# My 2nd boat project - 14ft Alumacraft Semi-V



## murphy67 (Jun 5, 2019)

With spring finally making its way to Wisconsin, I have been able to at least get my 2nd boat project underway. 

Thanks again/always to all the members who contribute on this forum, and thanks for all the ideas for doing boat conversions and builds. I for sure have seen; and will borrow a few ideas from different users builds I have seen on this site. So thank you in advance for the ideas! 

Now I am not sure of the exact model of this boat, as the Coast Guard Capacity tag has completely worn off... but I feel based off the design in the back and the style Alumacraft decal, someone on here might know what model and year this boat might be? I was thinking 1980's maybe for the year?

Anyways, this is a boat that my parents purchased years ago up north to be used as a rental, and in the more recent years...we got a 15HP 4-stroke for it and put a few seats over the benches and it was nice for early spring use, or for the older "kids" to take the little kids around while the adults use the bigger boats and such. So with me having success on my 1st boat rebuild, I of course had the itch to start another boat project.

The plan is to remove most of the middle bench seat to allow a space to move from front to back of the boat, seal the inside hull, add electrical, and put in a floor/carpet and some seats, as well replace a few things on the trailer. Down the road (and based off how things go) I will prob add a stereo and some other non essential toys.

Here we go:

I started by sealing the outer and inner transom wood with 3 coats of Spar Urethane: 







Here is a shot of the boat still with the bench seats and such:




I replaced the nose piece on the trailer as it was in rough shape:




Got the motor re-attached after the wood was dry:




Started cutting the bench seat out:




Seat removed:




Boat getting cleaned in prep for Gluvit:




And the Gluvit/sealing:










I did do a soak/leak test last fall, and really was surprised with how few leaks there were, but figured for $55.00 for a can of Gluvit, it cant hurt to further seal anything I could before adding flooring and time and money into this boat.

That is as far as I have made it after about a week... I am going to give the Gluvit at least 3 days to fully cure and then am planning to begin on the wiring and framing for floor and all that fun stuff. More to come.


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## murphy67 (Jun 5, 2019)

If anyone has an idea of the model and year of this boat, please let me know.  Thanks in advance! 

(I figured might be easier adding a separate post asking this, as I kinda sandwiched the question above in a wall o' text of my 1st post.)


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## LDog (Jun 5, 2019)

If you know the approx year, you can go through the brochures and compare specs (I had to do this to determine that I have a 1960 F model).

https://www.alumacraft.com/About-Alumacraft.php?content=about_us

HTH


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## murphy67 (Jun 5, 2019)

LDog,
Thank you very much for sharing that link!! I cant believe I have not been able to find that on my own yet...lol...and I kept thinking, how the heck does Alumacraft or someone not have all the old brochures archived somewhere. 

Much appreciated...gonna be doing some serious brochure searching later!!


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## murphy67 (Jun 5, 2019)

I got the Front NAV light installed tongiht...so figured I would post that as well...after the Gluvit cures I will actually get the thing wired up, just want to avoid going in the boat til things are ready. Exciting, I know.


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## murphy67 (Jun 23, 2019)

I finally got around to getting a few more things done, so just wanted to share the progress and pics.

I sealed the wood I used for the frame with 2 coats of spar urethane


.

Got the framing secured/riveted to the ribs(still have more to do under the benches..but waiting on a drill attachment for those):




First main floor section cut and rough fitted on top of framing:




Third floor piece in:




Mounted the bilge to some scrap starboard:






I am planning to basically do bench seats along the sides, as seen by some other members on this forum as well (in some way or another)..so here is the framing of those:






Template for back piece of wood from cardboard (still plan to make a hatch, and cut-out for around motor area):




Basically a rough shot of the layout, minus the vertical pieces for the bench seats, and did a quick starting template for the bow floor piece as well:






So far that is where I am at. After I have all my wood cut, I plan to seal it with Spar Urethane, then carpet it and work on the wiring in between all that....more to come.


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## Mertbl (Jun 23, 2019)

Looks just like my boat except I really havent done too much yet. Does yours happen to still have the capacity plate on it? Mine is long gone if it ever had one. 

Interesting too that your bench appears to be filled with foam. Mine sound hollow.


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## murphy67 (Jun 24, 2019)

My capacity plate it completely gone as, well... but with the link provided above by LDog (and below), i was able to get close to what I think my boat is...maybe look through the brochures to see if you can spot your model and there are some capacity charts on some.

I figured mine is like an 80's T-14S...I found it in the 1983 brochure, so its nice to see the weight capacity and such:

1983 Link: https://online.anyflip.com/jtji/bxod/mobile/index.html#p=6

All brochures Link: https://www.alumacraft.com/About-Alumacraft.php?content=about_us


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## murphy67 (Jun 25, 2019)

Got the last of my vertical bench templates cut and taped in to give an idea of the final layout for the main section of the boat.




Also finished making the floor frame for the front bow section.


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## AnglerRoy (Jun 26, 2019)

Looking great so far! Most of your boat looks near exact to my ‘57 Deep C (minus the bow cover). Everything else looks pretty much the same (brackets, stern corner braces, splash well, bow hoop (whatever it’s called)...

How’s the back end sit in the water with a four stroke on there? Lower than normal?


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## murphy67 (Jul 2, 2019)

Thanks, its nice to see all the work start to come together, plus it helps stay motivated knowing how much is still left  lol

As for how the back end sits in the water with the 4 stroke...I guess I do not have a comparison to how it sits with a 2 stroke, but with this 15HP its been pretty good/normal. We have had the motor on this boat for quite a few years and never had any concern with it being too much power or too heavy. I am pretty sure my model is the T-14S, which is rated for a 20Hp..so I think we are prob at max motor weight (assuming a 4 stroke 15hp is about the same as a 20hp 2 stroke.)

Now of course the real test will be how the motor moves the boat with the added weight of the wood/etc, but it should be a fun little boat and I think it will still zip pretty good.  (i got 3 weeks til this goes up north and we run it...so soon I will know for sure.)


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## murphy67 (Jul 2, 2019)

Got more done over the weekend:

Got the wood pieces cut from my cardboard and laid them in for rough fitting:







Back piece cut, and motor cut out done. (i still plan to cut out a hatch to keep battery/wirinig/gas tank somewhat covered from the elements):




Also re-cut my small bow seat wood and used the old piece to make that veritcal piece to close the bow off:




And here is a wide shot of the full boat as of last night:




This week I still need to make a floor frame for the battery/gas tank area, and a mount for my switch panel so I can begin the wiring....and then fit carpet and wood...make final trimmings, seal wood, re-carpet, secure it all down.


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## murphy67 (Jul 3, 2019)

Got some more stuff done...

Cut in the wood for the switch/gang panel:




Then cut out the opening and put the switch panel in:




Mounted my Bus bar and battery cut off to some scrap Starboard I had from my previous restore:




Made some 1x1 vertical supports for the bench seats:




Added some reinforcements to the floor frame for the seat base and overall frame:




Mounted the Bus bar and battery cut off...so i will begin wiring next:





Pretty happy with how solid the floor frame is at this point...and have been thinking to maybe add a few 1x1 cross supports, as they wont really add too much extra weight, but also not sure if i really need them either...so we'll see what tomorrow/this weekend brings 

More to come....


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## RaisedByWolves (Jul 5, 2019)

You might want to consider revisiting your bow mount.

In my research before redoing my trailer I found that the winch should be under the bow mount to help secure the bow in a downward direction in a panic stop or head on collision.

The way you have this set up it will easily ride up over the bow mount and who knows what after that.


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## murphy67 (Jul 5, 2019)

Wolves,
Thank you for this reply!!. Even when put my newer crank on there and tighten'd it up, it i could easily lift/move the boat off the trailer, and just thought, "i guess this rope is junk... I will have to get a new belt and replace the rope and that will do it.." but now actually looking at it, it clearly makes sense why the crank needs to be below and pulling down...duh!!  

Last September when i pulled it home, I added ratchet tie-downs to the bow to hold it down tight as it clearly wasn't tight enough for 5 hours...now i know why.

Thanks again, much appreciated!


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## murphy67 (Jul 6, 2019)

Thanks to Wolves for mentioning my bow mount on the trailer was incorrect, and now has been fixed:




I then cut my front bow piece:




Started running my wiring:







and finally began the main floor wood sealing process:




Gotta wait for the 1st coat to dry, then will do a second coat.


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## murphy67 (Jul 6, 2019)

Got the 2nd coat on the floor, and 1st coat on the bench support wood:




Then after the floor dried, I laid out my remaining carpet from my previous build and realized I have much less than I thought...but did get the 4 floor pieces cut and wrapped.










I ordered another 7ft x 7ft of carpet from Overtons (as that is where I got the carpet from originally and wanted it to match.) so I will continue to do other things til the carpet comes, including adding the adhesive to the floor and finalize the carpet and then get it bolted down.


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## murphy67 (Jul 7, 2019)

Got more carpet pieces cut and got the main flooring laid in to ensure it fit: (it did  )










Also started sealing more wood, and will get a 2nd coat on that shortly:




Also picked up some foam insulation boards this morning, so will work to add those to under the floor area so i can get the floor secured down.


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## RaisedByWolves (Jul 7, 2019)

murphy67 said:


> Thanks to Wolves for mentioning my bow mount on the trailer was incorrect, and now has been fixed:
> 
> 20190706_091824.jpg
> 
> ...



Much better.

Good to also see another safety chain user.


ETA: Where did you get your spare tire cover?


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## davidtanasichuk86 (Jul 7, 2019)

Seeing this post made me go out and adjust mine as well. My trailer was setup for a 16ft fibreglass now there's a 14ft deep and wide. Had to adjust the bunks to make it sit properly. Never adjust the winch. Fixed now.

Sent from my SM-N960W using Tapatalk


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## murphy67 (Jul 7, 2019)

Wolves,
My brother picked up the spare tire cover...I will ask him where he got it and report back.

I see now you have saved (at least) 2 tinboat.com users from a trailer nightmare! Thanks again!


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## murphy67 (Jul 7, 2019)

Wolves,
My brother assumes he got the cover from Amazon, but doesn't remember 100%..so chances are they have it, or something similar.


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## murphy67 (Jul 8, 2019)

As of last night all my wood is sealed in at least 2 coats of Spar Urethane, so then I moved onto adding back any foam i removed and also added in some additional foam. I think I will get a bit more foam added to one of the bench seats as well, as there should be space.







Next up will be to get the flooring back in and secured down.


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## murphy67 (Jul 9, 2019)

As of last night I got the 4 main floor section pieces coated with adhesive and then got the carpet put back on and secured down. It was pretty messy, so didn't get any "action" shots, but just used a trowel and let the adhesive get a bit tacky, then set it face down on a pre-cut piece of carpet and used a 2x4 to go over the top and smooth it out, then stapled the carpet from the underside.

I hope to get the flooring in and secured down tonight or tomorrow and keep working from there.


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## murphy67 (Jul 10, 2019)

I didnt get much of anything done in the boat yesterday, but at least got the floor back into the boat and confirmed the mid seat base fits.

Now I can begin building the rest of the side benches/boxes and get all the wiring done. I have 2 weeks to complete this build, before it needs goes back up north to the cabin..so every little bit helps


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## MrGiggles (Jul 10, 2019)

Looks identical to my '80 F7 model. 25hp max.

I sold it last spring, but had done some work to it. Not nearly as nice as yours though.

I decked over the factory benches. At first just over the front, and later over the middle because I was sick of stepping over it and wanted a livewell. The livewell ended up just in front of the middle bench, with storage and a battery hatch up from there. I had considered removing the middle bench but decided against it for structural concerns.

There are photos here of the deck before I added onto it.
https://forum.tinboats.net/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=44454&p=447319#p447319

These are the only photos I have before I sold it.

https://forums.ozarkanglers.com/topic/64989-14-alumacraft-semi-v/


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## murphy67 (Jul 10, 2019)

Mr. Giggles.....Thank you for the post! So glad I finally found someone with the same boat who did some work!!

I think you are correct that I have a 80's F7...not a T-14S...as my side Alumacraft decal and everything that I can see on your boat looks the same as on mine, same with stern corner handles and front bow handle, etc.

Glad I didnt get a new Coast Guard tag yet! lol

Now I need to go and revisit the max capacity and such of the F7, as I want to kinda know how many people can/should go back in the boat based off weight with the added wood and such I have put in mine. ( I estimate I will have added about 150-200 lbs when this is going to be all said and done, so I figure that will basically be 1 less adult person that could have been in the boat.) 

I really like what you did with yours as well before selling! I wish i could have more flexibility in my build..but I am doing mine competently with the intent that it will be a "kid friendly" boat, and I would feel better with them not standing on a deck so high etc..plus where this boat will be used exclusively (at our cabin) we have a few big boats that are what we fish from and all that, so I wanted to retain the small bow seat and allow the 2nd bench seat to rotate around front or back. But really nice job on your previous F7!!

Questions about your boat: Did you ever feel unsafe/tipsy when standing on the front decking? I was even getting a little nervous if my floor would cause things to be unstable...but more and more I think about it, the boat should ride a bit better and hopefully be more stable with the flat, low floor.

Thanks again for the reply!


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## thedude (Jul 10, 2019)

murphy67 said:


> As of last night I got the 4 main floor section pieces coated with adhesive and then got the carpet put back on and secured down. It was pretty messy, so didn't get any "action" shots, but just used a trowel and let the adhesive get a bit tacky, then set it face down on a pre-cut piece of carpet and used a 2x4 to go over the top and smooth it out, then stapled the carpet from the underside.
> 
> I hope to get the flooring in and secured down tonight or tomorrow and keep working from there.
> 
> ...


Project is coming along nicely! A tip that has worked well for me on the carpet. I glue and place carpet side down. staple one side. Then use pliers in one hand to pull the carpet super tight while stapling with the other hand. And never had an issue with bubbles in the carpet. Hopefully you were able to use stainless staples. 

Sent from my SM-G973U using Tapatalk


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## murphy67 (Jul 11, 2019)

thedude,
Thanks for the reply and the tip...whats funny is that my neighbor stopped over before I started my carpeting and told me he heard from a boat guy that using a pliers to pull the carpet tight worked well....maybe you are the one who told him that!  lol. 

I will state however, I didnt want to risk ripping the carpet by pulling too hard with a pliers, etc...and when I did my first boat/carpeting, I had good success using the same method I am using now, so I guess I am sticking with what I did in the past...but tips are always appreciated. Maybe I will give that a try on some of the smaller pieces, as if i rip it, i can easily cut a new piece, etc. Thanks again.

As for the staples, yes, those like all the other screws and nuts/bolts/hinges/etc are all SS...which i know is the "right way" to do things...but man, its amazing how quick SS hardware can add up. But better to do it right once, i guess


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## MrGiggles (Jul 11, 2019)

murphy67 said:


> Mr. Giggles.....Thank you for the post! So glad I finally found someone with the same boat who did some work!!
> 
> I think you are correct that I have a 80's F7...not a T-14S...as my side Alumacraft decal and everything that I can see on your boat looks the same as on mine, same with stern corner handles and front bow handle, etc.
> 
> ...



I forget what the capacity tag said as far as weight goes. 

I fished with two others in mine (500lbs of people) and it was all the boat wanted. Would not plane with the 9.8 that I had on it at the time, and that was before I extended the deck. 2 adults is optimal IMO.

Fishing solo, I felt that the boat was plenty stable walking around on deck. You can't run around and jump on it like you could on a 20' bass boat, but once you get accustomed to how the boat reacts and moves with your weight, it was no problem. I am not light (220lbs), and could stand on the edge of the deck with no worries of capsizing. Your floor will be fine.

I really liked that boat, even though it was pretty beat from the previous owners, it didn't leak a drop when I got it, and only started seeping a little after a year of pounding the heck out of it. I used it most often on a big, windy lake. I got just shy of 30mph with that Johnson 25 and all the added weight from my additions, including a group 29 battery and the bow mount troller.

It was super dry as well, wish I could say the same for the 17' Tracker that I have now.


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## murphy67 (Jul 15, 2019)

Mr. Giggles,
Thanks for the reply and letting me know how stable your floor was, etc. I def think then that my floor shouldn't be a problem, being much lower and only about 5+ inches higher than the actual aluminum flooring. Also good to know what you thought was a max weight, (about 500lbs) which is what I was kinda figuring based off the max weight for the boat, minus the added weight of the wood and such I have added would be a good estimate to stay within safe range. My 19 yr old cousin and some of my 10-13 yr old nephews will be the main ones using this, so we should be good on not having too much weight in the boat. Less than 2 weeks before the maiden voyage, looking forward to seeing how things go with the new modifications!


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## murphy67 (Jul 15, 2019)

Had a busy weekend so didn't get as much done as I had wanted, but did get like 95% of everything wired up, got my switch panel in, a "cabin light" also installed and wired, and 1 of the benches:













More to come this week


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## murphy67 (Jul 16, 2019)

Got a bit more done tonight:

Got the bench seat base cut in the wood:




Got carpet on my bow piece:




and finally got the rest of my wood cut and carpet'd:


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## murphy67 (Jul 17, 2019)

Got more done tonight:

Benches are in, as is the back piece. Still need to add the hatch supports (which are drying with spar urethane on them) and then will finally cut the holes for the seat bases and secure everything down. Few more days hopefully.


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## murphy67 (Jul 18, 2019)

Almost there!!

Got the seat bases cut in, and the middle base secured to the floor. All other carpeted wood also has been secured down. Installed/wired the rear anchor light...and still need to finish the back hatch area tomorrow and a few other small things...


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## thedude (Jul 18, 2019)

I also dig the "suicide" seat in the bow. 

Sent from my SM-G973U using Tapatalk


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## murphy67 (Jul 18, 2019)

thedude,
Lol...yeah, it kinda just happened that way. When i added some foam noodles in the nose of the bow I was like, well that cant just be showing like that...and the wiring for the nav light was also visible, so i figured might as well cover that up. Then it just kinda became a nice little "suicide seat" as you said.


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## murphy67 (Jul 19, 2019)

Looks like 1 more day still to go to finish things, as it was 100 degrees and humid as heck today in WI, so I could only endure 2.5 hrs in the garage/sauna 

But did get the back hatch in, and cut and sealed my last piece of wood to cover the switch panel and driver side wall.

Tomorrow I will secure the 2x other seat bases, cover the last of the wood in carpet/secure it down... and give things a good vacuuming.


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## murphy67 (Jul 20, 2019)

As of now, I am calling this build done. At least phase 1. 

It is getting trailer'd up north Thursday, and I will be up north for a week+ with it and will install some cup holders, stern cleats and handles for the bench "seats"...but that will be it. 

Thanks again to all the great members of this community for your shared knowledge and projects. This boat was a fun project, but glad it is done. (for now.)


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## RaisedByWolves (Jul 21, 2019)

Very nice!


I would have covered the bow with a deck for a trolling motor, but we most likely do different types of fishing if you dont use one.

How much floor space do you have between the rod lockers?


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## murphy67 (Jul 21, 2019)

Wolves,
Thanks! There is about 3 feet of space in the back area near the driver seat, and slightly less in front of the middle seat (about 32in).

I hear ya on the bow mount trolling motor...however, if I was going to get a trolling motor, it would go on my main boat (the 1986 Alumacraft in signature) and as of right now, that is an expense I do not have room for yet even for my "good" boat . Lol. 

Where this boat (and even my other boat are used 99% of the time), we also have a newer/larger Alumacraft with a bow mount trolling motor and all the "bells and whistles" so when we are really going to fish, we normally take that out, etc....and also I needed to keep this build a bit more open and roomy for some 19-13 year olds who will use it up at the cabin for tooling around the lake, not really for fishing.

Thanks for the replies!


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## RaisedByWolves (Jul 25, 2019)

Oh I can just see two couples sitting face to face going across the lake....... :wink: 


To be young again.


Then again, they all might be texting each other.

Thanks for the info on the space. It looks roomy and makes me rethink if I need the 44-48" I was looking for in mine.

How wide are the lockers?


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## murphy67 (Jul 25, 2019)

Lol...too funny!

As for the lockers...i cant measure at the moment as the boat made it up north today. I will be up there tomorrow morning for the week and will get some measurements. If i had to guess...i think they were about 10 - 12 inches at the widest part...but moving forward the space reduced a bit as the bow slants inward. 

Really looking forward to trying the new boat out tomorrow!

I will share some pics from the lake when I return as well.


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## Jim (Jul 26, 2019)

Added to the master list and thrown all over facebook! :LOL2: :beer:

Thanks for posting your project, I truly appreciate it!
Jim


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## 1960 yellowboat (Jul 29, 2019)

Not to degrade your workman ship, it looks really good.
But [there's always a but]

Mounting those seats up high on pedastles changes the center of gravity to the point that a sharp high speed turn may throw the operator out of the boat.';
You did say that teens will mostly be using the boat for cruising. I trust they will operate the boat slowly and safely.
Just my 2 cents
The boat does look nice tho


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## murphy67 (Aug 4, 2019)

yellowboat,
I always welcome any comments or 2 cents.  If you were specifically talking about the center seat being a bit higher, I did actually switch that seat post for a few inch shorter one I had left over from my 86 Alumacraft, but even with the taller one, it was very stable. If you meant the driver and front seat, I knew going into this build that those seats were going to be sitting almost exactly (maybe 1-2 inches higher) than when we had seats just bracket'd to the bench seats themselves and we used the boat for a few years with 4 seats and the same motor, etc. 

Knowing all that, I still did add bunch of grab handles which are great if things get a bit bumpy, etc to further help with safety and a nice handle for the driver as well. (I'll get pics posted a bit later showing the additions)

Thanks for the reply!


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## RaisedByWolves (Aug 4, 2019)

Im getting ready to put a floor in my boat and with the seat pedestals Im using my seat will be 3-4" above the gunnel when fully collapsed. They go from 15" to 20" when raised fully, and even raised all the way my only concern would be for the added stress placed on the pedestal by my 300lb frame.

These are helm rated pedestals though.

The boat leans into the turn anyway so I really dont see an issue here.


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## murphy67 (Aug 4, 2019)

Well, I apparently didn't get any good pictures of the cup holders and additional grab handles during my week up north....but I put flexible kayak carry handles on each side of the middle and front seats and a few along the bench seats as well, which worked great when going full speed and things were a bit choppy and I do have a pic showing the drivers handle (which really was a nice addition during operation of the motor) and the bilge in operation and some shots launching and such:













I will get a long weekend over labor day and maybe a few days in October, but that will be it for the season on this build. Possible changes next year might be to add a stereo and some speakers for the kids, but we'll see


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## LDUBS (Aug 4, 2019)

Wow, your boat looks great on the water. Judging from the trim shown in the middle photo it looks like it sits in the water nicely too. 

The grab handles sound like a good idea in general. 

Enjoy!


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## murphy67 (Aug 4, 2019)

Dubs,
I was really surprised how well the boat sat in the water with the new additions and how well it handled and operated loaded. We had combo's of 3x adults (525lbs), 2 adults and 2 kids (450lbs), 1x 19yr old and 3 kids (500lbs), etc...and never did it feel unsafe or overloaded. I tried to set about a max 500 lb limit and feel around there is a good spot where the boat still planes and isnt loaded into the water too low. Plus, its still a 14ft boat and can only comfortably fit so many, weight or not 

Thanks for the reply!


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## bassnbrain (Aug 5, 2019)

wow nice work man!!


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## akboats (Aug 8, 2019)

murphy67 said:


> Got more done over the weekend:
> 
> Got the wood pieces cut from my cardboard and laid them in for rough fitting:
> 
> ...



That looks really nice with just the sealed wood. and the finished product is nice too


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## adambriner (Aug 26, 2019)

Amazing build! I'd like to do something similar to my 16' Alumacraft. But I remember reading that removing that middle bench severely reduces the strength of the boat. And after a while will destroy the boat. Some other builds I've seen use some kind of extra support or structural aluminum.
Is that overkill?
Is the boat just fine without the middle bench?
Thanks for any replies!


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## MrGiggles (Aug 28, 2019)

adambriner said:


> Amazing build! I'd like to do something similar to my 16' Alumacraft. But I remember reading that removing that middle bench severely reduces the strength of the boat. And after a while will destroy the boat. Some other builds I've seen use some kind of extra support or structural aluminum.
> Is that overkill?
> Is the boat just fine without the middle bench?
> Thanks for any replies!



Depending on the design of the boat, removing that bench can alter the rigidity. Some boats have ribs that run side-to-side from the gunnels down, on those boats you can remove the benches without much of an issue. On others, without the middle bench there is little support to keep the gunnels from bowing outward and folding the boat up like a soda can. 

Usually if a raised floor is installed, attaching the sides/gunnels to it will provide enough support and keep things rigid.


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## adambriner (Aug 28, 2019)

Are the ribs on my boat the same as you are talking about? Could I remove my middle bench without worrying?


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## murphy67 (Aug 28, 2019)

Adambriner,
I def have also seen concern from others with removing one or all bench seats and causing the boat to become unstable, etc...however I do feel after riding in it multiple times after finishing it, that the boat itself feels like it is more sturdy than it was before. Or at least the same  I also have seen people take all benches out and they seem to say things are fine after all is built and ran in the water.

I did leave little nubs of the bench on each side and basically everything is tied together in one way or another which i think helped.

I would prob not want to remove more than just the 1 bench though personally, unless I was planning to really add some re-enforcement's....but again, I am not an expert for sure....AND, I knew that this boat will be used exclusively on smaller inland lakes in Northern WI, which even at their roughest, are not that bad. (but also, if things were that rough, prob would just take one of the bigger boats out if needed, etc...) and the boat will only get about a week or two usage each season, so I feel it should last quite a bit..but only time will tell. 

As for your 16 footer, from what I can see in that pic, it seems the ribs are similar to mine. You should be able to see the ribs in some of my previous pics when doing the floor frame and such and can compare.

Thanks for the kind words on my build as well...it was fun and being honest, was pretty happy with the work put in and the outcome from that. Such a different project than my 1st build, which was more a refurb, as the floor already had framing, etc...but def a learning/fun experience for both!

Best of luck with your build, you def are at the right place for help, tips, suggestions, etc...this forum is awesome!!!


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## adambriner (Aug 29, 2019)

Thanks murphy!

I guess I need to start looking more seriously into what I'm going to do. My son (7) just got his first bass the past weekend and doesn't care much for panfish anymore. Next time we go out I'll have to take notes knowing that middle bench _could_ be removed.


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## Pector55 (Sep 9, 2019)

I love what you did with it and you definitely gave me some ideas for my build. Thank you for sharing!


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## murphy67 (Sep 10, 2019)

adambriner,
One of the best changes to having the middle seat removed is, you dont have to crawl over a bench to go from driver to front seat, and it just opens things up alot more. Also having a solid/flat floor makes all movement in a smaller boat a bit more stable as well, which always helps.

Congrats on the bass...my 5 year old also just caught his first over labor day, he was pretty pumped! 

Again, you are in the right place for ideas on whatever you chose to do with your boat!


Pector,
Thanks for the kind words, and glad to have possibly shared some additional ideas back to this community!

One thing I will share as a "maybe i would do things different next time tip": Somewhere on this forum I found a thread where someone was trying to save money, etc when doing his build and ended up using a dual hung? aluminum ladder for his flooring. When I saw this I was already done with my floor frame, but had to laugh as I felt this idea was perfect and I literally have the exact old aluminum ladder in my garage the guy used, which would have possibly saved me a bunch of time and even money. lol. I tell everyone if i did another 14ft build, I would seriously consider the ladder for a frame, as it would be strong enough and wouldn't need the same care/sealing as wood, and would reduce weight a bit too. So maybe take a look through the "Completed list of mods thread" and maybe you will come across it as well.


Other than that, I did finally get back up north and uncovered the boat to get a few quick pics of the handles and cup holders:


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## Joemac4445 (Feb 3, 2021)

Your boat is a Model T 14 S I have that identical boat 1985


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## CedarRiverScooter (Feb 3, 2021)

Similar to ladder for rigid frame - My neighbour was tossing an old alum storm door. I repurposed the door's channels for my boat deck frame. They are plenty stiff!


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## Joemac4445 (Feb 3, 2021)

I'm very surprised that this boat is not way overweight. I have the identical boat and coast guard sticker says Max 725 pounds.


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