and trying to gain some information rather than waiting on it later. It sounds kind of simple, but like you said, pics are great. 

You're really progressing on the boat, which is awesome. I think I'll have to get some LEDs from Bluewater, too.


----------



## russ010

Well the stressful few weeks of work has finally come to an end - and the audit was successful... we got satisfactory with no recommendations (highest rating you can get)... so with that, I got to fish a tourney today. A buddy of mine called earlier this week and asked if I wanted to fish with him - I can never turn down a fishing trip so I headed out this morning to Lathem (my home lake).. long story short (and no pictures.. sorry) we ended up winning with a 5 bass bag going in at 5.78 and won big fish with 1.74.. 2nd place was close at 5.75lbs. Needless to say it was a tough day. Luckily my partner got onto some big fish with 30 minutes left and we culled our 3 smallest (which were spots) and replaced them with 3 nice Largemouth.

So... I get home and do a little on the boat because of course I'm going out again in the morning. I was going to go this evening, but forgot I never wired the lights... so I temporarily wired them just so I could use them. Remember all these mods are temporary until I really get this thing laid out and done the way I want it. I got my hubs in on Friday and installed Friday night with REAL Bearing Buddies - I'll find out tomorrow if they hold out.. wish me luck.

No need to comment on these really...












These are my trolling motor wires... I got these studs at Bass Pro and they are way overpriced.. I think they were like $16 each. But, I needed them and none of the parts stores had what I needed. This is for a 24volt 71lb motorguide (and boy that thing moves)..






And then the lights.. nothing special. I didn't put a switch on them because I'm not sure where I'm going to put that plate yet... I might still end up getting a guy to build me a livewell... so I'm waiting on that before any permanent mounts. Nothing special with these lights. The front is the one that came with the boat, I just cleaned it up and made it work. The rear I had to go to walmart and get because The base on the one that came with the boat was no good.. and the light was nasty so I just got a new one of those too - both pieces $25 at walmart... I'm waiting for BluewaterLED to get something before I buy anything else light related.












And here is my fishing setup (non-tournament time)... these are just pictures for you to enjoy


----------



## Brine

Russ,

Did you put new leaf springs on too? Where did you get the hubs from?


----------



## russ010

no... I just painted the leaf springs while I had the hubs and wheels off.... I got the hub assemblies from https://www.trailerpartsdepot.com/... I couldn't get anybody to beat their price including shipping. So for $86 I have brand new everything... I think it's cheaper to do it as an assembly than it was to replace everything. The rear seals were gone on both sides too - so I wanted to take care of everything at once.


----------



## ober51

Looking good, man. What gauge wire do you use for your motors to the battery. I have 12, but will I need bigger? Its just a 12v 40 TM Minn Kota.


----------



## russ010

from my two batteries up front to those blocks I'm using 4ga wire... it says on the info that came with it to use atleast 6, but I always go overkill

For your 12v 40... I would look at atleast using 10... preferrably 8 or 6.... you don't want to burn it up and I really wouldn't use that 12. I think most motors have atleast 10 on them, but I could be wrong


----------



## ober51

russ010 said:


> from my two batteries up front to those blocks I'm using 4ga wire... it says on the info that came with it to use atleast 6, but I always go overkill
> 
> For your 12v 40... I would look at atleast using 10... preferrably 8 or 6.... you don't want to burn it up and I really wouldn't use that 12. I think most motors have atleast 10 on them, but I could be wrong



Damn, I figured. The rest of my wiring can be done with 12 though right - front and rear lights, bilge, etc?


----------



## Macgyver

you have a drill like I have , nice bad a$$ drill ain't it?


----------



## Ranchero50

I'd recommend some chafe protection for thos trolling motor mains where the come in contact with the aluminum, especially at the bow. Looks like an acr flash and battery explosion down the road how it is.

Have you considered a electrical box mounted somewhere with the fuses etc somewhere.
Jamie


----------



## russ010

Ranchero50 said:


> I'd recommend some chafe protection for thos trolling motor mains where the come in contact with the aluminum, especially at the bow. Looks like an acr flash and battery explosion down the road how it is.
> 
> Have you considered a electrical box mounted somewhere with the fuses etc somewhere.
> Jamie



I'm going to put rubber grommets in... they just haven't gotten here yet. The pos wire does have some insulation on the side that touches, you just can't see it. I put 2 rubber washers there.

Ober - you can use 12 for your lights and bilge pump if you want... I'm using 14 for the pumps, and I'll probably use 16 for the lights

As far as an electrical box... yea, but I'm not going to do anything until I'm actually ready to mod this thing. I'm still deciding what all I want to do, so everything you see is temporary


----------



## russ010

Macgyver said:


> you have a drill like I have , nice bad a$$ drill ain't it?



You can say that again... but I've got the little impact driver too - now that thing is kick ass! I have never seen something so small so powerful... and the battery life is amazing


----------



## kentuckybassman

So Russ...............hows the boat workin out for ya??


----------



## russ010

kentuckybassman said:


> So Russ...............hows the boat workin out for ya??




It's working out awesome! I fished it hard this past Sunday - 7am to 9pm.. and I drove it hard just to see how much the batteries would last. Surprisingly, this thing will outlast the 12' jon that I had. 

The only thing that bothers me is how freakin hot the decks get... especially since I like to fish barefoot. I'll have to figure something out there, but for now I'm using one of Tiffany's neoprene mats that I can dunk over the side of the boat and wet then stand on that... it's comfy enough, and I just ordered a cool foot for the trolling motor pedal. I've literally have a few blisters on the bottom of my feet from the deck, carpet (at certain times) and the rear bench when I was landing fish.

I'll post some pics up later of the trip.. My internet is actually down right now, so I've hacked into the neighbors internet.. ok, I didn't hack, but it's unprotected and they should be in bed right now so if I'm slowing them down - tough. My DSL sucks and I want cable!


----------



## Quackrstackr

russ010 said:


> The only thing that bothers me is how freakin hot the decks get... especially since I like to fish barefoot. I'll have to figure something out there,



hydro-turf...... :wink:


----------



## russ010

Quackrstackr said:


> russ010 said:
> 
> 
> 
> The only thing that bothers me is how freakin hot the decks get... especially since I like to fish barefoot. I'll have to figure something out there,
> 
> 
> 
> 
> hydro-turf...... :wink:
Click to expand...


I'm actually looking into that - is there a cheap place to get it from besides directly from them? Of course, the only place I would put it is on the very front deck and maybe the rear bench unless I decide to cut it out and make storage


----------



## russ010

nevermind.. found some "B" stock with slight blemishes.... https://hydroturf.com/products.php?cat=Sheets of Hydro-Turf&man=Hydro-Turf


----------



## Brine

You're making me cringe with this barefoot stuff.

The thought of a treble hook embedding itself into the ball of my foot makes the whole barefoot fishing thing go away. 
[youtube]<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="https://www.youtube.com/v/Woq1FpMV8zU&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="https://www.youtube.com/v/Woq1FpMV8zU&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>[/youtube]

Save the money, visit to the doctor, and buy a $14 pair of crocs!!! :lol:


----------



## russ010

haha... I'm mainly a plastics fisher... so not many treble hooks for me. Occasionally I'll do some deep divers, but more than less that comes in the late fall fishing style for me.


----------



## Quackrstackr

russ010 said:


> nevermind.. found some "B" stock with slight blemishes.... https://hydroturf.com/products.php?cat=Sheets of Hydro-Turf&man=Hydro-Turf



You beat me to it. I know several people that are extremely pleased with the seconds.


----------



## russ010

Thanks Quack - by the way.... thanks for the insight on the Thermacell a few weeks ago - it kept the skeeters from carrying me away the other night working on the boat... even though they don't bite me anymore since I got the anthrax vaccine - go figure


----------



## Quackrstackr

No problem. The thermacell is one of the very few things that I have ever bought that is worth every penny of what I thought was an excessive price.


----------



## RStewart

hey russ what size motors on the rear and how fast gps?


----------



## Waterwings

russ010 said:


> nevermind.. found some "B" stock with slight blemishes.... https://hydroturf.com/products.php?cat=Sheets of Hydro-Turf&man=Hydro-Turf




The "B" stock stuff might just fit the bill as an anti-slip mat I've been wanting to put on the bow deck of my rig. Thanks for the link! 8)


----------



## russ010

stew6371 said:


> hey russ what size motors on the rear and how fast gps?



sorry I'm just now responding...

The front motor is a 71#, and on the rear is 50# 42" and a 55# 36"... I honestly think the 50# pushes me faster though.

When all 3 motors are running and it's just me in the boat, I top out around 4.9-5.2mph just depending on the wind. When the water is still with no wind is when I get around 5.2. 

If I've got a full cooler (150qt) and all my gear, it runs around 4.8 all day. When someone else is in the boat with me and all that other stuff, I still get about 4.6.

Merkywaters has got a Motorguide 82lb transom, and when he fishes with me we put it on there along with all the other motors, and with both of us in there I still get about 4.9-5mph. That's why I haven't bought a bigger motor and I'm just keeping the 2 50s on the back. $500 is not worth the extra .5mph...

I just bout a 20hp Johnson, but I haven't gone to get it yet so I won't be buying any more trolling motors.... the next thing I do will be converting an old gas motor to electric or buying a bigger electric motor years down the road.

As an update, I haven't done anything else to the boat. I'm still waiting (since may) for my Fishmate Pro livewell to come in.. Between FedEx losing the first and the floods they are having where they're located, I still haven't got it yet. All of my mods will occur this fall/winter I guess. And I'm glad I've fished it all summer because now I know how I need to set it up for it to work for tournament fishing.


----------



## Bugpac

Very nice Russ, You need to come wet some lines with me in my boat, then when i talk about them 30-40.00 batterys you will want to buy 12 or so...  I bought 6 the other day.. When you decide to convert the gas to electric let me know, I plan to do the same, Maybe we can help one another out... I really want to convert one to 72 volt myself...


----------



## mike28nc

has anyone ever done that? Convert gas motor to electric? I would love to see one.


----------



## russ010

mike28nc said:


> has anyone ever done that? Convert gas motor to electric? I would love to see one.



It has been done - but I'm not sure if any one on Tinboats has done it before. Do a google search for converting gas outboards to electric outboards...

this is a pretty good read - https://www.psnw.com/~jmrudholm/etekoutboard.html


----------



## Bugpac

Terry Lee has converted at least one that i know of, He used a old game fisher... Russ we need to share some ideas on this, I am ready to go...


----------



## JBoze

What happened to this project?


----------



## russ010

the project is still ongoing... just put on hold. I've been tied up with work and haven't been able to do much of anything.

AND... i'm still waiting for my Fishmatepro Livewell that I ordered back in June to get here... I can't do much without that. Well, I can - but I don't want to.

I'll make sure I keep all the progress in the forum... everytime I fish, I come up with something new, so I'm glad I've waited this long before doing any mods because I keep changing my mind


----------



## Bugpac

Russ, did you pay for that livewell already? I think i would be raising some hell myself..


----------



## russ010

Yea I paid for it - and I've been talking to Danny (the owner) about it ever since I bought it. Raising hell wouldn't do me any good... I mean, I might get it faster, but it has really worked to my favor since I've changed the design 100 times in my head. He's got what I want, and you get what you pay for. He's adding extras to it that I didn't pay for... but it's ok. I was really hoping to have it before our season starts (which is in 3 weeks), but I'm in no hurry. It's too cold for me to work outside - I'd rather be fishing


----------



## Bugpac

ah i got ya, fed ex lost it the first time or something didnt they? yup 3 weeks, I am pretty certain i will be there as of right now..


----------



## russ010

FedEx lost it the first time... then they got flooded twice and had to scrap all the aluminum because of contaminates. I have to cry with him there- we all saw what havoc the floods can do here in GA

but come on out and fish man... we've got a few new people saying they are fishing


----------



## dyeguy1212

fishmatepro was supposed to cut me a check for the missing fish seperator on the 3rd. Something tells me I won't see it this week :roll: 


By the way, I encourage raising hell. Look what it got me. The wrong size livewell, with (damaged) diamond plate I didnt want, and missing parts. Great job fishmatepro =D>


----------



## Bugpac

russ010 said:


> i doubt fed ex lost it - he probably never sent it...
> 
> but come on out and fish man... we've got a few new people saying they are fishing




I plan on being there, Will go stay the night in ball ground to make it, Hey brine, you plan on doing any fishing, Your welcome in my boat if you wanna go to Latham...


----------



## Brine

Bugpac said:


> I plan on being there, Will go stay the night in ball ground to make it, Hey brine, you plan on doing any fishing, Your welcome in my boat if you wanna go to Latham...



Sounds good to me. Lemme know when.


----------



## Bugpac

Brine said:


> Bugpac said:
> 
> 
> 
> I plan on being there, Will go stay the night in ball ground to make it, Hey brine, you plan on doing any fishing, Your welcome in my boat if you wanna go to Latham...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Sounds good to me. Lemme know when.
Click to expand...


January 30th season opener...


----------



## russ010

ok.. I've done a little - and sorry for not keeping up to day on it here. I've got half of a frame built out of Aluminum square and angle... that's easy to still get pics of. I also added the Hydro Mat to the front deck - wow what a difference (even if it's only from me standing on it in the garage).

I also got some good news yesterday... looks like I will actually be getting in my livewell either Friday or Monday!!!! It's been a long wait, but hey, who's keeping track?? [-o< 

I'll start shooting some pics later tonight and try to get them posted. This is gonna be one helluva conversion. I'm also making it removable because I never sealed the flooring (and it's gonna need replacing) but I'm not in the mood to do that right now. 

More to follow... I'll try to do everything right, but it's hard when you work all day and have fishing that HAS to be done on the weekend! (that might might get canned though... looks like we might be in line for some more snow)


----------



## dyeguy1212

Looking forward to the pics... I'm expecting a lot considering the amount of planning time you've put in :lol: 



Hope the livewell shows up and is to your liking.. my fingers are crossed for you


----------



## Lunkerville

January 30th season opener... 

Man am I jealous. 10 inches of snow last night, another 10 comin tonight and 5 expected the next day....and to top it off, season opener is not until 3rd week in June...........


----------



## russ010

Ok... so here are the updates (is it really 12:30am??, I gotta start keeping an alarm clock down there).

Anyways, just some basic framing for now. I am still not done, I'm going to have a good many compartments on this part of the deck.












One for each battery which will open up towards the bow. Then in front of each battery there will be another. Here is where I'm going to keep my plano boxes. The lay out of the boxes is pretty much the direction the hatches will open. Hatches in front of the battery will open towards the sides of the boat. In the middle, I haven't quite decided if I'm going to do one or two compartments... most likely 2. I'm going to store my life jackets, tool kits, and all that jazz where the radio is. This is my new radio setup by the way - I now have Sirius satellite coverage for those long days :roll: 











On the deck is the "B" grade Hydro Turf I bought months ago. This took one roll, and I still have another one left over. I'm going to carpet the deck that I'm framing. I put this stuff down with 3m spray adhesive and I don't care if I EVER use that crap again. 






I also got a new trolling motor mount. The Gator Flex 360 is what was on there... and it's just not strong enough to handle that 71lb thrust motor. The new mount is the Tour Gator Spring - and holy smokes is all I have to say.











I decided to redo the old 2x10s I had as a temporary mount. Well... I'm still using it, but I did a little modding to it. I cut it down to fit the mount, then carpeted it. I also set if more towards the middle because I wanted to be able to keep 3 rods on each side of bow while fishing (kinda like the pros do, even though they have a helluva lot more room up there). I finally found my rod straps and put it on there too... If you look in the back of the pics, you'll see one of the Hella lights I have installed and the new Ram mount for the HDS unit. It took me forever to run all the wiring... the foam under that front deck is crazy. 





































I wanted to put in a recessed foot tray, but I can't... there are 2 4" braces running down the middle which is the support - so it's going to have to stay on top unless I can figure something out - I might come up with something yet.


----------



## dyeguy1212

Looking good! I'm really liking the idea of laying your tackle out as you build.. good way to make sure it all fits lol.


That TM mount is a beast! How much did that run you?



And the skeet combos are looking cocky as hell 8) .. very nice lol


----------



## russ010

I got that mount off ebay for $218 including shipping... definitely worth it too... this should stop all of the kick back I got out of the other unit - and I'm sure it cost me a little speed.

Those aren't all of my skeet rods... I've got 2 spinning rods with Abu Garcia Sorons on them. Wow is all I'm goin to say.


----------



## Brine

Lookin good Russ =D> 

Tell me about the Hydro Turf. Why put it on top of carpet?


----------



## Bugpac

Looks like you must have got the garage cleaned out anyways  Looking good, does the spring make for easy lift? I need to replace my mount, it is way way to long..


----------



## russ010

I'm not putting it on top of the carpet... I'm just going to carpet the part of the deck that I have to build. 

And no... I didn't clean out the garage. Tiffany has gone to her sisters in Kentucky, so I put the boat on her side of the garage :lol: I still can't get a thing in on my side... I've got 2 base cabinets that I'm making into a center island (boat takes priority right now [-X ), Kodiak's crate takes up half of it too..

tonight I'm going to try and finish the framing, and maybe start cutting some of the deck. Like I said, I'm going to make it removable, so I have to make it user friendly. I really should replace that floor thats already in there, but I think I'll just wait til it rots.. it's still pretty strong right now


----------



## River Rider

Would you recomend the hydro turf? I am still in debate over using it. I need something that would hold up to mild abuse and use.


----------



## russ010

I don't know if I can recommend it yet or not - I just put it down last night.

BUT - sitting up in the boat in the garage, I could tell a big difference with how it felt to stand on it. There is just a slight bit of cushioning, and it felt good. Now how well that spray adhesive holds up is another thing... I can only think of what the heat will do to it in this Georgia sun, but so far I like it. I'm fishing in it Saturday, so I'll let ya know more about it then.

As far as the B stock or regular stock they have - I looked all over it for pitting or any type of blemishes, and I couldn't find anything.


----------



## Brine

As I remember, I think the product gets labled as B stock when it does not come within the thickness tolerances that the company defines. 

Curious to see how it holds up. I still can't talk myself into carpet.


----------



## River Rider

Thanks Russ. Let me know how it goes for the weekend. Yeah I agree with not talking myself into carpet.


----------



## russ010

my biggest like of this stuff is NO HOOKS IN CARPET!! but then again... I'm still going to put carpet down.

The only reason I don't want to use it on the wood is because of all of the exposed edges on the hatches. I would have to put some kind of rubber seal or something (I saw something like this in one of the High Voltage boats - it was orange and I think one of the Yarter boy's was in it).. 

anyways, I work with carpet and staples a helluva lot better than that spray adhesive.


----------



## russ010

ok boys!!!! we have a tracking number for the livewell... only thing is, it's scheduled for Monday so no work this weekend - and I have drill next weekend, then our next tourney. Looks like I've got a lot of work to do and not enough time to do it in.

Track it with me!! 
Tracking Number: *1Z6336504390016216*


----------



## Doug

russ010,

I know it feels like Christmas time again now that you know it's on the way.

The mods are looking great.

Keep up the great work.


----------



## dyeguy1212

yeah, thats a fake tracking number :lol: :wink:


----------



## russ010

dyeguy1212 said:


> yeah, thats a fake tracking number :lol: :wink:



don't jinx me.... PhilG is getting his livewell at the same time


----------



## dyeguy1212

What did it take to get it? Did Danny just decide it was finished or did you push the action?


----------



## russ010

dyeguy1212 said:


> What did it take to get it? Did Danny just decide it was finished or did you push the action?



patience... we've been talking a pretty good bit the last couple of months


----------



## RStewart

boat is looking good Russ. Cant wait to see more of it.


----------



## dyeguy1212

Any updates?


----------



## russ010

The livewell came in today!!! I haven't seen it yet, my father in law just told me he had a BIG A box at his office...

I'll take pics and post it tonight. The building finally begins.

I just ordered all the fittings off of Flow Rites website for all of my thru-hull and drain fittings... hope they get here quick - https://www.flow-rite.com/marine/


----------



## russ010

River Rider said:


> Would you recomend the hydro turf? I am still in debate over using it. I need something that would hold up to mild abuse and use.




I fished with the hydroturf in a tournament on Saturday... it's not very thick, but there was a lot more cushion than just standing on bare aluminum. It took a beating with my 18lb weight, and it still looks just as good as it did when I put it on there the other night. The only thing I would question about it would be whether or not the spray adhesive actually holds up to the Georgia sun... I really had a hard time working with that stuff for some reason.

So, YES, I would definitely recommend using it - and it's not slippery at all. I put some water on it and I was wearing tennis shoes, and I didn't slip at all


----------



## River Rider

Thanks Russ. Appreeciate the input.


----------



## russ010

ok get ready for some pictures... I'm going to upload them - I think you can tell what all is going on without me commenting. Basically all I did was position it where I wanted, cut the floor out and set it in. 

Oh... the last pics with the red LEDs... those are Bluewater LED livewell lights. The pictures just don't show how much they are actually lighting up, but I could see the walls of my garage with it

Enjoy!










\


----------



## dyeguy1212

Livewell looks great.. just what I wanted lol


led's look good too.. I got the same set, looking forward to installing them


----------



## russ010

I've got other LED strips - I just didn't put them up to the battery. But I'm putting the red lights in the livewell (one on each side). I've got a ton of those livewell LEDs... I'm going to put the white ones up in the hatches in the front deck so that I can see when i need to retie or just to be able to see period in the hatches. I've got another pair of red that I'm probably going to put in the floor between the front and rear deck - but I will tell you this... after having that one LED on with all the lights out in my garage, it took me a little bit before I could see again when I turned the lights on. Red definitely kills your vision.. I know when we wore night goggles overseas, if we had them on when we came out of caves and the sun was out, as soon as we took them off we saw orange for like 30min before our eyes recovered... hence why my deck lighting will be green


----------



## dyeguy1212

I've always found red to be okay on my eyes when walking in and out of the woods at night, but I guess I've never compared it to green to find out.

So far all I have are two livewell strips in red, and two of the 4led strips in red, that I plan it put in the front storage area and under my TM footpedal. I don't do a heck of a lot of night fishing, so its mainly for the badass-factor I guess :|


----------



## russ010

they are definitely badass.... that's why I got the red ones too

I'll try to take some pics of the green ones tomorrow. hopefully we'll get this snow they are talking about tonight and tomorrow...that will give me a lot of time tomorrow to get something done


----------



## Jr Branham

Russ,
How is the build quality on the livewell? What size is it? thanks

Jr. B


----------



## russ010

I tried to find a flaw with it... and couldn't find anything. they had it wrapped in 1" thick styrofoam, so there was no shipping damage.

The size I have is a 40x12x10, and I have the removable separator in the middle. I'm quite satisfied with it - and it was worth the 9 month wait... especially since I changed the design of my deck layout about 100 times since i've been fishing out of it.


----------



## krusty

That thing looks sweet, I am going to feel bad if by mistake I step on that thing during one of our tx's. I like the led's too, they are cool.


----------



## russ010

don't feel bad... I've already stood on it, bounced on it and everything else... it won't give

I'll have the LEDs done then too... we probably won't use them that much when we're actually fishing though... guess we'll just have to wait and see


----------



## Quackrstackr

River Rider said:


> Would you recomend the hydro turf? I am still in debate over using it. I need something that would hold up to mild abuse and use.



It has quickly become the flooring of choice for duck hunting boats. If it stands up to that kind of neglect, fishing will be nothing.

The boat is coming along nicely, Russ. :wink:


----------



## russ010

I got more done last night... but didn't finish up til about 12am and I was pooped so I went straight to bed. 
I've got pics, so I'll put them up tonight as well.

I got part of the framing done for the rear deck where the livewell will be, and I cut the deck itself. I don't know how it's going to work out though, I went through 15 sheets of plywood at Home Depot & Lowes, and every sheet they had was a little bowed. I think I can make some of it work though.

Anybody got any ideas as to how to get the bow out of it? I guess I could always screw it to some aluminum tubing, but I'm trying to stay away from that


----------



## dyeguy1212

Only way I've ever gotten the bow out of it is to get it a little wet, and throw a ratchet strap around it and bow it slightly the other way and let it dry. I don't know what the temps are by you, so it might be a bad idea considering the amount of time it could take to dry.


Might just want to try moistening it and put it on the ground, and throw some heavy stuff on the bowed side to get it flat.


----------



## 270Handiman

russ010 said:


> I got more done last night... but didn't finish up til about 12am and I was pooped so I went straight to bed.
> I've got pics, so I'll put them up tonight as well.
> 
> I got part of the framing done for the rear deck where the livewell will be, and I cut the deck itself. I don't know how it's going to work out though, I went through 15 sheets of plywood at Home Depot & Lowes, and every sheet they had was a little bowed. I think I can make some of it work though.
> 
> Anybody got any ideas as to how to get the bow out of it? I guess I could always screw it to some aluminum tubing, but I'm trying to stay away from that



That's gonna be tough if it's not fastened to a rigid frame, because even if you get it flattened out, it's probably gonna bow again when exposed to moisture or even humidity changes. MDO or HDO plywood may be a better bet if you can find it, it is the stuff used to make road signs and it holds up well to moisture.


----------



## russ010

I saw this in one of your other posts.... what is MDO & HDO - and where might I find it??


----------



## 270Handiman

I tried to find you an actual explanation of what the stuff is:

https://www.insidewoodworking.com/mdo-and-hdo-plywood.html

We use HDO at work for making reusable concrete forms, and it lasts forever. You should be able to get it at any real lumberyard (ie-not the blue and orange box stores). Thay may not have it in stock, but they can get it for you. We buy it at our local lumberyard and they always have it in stock. Also, you could check at any sign making company.

Here is another discussion of it on "another" forum:

https://www.boatdesign.net/forums/boat-building/mdo-plywood-3573.html


----------



## dyeguy1212

Am I misreading it, or is it similar to particle board?


----------



## russ010

I kept reading it as a cross between veneer and MDF... but I could be totally wrong.

I'll just keep playing around with my $20 sheets of plywood.. if I'm going to spend $50 for a sheet, I'm going to go ahead and get marine ply (which I'm not doing)


----------



## 270Handiman

russ010 said:


> I'll just keep playing around with my $20 sheets of plywood.. if I'm going to spend $50 for a sheet, I'm going to go ahead and get marine ply (which I'm not doing)



Well, it's actually better than marine plywood. It's rated the same, but it has the smooth surface from the high density veneer overlay on the top. Just for kicks, next time your driving down a lonely road, stop and look at one of the road signs made of wood. That will be HDO plywood. At least you'll know what it is and what it looks like. It's good stuff.



dyeguy1212 said:


> Am I misreading it, or is it similar to particle board?



The outer veneer is basically a form of particleboard made with high strength resins, and this gives it a smooth, flat blemish free surface. Other than that, it is just basically plywood.


----------



## CrewCabMax

so you put the hydro turf over plywood or alum sheeting?? I was thinking about using it over plywood, but didnt know how it would affect it. I REALLY dont want to use carpet in my boat. Its going to be mostly a duck hutning boat, but fish in the spring and summer. A LOT easier to clean up hydro turf than carpet. Thanks!


----------



## russ010

CrewCabMax said:


> so you put the hydro turf over plywood or alum sheeting?? I was thinking about using it over plywood, but didnt know how it would affect it. I REALLY dont want to use carpet in my boat. Its going to be mostly a duck hutning boat, but fish in the spring and summer. A LOT easier to clean up hydro turf than carpet. Thanks!



In the front where I have it, that was the existing factory aluminum deck. You can put it over plywood too with no problems, I would just recommend sealing the wood prior, then using a glue or that spray adhesive... if I were to do it over again, I would pay the extra $25 for their 3M adhesive backing already on there.


----------



## russ010

Ok fellas... hang with me here - I've got a ton of pics.

Before I get started, I decided to ditch the 15/32" ply that I was using because I didn't like the warping of it. I don't want to start off with a bad product, so I just used what I had already cut as a layout for everything. I picked up 2 sheets of 23/32" expensive A#$ plywood. I don't remember what it was called, something like ACX. $35 per sheet, but I get 10% discount at Lowe's, so a whopping $7 in savings. I decided to go with a thicker board because I'm not going to use much bracing because I'm going to have 3 hatches right behind the livewell, and they are going to be made of this ply.

I got the holes cut for the aerator and all before I did any cutting just so I could see what all needed to be cut out. I ended up cutting almost the whole section of flooring out because I wanted to run wires and everything underneath it and wanted to atleast be able to run a wire snake under it.

I got the back deck cut out, as well as the front cover. I'm going to put one speaker on this side, and then I'll put the other speaker on the extended front deck so that they are facing each other. I've still got a lot to do before next weekends tourney, but I think I can get most of it done. Bad part is, I've got a function to go to tomorrow night, then I leave Friday for drill in South Carolina. So it will be some late nights next week.
Enjoy the pics - you can see more here, I'm not posting every single one - https://s15.photobucket.com/albums/a382/russ010/Xpress Boat/



























BlueWaterLED lights... these are red. The picture after this with the wire is where I came out at the top and used 3M 5200 to seal around the hole. It doesn't look as bad in person as it does in the picture.











This is the warped board that I ended up using as a template






And then the new stuff... a little on the heavy side, but I like it






Not only does he stand behind it... I can stand on it. One foot just showing all my weight is on the livewell.... no give






Here is where I have marked the cuttings for my 3 rear hatches. The lids on the ends will open up towards the front of the boat. They are just access to the onboard charger and the livewell pump on the other side. The middle hatch has a battery in it and it's also where I'm going to put my scales and culling balls. it will open up towards the rear seat.






Here's the front, and then the front with the speaker in place... I already ran the speaker wire from the front


----------



## dyeguy1212

Looking good! How are you securing the livewell to the decking (or are you even going to bother, since its not going to take much of a pounding with only TMs?)

I'm planning on drilling 2 or 3 holes on each side on the thick area and carriage bolting it in.


----------



## russ010

I haven't decided yet to be honest with ya... I did get some stainless steel self tapping screws (phillips flat head). I don't want to put anything on top that I might trip over. 

The other option I was thinking about was using some of the industrial strength velcro... well the coarse side since this will be on top of carpet. I dunno... I might figure something else out like figuring out a way to attach it to the floor. 

More than likely it will get the screws in the top though... I do have a 20HP motor that I run with on the big lakes


----------



## Doug

russ010,

The mods are coming along well. The livewell and hatches look great the way you've got them.


----------



## PhilM

I have used MDO for years making traffic signs, you can buy it in 1/2" or 3/4" single or double sided. (MDO, Medium Density Overlay (engineered plywood)). Lasts years outside and has a great smooth finish. What I like about this product it is usually very flat and not warped like other plywood products.

It is pricey though $42.00 for a 1/2" sheet at Menards. Just checked the price last night. :beer:


----------



## Troutman3000

Looking good Russ.


----------



## dyeguy1212

russ010 said:


> I haven't decided yet to be honest with ya... I did get some stainless steel self tapping screws (phillips flat head). I don't want to put anything on top that I might trip over.




I guess I should have been more specific.. I'm planning to use carriage bolts. They won't sit completely flush, but they're smooth and toe-stubbing resistant. :lol:


----------



## russ010

I understood what you were talking about.. I just keep coming up with so many different ideas I don't know what I'm going to do.

On the front where the speaker is, I don't think i'm going to attach that to the aluminum angle. I think I'm going to velcro it and make everything behind it accessible. I've done that with velcro before and it worked great. I've also used velcro for the top deck - surprisingly it never flew off


----------



## Nick Jones

looks great man!


----------



## Brine

russ010 said:


> I understood what you were talking about.. I just keep coming up with so many different ideas I don't know what I'm going to do.
> 
> On the front where the speaker is, I don't think i'm going to attach that to the aluminum angle. I think I'm going to velcro it and make everything behind it accessible. I've done that with velcro before and it worked great. I've also used velcro for the top deck - surprisingly it never flew off



I"ve used the industrial size velcro strips for a multitude of projects. My experience is the adhesive will fail on the strips before the connection ever will, so make sure to prep the surface correctly before adhering the strips. Might be worth the effort to use an additional adhesive depending on the situation. IMO, heat would be an issue on the self adhesive back (at least on the brand I have traditionally used). Can't remember the mfg, but I've bought it at Home Depot.


----------



## russ010

I use screws to attach the velcro - along with liquid nails... that's how I got around that problem


----------



## russ010

got a little bit done this morning before I left to come to South Carolina.

I drilled one 1" hole in the side of the boat for the livewell pump. I wanted it to be in the back of the boat, but hoses nor pipe would go under the rear bench, and I drilled a hole in the rear bench to see what was there, and it was full of foam that proably should come out, but I'm not fooling with it, so the pump is on the side. It's on the opposite side of the aerator... not because I wanted it over there, but the ouput of my aerator pretty much takes up the whole side where I have it mounted. 











I still need to put the drain in the livewell, then run it out the side of the boat... it's going on the same side as the livewell pump. I've decided to not put on a overflow drain... I'm not going to fill it up that high, and being mostly an electric only boat, I dont' want to drill another hole in the side of the boat. I was actually going to use a T and run the overflow into the livewell drain, but I don't think there would be enough pressure to push it out since the drain plug would be under the water line. 

I got all of the back deck cut and ready for stain. I still have to stain the underside of it all, but it's recommended that you put 2 wet coats on, so I put it on thick and it should be dry and ready for the underside coating when I get home late Sunday night. I know I still have to cut the lids more to fit for carpet, but I'll seal it again after I get the cuts right. Here is the stain that I'm using - https://www.opwdecks.com/twp-100-series-1-gallon.htm. It says it's only $30 now... I'm pretty sure I paid A LOT more than that when I got it a few years ago. It's some good looking stuff - it's what I was going to finish my front porch with... but you see what get's first dibs on it.


----------



## dyeguy1212

Starting to look really good. Glad to see the infamous badass drill make a reappearance lol


----------



## russ010

if you look close enough in pic 3 & 4, you'll see both of them


----------



## russ010

Got a little more done tonight... but I ran into a few problems. When I first got the boat last year I got this real plush marine carpet from Lowe's that they had in the store. Well, I went back tonight to get some more. Figured I'd check the one closest to the house first, but they didn't have anytihng. So I drove to the next one (8 miles down the road) to where I bought it the first time - they sold out 6 months ago and haven't got any back in and don't expect to get any more. They had it in black, but that gets to hot (I'm figuring anyways) and it would show all the mud and dirt a lot more, so I went back to the standard stuff they have. Looks better than what I thought it would next to the good stuff. 







I got all the carpeting done except for one lid... and wouldn't ya know - I ran out of staples. Oh well... I did get the 2 outer lids attached. This time I did the piano hinges a little different. I attached them to the rear bench - main reason because I didn't want them to open up a full 180 degrees. I wanted to open them up because I plan on fabricating some of those "cook's tackle system" things. I'm going to cover the bench with the other roll of Hydro Turf I have left over. I was going to carpet, but I like this stuff. I wanted to do the decks and all with it, but I didn't know how to do the lid edges, and I didn't want to cut and attach them because I want my lids to be tight and I can see that stuff peeling off with the abuse. 











Then I got to playing around with the livewell a little more. I got my flow rite thru hull fittings and all, and figured I'd do that since i was at a stand still with everything else. I cut the hole on the livewell for the drain. The white stuff you see is this stuff called Aqua Mend. It's the epoxy that comes in a tube, you knead it up and then apply it. A little over 60 minutes and it was cured. I swore that I would never use that 5300 stuff again because of the mess it makes. Only problem I have now is that if I ever have to change anything, I'll have to grind this stuff off with my side grinder. I wish I would have gotten a new livewell pump, but this one works still and I'll deal with that whenever it dies.

Here is the 90* drain plug on the bottom of the livewell. Then on the inside, I have these little plugs that fit into it and seals everything up.
















Then it was time to cut the drain... yea, I screwed up. I should have cut it about 1/2" lower, but there should be enough pressure to drain it out.. the drain is just a little higher then the 90* bend under the livewell. I already had the hole cut, so there was no turning back. 

















We're supposed to get about 3-4 days of rain starting tomorrow night... so I've got a pretty good bit done considering our tourney is this Saturday. I've still got to put the fitting for the fill in the livewell, and that's pretty much it. I've got a pretty good idea for how to mount the switches, so I'll try to get all that wired up too. I'm waiting on a package from BluewaterLED, then I can really move on and start screwing everything down in place. the only thing that is set right now are the lids and the middle support brace that the lids rest on.


----------



## Troutman3000

Where did you get this aqua mend?


----------



## Rat

Does the Aqua Mend stay pliable or does it get rock hard? That would be nice for a quick addition instead of having to break out the 5200; if it stays pliable that is.


----------



## russ010

I got the Aqua Mend at Home Depot I think... if not there, then Lowe's, but I'm pretty sure it's HD.

Now this stuff cures solid. It's actually made to be used for instant repairs - as if you were on the water and needed something to mend underwater. It's rock solid right now, not pliable like silicone... so if you ever needed to change anything, you'd have to put a little elbow grease to get it off. You can sand, drill, tap and just about anything else you want to do to this stuff.


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## Troutman3000

Seems like a better option for sealing your transom and places you wont modify for a long time.


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## russ010

yea, especially around the drain fittings and things like that... probably not a good idea for the livewell pump, but I didn't put that much there like I did around the drain fittings. I also bought some neoprene washers and cut them to fit so they will also help seal out the water.


----------



## Bugpac

Looks awesome russ, Looking forward to seeing it saturday... My favorite sealer in the world when it comes to water is the Ge silicone 2 clear... That stuff seals anything and isnt to messy.. I want to get a good look at your livewell, That is one area thats getting a makeover in my boat..


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## lswoody

Looks good!!!!!


----------



## russ010

ok.. so the deck is completed. I just have a few more things to do and it will be ready for the tourney this weekend. I still have to wire the fill pump, but I'm waiting on a few things from BluewaterLED before I can go any further.

I got all of the fittings on the livewell installed and sealed. I ended up taking the deck that the livewell sits on off the boat, put it on the livewell, then installed all of the fittings, pumps and hoses. I didn't have enough room to work with it in the boat, and I wanted to make sure that I had everything sealed. 

Here is the fill fitting. I put it in the very center. I got to thinking though - I might not have to run this as long as I thought. I think I can open up the drain plug in the bottom to have water in the livewell up to the waterline. But, it's an 800 GPH pump and that thing can move some water pretty quick.

I also installed the Keep'em Alive aerator, along with a Bass Pro livewell timer. I don't know if the timer is going to work right or not because the potentiometer didn't move like I thought it should. Not a big deal though, I will most likely want to run this type of pump on manual and not run it near as much as the 60 sec every 6 mintues. 

Walking around the electrical section in Home Depot gave me a few ideas. I ended up getting a 6x6x4 junction box ($11) to mount the livewell timer to, and it will also give me enough room for the toggle switches for the Livewell LEDs, fill pump, deck LEDs and whatever else I decide to put in there. 

That's about it boys... enjoy all of the pics - if you ever want to see more, or all of the pics at once, just check them out on photobucket here - https://s15.photobucket.com/albums/a382/russ010/Xpress Boat/


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## russ010

a little more 

[youtube]<object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="https://www.youtube.com/v/l6MSMR2fuac&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="https://www.youtube.com/v/l6MSMR2fuac&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>[/youtube]


----------



## Mojo

That looks outstanding. Nice and clean. Its amazing how carpet seems to make everything come together. Love the lights.


----------



## Troutman3000

You are one serious modding machine....What kind of work do you do for a living.??


----------



## russ010

Troutman3000 said:


> You are one serious modding machine....What kind of work do you do for a living.??



haha... I'm an insurance underwriter.

but where I come from in South Carolina, you never hire someone to do a job for you that you can do. I learned A LOT from my dad... he used to do everything for everybody in my community, and I always tagged along. Never knew how much I learned until I moved into my own house (which was a foreclosure) and basically did a home makeover on it. I did everything but the carpet in the house - I hate working with that stuff. 

You and anybody else can do anything if you put your mind to it... it's really not that hard, just a little common sense and the people here at tinboats are all you need!


----------



## Troutman3000

russ010 said:


> Troutman3000 said:
> 
> 
> 
> You are one serious modding machine....What kind of work do you do for a living.??
> 
> 
> 
> 
> haha... I'm an insurance underwriter.
> 
> but where I come from in South Carolina, you never hire someone to do a job for you that you can do. I learned A LOT from my dad... he used to do everything for everybody in my community, and I always tagged along. Never knew how much I learned until I moved into my own house (which was a foreclosure) and basically did a home makeover on it. I did everything but the carpet in the house - I hate working with that stuff.
> 
> You and anybody else can do anything if you put your mind to it... it's really not that hard, just a little common sense and the people here at tinboats are all you need!
Click to expand...


Agreed. I have learned a lot over the last few years myself. Anything just takes time and repetition. I hate carpet too, the contracters can have that.

:beer:


----------



## njTom

Russ you did a great job on your mod. Glad to see your livewell finally came in. I was curious about the bracket your using for the ruler. Is that made for that or did you find something that would work?


----------



## russ010

That is actually made for that ruler - it's a Gator Grip sleeve, and I'm pretty sure I ordered it from their site when I ordered my Golden Rule... man, they have gone up in prices!

https://gatorgrip.com/cart/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=60

I've been thinking about this now that you mentioned it.... I'm pretty sure you can use the smallest aluminum C-channel at HD or Lowe's and make the same thing.


----------



## Nick Jones

Man that is looking really good. If you get time, would you mind taking a picture that shows how much space you have between the two decks.


----------



## russ010

Do you mean space between the factory front deck and the deck I just built?

I'm not through modding this thing yet.. I still have to extend the front deck back. Right now I have 27" between where the front deck will extend and the rear deck that will be open. That makes the total open space right now around 5' just as it sits. 

I'll take more pics tonight and post them up. I've got a mess in the front of my boat though - that's where I put everything so I wouldn't lose it... it's amazing what I've lost since I started this thing... I'm still looking for my rear navigation light - I have no idea where I put it. I remember taking it off and saying to myself "I'll put it here because I know I'll remember and find it"... go figure


----------



## Nick Jones

russ010 said:


> Do you mean space between the factory front deck and the deck I just built?
> 
> I'm not through modding this thing yet.. I still have to extend the front deck back. Right now I have 27" between where the front deck will extend and the rear deck that will be open. That makes the total open space right now around 5' just as it sits.
> 
> I'll take more pics tonight and post them up. I've got a mess in the front of my boat though - that's where I put everything so I wouldn't lose it... it's amazing what I've lost since I started this thing... I'm still looking for my rear navigation light - I have no idea where I put it. I remember taking it off and saying to myself "I'll put it here because I know I'll remember and find it"... go figure



I always do that and then my wife tells me where it is. 

Yeah that’s what I meant. I am looking at a larger boat similar to yours. I really like the way you have set it up and was making sure there was some room between the decks. I love to bass fish but I also need something open in the middle when I run trotlines.

Oh by the way, This is the best build I have seen when it comes to weight distribution.


----------



## russ010

Ok Nick - here ya go.

The front deck now as it is is 5' long. It's definitely long enough as it is, but I can't cut into it to make any storage because it has braces running the length of the boat. That's one reason why I'm extending the deck back, as well as the placement of the seat. If it was up more towards the front another 8", it would be fine. But if you are sitting in the seat facing either side, one false step and you're laying in the floor. 

The space between the decks right now is 57". The rear deck (including the area that's not covered at the transom yet is 6-1/2'. When I extend the front deck back, the space between them will be 28". Doesn't seem like much, but 2.5' is a pretty good bit of space.


----------



## Nick Jones

Thanks man! That is way more room than I thought it was it was going to be.


----------



## ober51

Just caught up - looks great Russ. Any plans for covering the batteries?


----------



## russ010

yea, I've still got to extend the front deck... I had to get it tournament ready for the weekend, so the back deck was all that was worked on. I do have a front deck framing built, but I just have to cut the wood to make it work. Maybe i'll start on that next week


----------



## ober51

russ010 said:


> yea, I've still got to extend the front deck... I had to get it tournament ready for the weekend, so the back deck was all that was worked on. I do have a front deck framing built, but I just have to cut the wood to make it work. Maybe i'll start on that next week



Sounds good, man.


----------



## russ010

just finished up the electrical box... got the switches from BluewaterLED and they are definitely what I needed.


----------



## dyeguy1212

Looks good... are those little rocker switches the ones from bluewater?


----------



## russ010

dyeguy1212 said:


> Looks good... are those little rocker switches the ones from bluewater?



yea... and you can't beat them for $2.99 each and the tinboat.com 10% discount when you use TINBOAT (all caps) in the "redeem coupon" on the checkout page -- https://bluewaterled.com/catalogdetails.php?id=36

Mike is a great guy to work with and will help in anyway he can


----------



## poolie

Man Russ, it's hard to believe that's the same boat you pulled out of that ladies back yard. You have no doubt raised the bar for mods.

So does the garden gnome help you navigate?


----------



## russ010

poolie said:


> So does the garden gnome help you navigate?



that little buddy will ALWAYS be in my boat. I have caught more fish with him than I have anybody. I didn't have him in the first few tourneys, and that's when I realized he was the reason I hadn't caught any fish. I fished the SWAT tourney with him and me and Chris finished 2nd - and I caught my first 3 fish of the year!

We're gonna be at Acworth tomorrow.. went to look at the lake this morning and it is up and MUDDY... should be pretty interesting out there tomorrow with 10-11 boats


----------



## poolie

russ010 said:


> poolie said:
> 
> 
> 
> So does the garden gnome help you navigate?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> that little buddy will ALWAYS be in my boat. I have caught more fish with him than I have anybody. I didn't have him in the first few tourneys, and that's when I realized he was the reason I hadn't caught any fish. I fished the SWAT tourney with him and me and Chris finished 2nd - and I caught my first 3 fish of the year!
> 
> We're gonna be at Acworth tomorrow.. went to look at the lake this morning and it is up and MUDDY... should be pretty interesting out there tomorrow with 10-11 boats
Click to expand...


A good luck Garden gnome... I like it 

Acworth is only a couple miles out of my way between work and home, so I rode by today and oh yea... MUDDY is the word. On the bright side, I think you guys might get the tourney in without rain. I should be working tomorrow but really, really need a break and think I'm going to hit a private lake up in Paulding for a couple hours. I may swing by and check out weigh-in.


----------



## phxbuckeye

i think i saw on a mod you did some time ago you put lights on it. i check bass pro and they sell a brand called seasense. its a recessed light, you can get all kinds of them. anyways, the ones i want to get, i want to drill a hole, attach the light, and run the wiring with a toggle switch next to the chair in the back. question is, how do you run wiring for this idea, and how do you set it up with a toggle switch? is there anywhere i can go to figure this out?


----------



## russ010

are you referring to navigation lights?

Before getting the removable style nav lights, the bow had a permanent light. I just wired it back to the battery, but never hooked it up until I needed it. I didn't have a switch for it. BUT - if you want to do this, all you have to do is run the negative to the battery, then run the positive wire to the switch, then run another wire from the switch to the battery. The switch is nothing but a link for power from the battery to the light.

I have mine set up now as a plug in style. I have the base permanently wired to the battery. Then all I have to do is put the pole into the light socket and it comes on - no switches to mess with.

Does that make sense?


----------



## Mojo

I Have to throw out a word of caution to the set up Russ talked about. If you have the light socket strait wired to the battery and are just relying on plugging it in to complete the circuit your one bad wave away from a short circuit. 

If it's not switched and you don't have an inline fuse then any water that gets into that socket will complete the circuit and pull max amperage from your battery. 
At best it would just melt the wires. At worst you would have a fire onboard when those wires get red hot and set something on fire.

Put an inline fuse in everything in a boat, or at least put a switch in line. It's not that much trouble.


----------



## bAcKpAiN

Mojo said:


> I Have to throw out a word of caution to the set up Russ talked about. If you have the light socket strait wired to the battery and are just relying on plugging it in to complete the circuit your one bad wave away from a short circuit.
> 
> If it's not switched and you don't have an inline fuse then any water that gets into that socket will complete the circuit and pull max amperage from your battery.
> At best it would just melt the wires. At worst you would have a fire onboard when those wires get red hot and set something on fire.
> 
> Put an inline fuse in everything in a boat, or at least put a switch in line. It's not that much trouble.



Correct me if I am wrong but even if there is a switch, without a fuse you are still one bad wave away from a short circuit. I would encourage fuses in every circuit regardless whether or not it is on a switch. I have mine wired the same way as Russ for convenience sake, but all of my wires run to an auto style fuse panel.


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## russ010

your right backpain - the switch will short and cause the same problem if a fuse is not in line. 

I guess I take my chances, seeing as how I've been fishing in the rain all year (and for the last 2 years) with no problems. It's not a big deal to add a fuse, but I'm still not done with the front of the boat to worry about it right now. 

In the end - it will probably stay just like it is though. And I know, that's my decision - so be it.


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## RStewart

WOW! This thing is looking good. Awesome work man. How thick is the aluminum used for the livewell?


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## russ010

stew6371 said:


> WOW! This thing is looking good. Awesome work man. How thick is the aluminum used for the livewell?



1/16"... I think. I'll check tomorrow and post if I'm wrong. It only weighs about 20 pounds


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## kcatto

did you ever find the thickness of the aluminum he used???

It looks like it would be easy enough to make one up.... because after seeing yours I want one....which would be much better than using a cooler as a livewell....

Do you know if he mig, or tig, welded your livewell???


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## russ010

it's 1/16" aluminum for the livewell... 

I'm fairly certain it's TIG welded... I think that's the best way to weld aluminum.

Don't hesitate to call Danny - it might take you a few times to get intouch with him, but he'll eventually get back to you. I talked to him the other day and he was slammed.


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## kcatto

I weld aluminum all the time usually mig then go back and tig to make it look pretty... that is how we used to weld thecamper/ horse trailers at exiss and 4 star when I used to work there years ago....

that is where I learned to weld and got certified in welding....

I like danny's product but his turn around seems to be spotty....

besides like you said before "why pay someone else for things you can do yourself"

I really like your livewell setup.... Do you like the bluewater LED setup???


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## dyeguy1212

kcatto said:


> I like danny's product but his turn around seems to be spotty....



Turn around time isn't the half of it. :roll:


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## BottomDweller

Russ,

How well does that 70 lb thrust push the boat? It looks like you just have electric power. just wondering how that big electric pushes in comparison to gas power?


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## russ010

well.. it doesn't push, it pulls! 

The more thrust you have up front pulling, the more power/speed you're going to get out of your boat. With that 71# on the front and 2 55#s on the back, my top speed is a little over 5mph. When I have batteries that aren't about to conk out on me, it will run that speed all day long. But one thing you have to remember, unless you get a 3hp electric motor, you aren't going to plane out... you'll only be able to do your hulls top speed which is just before planing.

I also have a gas motor that I use in bigger lakes


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## BottomDweller

I have a small trolling motor that came with the boat I bought. It is an old 1 hp Diehard. I thought it was weird that it was quoted in hp instead of thrust but either way, I plan on putting it on the transom as opposed to the front. I am assuming this is Ok to transom mount..?


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## bassboy1

russ010 said:


> it's 1/16" aluminum for the livewell...
> 
> I'm fairly certain it's TIG welded... I think that's the best way to weld aluminum.



1/16th? I emailed him once, and the response I got is that all of their wells are made of 1/8 5052.


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## russ010

I'm pretty positive it's 1/16"... I could be wrong, but I don't think I am. The lip would stick up and be a toe stubber if it was 1/8" thick, and the lip is definitely 1/16.... it's all one piece too except for the lids. Pretty sure they are 1/16" too

you'll have to give it the bassboy1 approval when you get to fish with me (which should be opening up sometime soon .... hopefully) notice it's 10:39PM, and I'm still at work doing these dag blamed Underwriting Files for our audit next week...


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## Bushy99

Your boat looks great. You've put in a lot of hard work and it has paid off. How much do you have in the boat with all the mods you have performed?


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## russ010

Bushy99 said:


> Your boat looks great. You've put in a lot of hard work and it has paid off. How much do you have in the boat with all the mods you have performed?



Probably around $400 with the aluminum, wood and rivets. 

As far as the livewell goes, along with the pumps - that's probably an additonal $400.

I had all of the motors and batteries from previous boats with the exception of the front TM - that one ran closer to $500


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## Home Grown Basser

Thats real camoflauge right there Yee Haw! LOL =D>


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## russ010

Home Grown Basser said:


> Thats real camoflauge right there Yee Haw! LOL =D>



are you talking about the paint job?? I hated it when I first got the boat - and now I just don't give a flip.. I'm not repainting this boat - especially with all the mods on it. If I do anything, I'll rattle can the hell out of it every few years!


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## Home Grown Basser

very nice work i am impressed. feel free to check out my 1648 fisher converson

-Kody


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## madfisherman

Looks like a heck of a project you have there. Bassboy is doing mine. I'd love to get into a Jon boat club but don't really know where to start. Can you help me with any info?


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## russ010

Give me a call sometime... 404-694-4689

There's a few clubs out there, just a matter of which lakes you want to fish.

Have you been on https://forum.gon.com yet? That is where you can get all sorts of info on Georgia fishing


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## mangelcc

Russ, I just went through your 1546 Makeover and you done an awesome job. You have a nice boat!! Thanks !!


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## dyeguy1212

mangelcc said:


> Russ, I just went through your 1546 Makeover and you done an awesome job. You have a nice boat!! Thanks !!




Why the build isn't a sticky, I'll never know! :wink: =D>


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## russ010

nah no sticky needed... 


But I'm still not finished with it.. I still need to complete building the front deck with all the compartments. I am waiting for a streak of no rain so that I can cut and stain the wood. I'm not doing that in the garage again. I did it last time because Tiffany was out of town and the smell of the stain didn't bother me - but it would probably kill her.

I hope to have it done sometime in the next few months.


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## dyeguy1212

Always thought it would be a good idea to stick some of the best builds, so when new people find the site they're immediately exposed to the builds that have essentially paved the way for other builds.


Problem is, someone's feelings would get hurt and it would be downhill from there :roll:


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## Brine

Yo Russ,

Hydroturf has had a year of use. What are your thoughts on it? I keep asking, because I still can't decide what I want.


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## russ010

Brine said:


> Yo Russ,
> 
> Hydroturf has had a year of use. What are your thoughts on it? I keep asking, because I still can't decide what I want.



Love every minute of it... only bad thing about it though - it's slick as crap first thing in the morning if it's got some frost on it. It's not the most comfortable stuff on bare feet either. But I fixed that by putting this cloth tape that came with my Summit climbing stand for deer hunting. I never put it on the stand, but it sure does feel good on bare feet in the middle of the summer... that hydroturf can get a little warm. Good thing is I can just splash water on it where I'm standing and cool my feet off. Best thing I found to do though was put those Frogg Togg hydro cool towels down and stand on them if I fish barefoot.


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## bmontagne

I assume I need new Hubs and Bearing Buddies, what type of details do I need to be able to specify when shopping? 
My boat and trailer have been sitting outside in the Texas elements for about 3 years now.

I've got a 1999 ShoreLandr trailer with a 14 ft Weldcraft boat on it, 5 lugs on the wheels...and that's about all I know! 

Thanks,

Brandon


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## russ010

I took my wheels off and used a micrometer to determine the size of mine... you can take it to the parts store and they can probably tell you what size you need.


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## Blade1294

I'm new on here but have a boat similar to yours. Is there anyway I can get your contact info to talk to you about what I want to do to mine and u give me some tips??


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## BtsNhoS

dyeguy1212 said:


> Starting to look really good. Glad to see the infamous badass drill make a reappearance lol



i have both of those drills, they are so nice i use my 1/4" almost everyday, i went ahead and bought their big brother, https://www.amazon.com/Bare-Tool-Makita-BTW450Z-Torque-Battery/dp/B0014YVA1O/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&qid=1341362845&sr=8-12&keywords=makita+impact+driver, it is a tank! it weighs about 8lbs and has so much power its insane. it will rip lug nuts off like its no problem


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## russ010

wow... alot more modding has been done to my boat. I have got to get some pictures and upload them..

Here are a few that I took the other day on my phone for someone to look at... not the best quality, but you get the idea.

I've got a few more things to do... and things I want to redo. But all in good time. Since my last post I think I've upgraded to an HDS 8 in the front, and added Structure Scan - this thing is no joke in showing whats under the water...

We actually just got another project boat to work on.. an 1978 Ranger V178 - to convert to electric only. That will be our next post on here I guess.


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## JonBoatfever

Looks like you finally gave her a well earned paint job! Lets see some pictures of that when you get a chance!


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## russ010

JonBoatfever said:


> Looks like you finally gave her a well earned paint job! Lets see some pictures of that when you get a chance!



I plan on eventually wrapping the boat in camo clad... but to hold me over and get rid of that factory paintjob with the reeds, I just did some light sanding and went over it with good ol black spray paint out of rattle cans. It's actually doing a lot better than I expected and has held up well in the places I fish in the 5 months it's been on there. The thing I like about it the best is if I get a bad spot or scratch, I can do a little wet sanding and just touch up with spray paint. 

I'll try to get some more pictures. I'm actually thinking about redoing some of my decking. On the front deck that was extended back, the middle is one big hatch door... When I put it up, I can rest it at almost a 90* angle, but if I have it up and I'm looking down in there, that piece of wood is awful heavy when it hits me on the head if it falls. I've learned my lesson about 3 times now that that was not the way to do it... but all in good time it will be fixed.


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## tnriverluver

I am so glad I looked at this project. I have two yellow side marker lights off of one of my enclosed trailers and never would have thought of using them inside the boat. Great for night fishing without as many bug issues. Nice job on this boat by the way!!! On your hatch doors some simple gas struts available at Auto Zone, etc would save a lot of frustration.


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## inlovewithsurfin

i just went through all 14 pages of your build! i love what you did with your boat! really good job! where did you get the livewell from? it looks like something out or a restaurant from the kitchen? im gonna look on ebay and see if i can find anything like it to turn into a livewell! thank you for some really great ideas.


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## russ010

inlovewithsurfin said:


> i just went through all 14 pages of your build! i love what you did with your boat! really good job! where did you get the livewell from? it looks like something out or a restaurant from the kitchen? im gonna look on ebay and see if i can find anything like it to turn into a livewell! thank you for some really great ideas.


 
that livewell came from fishmate pro (no longer in business... i think) - i think one of the best livewells I've seen lately for the money is from https://www.customlivewells.com/Pages/default.aspx


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## Gators5220

Very clean build start to finish, only thing I would have done different is no carpet, but that is tomato tomato, mostly because I fish salt water is the only reason! But still awesme build, have you thought of a name for her yet?


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## Brine

I thinking he wants to name it "SOLD" :LOL2: 

I say that knowing he got a new boat not too long ago.


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## Swampthing(True)

Thats a sweet rig I hope one day I get lucky and find me a 16 footer dirst cheap lol I have so many ideas bouncing around in my head i want ot do lol a 14footer jsut wont hold it all.


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## Scout27

Great build. Looks perfect for what your end result is.

Couple of questions:

What spray bomb make did you use and is it sticking well? I assume since the paint job was not a high priority to you, you didn't do a whole lot of sand and prep?

In the past, i have cut my marine plywood floor and lids out and had the local LineX guy spray them at his shop. That was about two years ago and I forget the cost (not too bad) and that was an amazing surface in the boat. He left out the grit and it worked out real nice. You had conflicting thoughts about the hydrotec, but you would recommend it?

Thanks for taking the time to post all of the pics.


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## russ010

Scout27 said:


> Great build. Looks perfect for what your end result is.
> 
> Couple of questions:
> 
> What spray bomb make did you use and is it sticking well? I assume since the paint job was not a high priority to you, you didn't do a whole lot of sand and prep?
> 
> In the past, i have cut my marine plywood floor and lids out and had the local LineX guy spray them at his shop. That was about two years ago and I forget the cost (not too bad) and that was an amazing surface in the boat. He left out the grit and it worked out real nice. You had conflicting thoughts about the hydroturf, but you would recommend it?
> 
> Thanks for taking the time to post all of the pics.



Well, the boat should be named - "stripped naked and sold"... guy who bought it didn't want any of the decking, livewell, trolling motor or anything. So I stripped it clean and sold it the next day.

The paint... well, I went cheap with this paint job. 6 cans of black spray paint - gloss (I think Rustoleum). But - I did do the prep work to make it last (and for the 2 years that I had it painted, it held up a lot better than I thought it would). I just wet sanded the whole boat, and went to town with the rattle cans. I put 2 coats on, wet sanding between each coat. The end result was a shiny black boat that you couldn't tell came from a rattle can.

The hydroturf... I loved it on the front, but it was hell on barefeet due to all the little grooves - especially if you stood in the same place the whole time. And the hot Georgia sun made it somewhat unbearable at times. That's why I carried a towel - dropped it over, soaked it and stood on it until it dried out or got too hot again. In the winter time, it was slick as glass with a little frost on it, but after a few minutes in the sun it was ok. I've been fishing out of a bass boat lately, and for comfort - I think that is the only way for ME to go. I finally found some real plush carpet and hopefully it will hold up well. The carpet that was in this Xpress was from Lowe's - and it held up amazingly well in the 3 years that I owned the boat. 

The biggest surprise to me was the decking. I had that decking in there for 3 years, and left it exposed to the elements year round - hell it was even submerged a few times after some good rains. When I took the livewell out, I tried to break it in half by stomping it, and the only places that I was able to break was a 3" strip right behind the livewell. After inspection, water never penetrated the TWP stain that I used to seal the wood. I'd like to compare this to some Thompson's waterseal, but I already know what happens to wood with that crap on it after a few years due to what the previous owner of my house did before I got it. That stuff is crap and doesn't protect wood as well as an actual stain like TWP does.


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## Ragin Cajun

Sorry to bring up such an old thread, but it's a very good one! You did some fine work on both of your rigs! How did the hydroturf on the deck hold up with that spray adhesive? I am thinking about doing all of my floor in my boat just like yours.


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## Brine

Not sure if Russ still comes around here or not. Haven't seen him in a while.


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