# 1648 Lowe Refresh part II



## Abraham (Mar 7, 2015)

Posted a build thread in May of last year but deleted all my posts while throwing a fit over having trouble posting pictures. Was going to just start on the old one but it would have taken a bunch of editing and figured a new thread would be easiest. I purchased this boat last May for $1000. It's a 1648 Lowe Line with a 40hp Mercury. Here is how I picked it up.





It has some rough spots, including cracks on either side towards the rear but seems like a solid enough platform to work with. The worst part was that a po had used liquid nails to apply carpet EVERYWHERE. The console, sides, etc. First order of business was getting that removed and it was much tougher than I expected. Tried aircraft stripper and a scraper for about an hour one day and found out I'd have to change course.





Plan is and was to strip it, put a floor and a deck on it for looks more than anything and use it for bass, crappie, setting lines, and bow fishing.
Any tips or advice would be great and I look forward to having this back on the water at the start of summer. Thanks for reading.


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## Abraham (Mar 7, 2015)

More pics on what it looked like at the beginning.













This is where the sanding started.


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## Abraham (Mar 7, 2015)

Once we got the hang of it the liquid nails came off pretty quickly and we were seeing progress.


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## Abraham (Mar 7, 2015)

More sanding. We used rolok discs for the hard to get spots and a sander in the large areas. Don't remember what grit off hand but will post later.





Here's the cracks that will need welded.












Pretty well gutted. Got rid of the live well for good and took everything else out of the way.




There's some missing progress pics in here but we got it all sanded and were ready for primer and paint,


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## Abraham (Mar 8, 2015)

Started getting the floor and deck wood ready. Used three coats of spars and got some marine carpet from a dent and ding place a town over. 








Used a DuPont self etching primer and started spraying.


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## Abraham (Mar 8, 2015)

Picked out what I thought was a forest green but it turned out to be more of a tractor green. 





Decided to just stick with the primer since it seemed durable and I liked the color. Carpeted all the wood and started installing it.


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## Abraham (Mar 8, 2015)

Can't forget the steering wheel Sandblasted and a friend cerakoted it for me.








And here's how it looked after the last bits of decking.


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## Abraham (Mar 8, 2015)

Heading over to my friends where it's sitting and try to take an inventory on what else it's going to need. Ordered a seat mount and pedestal to try, that should be here tomorrow. If it's solid enough, I'll order two more of them. Going to have my friend who cerakoted the wheel make me up an extension for the pedestal mounted up front. Get the seat up in the air. When it's not in use I can have two seats side by side at the console and put the extension in a storage box to keep the front open for when we're setting lines or whatever.

I'll need a trolling motor, another battery, maybe a new crank for the trailer and a switchboard of some kind. Thanks for reading and I'll add more later.


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## DacMan (Mar 9, 2015)

Good work!


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## lckstckn2smknbrls (Mar 9, 2015)

Interesting steering wheel.
What year is your motor?


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## Abraham (Mar 9, 2015)

Thanks Dac :beer: 

As far as the year of the motor I have no idea. Did have an ignition module go out on it right after I bought it but have been told they are good engines. I can get the serial number tomorrow probably.

Got the seat parts in today and wasn't that impressed tbh. Of course it isn't mounted or anything but I think they'll wobble, especially if I get that front one up in the air much. It was a fairly inexpensive setup with all three coming in around $40. Shoreline marine is the brand.




One thing that scared me were the warning labels on all three pieces saying not to use them if going over 5mph. What good is a boat seat if you can't sit in it while traveling?

Ordered a new winch for the trailer as the old one was terribly rusty and the braid I made from 550 cord was not going to work. All the stress is on the loops going through the hook :evil: New one is 1500lb capacity and only cost $25 and comes with a new strap and hook. Seemed cheap enough.
Also have 32ft of red and green led strips for the interior and exterior coming.

I'm going to need some type of switch panel if anyone has suggestions. I'm thinking a panel with eight switches in case I need to add something later down the road. Thanks for reading and thanks in advance for any help.


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## Abraham (Mar 11, 2015)

Got the new winch and the leds in today. Winch looks great the lights look cheap Also think I found the paint I'd like to use and was curious if anyone else had used it.

Duralux Marine Paint. Claims to not need primer first and can be used above or below the water line.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Duralux-Marine-Paint-1-gal-Aluminum-Boat-Green-Marine-Enamel-M736-1/205128316

Anyone have any experience with it? Any opinions, yay or nay would be appreciated.

Next step besides ordering more parts is finding someone who welds aluminum. Only know of one guy in the area and not sure how confident I am in his ability. Once the cracks have been remedied I can paint it and start with assembly.


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## lckstckn2smknbrls (Mar 11, 2015)

Duralux is a quality brand paint.
I have a 1973 Mercury 402.


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## Abraham (Mar 12, 2015)

Found a guy this morning who says he can weld up the cracks in the boat for 15-20 bucks. He's 30 miles away but that's still cheap imo. Might have to see if I have anything else aluminum that needs welded 

Plan is to take it to him Saturday morning and wait on it. He says it won't take too long. After that maybe start with the paint prep. Besides the trolling motor and two batteries, most of the stuff still needed is fairly inexpensive. Might come together sooner than expected. Paint will be ordered in the next few days and I need to figure out rod holders, battery storage tray, and some other small things. 

On a side note I was sent a warrant for the $14.61 I owed in boat taxes lol


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## muzikman (Mar 12, 2015)

...lookin' good so far - love the steering wheel!


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## Abraham (Mar 14, 2015)

Productive day boat wise. Took the boat by the welders about 10:00 this morning and installed a new crank on the trailer.


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## Abraham (Mar 28, 2015)

Been getting some good work in the last two weekends. Last weekend took it all back apart to get it ready for paint. Should have took some pictures but it's just a pile of parts under the carport This weekend the paint should be on. Sanded last night and for about 5 hours today. Should have used some chemical strip for a first step. My back and shoulders would be grateful right about now lol.

This is what she looked like when I headed for home about 7:30. One of the previous owners apparently got into some tar with one wheel of the trailer some time and sprayed it all over the back on one side. That was time consuming, as was removing the three stripes it had down the sides. They were cooked on with time and wouldn't just peel. A razor blade and sanding to remove all the adhesive.




Going to finish up the rest of the sanding in the morning and scuff up the interior with scotch brite before laying down the Duralux Aluminum Boat Green sometime around 3:00. Supposed to get up to 75 around then. After that all it lacks is putting everything back together :LOL2: Thanks for reading.


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## Abraham (Mar 29, 2015)

Got back to it around 2:00 today. Had some tar left to remove from the one side and some other small spots to sand but was done in no time. Weather was overcast and cooler than expected but the sun came out around 3:30 and the paint was laid. First off, LOVE the color. Used the recommended thinning formula my buddy had it painted in probably an hour and a half. Had one small run but very happy with the Duralux Aluminum Boat Green.

Pictures incoming.


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## Abraham (Mar 29, 2015)

I really like the contrast with the gray and green but almost wish I had a brown or tan mix on the carpet. Thinking it might have looked better, oh well. Put the engine back on before I left and will next mount the console and figure out where the seats are gonna end up. Still need a few things. Switchboard, rear light, trolling motor(ugh...), various fasteners, and safety stuff.

I'm looking forward to the rest of the build because it should be a cakewalk other than the wiring which shouldn't be too bad. Fingers crossed. Will post more once it's closer. Thanks for reading.


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## bthompson92 (Mar 30, 2015)

Looks great man, hope to get mine re painted soon. Makes a huge difference in how they look


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## evidrine (Mar 30, 2015)

Looks good. I like the colors.


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## Abraham (Mar 30, 2015)

Thanks guys. Ordered a pair of cheap plastic seats since I don't plan on sitting on them much :mrgreen: Looking at switch panels but unsure on what to get.


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## Abraham (Apr 5, 2015)

Well the cheap seats were backordered so I ordered three of these.






Received one of them Friday luckily and the other two should be here tomorrow. Went by my friends with the one and measured the height I want the seat at in relation to the console. Plan is to buy five more bases and either have my other friend build a number of extensions or purchase a variety for fine tuning the seat height. Probably the former for stability sake. 

Edit incoming after some I take some pics.


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## Abraham (Apr 5, 2015)

This is the height I want the driver and passenger seats. Six inches from seat bottom to the floor.




But if I cut off the extension at the top of the interior bushing to try to get this height it'll be a couple inches taller than what I'm after. Dumb end of the tape marks the top of the bushing.




If the seat base shaft was just a few inches longer I could mount the floor base upside down (like shown in the first pic) with a valve spring acting as a bushing, but if I did, it would leave a third of the seat shaft out of the bushing on the extension. I wouldn't be worried but the 5mph warning on these seat parts make me think they'll be unstable no matter how they're mounted.

Ordered a SeaSense 5 gang switch panel with a power outlet for a spotlight or phone charger option.
https://www.amazon.com/SeaSense-Marine-Way-Switch-Panel/dp/B003E24MKA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1428279293&sr=8-1&keywords=marine+switch+panel

Figured if I end up needing more switches I can get another panel that matches this one.

Sorry about the lack of pics but should be able to post some once some work actually get's done. Thanks for reading and I'm open to any suggestions


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## Hanr3 (Apr 5, 2015)

Looks good.
Are you sure you want the seats that low? They get harder to get out of the older/tired you get. :mrgreen:


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## Abraham (Apr 6, 2015)

Hanr3 said:


> Looks good.
> Are you sure you want the seats that low? They get harder to get out of the older/tired you get. :mrgreen:



My age is the main reason for the height tbh lol. Leaning over a steering wheel with too tall of a seat makes for a sore back anymore. The plan is to have a number of extensions for the other seats depending on what I'm fishing for. Staying comfortable for the majority of the fishing trips is priority number one. Hopefully I'll be fishing more than driving haha.

Ordered another base to mount on the floor for the passenger seat today. At 20 bucks a pop I'll probably try to spread out the expense and add seats as I can. Plus I'm going to head over to my friends shop tomorrow to discuss the manufacturing of the seat extensions. Probably going to save some cash since I'm sure he'll come up with better ideas than me. He's quite skilled in fabrication. 

Not trying to sound cheesy or melodramatic but I'm just hoping this thing comes together like I think it will. Getting quality stuff and taking my time putting it together I'm hoping for a smooth transition from build to putting it in the water. Have had this boat for two years now and aside from when I bought it, I haven't seen it in the water. After the crappy hunting this winter I am just ready to relax on the lake and bring in some fish. Crappie or bass on the poles and flathead or channel on the limb lines. 

Just want to smell my catch cooking on the campfire while I relax with a beverage before eating my fill and hitting the hay, shore side

As always, thanks for reading.


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## Gators5220 (Apr 7, 2015)

Dude I dig that steering wheel, sick little jon boat you got going...


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## Abraham (Apr 7, 2015)

Gators5220 said:


> Dude I dig that steering wheel, sick little jon boat you got going...



Thanks man, appreciate the feedback.

Took my seat pieces over to my buddies shop after work. Just set them down and told him what I was wanting to do. He grabs some calipers and measures the seat stem, walks out to a truck bed trailer he uses to scrap metal and pulls out this dowel rod. Measures it and brings it back inside. It's damn near a perfect fit lol. It's sold by the foot at the local hardware store. 




The plan is to grind off the weld holding in the shaft of the seat base in the RH pic and just weld a longer piece of this dowel rod in place of it. I'll find a valve spring with the correct ID to act a bushing/shock absorber and voila! Driver and passenger seats set perfectly.





This pic shows the shaft basically out of the floor base. A piece with just a few inches more length will work out great.


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## Abraham (Apr 10, 2015)

Not much progress but did get the seat base done. Ground off the weld, hammered the piece out and welded in the longer one.












Ordered the last two seat bases and need to get back to work on it. Turkey season is going to take up this weekend though. Stoked for it tbh lol. Probably some progress on the boat in the next week. Thanks for reading

Funny turkey attacks
[youtube]TPwDElfX2Yg[/youtube]


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## Abraham (Apr 17, 2015)

Took the modified seat bases over to my buddies and started drilling holes in the floor for the driver and passenger seats.




Used two hole saws to have that step to make up for the mount base seen here. Would like to get a single longer spring for these but for now two valve springs and the factory one will do. They compress quite nicely.




Here's how it looks with the seats in place. Only brought two valve springs so the passenger is lower.




Have a list of fasteners to pick up tomorrow to get the console and controls in place. Weather has been crap and will continue through the weekend apparently. Might get some turkey hunting in Sunday if it clears off. Next up will be wiring up the switch panel and lighting. Have to repair a bolt hole in the steering wheel mount but other than that it should be just putting everything back together and hoping it starts. Thanks for reading and hopefully soon I'll be posting fishing pics


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## JustinS (Apr 18, 2015)

That steering wheel is pimp 8)


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## dwwscran (Apr 23, 2015)

man i am really lovin your build. have the same lowe hull but with two bench seats. (2nd one removed by po) i have had the exact same switch panel in mine now for 8 years and have never had a lick of trouble. keep up the good work.


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## Abraham (Apr 24, 2015)

Thanks for the encouragement and good luck on your build! Would have had some progress pics but nothing worked out tonight and we went hunting instead.


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## bthompson92 (Apr 25, 2015)

Great looking boat! It is looking good so far!


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## Abraham (May 12, 2015)

Between spring turkey and spoonbill season I have been slacking on the boat something fierce. I have been rounding up all the stuff to finish up but haven't touched it much tbh. Hoping to get it running tomorrow though and it's almost looking like it might be close to ready to fish lol. Got a trolling motor off Amazon, should have went bigger in hindsight, but a 45lb should do okay. Hit to the wallet was rough but I have a four day weekend coming up and mean to take advantage of it! Wanted the 50lb but didn't have the extra cash laying around and want to be on the water asap. Regretting it already...

This is it.
https://www.amazon.com/MinnKota-Powerdrive-Trolling-Control-Thrust/dp/B002VW4KTW/ref=sr_1_1?s=sports-and-fitness&ie=UTF8&qid=1431478662&sr=1-1&keywords=minnkota+powerdrive+45+v2

Anyone have experience with this particular motor or one of similar thrust on the same sized vessel? Any help would be great.

Also got another deep cycle Interstate to make a pair, a new bilge pump and plumbing for it, 5 gang switch panel with a cigarette lighter, and another seat base and extension.
Sort of changed the seating arrangement after trying them out the other night. The tall seat on the bow felt very unstable and felt much better on the bow floor. With that pedestal mounted the only one left will be the one in the middle of the stern behind the two main seats. My buddy has taken to calling it the first mates seat lol.

Still have a ton of stuff to do it seems and it'll be a miracle if I'm on the water as soon as I want. Wish me luck and thanks for reading

Since I have no pics of the boat, here's the spoonbill from the other day. Sadly no turkey pic to post.





Also posted that in the "what did you catch today thread" but if you haven't seen it...45lbs on my first trip. Had a great time.


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## derekdiruz1 (May 12, 2015)

laying the hammer down with the 19!


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## Abraham (May 17, 2015)

Made some good progress today but also had a small setback.

Got to the boat about 10:30 this morning. Changed out the fuel line that had hardened, mixed the fuel, and hooked up the battery. 





Took a few videos of when we were trying to get it to start but can't seem to put them on photobucket for some reason. Did get it started after a few minutes but it wasn't idling very well and I noticed it wasn't peeing. It had sat for a while so we unhooked the water line inside the engine and put air to it while I squezed the muffs to check for blockage. No luck with that lol. Luckily my friend had just installed an impeller on a coworkers 75hp a week ago so off came the lower unit.




Not much impeller left lol. It did seem to barely pee last time I had started it but that was a year ago. The blades looked like they were freshly broken and there were big pieces of it inside. I'm thinking they might have broken as soon as it started.





There is a marine shop about 20 minutes away that might have the repair kit so if it works out I can get one tomorrow. The cup that the impeller rides in is also damaged so I'm hoping it comes with that. It seems like it would be for setting the tolerance like on an amc or olds v-8 oil pump.




Should I change the exhaust gasket while I'm in there? It looked okay but not sure of the risks. Any advice?


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## Abraham (May 17, 2015)

Since the engine would have to wait we mounted the other two seat bases. Didn't take pics but here's an old one.



This time we used a spade bit to go through the actual floor inside of the holesaw. It worked much better and was much less worried about going through the bottom of the boat :mrgreen: 

The various layouts. 








The valve spring idea in hindsight was stupid. They don't seem to want to take a weld and it'll be a pita to pick them up while swapping seats so the extended ones are going to be cut back down to even shorter than the originals and the seats will be much lower than I previously wanted. The factory length would be hitting the bottom and I don't need any holes there. It still sits fine if not a little rickety. Tbh the bases that I chose to use are very low quality. I've already broken the bushing in the drivers seat base just from pulling a seat out of it and sitting on it a handful of times. Figure they should be able to take 200lbs but oh well. I'll be changing some stuff this fall probably and maybe I'll address them if it becomes a big problem.


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## Abraham (May 17, 2015)

We both wanted to quit at this point because we were getting cooked out in the sun but needed to get as much done as possible. On to the trolling motor.
Minn Kota 45lb thrust. Has a little meter that tells you when the battery is getting low so that's cool. Also has an 18ft cord on the pedal which should come in handy. 





Felt bad for my friend having to stick a shoulder and his head inside that cubby to get to the nuts up in the corner. He was blessing the hardware over and over but got it mounted lol. I've never had a foot powered troller so it took some practice just getting it off the mount and back.





Called it a day after that. Wiring it up sometime this week in hopes of launching Friday. As always, thanks for reading.


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## Abraham (May 19, 2015)

Got the water pump kit today along with some other small stuff and headed over after work in hopes of getting the motor running. Turns out the kit was short one of the gaskets for the impeller housing. Not too upset because crap happens but would have been nice to hear it run. The gasket should be here in the morning and I'll be back to it tomorrow evening. I fear that the carb is dirty since it wouldn't idle the other day and hope I can get away without having it rebuilt/cleaned. Anyone know of an additive to use that might help? I don't believe in the stuff personally but want to be on the water Friday.

I'll mention this in the led light thread but installed some of the ones I got off ebay and they were laying on the ground in the morning. Adhesive was garbage. Not sure if I should find something else to apply them with, put them in a clear tube and mount that, or ditch them and get better ones.

Thanks for reading and hopefully tomorrow works out.


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## Brackett (May 20, 2015)

Looks good! I'm sure you will get the seats and heights adjusted to fit you. You will make a few changes/adjustments along the entire life of the boat.


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## timtaylor1231 (May 20, 2015)

looks great. I have a 1980 16' lowe with 50hp and a 45lb minn kota edge bow mount and its the perfect size. I usually don't ever even get over the 3rd speed. I would suggest rebuilding the carbs including the diaphragm pumps, its cheap, very easy to do and will be worth it in the long run.


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## Abraham (May 21, 2015)

Thanks for the comments guys. My friend and I changed out the impeller and housing and got it to start but it wasn't peeing correctly. It was pulsing for lack of a better word, not shooting a stream. I called the fella I got the kit from to ask advice and he said it could be a number of things. Blockage, internal exhaust leak, cracked head, etc. I was almost ready to just drop it off at his shop at let him fix it but he said I'd be two to three weeks out. So in a last ditch effort we pulled the lower unit back off and there were a number of pieces of impeller floating around in there. One good sized piece was on top of the housing but there were also 6 or 7 decent sized pieces down in the bottom. We took the little grilles off the sides and out they came.

After putting it back together it sprayed out about 4 feet. Also got some additive from the BG guy that comes by my work that he claimed worked great. I called a shop owner that supposedly uses it and he confirmed what the salesman claimed. This guy runs it in all his power sports stuff, chainsaws, lawnmowers and anything else two stroke. I put some of that in the tank and it was idling great today. Just trying to figure out the mercontrol now. 

Doubt it gets on the water tomorrow since we're going to pond hop for crappies but hope to give it a shakedown run sometime this weekend. Thanks for reading


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## Abraham (May 30, 2015)

Boat is dang near finished, I can't believe it. Been two years, countless hours, and many dollars. Everything is wired up aside from the front and rear lights. Need a new outlet and rear light but we're completely legal for daytime hours. Test run should be sometime tomorrow as long as the wind isn't a problem. It's been raining almost non stop the last week or so and the wind has been way up until today. Weather looks good for tomorrow afternoon though.

Got the switchboard mounted.




Everything plumbed up.




Fire extinguisher installed and mocking up an ammo can for storage beside the console.


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## Abraham (May 30, 2015)

List of things needed.

Two more cleats for the front. Mounted the two I had on the rear but forgot to get pics.
Number stickers are two years old and wouldn't stay. Got a can of clear to spray over them. Should probably get new ones but oh well.
Some type of battery charger. Solar would be cool but open to plug in style. Suggestions are very welcome
Looking to add one of those fancy roll bar looking rod holder set ups for trolling.
Paddle holders will need to be added but not sure what kind yet.

Hope to have pics of it on the water tomorrow. Thanks for reading


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## Abraham (May 31, 2015)

Made the maiden voyage today! Nothing really worked very well other than the trolling motor but got to fish at least. Starter wasn't engaging very often and it wasn't idling very well either. I expected problems since it's been sitting for so long and we were on a small lake anyways so opening it up wasn't going to happen. No leaks at least. Just trolled around and fished and tried to get a feel for the rig and what changes I'd like to make. Probably going to need a starter and some carb work. When I got home I noticed some fuel on the transom so I took the cover off and noticed a small leak.




It's crazy how small the boat feels once you get everything on board. It seemed humongous with a bare layout but now it's pretty cramped. Need to rearrange some things to make more room. Was thinking I'd put some vertical rod holders in front of the console in reach of the front casting chair and back on the port side of the stern. Just a pain in the ass to avoid the extra poles laying on the floor. 

Did catch four fish in the hour and a half or so we were there. It's been raining almost nonstop here for the last couple weeks and it started up again today. My friend caught the first fish and hopefully this isn't a precursor of our future trips :mrgreen: 





We each got one about that size, he got a 2lb or so largemouth but we didn't get a pic. Fish of the day was this measly channel I guess.




Caught him on a Mepps spinner. Thought I had a monster for a second lol.

Probably going to have to take it to the shop. I will work on old American v8's but I'm too lazy to dig into an outboard . My buddy is a mechanic but not marine and although he could probably do the work, I don't want to bother him with it. I don't pay him enough for his help as it is. As always, thanks for reading.


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## Abraham (Jun 3, 2015)

Since I couldn't get an appointment until the 15th I decided to tinker around with the 40 and see if I couldn't screw something up. Got some sea foam for the tank and some spray for the carb. Got it started yesterday and moved the idle lever until it was humming along at a pretty good clip and started with the seafoam spray. Sprayed a little and let it run and alternated between that and checking the plugs and wiping them off. Eventually it died and I couldn't get it to start again. Feel bad because my neighbors house is like twenty feet away and were listening to a boat either run, or try to for an hour and a half.

Figured I'd check the compression at least so I borrowed a gauge from a guy at work and both cylinders had between 153 and 155 which was a nice surprise. Didn't know you were supposed to ground the plug wire though so knowing my luck I probably burned up the coil #-o 

Wish I had a spark tester but expected low compression the way my luck is going. Probably pick one up tomorrow and see how she does. Bad part is that my motor has problems seemingly everywhere. Leaks fuel, the wiring harness is butchered in some places, missing insulation in others, and a combo of both in some others. Would try to get a new harness but I can't even find a serial number on this engine. it says Rocket in raised cast letters on the back right but that's about it.


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## Abraham (Jun 4, 2015)

Found the id number for the engine. It was where it was supposed to be but was covered in filth. Glad to have found it for parts lookups. It as about what I thought, 1978 model. 

Ordered a new wiring harness for the engine. Not sure if it's part of the starting problem but it can't be helping with the condition that it's in.




The other side isn't much better. Figured that even if it's not a problem it needs replaced.


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## Abraham (Jun 6, 2015)

Got into the harness again last night and removed the black tape. The wires were missing insulation in a number of spots and just flaked off at the touch. New one should be here this week sometime.




Was happy to trade a set of tires this morning for an early 60's, 5.5hp Johnson for a kicker. Has a couple cosmetic issues but ran well and was fairly easy to start. Hoping it will be enough to trailer the boat in a little wind while I have the 40 in the shop. Not going to try anything crazy but missed out Thursday because it was just a tad too windy for the bow mount troller. 



Height seems just right while down but I'm not sure how to lock it tilted up. Seems like it would be able to but I'm not sure.



Looks pretty clean for the year. Hopefully it does a good job.




As always thanks for reading, any suggestions, tips, or tricks, are appreciated.


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## Abraham (Jun 12, 2015)

Should I worry about a transom saver for the kicker? The engine weighs about 40lbs I'd guess.


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## OutrageGIS (Jun 13, 2015)

The wires on my 68 merc were the same way. I couldn't get a new harness so had to make one. Make sure you check the coil wires too, I ended up replacing all the wire.


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## Gators5220 (Jun 15, 2015)

Man that boat turned out realy nice bud, pretty good idea on the wiring harness as well, seems like old wires are always a pain in the butt when you out on the water.


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## Abraham (Jun 26, 2015)

Finally an update!

As mentioned earlier, I surrendered and took the boat to the shop and I'm glad I did now. I would have drove myself crazy trying to fix it on my own. I'm in smalltown USA and everything but there's a pretty sharp boat guy a town over and he admitted to it "kicking his ass" pretty well. It received a carb rebuild, one coil, plugs and plug wires, new harness, bendix cleaning, and something else. He was done other than he wasn't getting fire when the plugs were in the engine. They fired great on a spark tester he said but ended up needing wires to make it fire while installed. The last time this thing was registered was 2005 and it showed. Bill was $550. 

I had done so many thing bass ackwards it wasn't even funny. The best was how we'd somehow ran the steering cable into the gear box the wrong way and had the wheel turning backwards. That was a fun trailer reload lol. Learned a ton during the build that will help down the line

Went and picked it up last night and took it out this evening after work. It runs great. Fires right up with no choke and idles without effort. The shifter was just slightly out of adjustment he said but I have to push it down awful far before the rpms pick up. He did say they don't test them at wot because it empties their water barrel so I can see how he missed it if that is the problem. 

As far as the speed potential, I have lived near this lake for years and fished it many times but have not boated on it much at all. It's full of stumps and a bass boat or three is lost every summer here. I've also never driven a boat until a few hours ago and was quite nervous tbh lol. I wanted to see what it would do but pussed out since the wind was up with some chop. 

I forgot to take pics until my friend caught a small channel so I grabbed one of the cove we were in. It was the only fish landed so not much camera time :mrgreen:


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## Abraham (Jun 26, 2015)

I'm going to pretty much live on it this weekend to get more acclimated and see what else I would like to change. Already have a few things to add/alter. 

I've been fishing for years but would have probably never acquired a boat if I hadn't stumbled onto this site years ago. Thank you for all the tips and tricks my fellow members. 

From this.



To this


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## Abraham (Jul 4, 2015)

Spent about 10 hours fishing from it since my last post and found some things I'd like to change. 

1. Have to get some rod holders of some kind. The carpet I chose is way too long and if a lure so much as touches it, it's snagged. Only problem is I'm around trees often and don't want to break a rod running it into something. Might have to go with a rod locker but would rather have the poles at the ready.

2.Found a lane to run it wot but it only seems to get to about 21-23 mph and the only thing I base that on is driving a cj with the windshield down for years. About 30 is when your eyes start to water it seemed. My fishing buddy does stay up front to look for obstacles in open water so that could make a difference but I thought it would have more top end. I was hoping for 29-31 at least.

3. Shouldn't have used wood for flooring. Added 100lbs at least and it's already warping and the seat screws seem to be loosening. Add that to the fact that the seat bases I purchased are cheap garbage and you got a crappy ride. Bushings are shot already. Aluminum frame work and nut zerts or even studs coming up with wing nuts would be much better. The floor flexes as does the seat bases and you can get about a 45 degree angle if you want. 

Have been catching fish but nothing like the size this lake produces. Biggest one so far was maybe 2.5lbs. Pics incoming.













My buddy caught this one two weeks ago on a brown pit boss in this same lake so they're out there.





Fished both Thursday and Friday night but when docking last night the steering cable shot the shit. It was old and rusty but at least it broke within 5 feet of the dock on our way back lol. The boat will be down til at least Wednesday I'd think. As long as I get it back together before next weekend I'll be happy. As always, thanks for reading and any tips or tricks are appreciated.


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## Jake11 (Jul 5, 2015)

That boat turned out beautiful. How that paint holding up? Fairly durable? I wish I had a bit more room under the center deck of my project for a flush mount seat base but I've only got about 2 to 3 inches. That boat definitely transformed. Very professional looking work!


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## Abraham (Jul 5, 2015)

Thanks Jake. One of the best choices on this rig was the paint. No primer and it's holding up great. Have had a few compliments on the color from other fisherman on the few trips out too.


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## Abraham (Jul 18, 2015)

Tried a couple different cables that the boat man had in stock but neither worked out. He put in an order for me Thursday but I haven't heard from him. I'm expecting to hear from him Monday that it's been backordered or discontinued 

Fishing buddy and I went and picked up a 93 Nitro yesterday so my boat might be put on the back burner as far as bass fishing goes and we have another boat for running the river. Might end up selling mine just cause it'll be sitting there. Figured up what I had in it and came up with a little over 3,000 with labor and everything. I think it would do great on the river for setting lines and or camping. Would love to keep using it but will sell it if it's neglected. Maybe remove the seats and flooring for weight reduction and focus on limb/trot lines and bowfishing.

The Nitro. Guy we bought it from was a super nice guy but seemed sort of off. Helped us out a ton but was just a little different.


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## Abraham (Jul 24, 2015)

Took the nitro out tonight and caught one measly fish lol. Nothing but problems tbh. Boat wouldn't start and when it did start it wouldn't idle. Died whenever you put it in gear. Should get the cable tomorrow for my boat and be good to go. I was somewhat frustrated with the lack of speed on the flat bottom but having problems getting this one to start were much worse. I'll settle for a little less speed if it means not sacrificing reliability. 

Hoping to set some lines this weekend. Catfish are almost ready to spawn and we'll probably clean house if we make it out. I'll post some pics if we have any luck.


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## Abraham (Aug 2, 2015)

Well, turns out the nitro had low compression on one cylinder and when we took it apart it had a hole in the piston. Might start another thread if I don't get many responses in here but what would you guys do?

He was adamant about us taking a ride in it and it ran great it seemed with him driving it. He'd owned it 7 years or so and I'm thinking he knew how to manipulate it to where it would idle. I mean this thing wouldn't run from the first time we put it in the water. He made a point of having as is on the bill of sale as well. I called him and he acted offended that we'd accuse him of selling a lemon and was constantly telling us god bless ya and other religious stuff. I'm thinking it was just a front. Now he won't return calls or messages.

Is there anything we can do?


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## richg99 (Aug 2, 2015)

"Is there anything that you can do??"

I'd say NO. Your friend tried it out and he signed the document. Next time, he'll bring a compression checker. 

I worry more about the overly-religious proclaimers than just normal guys. Some are good and true. Others are just putting on a show. You cannot tell one from the other unless you buy something from them or play a round of golf with them.

****
You've done a great job with your boat. Just enjoy it. Don't worry about high speeds. I never caught a bass while water-skiing.

As far as lures catching in the carpet...I saw a post on another site where a guy bought some plastic fluorescent light tube covers. He cut them up; slit them down the side; and put them over his lures to keep the hooks from catching on everything. After reading that, I took a plastic water bottle and cut the skinny end partially off. I slit it and then snapped it over a lure. It provided some protection for keeping the hooks out of the carpet. You might tinker around with that idea.

regards, richg99

p.s. I own a 1648 Lowe side console. I like it a lot. 50hp Johnson does all I need it to do. Heck, my local lakes are all No Wake....so I am spending a lot of time just putt-putting around.


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## Abraham (Aug 2, 2015)

Ya we even brought one with us is the bad thing. It just ran so well that we didn't think to worry about it. Learned some lessons for sure. We would have probably went ahead and checked it also but we were in a hurry to get back. My friend was leaving for vacation and his wife was already on him about the departure time and the boat was three hours away.

I've been using mine every weekend still and actually had it out yesterday and this morning. It's running great and I'm very happy with it. If I hadn't had the steering cable problem after the motor issue the bass boat probably wouldn't have even been looked at. My friend was just getting impatient I think. 

Anyway, I've learned a ton about boats and fishing these last few years and wish I'd have taken it up as a serious hobby years ago. This site has helped out a ton and I'm grateful for it. Appreciate the advise on the lure protectors too Rich. I'll try that.


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## richg99 (Aug 2, 2015)

Your cable broke ten feet from the dock. 

Only time my cable broke (many years ago) I was crossing an Intercoastal Channel in Texas. A tow boat was pushing a couple of barges right at us. If a friendly boater hadn't pulled us out of the way, I wouldn't be writing this right now. 

Tow boats with barges cannot stop, nor can they turn in a channel. OUCH...

richg99


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## BeerMe (Oct 9, 2015)

Abraham said:


> Height seems just right while down but I'm not sure how to lock it tilted up. Seems like it would be able to but I'm not sure.



Did you ever figure out how to lock this in the up position? On my Johnson ( I believe its a 65) there is a little flat piece of metal with a 45 degree bend at the end that you pull out or push in just to the side of the tiller handle to lock or unlock it.

I plan on using this same paint you did. I was thinking about doing Duck Boat Drab but I really like the color of yours too. =P~ Did you use the flat enamel or the regular enamel?

You did a nice job on your boat sir! 

Just curious, where in OK did you get the Nitro?


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## Abraham (Apr 10, 2016)

Been a while since I posted in here. Boat is still going strong, had it out for the first time last weekend and it ran like a champ. Would've definitely done some things different in hindsight. Flooring for one, steering wheel for another lol. It's great just cruising around but got caught in some bad weather last time out and it chewed my hands up pretty good while trying to get back to the dock. This boat is not meant for handling rough water and it was all I could do to keep us from taking water over the sides. Just takes too many turns of the wheel and the sharp edges of the spokes were tearing me up. 

As far as the bass boat goes I think we were just unlucky. The fella who rebuilt the engine said that the piece rattling around in there hadn't been in there long at all. I'm guessing it must have come loose on our first trip out back home. Little under $3,000 later and it's running normally as well. Had to take it back to the shop a week or so ago because it wouldn't hardly idle but turned out the stator was going bad. It was like night and day after that was replaced.

The boat was purchased in Muskogee and I did find out how to lock the smaller engine up but it couldn't push it anyway. It's on a sawhorse in the garage now. Not sure what to do with it.

Hope everyone is doing well and catching plenty of fish. We got into some white bass a couple weeks ago and caught 35 in a couple hours. Friend caught this monster. Didn't have a scale but it was 17.5 and the state record was 20 3/8 and weighed a little over 6lbs.


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## huntinfool (Apr 11, 2016)

Nice catch, I've caught 2 that big on the same fishing trip.










Those are rare. But so fun to catch. Very impressive job on your boat. 

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk


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