# beggining to mod my 12 foot ouachita



## yankyfan100 (Jun 5, 2009)

Hey everyone, i stumbled across this sight when i was looking into how to fix leaky rivets. Now i decided to give her a paint job and possibly mod it a little. 
So far i got 3 comfy seats seats, 2 of which on removable stands, and a rod holder. My motor guide 45lb varimax just came in today also. Im thinking of doing a little front deck for storage and stuff..but we will see.
after fixing the rivits im coating the floor with a product called multifunction protective coating. My dad got it for coating a stone floor but it can also be used on metal and is a very tough product. After that im painting it red.
here she is, all stripped down and getting ready to sand it. She is a 12 foot ouachita..got her for free so cant complain! 






pics of it painted soon to come


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## ober51 (Jun 5, 2009)

Sand that down real well, prime, and paint. Will look great. Also, I'd replace the transom and keep the decks low.


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## Zum (Jun 5, 2009)

Welcome to the site.
Enjoy your boat.


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## Jim (Jun 5, 2009)

:WELCOME: man!

Thanks for joining! :beer:

Looking forward to seeing the progress!


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## dyeguy1212 (Jun 5, 2009)

Nice boat. You'll be VERY happy with the varimax. I have the same one, and it pushes my 14 footer quite well. its great on battery life, and completely weedless. Only complaint is the handle is made of plastic, so when its extended it feels a bit flimsy. But overall, its BY FAR the best TM for your money on the market. Good choice.


What type of paint are you using for the boat? Do a few searches and you'll find a ton of information on painting. Its better to do it the right way the first time out, instead of having to strip it down and repaint it again in a few years.

Good luck, and keep the pics coming!


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## yankyfan100 (Jun 5, 2009)

I am using duplicolor self etching primer and then using duplicolors truck van and suv spraypaint.


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## dyeguy1212 (Jun 5, 2009)

Good call on the primer, but I'm not sure about the paint. It will probably be alright, but I was shooting the breeze with the painter at my uncles collision shop and he said to stay away from auto paints for boats. Mostly because they dry very hard, which leads to cracking when the boat flexes (and jon boats flex a ton) and they often times end up with blisters.


You might be better off going with a topside paint. You can find it pretty cheap online. I ordered from here https://www.wholesalemarine.com/p/PET-3106Q/Easypoxy+High+Gloss+Paint.html and it was a pretty good deal, plus shipping took only one day.


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## yankyfan100 (Jun 5, 2009)

thanks for the advice..anyone else have any input on using the automotive spraypaint? would a quart of that other paint be enough to paint only the sides of the boat inside and out, the benches, and about 4 other square feet?


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## Ranchero50 (Jun 5, 2009)

I don't think I would recommend the spray paint because you don't get much paint on the hull per can. Coverage is usually about 3/4 of what the can recommends for me so double your order and do two coats where it's going to rub.

Jamie


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## ober51 (Jun 5, 2009)

I'd also go with a quality topside paint like Pettit or Interlux - they are more forgiving as mentioned. They can also be thinned, sprayed, or rolled.


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## grizzly (Jun 6, 2009)

after looking at your first picture, i'd suggest moving the bench seat to the rear, and putting the fireplace in the bow, better weight distribution.


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## CatBasser (Jun 7, 2009)

I knew a guy who painted his Jon with tractor paint. It's a hard enamel and is also flexible. I haven't talk to him much, since I used to work with him, to see how it was holding up. I will try and get a hold of him to see how it's going and let you know.


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## ben2go (Jun 7, 2009)

CatBasser said:


> I knew a guy who painted his Jon with tractor paint. It's a hard enamel and is also flexible. I haven't talk to him much, since I used to work with him, to see how it was holding up. I will try and get a hold of him to see how it's going and let you know.



Tractor paint works well,but it takes a few days to cure.


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## yankyfan100 (Jun 7, 2009)

I did the paint today. 2 coats of primer then 3 +1 light coat of the duplicolor car spraypaint. i decided to go this route becuase my boats get a beating every year and get lots of scratches so with spraypaint i cant make quick fixes. I have a feeling it is going to work out well. I also painted some seat stands white along with wooden tops for the benchs to place the stands on. Im thinking of doing the inside of the boat white..but i dont know how i feel about the red white and blue theme..any thoughts?







*
**For the inside, if i can i would like to try and use something i can brush on. It is primed. i was wondering if rustoleum would work for the interior (in terms of it adhering to the primer). Rustuleum has always given me great results on other projects and seems to be very durable.


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## ben2go (Jun 7, 2009)

Rust o leum will work fine inside.Use mats to protect the paint from shoes.


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## Cheeseball (Jun 7, 2009)

I really like that shade of red on my monitor it looks kinda burgundy... correct? Personally I would stay away from the rwb color scheme. Not that I'm not patriotic. Just seems a little corny to me. White on the inside may be a little too bright on a sunny day.


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## ober51 (Jun 7, 2009)

Grey with that burgundy would be sweet. Looks good, man.


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## Cheeseball (Jun 7, 2009)

ober51 said:


> Grey with that burgundy would be sweet. Looks good, man.



Yeah, a battleship grey... I agree!


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## Brine (Jun 7, 2009)

I don't know which I like better.....The paint job, or the balancing act :lol:


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## yankyfan100 (Jun 7, 2009)

Yeah..im going to stay away from the rwb..very corny. 
I will prob do navy blue on the inside or grey (thanks for that idea)
the color is actually duplicolor automotive red, but it does somewhat look like burgundy. i really like the paint..it has somewhat of a sparkle or particles in it that make it pop. i am going to coat the boat in a multipurpose clear sealer that is incredible durable. i tested it on one spot ontop of the red and it looks awesome..really brings out the color. i wish i could paint more but a lot of crappy weather is on the way :x

and the balancing act kinda pieced its way together in order to get the right height for me to paint it..i wasnt trying to be ridiculous hah


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## dyeguy1212 (Jun 7, 2009)

I'd be really careful with a clear coat... those tend to dry even harder than auto paint... id hate to see you waste time money and effort... test it on a large part of the hull (preferably a part that has a lot of flex and give it a good coat. Let 'er dry and see if it cracks when you drastically flex it.


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## yankyfan100 (Jun 7, 2009)

yeahh i painted the bottom so i can twist the boat a little to see if it was going to crack. I was going to do a little more testing before i go all out on it. 
Oh, and its not an automotive clear coat..its a multifuntional protective coating.


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## BassAssassin (Jun 8, 2009)

I used to have a 1973 14' Ouachita decent little boats. mine was the same size and construction like your, except 2ft longer. i had a 25 hp merc on that thing, decked out, 46# MG foot control. I have some older pics of it without the newer engines.


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## yankyfan100 (Jun 8, 2009)

wow looks familiar..
may be a dumb question but how do you determine the age of your boat? i cant find any info online about this company.
I chose to use grey for the interior..that's going on tonight


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## ober51 (Jun 8, 2009)

yankyfan100 said:


> wow looks familiar..
> may be a dumb question but how do you determine the age of your boat? i cant find any info online about this company.
> I chose to use grey for the interior..that's going on tonight



Nice choice


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## LarryA (Jun 8, 2009)

Nice looking paint job. I ilike the color. Hope it holds up for you.


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## yankyfan100 (Jun 8, 2009)

Started painting the inside today..
I did a flex test and none of the paint or protective coating cracked.
the floor isnt painted because the protective coating is still drying on the inside.


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## dyeguy1212 (Jun 8, 2009)

Looks great man!


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## Brine (Jun 8, 2009)

Looks great!


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## fullmoon (Jun 9, 2009)

Yankyfan. Look on the transom near the top right corner. There may be a small plate there with some numbers. The last 2 are the year.


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## yankyfan100 (Jun 12, 2009)

so here's my progress as of today..still not done painting because its rained all week.





My anchor set up made from old parts laying around.








I know its a shot in the dark but can anyone get any information off this tag or guess the age of the boat? 





i feel like throwin this in here also..my kayak with the anchor set up i made


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## yankyfan100 (Jun 28, 2009)

Heres my set up for my stereo. I wanted something removable because i leave the boat in the water all summer. This is a motorcycle stereo that you can hook an ipod up to. It was only $23 off ebay and it sounds incredibly good for what it cost. I installed it in an old lord calvert case. What you guys think?











some on the water pics are also coming with the finished boat overhaul...


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## LarryA (Jun 28, 2009)

can't tell from the picture for sure but if your seats are only held by the seat clamps I'd suggest anchoring the bottoms of the clamps at the front and rear. I had clamp style mounts and they had pieces that screwed to the boat seat and held the seat mount in position so they couldn't pull up and off the bench seat.
Anyway. Looks good so far.


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## CHILLWILLATX (Apr 30, 2010)

That is awsome- freakin sweet - I need to fix my self up with something like that!


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## Froggy (May 3, 2010)

Be interesting to get a first Year of use report....


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## Lip_Rippin (Nov 25, 2011)

Wow Yankee. I like what you did. I just aquired a 69 Quachita (Ouchita ... Whatever. Can't read it off the decals anyway) and have given it the ole army green paint job, bed liner floor (inside) and some carpet. After coming across this site and seeing what you guys have done ... well, I'm gonna sand her down this winter, add a front and back deck with storage, remove the middle seat and floor over it, and get her set up for small pond and river bass fishin!!! Thanks for the inpiration man.


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## CodyPomeroy (Nov 25, 2011)

I hope you don't use that in a river with the anchor on the back like that. I was always told to put the anchor on the bow.


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