# 1970 Cherokee V-Hull project



## SCARNG2011 (Jun 5, 2013)

Just got back from overseas a couple months ago, relocated from South Carolina to Georgia and have been looking for a boat to work on ever since. Just picked this Cherokee up with a tilt trailer. came with paddle, life vest, minn kota TM, battery, and a couple spare tires.

Took it out this past weekend to check for leaks and the boat is solid except for one VERY slow leak on the left side of the transom as you face the bow. (I'm guessing it's coming from one of the rivets on that side because the welds are intact and those are the only thing under the water).

MY PLAN: to completely deck out this boat. to include bottom flooring, step up to front platform, storage containers, and anything else I can think of to make this as bass fishing friendly as possible. i'll be honest, I've never owned anything aside from canoe and kayaks so this is all brand new to me.

Here are the first pics. Thanks for following and any suggestions/constructive criticism is eagerly welcomed!


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## wwcenturion (Jun 5, 2013)

Nice boat, are you going to put a motor on it or stick with trolling only?

What about electronics? I got a control panel, lights, Hummingbird FF, and some other goodies from eBay and WalMart online.

BTW, thanks for your service brother.


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## SCARNG2011 (Jun 5, 2013)

@wwcenturion I've got a small console planned to go on the side bench i'm going to install to accommodate a control panel for lights, battery, ect. as far as the motor is concerned, presently i'm just going to stick with the TM as all the lakes near Atlanta that I frequent are electric only. but when I deck the rear of the boat I am going to leave enough room to throw an outboard on in the future.

Now i'm no artist but here is a picture of my initial sketch idea of what i'm leaning towards... will be making my first trip to Lowes in about 2 hours to get started on this! 

Also, thank you for supporting the troops... the reception that my unit got when we hit stateside was incredible... never felt so good to be home.


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## wwcenturion (Jun 5, 2013)

Good luck at the hardware store, I was there for almost three hours the first time around. I've been back at least three other times. Never seem to have enough bolts, screws, nuts, and washers. 

I will get some pics posted of all my stuff sometime within the next couple of days.

Keep us updated on your progress. 

BTW, I live in Bama and hail from the eastern part of the state originally. Atlanta was in my backyard! Lots to do in northern Georgia up around Ellijay. I used to kayak in that area in my younger years.


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## gillhunter (Jun 5, 2013)

Welcome!!

Good looking boat. It is a lot like my first one. I fish total electric 95% of the time. If you are planning on putting an outboard on some day you might consider offsetting your rear seat to the right side of the boat. The tillers on most motors are on the left and it gives you a little more room to steer. 

Thanks for your service and I glad you got a warm reception, it wasn't that way in my day.

Looking forward to seeing your project.


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## wwcenturion (Jun 5, 2013)

He's still at the hardware store, I bet!


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## SCARNG2011 (Jun 5, 2013)

Hey guys. @wwcenturion yes! I was at the store for about an hour and a half talking, searching, comparing until I was just like, "OK i'm just going to go for it!" haha

@gillhunter thank you so much for that thought about switching my seat to the other side... I didn't even think about that. and I had planned on putting a bench seat and an electrical console there which would completely ruin the chance of putting the seat there in the future. I will invert my design to switch to the other side. thank you!

I got off work, ran by Lowes, grabbed some stuff to get me started and this is where i'm at right now. just completed most of the framing for the lower deck. i'm not a construction framer and this is my first go at decking a boat so here it goes...


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## wwcenturion (Jun 5, 2013)

Man, you are fast. That would have taken me two days!!!


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## Jonboat Jerry (Jun 5, 2013)

Nice Tin and welcome to Tin Boats. Lots of great people here and some very good ideas.
Keep the pictures coming and keep hacking....Jerry


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## SCARNG2011 (Jun 5, 2013)

so I just finished day one... completed the lower deck frame and started on the upper deck. I designed everything to be removable. so the next time that I can get away to work on this I will be continuing the work on the upper and then removing all the wood to stain with sealant before installing permanently. Brantley Gilbert and Budweiser got me through tonight and even though i'm posting this I already can't wait to get back to work on my boat.

please let me know what you think. improvements?? better ways than I did it??


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## Keystone (Jun 5, 2013)

Coming along nicely! Looking forward to the finished result.


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## wwcenturion (Jun 6, 2013)

Concerning the bow framing, why didn't you go all the way forward with the center 2x4 coming from the bench seat? Is the bow seat higher or lower than the bench seat? I am still fooling around with mine for that very reason and can't seem to come up with a solution.


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## SCARNG2011 (Jun 6, 2013)

@wwcenturian I did it this way because the front seat in the bow was about 6 inches higher than the middle bench. and I really wanted to have a large front platform relatively level. so I decided to raise the elevation of the middle bench by 2" and run the 2x4 and 2x6 flush with the bow bench.

my wife isn't big into fishing but she always kayaked and canoed with me before. so i'm really wanting this large platform so she can lay out and be comfortable while I fish.


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## WMcGrath (Jun 6, 2013)

Looks great.. getting right down to work! The only thing I noticed is if you were planning on moving up to a gas tiller.. you may want to put the captins seat on the other side of the rear bench... tillers are designed for use with your left hand while you sit to the right of them. Won't effect anything if you stick with the TM but if you put the switch box were you illustated it on the blue print, it would be in the way of the seat if you had to move it once you got the gas motor. I'm going to follow this one... I started my project in april and JUST put the deck in, at this rate you'll have it done well before me. Great job!


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## SCARNG2011 (Jun 6, 2013)

Finished framing the top deck and now waiting for the sealant to dry.

@WMcGrath thank you for that idea. that's the second advice I've received on that issue. I have totally inverted my original design to accommodate the gas engine. I would have never noticed that until it was too late! thank you!


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## SCARNG2011 (Jun 6, 2013)

lower and upper framing done.... sealant done for both as well. tomorrow starts the plywood top fitting for both.


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## wwcenturion (Jun 6, 2013)

Top notch work


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## SCARNG2011 (Jun 7, 2013)

ok. moving right along out here in Lawrenceville, GA! Fit the plywood for the lower deck, cut backing for the back side of the middle bench to prepare for the step, designed a side and rear bench as well.

the side bench will accommodate a large storage container (i'm building it around a shallow cooler), 2 cupholders, a small glove box (wallet, keys, ect), and the electrical panel.

ran out of sealant on the lower deck but managed to seal that and the backing to the middle bench. going to let that dry, purchase more sealant, flip 'em over and keep on trucking!

I'm going on a fishing trip with one of my work vendors this weekend in Florida on his massive boat, so my updates will more than likely resume Sunday or Monday night.

Have a great weekend everyone!!!


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## Flat Bottom (Jun 8, 2013)

Looking good so far man, welcome home.


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## SCARNG2011 (Jun 13, 2013)

whats up guys. been busy the last 5 days and had some time last night to finish up the framing on my boat. I will be out of town again for the next week or so and am planning on having the top deck and carpet for everything laid by Saturday the 22nd.

attached are a couple pics of the two large sized red snapper I caught this past weekend in the Atlantic off of Daytona, Florida. the larger one was 30 pounds! my buddy Paul said it was the biggest he's ever pulled in the boat. now, these Snapper are apparently "endangered" and are out of season right now so we had to deflated them and release every one we caught. Grouper weren't really hitting that day.


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## wwcenturion (Jun 13, 2013)

Great catches there. Didn't waste anytime growing out the beard did you? I did the same thing as soon as I hung up my badge and gun belt!

Build is going great, keep it up.


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## SCARNG2011 (Jun 14, 2013)

@wwcenturian haha that's the truth!! i'm South Carolina Army National Guard and after a year of shaving in A-Stan I said the heck with it when I got home. so I still have to shave once a month for drill, but those other 29 days it's allllll beard!!

Took my boat out after work today to do some fishing...it's probably about 1/3 complete but I was just dying to get out on the water again. also, I thought it was a great idea after the fact because it gave me a better picture of how I want the completed project to look, rod holder placement, seat mounting, ect. I would recommend anyone in the middle of a build to take their ride out for a day of fishing so that before anything is built permanent you can still tweak a bit.


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## SCARNG2011 (Jun 14, 2013)

OH! forgot to mention, I tried out the new Rapala Scatter Rap crank bait today....and buddy!! caught some beauties with that little guy! i'd still have to say that the Alabama rig (umbrella rig) is still my first weapon of choice because it is so versatile in any lake that I frequent, but this rapala pulls a close second after today!


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## wwcenturion (Jun 17, 2013)

[url=https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=318814#p318814 said:


> SCARNG2011 » 14 Jun 2013, 19:33[/url]"]OH! forgot to mention, I tried out the new Rapala Scatter Rap crank bait today....and buddy!! caught some beauties with that little guy! i'd still have to say that the Alabama rig (umbrella rig) is still my first weapon of choice because it is so versatile in any lake that I frequent, but this rapala pulls a close second after today!



Which color did you use and what was the water visibility? I am thinking about ordering a few of these today. They are expensive but if they are worth it, I don't mind paying for them.

Thanks.


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## SCARNG2011 (Jun 17, 2013)

@wwcenturian man I can't remember the exact color scheme name (I threw the box away). but here is a picture of it. yellow belly with orange at the mouth. the water visibility was low when I fished with this lure. I saw the listed price on bass pro, but I got it because it was on sale at BP for fathers day here in Atlanta store.


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## wwcenturion (Jun 17, 2013)

Thanks, it looks like the Old School or Hot Mustard. The water visibility here is about 10" so I may have to go with something a little more subtle like the Smash or Penguin. Thanks again for the tip.

Finished up my boat this evening. Got the pinion gear for the throttle control on, installed the bus bar, wired in two 50 amp manual reset breakers (one for the main line and the other for the troller) and painted the gunnels. If all goes well with the weather tomorrow I plan on taking her out for our maiden voyage! I will get some pics uploaded on my project page within the next two days.

Make anymore progress on yours?


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## SCARNG2011 (Jun 18, 2013)

I can't wait to see the finished result, man it looks great so far!

Haven't had any time these past couple of days to do anything to mine. But I should have all the carpet down by Friday. Will post pics as soon as I get any more work done


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## hercdrvrwo (Jun 18, 2013)

I am liking this project a lot brother--keep the pictures and lessons learned coming!

Cheers
Herc


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## SCARNG2011 (Jun 18, 2013)

OH MY GOD!!!! I had no idea how hard carpet was to install!! It took me an hour and a half to lay down just the rear bench... This has got to be by far the most tedious and precise portion of my build so far... Wish me luck gents, I think I've met my match lol


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## wwcenturion (Jun 18, 2013)

So your having to install the carpet on an already installed floor/deck? Not sure how many people had to do this with their projects. It looks like most people laid the flooring/decking down on top of the carpet, cut, glued, and then stapled like in this example:https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=29992&p=309251&hilit=carpet+install#p309251. The way you are having to do it looks like a lot of work brother.


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## SCARNG2011 (Jun 18, 2013)

ok. that's what i'm going to do. I don't know what I was thinking. i'll just disassemble the side box and carpet everything individually. 

...i'm so glad you follow my build @wwcenturian!!


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## wwcenturion (Jun 18, 2013)

Don't forget to glue. 

Oh yeah, one issue I had when I got careless was I accidentally carpeted the wrong side of the board a couple times. Pain in the arse removing all those staples and ripping the carpet off the boards! Eventually, I started writing "Carpet This Side!" on the boards before moving them over to the carpet cutting/mounting staging area.


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## wwcenturion (Jun 18, 2013)

I used this example for cutting my corners and they turned out pretty good:

https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=8704

Scroll down about midway through this page to see examples.


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## SCARNG2011 (Jun 18, 2013)

MAD PROPS TO "WWCENTURIAN" for saving me from what would have been a nightmare trying to carpet my boat. I had originally tried carpeting the wood as it sat installed in the boat. but after his advice I disassembled everything and carpeted each individual piece and everything went together like clockwork!! 

attached are the pictures as it sits now. tomorrow and Thursday I travel but Friday I plan on having the remainder of the boat carpeted.


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## wwcenturion (Jun 18, 2013)

That thing is looking great. I really like your layout. Glad I could help, but I can't take all the credit; most of it should go to the nice folks here on TB.


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## SCARNG2011 (Jun 28, 2013)

Top deck compartment cut out and carpeting...


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## SCARNG2011 (Jun 28, 2013)

Sorry it's been so long since my last update, life went apesh*t on me out here. 

The project is starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel! compartment doors complete, seat mounted on rear bench, and I picked up an old Johnson 9.5HP outboard.

enjoy!


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## wwcenturion (Jun 29, 2013)

Great job brother. How does that front casting deck feel? After fishing mine a couple times with my wife, I am thinking about covering the small floor area between the front bench and the deck I built. My only problem with doing this is she needs a place to put her feet while underway. I guess I could install a hatch over it that can be left open while riding. 

Good luck to whatever is going on at home.


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## SCARNG2011 (Jun 29, 2013)

It is surprisingly stable man. of course the closer you get to one side at the front of the boat, the more it leans. but I have maneuvered that entire casting deck with comfort and ease, very happy with how it came out.

on yours it looks like it would be easy to just build a lid to drop in and pull out, maybe integrate some cup holders into it??


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## SCARNG2011 (Jun 29, 2013)

the sides of the deck are done... now all that's left is front seat mounting, paint job, and touch up.

thanks for bearing with the poor construction work... first boat, I've learned a lot... I will definitely being doing another project boat within the next two years!

more pictures to come as the summer progresses and I really finalize everything on my tin.


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## SCARNG2011 (Jun 30, 2013)

finished the lid for the side cooler storage... i'm putting a lock latch on this, so will need to run to the hardware store tomorrow to get that.


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## wwcenturion (Jul 1, 2013)

Dude you are ready to go now. Taken mine out four times and no fish yet. They just aren't biting in this hot weather and warmer water temps. I hope you have better luck. Stay in touch.


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## Scott Mac (Jul 2, 2013)

Hi SCARNG2011,
First and foremost I want to thank you for your service to our great country. We are free to pursue our passions thanks to people like you. You have a kick butt mod yourself, I am sure it is very comfortable and a fish catching machine. My son took his rig out for the first time last night and caught 30+ bass in the cuts off the Grand River in Grand Haven, MI. That’s a good start. Anyway, thank you for the kind words and you service. Fish On!


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## 1970 Cherokee (Jul 2, 2013)

Hey Bud,

My Name is Allen "AJ" , I see that your rebuilding a 1970 V Hull. I first want to say that you have a great design Eye, I love the way you created such an attractive boat, out of such an elemetary foundation. Kutos to you bro, you did a Bang up job! =D> 

I recently bartered with a man to obtain a...., Yup, You guessed it, a 1970 14' Cherokee V hull, It is in need of a full restoration. I saw your posting and the way you layed yours out is Exactly the way i wanted to lay mine out. Is there any way I could get a full aerial picture of your project, I would like to sketch out the design. Additionaly, I was wandering if you had some measurements for the design, I want to duplicate yours exactly!  

On the sub frame did you use marine grade lumber, indoor/Outdoor carpet?

How did you fasten the lumber to the interior sides of the boat to create the floor?

Did you reseal the bottom? 

I could ask you a million and one questions, BUT, I won't...Ill read more of the project details and see if the information is in there....

I am Very excited to start this project, I hope my Budget can handle it..lol

TTYS,

Thank you


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## SCARNG2011 (Jul 4, 2013)

Hey AJ welcome to Tin Boats and congrats on your newly acquired Cherokee!! 

To be honest with you, I've never done anything like this before so everything done on my boat was simply just fooling around with it until it started coming together. when I first started the project I bought about $100 worth of 2x2's, 2x4's, 2x6's, weather proof screws, wood sealant, corner framing brackets and a sheet of plywood. That's basically what got me started. I tried my best to document in pictures everything that I did so that you can see each step that I took.

none of the wood was fastened to the hull of the boat. I used the plywood that were already on the seat benches to keep everything in place. I built the upper deck so tight that I don't even get a squeak when walking on it. the plywood benches were cut out to fit over top the aluminum bunks, drilled holes through the plywood and aluminum lip, and then fastened with stainless steel bolts and nuts.

btw the wood was NOT treated lumber. I heard some bad things from people who used the pressure treated lumber. I just bought the typical untreated wood and sealed it myself.

so far I have only about $300 invested with building materials. really economical I think seeing as how cheap I got the boat in the first place. Also, don't get discouraged during the project... people on here make things look so easy through the pictures but it will take time and a few screw ups before it is right in your eyes. 

It has been pouring rain the past couple of days down here in Atlanta, but as soon as it lets up i'll pull the boat out of the garage and get a couple nice aerial shots for you my man! Look forward to watching how your project goes buddy!! lets see some pics!!!


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## SCARNG2011 (Jul 6, 2013)

it's been a mess here in the great ATL for the past week... skies opened up for a couple hours today so me and the little old lady ran to a small electric only lake nearby and got some sun for a couple hours. man it was welcomed!!

go ahead and laugh that I took such detailed pics of this.... lol but all I've done this week to my tin was install a cupholder at the front of the deck hahaaa.... enjoy some pictures from our rainy fourth of July, the cupholder, and a few snaps of us at the lake today!

oh p.s. I've narrowed down my choices for a paint scheme... it's going to be one of two:

1) Toyota Forklifts of Atlanta (where I work)... hot orange with the Toyota emblem and "TOYOTA" graphic down both sides

2) Clemson Tiger Paws on both sides and once again hot orange

Tough decision


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## panFried (Jul 7, 2013)

Boat looks great! IMO I'd go with the Clemson Paws, unless your company is going to help foot the paint bill  Keep the pics coming.


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## Gators5220 (Jul 7, 2013)

Thank you for your service to our country bud! I'm glad you've got a nice little boat there to enjoy, drink beer and what not. Catchin anythin good?


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## SCARNG2011 (Jul 8, 2013)

panFried said:


> Boat looks great! IMO I'd go with the Clemson Paws, unless your company is going to help foot the paint bill  Keep the pics coming.



I talked to our paint guy last night and he is going to help me tape and paint it... Toyota forklifts are hot orange so there's plenty of paint at my disposal  so I think I'm going to do the best of both worlds including tiger paws at the front and Toyota emblem and TOYOTA graphics running from the rear to the middle


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## SCARNG2011 (Jul 8, 2013)

Gators5220 said:


> Thank you for your service to our country bud! I'm glad you've got a nice little boat there to enjoy, drink beer and what not. Catchin anythin good?



Heck yes to some brewskis my man!! I built a dedicated storage compartment custom built around my cooler... So you see where my priorities are lol! Been catching a couple decent sized small mouth but its been slow up here when I have had the chance to get out


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## DyerBassman (Jul 8, 2013)

You have done a great job! Looks really nice.


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## SCARNG2011 (Jul 19, 2013)

Hey guys. so I just managed to shift some finances around in the budget here at the house. acquired a Lowrance X-4 Pro fish finder, a Boss Marine head unit and two speakers, electrical wiring, battery case, and the head unit casing.

installed everything about an hour ago... but here's my dilemma... My fish finder fires right up, no problem, as soon as I switch the button to on with my switch panel... however, my stereo will not turn on and I've done everything (it seems) to get it to work... attached are pictures of my wiring... maybe I've missed something?? I have the red wire (12v switched) hooked to positive and the yellow wire (12v constant) is left unattached.

thanks!


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## Country Dave (Jul 19, 2013)

_Brother it’s so hard to say without seeing it first hand and being able to test stuff. I would first ask why you have the breaker on the ground side of the circuit. Secondly you need to test at the back of the head and make sure you have power and ground. 

If you have two devices that are sharing the same voltage supply and they are both high consumption devices like you have theirs might be a voltage drop. A quick check would be to get to good jumper wires and go from the battery directly to the device and see if it powers up. If yes the heeds good and it’s a wiring issue. _


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## Country Dave (Jul 19, 2013)

_I don’t think I would even use a switch to power it up. The radio already has an on/off power switch. _


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## Country Dave (Jul 19, 2013)

_What is your MOS sir? _


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## SCARNG2011 (Jul 19, 2013)

[url=https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=322983#p322983 said:


> Country Dave » 19 Jul 2013, 17:27[/url]"]_What is your MOS sir? _



i'm 11Bravo Dave... Infantry blue, through and through!

you bring up a good point about the head unit already having an on/off toggle on the unit itself. i'll try your suggestions and see if anything changes. thanks!!


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## Country Dave (Jul 19, 2013)

_Outstanding sir,

Let me know what happens. 93P Flight coordinator, air assault, first responder helicopter dust off squad. _


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## Country Dave (Jul 22, 2013)

_Sir how did you make out,

Did you get your wiring figured out? _


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## WestTexas (Jul 23, 2013)

Hey there sir! 

Forgive me if I missed this somewhere in this thread but:
How many pounds of wood do you estimate has been added to the boat?
I'm considering decking my 14.5' Lone Star Commander (1970 Johnson 9.5) with aluminum to keep the weight down. 
But I have the tools and everything already for woodworking and I'd need to get a few things and practice some more before doing it in aluminum, would probably need to go with muggyweld.
Have you noticed a loss of speed now that it's decked? 
How have your balancing and handling characteristics been affected?


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## SCARNG2011 (Jul 24, 2013)

Hey guys. newest update includes stereo system, fish finder, and switch panel installation complete. turns out that my previous "Boss Marine" was a faulty unit. so after a trip to Bass Pro to return it I decided to go with a more trusted brand. so I spent another 100 bucks ontop of my trade-in to secure the CXS-M2016 sony marine stereo. wired it up and it lit up like a Christmas tree!

it's funny because once I started playing music and cranked it up it was so freagin loud! the boat with all the wood is acting like a subwoofer compartment. I made a joke to my wife saying that it would be funny if I had a noise complaint called on me, and the music was coming from a 14' jon boat lol! but ya, this sucker gets really loud!

I tell you what... for being a little $400 boat off craigslist this sure turned into a little money hole haha

once again, please forgive the "ish" craftsmanship. I've never done anything like this before, and it seems that every mistake is screaming at me in the face!


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## SCARNG2011 (Jul 24, 2013)

[url=https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=323340#p323340 said:


> WestTexas » 23 Jul 2013, 10:09[/url]"]Hey there sir!
> 
> Forgive me if I missed this somewhere in this thread but:
> How many pounds of wood do you estimate has been added to the boat?
> ...




Hey buddy, i'm guessing with all the wood and hardware I put about 150 - 200 pounds into the boat. it could be more, possibly less. my supplies were (1) 2x6x12, (2) 2x4x10, (4) 2x2x8, and I used 2 sheets of plywood. it doesn't seem like a lot I guess. I also added a second battery so all in all i'd say its the weight of another big man added to the boat.

the upper deck is EXTREMELY stable compared to before. very easy to maneuver around the entire deck.


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## SCARNG2011 (Jul 24, 2013)

[url=https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=322986#p322986 said:


> Country Dave » 19 Jul 2013, 17:44[/url]"]_Outstanding sir,
> 
> Let me know what happens. 93P Flight coordinator, air assault, first responder helicopter dust off squad. _




hey there Dave! I just got Air Assault qualified last year while we were in country. it was at the end of the deployment when we were in Kuwait waiting to come home. those Black Hawks were beast!

as you can probably see in the pictures the issue wasn't my wiring, it was a cheap faulty head unit. I replaced and now everything works flawlessly!


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## wwcenturion (Jul 24, 2013)

Man, this is awesome. Makes me miss my tin. Pretty sure I will be getting a new one very soon. Good job.


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## Country Dave (Jul 24, 2013)

[url=https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=323498#p323498 said:


> SCARNG2011 » 35 minutes ago[/url]"]
> 
> 
> [url=https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=322986#p322986 said:
> ...


 
Outstanding sir.


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## baseball_guy_99 (Jul 29, 2013)

Haven't you ever heard that BOAT is an acronym that stands for...

Bust Out Another Thousand


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## Dave53 (Jul 31, 2013)

Hi there!! Forgive me but I might have missed this earlier!! What size is your boat?? I like the design in the decking!! Great work!!!


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## SCARNG2011 (Aug 1, 2013)

[url=https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=324398#p324398 said:


> Dave53 » 31 Jul 2013, 23:39[/url]"]Hi there!! Forgive me but I might have missed this earlier!! What size is your boat?? I like the design in the decking!! Great work!!!



hey no problem man. it is a 14' v-hull Cherokee. and thank you for the compliment!


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## SCARNG2011 (Aug 1, 2013)

[url=https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=323502#p323502 said:


> wwcenturion » 24 Jul 2013, 16:45[/url]"]Man, this is awesome. Makes me miss my tin. Pretty sure I will be getting a new one very soon. Good job.



hey buddy... in my book you were my main man during this build!! thank for all the great tips and ideas as you posted throughout the duration of my conversion. I've enjoyed the crap out of this little tin!!


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## SCARNG2011 (Aug 1, 2013)

So everything is pretty much done now. I took my brother to the lake last week (he and I fish a lot together) and he actually preferred a folding chair to sit on with the upper deck, so I decided to not put a pedestal seat up there and just leave it open for now. everything is functional! stereo and fish finder work flawlessly, all my storage compartments are exactly where I needed them installed, and the boat is sooo stable.

only issue that I've run into now is the fact that I've added so much weight to the boat that now my old 28lb thrust minn kota trolling motor wigs out when I put it into 5th speed (highest speed)... it wobbles back and forth so bad it literally shakes the whole boat haha. decided to just keep using her but only up to 4th speed setting (as it only shakes on 5th speed) until she gives up the ghost and i'm forced to purchase a more capacity-rated TM.

attached are some recent pictures of bass and catfish hits. all catch and release. as well as me taking a break from the boat and tubing down the "Hooch" (Chattahoochee river) with some friends and cold beer


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## riverrat174 (Aug 2, 2013)

Thank you for your service, Sir. Great looking Mod.


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## SCARNG2011 (Aug 2, 2013)

[url=https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=324546#p324546 said:


> riverrat174 » 02 Aug 2013, 09:08[/url]"]Thank you for your service, Sir. Great looking Mod.



thanks man!! I've really enjoyed this project, the help from all the legit dudes on this forum, as well as learning more about boats/construction framing/ect.


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## SCARNG2011 (Oct 7, 2013)

I just wanted to say thanks to everyone that has helped me out through the process of my build. I just successfully sold my conversion for $2,200!!! with everything that i had put into this project i earned a cool $1000 profit!

I'm picking up a flat bottom jon boat off of craigslist today with a 40lb Thrust TM and deep cycle battery. i can't wait to get started on my 2nd build!!!

Can't wait to start posting here again and talking to all of you guys as my 2 month absence has made me miss this site!

Zach


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## WestTexas (Oct 7, 2013)

I'm not surprised that you made a profit - it's a very well done & intelligently designed mod. I cant wait to see your next one! Thank you for your service sir, & keep us posted.


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## wwcenturion (Oct 7, 2013)

He'll spend all of it and then some on his next build!!


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## thill (Apr 3, 2014)

First of all, GREAT post and pictures! 

But since you are about to do a second one, I thought I'd mention a couple of things I see...

One big thing I thought should be mentioned, is that you should not mount speakers facing UP. If it rains when you are out there, the speaker cone fills with water, and even if they are waterproof, some of the water will usually work it's way into the voice coils, and no more speaker.

Also, on the front platform, you made legs right to the aluminum. That creates "hard spots" that could dent the hull bottom outward if someone were to jump up on the deck. Better to put a piece of 1x4 front to back to catch all the legs, rather than having them rest on sheet metal.

But nice job overall! Good looking rebuild.

-TH


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## SCARNG2011 (Apr 6, 2014)

[url=https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=347328#p347328 said:


> thill » 03 Apr 2014, 09:32[/url]"]First of all, GREAT post and pictures!
> 
> But since you are about to do a second one, I thought I'd mention a couple of things I see...
> 
> ...



Thanks man! I appreciate the constructive criticism and advice! I'm working on a 1432 flatbottom right now and i'm thinking i'll be leaning towards aluminum framing to keep everything on the lighter side... but for now i just carpeted two sheets of plywood and through them in the bottom.


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## thill (Apr 6, 2014)

On mine, I used the existing angle brackets for the bunks as supports for my platform, then added a couple of angle-aluminum brackets in between them for full strength. 

I used cross members strong enough that I didn't need vertical support. 1x3 square aluminum stock would be ideal, if you can find it, but 2x2 is more common, but you may need more of them, if your boat is wide. 

I left 1/4" space around the perimeter of the decking, and once I screwed it down, I used fill-foam around the perimeter underneath. Once that set, the front of the boat was like a mono-hull, very tight and NO flex, even in heavy seas. This made me happy, as I had been concerned about the bunk removal weakening the structure.

This is just what I did, but there are guys much more advanced that I am. Hope you have a great build!

-TH


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## XtremeAngler17 (Apr 8, 2014)

Great build. I noticed you said u flipped it for 1k profit, if you dont mind me asking, how much did you sell it for?


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## Arog (Jul 17, 2014)

Nice looking boat


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## coreythompson (Aug 4, 2014)

really enjoyed this post it was really helpful, WMcGrath on seat placement you saved me big time.. Great boat great pics and info keep em coming... =D>


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