# 1976 Lowe Line 14ft Semi V build



## Begeti (Apr 19, 2014)

Hey everyone! Found the site about a month ago and I have been addicted every since! Just purchased my first boat a 1976 Lowe Line 14ft Semi V with a 9.2hp Chrysler tiller and trailer. Everything is in pretty good shape. A few dings on the boat but nothing crazy. Got the motor running today, just replaced that plugs and ran great. Previous owner used some kind of sealer on the seams and rivets on the inside and outside. I plan to clean it all up and add a paint job. I want to build a large rear deck for my wife to tan on. This was a stipulation of buying a project boat! But I'm fine with that. Want to build another deck in front, but smaller and lower. I plan to use it for bass fishing and crappie/bluegill slaying in the numerous small lakes around central Iowa. Thanks for letting me share my experience. I am looking forward to any feedback or insight from other members during my project!
-------
Also the beam is 54" and about 40" at the floor. Is this normal for a 14ft? It seems narrower than average.


----------



## Begeti (Apr 19, 2014)

First task was removing the center bench. Not as easy removing old rivets as I thought!


----------



## ccm (Apr 19, 2014)

Sweet boat. Your boat doesn't seem to narrow to me; looks about average length and width for a 14ft boat. Mine is on the small side of a 14ft boat 13ft 6in. Count yourself lucky you don't have to scrape layers of paint off. I filled an old group 27 size battery box full of old paint that I scraped off. Still scraping paint off ( ignore my ramblings :LOL2: ). I'm kind of doing the same thing to mine, adding a front casting deck so I can bass and crappie fish easier. It looks like its going to be a great project can't wait to see progress.


----------



## Yannie (Apr 19, 2014)

I have a 1987 Lowe 14 Skipper. Same exact measurements as yours. Seems a little narrow to me also. I Haven't had a chance to take it out since I got it so no idea about the stability of the boat.


----------



## plugknocker (Apr 19, 2014)

I have a 1989 Grumman Renegade that I decided to update this winter.
Rather than replace the carpet I'm using a rubberized material in the boat floor and side areas, it called Tuff Coat. You may want to check into that for a coating versus carpet or just paint. Still used carpet on the decks. I know now that when this carpet needs replacing I will use the Tuff Coat material.
Checkout the site I created for the project I did.
The link is in my signature.

Enjoy the boat.


----------



## Begeti (Apr 19, 2014)

So the previous owner coated the bottom on the inside and all if the seams and rivets on the outside. He said it was some sort of marine product. At this point it's ugly and peeling so I am starting to wire wheel it off. 
------
The question I had: Do I need to get every last spec of this stuff off or am I okay by getting most of it with a few left but of course smooth to the touch?


----------



## rscottp (Apr 19, 2014)

Are you painting over it or just leaving the aluminum bare? If recoating it should probably come off.


----------



## huntinfool (Apr 19, 2014)

rscottp said:


> Are you painting over it or just leaving the aluminum bare? If recoating it should probably come off.



Agree.


----------



## Begeti (Apr 19, 2014)

I plan on painting the exterior


----------



## Begeti (Apr 19, 2014)

The grinder weighs a ton! My forearms are killing me!


----------



## rscottp (Apr 19, 2014)

Grinders are fun!


----------



## Begeti (Apr 21, 2014)

About 1/4 left with the grinder, then need to get in the nooks and crannies. Whatever the previous owner used to seal the boat is a CHORE to get off. I will be interested to do a water leak test when I'm done. The product obviously got into the seams that I'll never be able to get out' so I'm curious if it won't leak as it didn't before.
Question for everyone: do you suggest priming, painting then build my deck framing. Build my deck framing first, or prime then build my deck framing and paint last. I kind of figured if I paint first it will get all banged up while I'm still working on the decking. Thanks for the help!


----------



## Begeti (Apr 24, 2014)

Now that I'm done grinding and cleaning the exterior I've decided on my next steps. I plan to prime the entire boat and apply my bottom side paint. Once this is done I am going to build my framing for the boat. I'm waiting to paint my topside incase I need to drill any holes. I want to paint them all at once. Here is a copy of my plans. I know it looks a little busy but I think it will go well. I welcome any feedback or suggestions as I know everyone learns a lot from experience!


----------



## Begeti (Apr 24, 2014)

Also I'm unsure if I want a livewell. I bass fish but I don't fish tournaments. If I get into panfish I will want to keep them.


----------



## Southern Appal (Apr 24, 2014)

Is that stuff you're working so hard to remove MarineTek, by any chance?


----------



## rscottp (Apr 24, 2014)

Marine-tex is the toughest epoxy paste I have ever seen. When I used it last year I accidentally got a couple drips of it in my ss sink and it was almost impossible to remove it after it cured.


----------



## Begeti (Apr 24, 2014)

[url=https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=349926#p349926 said:


> Southern Appal » 24 Apr 2014, 02:09[/url]"]Is that stuff you're working so hard to remove MarineTek, by any chance?



I'm note sure as it's been on there for a while. It's not fun AT ALL to remove! It's a pretty thick rubbery material. It doesn't really peel off at all. I am going to leak test the tin here soon. The material stayed in the rivets and seams. I wasn't going to work that hard to remove all of it. My guess is it will still do it's job and keep the boat dry.


----------



## rscottp (Apr 24, 2014)

[url=https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=349935#p349935 said:


> Begeti » 24 Apr 2014, 07:47[/url]"]
> 
> 
> [url=https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=349926#p349926 said:
> ...


Probably some type of caulk or 5200, Marine-tex is hard.


----------



## Begeti (Apr 24, 2014)

[url=https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=349957#p349957 said:


> rscottp » 24 Apr 2014, 08:40[/url]"]
> 
> 
> [url=https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=349935#p349935 said:
> ...



Yeah, I was able to peel a few pieces off like caulk, but is much harder thank caulk when it's set.


----------



## Begeti (Apr 27, 2014)

I got the transom out tonight. Not fun at all. It slid down, but the 2 boards would not clear the edge. Ended up using my favorite tool the reciprocating saw! I have no idea how I'm going to get the new one in.


----------



## Begeti (Apr 27, 2014)

Also checked for leaks. Had about 7 areas. The front by the bow is pretty bad. I'm weighing my options on how I want to attack the problem. I see a lot of people use steel flex. I want to weigh out cost as well as I'm trying to keep this as low budget as possible. If anyone can let me know what they did it would be very helpful. Thanks!


----------



## Begeti (Apr 29, 2014)

Tonight I cut out the other 2 benches and am going to use what's left as supports for my framing. I power washed the inside so I can get ready to fix all the leaks from the inside with 3M 5200. I doubt it will be dry enough by tomorrow since the temps in Iowa have been colder and it seems like it's been raining for weeks now.


----------



## Begeti (May 3, 2014)

I'm getting the new transom glues together with 3m 5200 fast cure. I will likely put the first coat of spar urethane on late tonight and another tomorrow morning. Goal is to have the new transom in by the end of the day tomorrow so I can prime the boat.


----------



## Begeti (May 4, 2014)

Got it all primed today. I used the same rustoleum gray self-etching primer that most people use. I plan on doing some light sanding tomorrow to get it ready for paint. I ordered Parker's duck boat paint in the bay gray color. Hopefully it arrives soon so I can have it painted by the end of the week.


----------



## spacks013 (May 4, 2014)

I had the same issue getting the transom out with my last boat, a Duracraft. It had a knee brace similar to yours. I ended up drilling out the rivets to remove the brace (it was leaking anyway) and using allen head ss bolts and 5200 to put it back together. It was kind of unnerving, but in the end it worked well. Once the brace was out, I was able to get at the wood.


----------



## Begeti (May 5, 2014)

Good to know. I was wondering myself if 3 braces was overkill. They also take up a lot of space.


----------



## Begeti (May 8, 2014)

So my paint hasn't arrived yet and I didn't want to let the boat sit and wait. I ended up getting my aluminum angle and started framing. I have changed my framing plans multiple times and changed them again while framing. I hope to be done by this weekend. It's the most exciting part of the build so far, but also the most tedious. 

I also found a great deal on a bow mount trolling motor on Craigslist and went to Bass Pro today and bought a handful of stuff I need for the build. If anyone else needs a pedestal seat, Bass Pro has sets in sale for $40 and also adjustable height posts for $26. Both are great deals! I'll post some pics of the pedestals soon.


----------



## Begeti (May 15, 2014)

Final coat of paint is on, I will light sand one last time and paint some stripes on it. Also my vinyl flooring arrived and it looks good! Went with Nautolex shark gray. Got it from Defender.com. Best prices I could find.


----------



## rscottp (May 15, 2014)

Your boat is looking good! I got my nautolex from Defender too, it shipped very fast.


----------



## Begeti (May 15, 2014)

Same here! Ordered it Monday with the cheapest shipping and it made it from Connecticut to Iowa in 3 days. Couldn't ask for better results.


----------



## Begeti (May 15, 2014)

Stripes up! I have to say I'm pretty proud of these things!


----------



## ccm (May 15, 2014)

Looking good!


----------



## Begeti (May 15, 2014)

I am very happy with this rustoleum product! We'll see how it holds up overtime but it looks great right now. I bought it in flat black and it's a little over $5.


----------



## Begeti (May 16, 2014)

Here's a few more pics after I got the boat flipped this morning. A few include how far I've gotten on the framing. I am going to try and finish the framing today. I haven't decided if I want to close off my storage areas with wood covered in carpet or use rubbermaids. Leaning towards the plastic since it will be more waterproof. But it will cost a bit more.


----------



## Begeti (May 18, 2014)

Starting to get all of my hatches ready. Bought some plastic storage bins for the smaller ones. Don't forget the lids! They come in handy. I'm going to cover them in carpet and use then as barriers between hatches. So far working out well.


----------



## Gators5220 (May 18, 2014)

Lookin good! Keep up the good work.


----------



## Begeti (May 18, 2014)

Thanks! I appreciate you taking a look! 

I made a few small cubbies up front for shallow storage. I used the cheap plastic bins that target sells. They ended up being the perfect size other than a little too tall so I cut then down and carpeted them.


----------



## Begeti (May 20, 2014)

Getting my wiring done. I've done a ton of research and I found it too expensive to buy a switch panel. I ended up using left over diamond plate and bought switches and fuse panel. Not including the diamond plate it cost me about $30, and if one switch goes bad it's easier to replace than one of those prefab panels.


----------



## Begeti (May 21, 2014)

Tonight's project was to finish my livewell. I'll wait to do my overflow drain until it's in the boat. Not really in a hurry to get the livewell done since I don't plan on using it right away. It's more of a luxury on the boat than anything.


----------



## Abraham (May 21, 2014)

Looking good. Eager to see how the live well looks in the boat as well. Maybe steal some ideas


----------



## Begeti (May 21, 2014)

Abraham said:


> Looking good. Eager to see how the live well looks in the boat as well. Maybe steal some ideas


Steal away! Any ideas I got came from this blog!


----------



## Begeti (May 26, 2014)

Well I've been framing this last week. One of the more difficult parts of the build so far. I compare it to doing a puzzle, but you have to make all of your own pieces. Almost done!


----------



## Begeti (Jun 2, 2014)

I've been adding all the decking. Very difficult as I want it to look good. So I guess you can say ice used a lot of extra wood! I've gotten all of the hatches cut and I've been working on cutting everything in for electronics. Should be done tomorrow and then it's time to spar everything and get it ready for the vinyl flooring.


----------



## Begeti (Jun 24, 2014)

It's been awhile since I've posted. Mainly because I think pictures of me waterproofing and wrapping wood in vinyl are boring. But it's coming along. Just got done covering in vinyl after I had to order a little extra to cover one last large piece. I just started to lay my floor and side walls so I can finish the electrical. I plan to do a dry run tomorrow before I put the tops on. So far so good! Using different sizes of insulation has worked good tons honey the floor to make sure there are no bad areas that dip.


----------



## Begeti (Jul 1, 2014)

Well, it's pretty much done. Fun build but extremely hard work! Here are a few photos. I hope my build gave someone a few ideas as so many builds influenced my build.


----------



## GoneFishin34 (Jul 2, 2014)

Great build! I love the stripes you painted, too. Those are sweet! Where at in central IA do you fish? 

Chris


----------



## Begeti (Jul 2, 2014)

I'll mainly be going to big creek or badger creek. I've heard aqhabi and brushy are great to check out too. Yourself?


----------



## GoneFishin34 (Jul 2, 2014)

Same here! I just bought my first boat this year and plan to do some work to it, too. I've only taken mine out to Big Creek but I'm ready to try it out on a few other lakes. I've heard Brushy Creek is great for Walleye and Ahquabi is decent for crappie. I've never been to Badger but heard from one of the fishing guys at Scheels that it's a good place to go. They also recommended a place called 'Don Williams' up by Ames. 

Well maybe I'll see you/your boat out at Big Creek sometime! I don't have many pics of mine yet - I'd show you the couple I do have if I could figure out how to upload pics - but its an old red/black starcraft seafarer. 

I do have a question about your transom - did you use plywood and glue several layers together? Or just one solid piece of wood?

Again, great work on yours!


----------



## Begeti (Jul 2, 2014)

I used 2 pieces of 3/4" a grade plywood and glued then together with 3m 3500. The transom was probably the most painful thing. I'm pretty sure it was never meant to be replaced.


----------



## bthompson92 (Jul 2, 2014)

Awesome build, looks great!


----------



## firstresponder01 (Nov 23, 2014)

What's your beam length?


----------

