# 1970 ish Mirrocraft 14 Deep Fisherman Project



## DesertRAT (Nov 17, 2014)

Hi Everyone,

I've been trolling on this site since the beginning of this summer and picked up a 1970ish Mirrorcraft 14 Deep Fisherman back in July. I currently live in Apple Valley, California. It is the high desert (Mojave) and I live about 30 minutes from 2 lakes, Big Bear Lake at Bear Mountain and Silverwood Lake in Cedar Pines. I retired from the military, put in 23 years, and the last time I really had time to fish was when I was a teenager prior to joining the service. I retired in 2004 and got into off-roading with my 4 sons. That took a toll on my insides and have been forced to slow it up some. I'm still working for the government, as a civilian, and putting 10-12 hours shifts per day and only have about an hour or so per night to work on my projects. I renovated a used pontoon a few years back and that has been a blast, however, it is almost impossible to fish out of. My dad had our old tin boat from when I was in high school back in the late 1970's. He had this mirrorcraft sitting in a horse corral for the last 30+ years. He needed to get rid of it and I took it sight unseen. The boat was tarped up and I hooked on to it and got it home. It came with a 15hp 2-stroke Evinrude which also had not been run for 30+ years so I had no idea what to expect. I really would like to clean it up and put in some fishing decks and seats. From all of the other mirrorcraft owners on this site, I am very impressed what you guys are capable of doing to this boats. I am going to clean it up and start getting a plan together. I got a ton of questions to ask and will start this build within a week or two and will post pics as I go along.

I'll post some pics tonight when I get home. Hopefully I can figure this website out and get this post in the right forum.


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## PA Delaware Fisher (Nov 17, 2014)

Good luck on your build. I am looking forward to see what you start with and what you finish with!


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## DesertRAT (Nov 17, 2014)

Thanks PA Delaware Fisher, I pressure washed it over the weekend and got it cleaned out. The original paint started to come off so I guess I know what I'm doing first on it. My son took it out on Big Bear Lake and it had no leakes and the motor did start but it sure ran rough. At least I know the boat is sound so that's cool. I will have to take the motor to our local marine shop and get it worked over. For some reason all the hardware, nuts and bolts, are completely rusted over. They don't appear to be stainless steel and they look like original hardware. Once i rebuild the transom, i will use all stainless steel and/or aluminum. I'll post pics tonight.


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## DesertRAT (Nov 17, 2014)

Dang, I just noticed that I am calling my boat a "Mirrorcraft" instead of Mirrocraft. I guess I am a newbie at this, lol.

Anyways, here are some pics I promised I would get on here.


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## DesertRAT (Nov 17, 2014)

Here is another view of it.


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## DesertRAT (Nov 17, 2014)

I got it back to my home town of Apple Valley and finally took the tarp off.


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## DesertRAT (Nov 17, 2014)

I gave this boat to my son, who lives at Big Bear Lake, to test it out for me. The good news is, the boat does not leak. The bad news is, the motor needs some serious help.


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## DesertRAT (Nov 17, 2014)

I tried to get it into my garage while it was still on the trailer but it didn't fit. I guess the first order of business is to clean out my junk and make some room.


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## DesertRAT (Nov 17, 2014)

I am going to start cleaning out my garage this week to make some room. I want to take it off the trailer and flip it over and then put it on some saw horses to get it ready for some serious sanding. I'm thinking below the water line either white or battleship gray and on top maybe a nice deep royal blue.

I need to be able to have 2 of my sons fishing, one up front and one in the middle, both on elevated seats. Then I want to put two seats in the back for my their girlfriends. I promised I would build this for them and maybe they will let me use it sometimes, lol.


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## jasper60103 (Nov 18, 2014)

Looks like a nice project.
It probably wouldn't take much to get the motor running nice.
Btw, my brother is retired Navy after 20+ years. He still works at Edwards AFB and lives in Lancaster.
Look forward to your progress. Keep the pics coming.

edit: And thank you for your service!

jasper


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## WPS (Nov 18, 2014)

Welcome to TinBoats!

Nice boat!.. Lookin' forward to see what you do to it!

Also, Thank YOU for your service! :USA1:


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## DesertRAT (Nov 18, 2014)

Thank you Jasper and WPS. I'm still working out at Edwards AFB, I retired and took off my uniform, put on some jeans and grew a beard and went right back into the service. That's all I've ever known since high school.

I had the day off so I got busy cleaning out my garage. It is ready now for the boat to come in. Just waiting on my boys to come over tomorrow night and help me muscle it onto some saw horses.


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## DesertRAT (Nov 18, 2014)

I did have time today to start on my instrument panel. I figured might as well since the boat isn't prepped yet for sanding. I had an old hatch (tempress type) laying around that I didn't use on my G3. I laid out what I wanted on it and started cutting holes. I wanted a small electrical panel that would power the bilge pump, the navigation lights, and the floor lights when out gigging for frogs. I also needed a depth finder, funny thing is that just a depth finder gauge runs about $175 to $200. Instead I bought a cheapy fish finder for $49 at Walmart which had the depth finder on it. I also wanted a 12 volt outlet to run a spot light and a socket to plug in my trolling motor. And for good measure, I also added a small courtesy light. All of these items are bolted to the top of the hatch. Inside the hatch I added a Positive and Negative lug so all I will have to do is run one wire each from my battery to this panel. Also, on the inside, I added a 50amp fuse for the trolling motor.

And just for gee whiz, I added a small marine compass.

I got all of this to fit on an 8" x 12" hatch.


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## jasper60103 (Nov 19, 2014)

Love the instrument panel. I like the clean, simple design and doesn't cost a fortune to make. 
I think this is a good candidate for the innovative section of the mod thread. =D> 
Thanks again for sharing.


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## DesertRAT (Nov 19, 2014)

I'll try to figure out how to post it on that mod thread.

Here are some pics of the rust I was talking about in an earlier post. I am going to replace all of that with stainless steel.


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## DesertRAT (Nov 19, 2014)

I'm still waiting to get my boat into the garage. In the mean time, I started to tinker a bit on a power box. I will use a marine style battery that is sealed. I'll purchase one down the road some. Not in a hurry to spend money on that yet. I picked up the box, a main power switch, and an on-board charging unit, and a male plug so that I can run an extension cord from my house to the boat and charge it without having to remove the battery after each trip.

As always, Walmart has been my friend lately. I'm not sure if this stuff is any good or not, they seem to be a little bit cheaper than iboats.com or amazon. I've been trolling on Overton's too. The internet is endless when it comes to parts for your boat.


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## DesertRAT (Nov 19, 2014)

Finally got the boat into my garage. Started sanding with a small wire wheel on a drill but I think I have the wrong equipment. I'll have to go to Lowe's and get a larger wheel or this will take months to do.


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## DesertRAT (Nov 19, 2014)

Also got a good look at the trailer as a whole. It seems in pretty good shape, I'll replace the carpet on the bunks and maybe get some new rollers, but that's about it.


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## jasper60103 (Nov 20, 2014)

DesertRAT,
you got a nice workshop there. 
I would like to replace my transom sometime this winter. All the fasteners are fairly rusty too. 
The only thing I would suggest on the trailer is to inspect the wheel bearings for safe measure.
Good job on the battery box. I didn't know those on-board chargers were available so small.

jasper


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## rscottp (Nov 20, 2014)

Nice job, boat is looking good. What is the brand of that battery on/off switch? i would like to put one in my boat but the only ones I have seen are the perko ones that are for 2 batteries.


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## WPS (Nov 20, 2014)

DesertRAT said:


> I'm still waiting to get my boat into the garage. In the mean time, I started to tinker a bit on a power box.


Nice job on the battery box!



DesertRAT said:


> they seem to be a little bit cheaper than iboats.com


Any place is cheaper than iBoats... I wouldn't/don't buy a thing from them... They're TOO high!


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## DesertRAT (Nov 20, 2014)

I hear ya WPS, i bought a few things from iboat, like my rod holders and then i found it less at Walmart. I really like Amazon and the Sportman's Guide. I am a club member for both of them, I just have to pay an annual fee but the free shipping on most of my stuff pays for the annual fees. i do a lot of pig hunting and upland game birds and it's easier to online order on a monday and have it wednesday or thursday than to go out in town shopping for this stuff.

My dad has a huge ranch in the foothills of central California. I work it and hunt it during the winter months. Spring and summer are for fishing, so I digress and I'll get back to the boating topic cause spring will be here in a blink of an eye, lol.

Enjoy some of my Game cam pics from the ranch.


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## DesertRAT (Nov 20, 2014)

Thanks Jasper, I'll pull the wheels and repack the bearings if needed. I always forget these type of details until it's too late and I'm stuck in the middle of nowhere calling AAA.

RSCOTTP, here are the specs of the switch I used:

Battery Kill Safety Shut Off Disconnect Switch by Performance Plus Connection

.Easy to locate in emergency with "Bright Red Handle"
.250 amp continuous rating, 6-36 volt, 1000 peak [450 Rating Momentary]
.Helps prevent battery drain
.Required in NASCAR, SCCA, NHRA, IHRA, ADRL

I saw it at my dad's shop, he works on cars and such and I was visiting one weekend and he had it laying around. I priced it on Amazon and it runs about $30. If I didn't get this switch for free, I was considering just getting a cheapy circuit breaker. I just wanted to be able to shut the boat's electrical down in an instant if ever needed.

The charging unit I got at Walmart, it's an Attwood brand item. The first one I picked up didn't work out of the box, I had to return it and exchange for a new one. The second one seems to be working. I tried it out on my pontoon boat batteries and it charged those batteries just fine. On my pontoon, I just use 1 marine sealed battery for my fishfinder and a large 70lb thrust trolling motor. I can get a full day at the lake and still have charge left over. However, this little charger will take a week or two to bring the battery back up. I have a full size shop charger that I'll put on the battery for about 6 hours and then plug this little charger in and it will take another 2-4 hours or so with it and the battery is back at 100%. If you only go to the lake/river once a week, this little charger should do fine. The Attwood Battery Maintenance Charger by Attwood Marine Products runs about $30 as well.


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## rscottp (Nov 20, 2014)

Thanks for the info, I am gonna get one. I just like the idea of having all the power off when the boat is on the trailer. Will keep anyone from leaving anything on or hitting the starter(I have no key).


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## WPS (Nov 21, 2014)

Nice game cam pics!

Yeah, I agree with you 100% that iBoats is too high!... I find A LOT of stuff for boats & boat trailers at Amazon.. I really like shopping at Amazon.. Another place where you can find boat trailer parts is eTrailer.com.. I ordered three 5" rollers for $5.25 a piece, and a 3" for $3.59... I do most of my shopping at Amazon, and I order tires/rims from eTrailer.

I like the Sportsman's Guide too!

Thanks for the info on the charger & the switch!...I'll have to pick those up!... You do nice work too!

Thanks again!


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## Tanzini (Nov 22, 2014)

Nice progress! It's always a bit interesting to see how these mirrocrafts come together.


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## DesertRAT (Nov 22, 2014)

Thanks Tanzini, I've only had the boat for a week or so and have started the sanding process. I'm not liking that at all. The hull is all scratched up so I'm trying to get it to bare metal. It sucks, I'll be doing this sanding for at least a month or so. Unless you know of an easier way, please let me know. I want to paint the outside first, then flip it over and start on the inside. So far I have used the biggest rotary wire brush for my drill I could find but it is leaving some serious scratches on the hull. I have switched over to an 80 grit sandpaper and a rotary sander but it is slow going. Without using chemicals, there has to be an easier way?


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## Y_J (Nov 22, 2014)

When you primer the boat befor painting you won't even know them scratches were there. You can also tyry a paint removing disk on your dill/grinder. Sure made a difference in the speed of removing paint on mine.


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## OutrageGIS (Nov 23, 2014)

I know you said no chemicals, but have you looked into the citrus based strippers? The orange one they sell at walmart worked great for me. Put it on thick, cover with a plastic sheet to prevent evaporation and allow the stripper to work. If the temps are high enough (70's or higher), a couple of hours and the paint will easily scrape off, use a green scotchbrite pad and gloves for tough areas. Rinse well and you should have clean bare aluminum. I'm not a fan of chems either but for stripping paint it really cuts the elbow grease required. And be sure to rinse with a vinegar solution and/or use a etch primer for bare aluminum. Nice project and Good Luck!


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## DesertRAT (Nov 23, 2014)

Thank you for the advice OutrageGIS and Y_J, I picked up a paint removing disc for my drill and that has worked the best so far. I'll will also try the Orange based stripper as well. This weekend and next week's 4 day Thanksgiving weekend I have to do some ranch work before the monsoons hit. I am hoping to start sanding on a regular basis starting the first week in December. The way this Mirrocraft's hull is made, it has 14 distinct aluminum reliefs on each side. I figure if I can sand one of these (I guess they are panels) each day for 28 days, I should be done sanding around Christmas time. I wish I had more time but my work schedule only offers me an hour or two per night. I'll keep posting pics with the progress. I really appreciate all the help and advice I'm getting.


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## bulrid8 (Nov 23, 2014)

Best I found was a wire cup on an angle grinder. Fastest stripping and smooth finish.


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## rscottp (Nov 23, 2014)

Unless you want to leave it bare aluminum I wouldn't try to remove all the old paint. I would just feather out the scratches and bare spots then prime those with self etch then paint everything you want to paint. Just my opinion but the existing paint has been on there for 40 years so they did something right.


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## WPS (Nov 23, 2014)

rscottp said:


> Unless you want to leave it bare aluminum I wouldn't try to remove all the old paint. I would just feather out the scratches and bare spots then prime those with self etch then paint everything you want to paint. Just my opinion but the existing paint has been on there for 40 years so they did something right.


I agree with you!

A lot of people will leave the paint on and just sand where the paint is scratched... That will save a lot of time and save some $$!.. I did that when I painted the sides on my Lund.

Easier to do instead of ''prepping bare aluminum'' for new primer/paint!.. I use the self etching primer too!


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## DesertRAT (Dec 19, 2014)

Well I spend the last 4 weeks sanding and cleaning and I finally got the paint off the hull. I first washed it with a pressure washer and all the decals and reg#'s just flew off. The bottom of the hull was bare aluminum in quite a few places from 40 years of use and it must either hit the trailer or someone has been bottoming out in the lakes but the paint that was on there came off pretty easy with water and steel wool. I finished it off with a rotary sander and some fine grit paper. When the decals came off, I noticed what the original color was and the rest of the sides were just completely faded by the sun. I liked the way the hull looked as bare aluminum so I decided to do the sides as well.

I am going to try to polish and buff out the boat with some aluminum polish and decide whether I like it or not. If I like it, I'll start the build (decking and stuff) right after Christmas. If not, I'll paint it either gray/blue or white/blue, since that are the colors of my seats and carpet.


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## jasper60103 (Dec 19, 2014)

Looking good, Rat. 
I'm jealous of the nice weather you enjoy there!
Keep up the good work. =D> 
-jasper


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## RStewart (Dec 20, 2014)

Nice looking boat you got there. That's a sweet instrument panel you made also. Keep the pics coming.


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## DesertRAT (Dec 26, 2014)

Well Christmas is over and I'm back working on the tin. Not sure what to do here, I want to leave the deep scratches alone and hope to buff out the fine scratches. I got no idea how to do this. I've been reading and the recommendation is to use a rubbing compound to get the light scratches out and then use a polish to shine it up some. I really don't want it shiny, just clean looking. I just want the aluminum hull to look decent for one fishing season (spring/summer) and then every year in the winter I would re-polish it clean again. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.


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## DesertRAT (Dec 26, 2014)

I did take a break today from the hard work of sanding and worked on something fun. I built my fish storage chest. No live well needed for the type of fishing we do here in Cali. Most, if not all, of the lakes are contaminated with pesticides from all of the agriculture that is done here. The Department of Fish and Game recommends no consumption of fish caught. The sport fish (Bass/Crappie/Trout) are all released back into the water. The invasive fish (White Bass and some other junk fish) are not allowed to be released and have to be killed and turned in to the park rangers. So all I need is just a place to store fish until I can turn them in.

Now it's time to get back to sanding.


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## Gators5220 (Jan 2, 2015)

Sick instrument panel man! I'm interested to see how buffing the aluminum turns out as well. One idea is companies like Gator Glide and Steel Flex make clear varnish that's a 2 part epoxy. Once you've buffed the hull out, if you coat the hull it should stay shiny where you don't have to rebuff it after every season.


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## DesertRAT (Jan 5, 2015)

Thanks guys for the compliments on my instrument panel! had some stuff left over from my pontoon build and just let the imagination flow. The sanding really sucks but all these little things I have to build from scratch is the fun stuff. 

I have been buffing and still not happy with it. I'm going to detail the hull out this weekend and then paint it. I've had a small case of OCD all my life and these scratches just bug. I'll take some pics once the hull is painted. I need to get this part of the build over with and get crankin on the interior decks and such.


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## fool4fish1226 (Jan 6, 2015)

Great project :beer:


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## DesertRAT (Jan 17, 2015)

Finally got the boat prepped for painting. I decided to refurbish the trailer now and then at least that is done. I needed the trailer to get the boat to the paint shop and didn't want to take the boat off the trailer once it is painted. I didn't do too much on it, just touched up the paint with a rattle can and replaced the bunks and carpet. The wiring was okay, just needed to be cleaned up. I'll post again once the hull is painted and back at the house.


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## Markster (Jan 18, 2015)

Hi Rat,
Your boat is looking great! I went through the same process as you stripping down my mirrocraft deep fisherman and repainting a few years ago. It a tough job but these boats turn out real nice! Keep at it, the tough part is done!
On mine, i wanted a flat floor for duck hunting so i rearranged the inside a bit. Im very happy with the final result. I found that this models design makes it possible to easily make all sorts of interior changes without requiring through hull drilling. I really nice feature.


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## DesertRAT (Jan 27, 2015)

I'm still waiting to get a day off from work so that I can paint this thing. Hopefully soon! I did kill an hour here and there and kind of laid out my design of what I am wanting to do with the fishing deck up front.

I am keeping all of my benches intact because that is were all of the floatation material is. I am using 2x2's and just putting them on top of the benches and securing them with aluminum and stainless steel hardware. For securing the 2x2's to each other, I am using galvanized strong-ties with galvanized screws.

This up front fishing platform will be the highest of the boat. For the back of the boat, there will be a floor and two more seats at bench level.


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## TinCanCaptain (Jan 27, 2015)

Looking good. I'll definitely keep an eye on your build. I really liked the look of the bare aluminum hull. Too bad it was too rough for your liking.


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## TinCanCaptain (Jan 27, 2015)

Im in socal too. Moving to paramount pretty soon. Do you know if Perris is 4 stroke only? I have a 2 stroke on 14 ft richline.


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## DesertRAT (Jan 27, 2015)

Thank you TinCanCaptain! I am really liking the white and blue color scheme that some folks have done on here. I'm trying to find some time to rent a paint booth in town, it's pretty inexpensive to rent for the weekend. They basically just supply the room and the compressor, all I have to do is bring the paint and the paint gun. I'm a bit nervous doing this, the last time I painted something was when I was a teenager years and years ago. If I can get the booth for 3 days, i'll be good to go. I figure day one is primer, then on day 2 will be white paint and then on the last day i'll shoot it with clear coat.

While I'm waiting for that, I want to at least get the front deck frame done. I want to put 3 coats of urethane on the wood while my boat's paint is drying. That's the plan anyway.

I have to get this project done by May when the lakes around here starting opening up. Right now, the lakes are frozen and most of the water is being used for snow making for skiing and snowboarding. In April, the snow just melts back into the lakes again. Kinda cool how they do that all.


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## DesertRAT (Jan 27, 2015)

I'm not sure about lake Perris. Only been there a few times when I was stationed at March AFB. I go to Big Bear a lot for fishing, which is local, and Bass Lake, Yosemite when it starts to warm up around May. Silverwood Lake is a about 20 minutes from my house but it gets very windy there. I haven't run across any restrictions on motor type on the lakes I use. I have a 15hp 2-stroke myself and I'm hoping I can use it on my favorite lakes. I guess I better check into that.


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## TinCanCaptain (Jan 29, 2015)

Quick question. What brand/model is your battery box? I tried looking online but the only one I saw that looks similar is the seasense one. I like the divider in it. I want to mount my breakers to it kinda like your shutoff.


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## DaleH (Jan 29, 2015)

TinCanCaptain said:


> Quick question. What brand/model is your battery box? I tried looking online but the only one I saw that looks similar is the seasense one.


Looks to be a QuickBox brand adjustable battery compartment, see: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B006WAEXU0/ref=redir_mdp_mobile/192-5245099-0524119 . They are made by Quick Cable, https://www.quickcable.com/products.php?pageId=889

*Wow*, and I found them here for *only $ 7.30 each*  , with only $5 for shipping from Wisconsin to Mass: 

https://www.gemplers.com/product/224780/QuickCable-Battery-Boxes-Adjustable-24-27-31-Battery-Group?gclid=COThlsrxucMCFfLm7AodijgAQA&sku=224780&CID=25SEPLA&ef_id=VMqDQQAABFMbM1ss:20150129190017:s

Shown below without the divider installed. I'm going to use one and rig a battery On/Off switch into that unused end compartment  ,


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## TinCanCaptain (Jan 29, 2015)

Cool man. Thanks. I'm actually working in sun city til Monday. Too bad I can't hit any of the lakes around here.


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## DesertRAT (Jan 29, 2015)

The one i got from Amazon was $15 and it's the NOCO HM318BKS Group 24-31 Snap-Top Battery Box for Automotive, Marine, and RV Batteries. Sounds like you got a very good deal for $7


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## thewalleyehunter (Feb 3, 2015)

Nice job so far. I am almost done with my 14' Mirrocraft project. Check it out if you'd like. https://forum.tinboats.net/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=29545


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## kwas (Mar 24, 2015)

Got any more updates on the progress?


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## g0nef1sshn (Mar 25, 2015)

Just skimmed through you build a little and saw you did carpet over PT wood for the bunks. Ill be redoing my bunks soon too, but have been reading about the newer PT wood being bad for Aluminum. Are you planning on some other material to keep the hull off the carpet?

Its looking great btw!


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## DesertRAT (Aug 23, 2015)

Sorry for the long delay, life just happened and I got busy doing other things. But I am now back in the game and working on the boat again.

I ripped out the old transom and put a new piece in. I ended up putting 5 coats of spar urethane on it to seal it up. This was a fairly easy process, I used the old transom as a template for the new one.


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## DesertRAT (Aug 23, 2015)

The wood pieces that I had previously cut were sealed using the spar first and then stained with a colored (white) sealant/stain to help me identify which pieces were done.


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## DesertRAT (Aug 23, 2015)

By the way, I decided not to paint the exterior. I got all of the old paint off and polished it up good and decided I liked the way it looked.


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## jasper60103 (Aug 24, 2015)

Looking good, DesertRAT.
I like the polished aluminum too.
Thanks for the update.

-jasper


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## DesertRAT (Aug 26, 2015)

I took a day off to work on some more water sealing my wood and getting the sealed frame back into the boat. I am using galvanized clips and screws to hold the wood in place and then using stainless steel clips and aluminum pop rivets to fasten to boat.


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## DesertRAT (Aug 26, 2015)

One more pic of the front.


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## DesertRAT (Aug 30, 2015)

This weekend I started working on the fishing deck. I tried using cardboard to outline the curve of the boat but had no luck. I couldn't get close enough with my templates to make it look good. I ended up going old school by using Joggle Sticks (pattern sticks). I went to the dollar store and bought two yardsticks. I made a 6", 12", 18" and 36" joggle sticks. These take a bit longer to use when cutting curves but well worth it. You're almost dead on with the first cut and maybe only need minor trimming to get the boards the lay perfectly.

All I did was take a junk piece of plywood, that is smaller than what the final deck will be, and layed out my joggle stick by placing the point of it on the curve and then tracing the joggle stick pattern on my junk plywood. I went around the entire curve, left and right side, about every two inches or so. I then used the sticks to find where I wanted the rod and cup holders to be. Did the same process for my ice chest and so on.

I then layed this junk plywood with all of the joggle stick tracings on to my larger deck plywood and placed the sticks on the traced pattern and marked a dot at the point of the joggle stick.

Then all I did was connect the dots and cut. It takes about two hours to do each deck. My front fish deck consists of two large pieces of plywood.


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## DesertRAT (Aug 30, 2015)

Here are a few more pics of using the joggle sticks. I spent all weekend on this boat and got the front deck done and ready for spar urethane and marine carpet. I am going to start on the back half of the boat next and carpet all the pieces at the same time later on down the road.


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## DesertRAT (Sep 14, 2015)

My bimini top came in this weekend. It went on pretty easy. I had to have one so at least there will be some shade while fishing.


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## Johnny (Sep 14, 2015)

lookin good lookin good !!

I like the bimini !! I have been trying to figure out a way to
mount the big 6' beach umbrella in the center of my boat -
or at least on the side of the console. The obvious problem is
there is not enough firm structure for the mount and a puff of
wind could tear everything out.......

good job on your project !!


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## Ictalurus (Sep 14, 2015)

=D> =D> =D> 

Boat looks great man!


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## DesertRAT (Sep 15, 2015)

The Bimini Top is a must here in California. It gets brutally hot in the summer. The boat is coming along, between work and family I have a hard time getting in the garage to work on it on a regular basis. I am hoping I can get it all done before Christmas this year.


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## RandysJav (Sep 16, 2015)

https://forum.tinboats.net/download/file.php?id=70634&mode=view/5.JPG Pressure treated wood BIG NO NO. Water will soak through carpet and leech copper sealent out of wood and eat up your shiny aluminum boat bottom. Randy


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## DesertRAT (Oct 3, 2015)

Thank you Randy for the reply. Yeah, I caught my mistake early on, after reading up on a few more builds here, I realized I used the wrong wood. I took the trailer all apart again and used non-treated 4x4's and some new carpet.

Got a quick question, I need to take the boat off the trailer again to re-do some wiring on the trailer itself. While I have the boat off, can I float it in a swimming pool to check for leaks? I don't think I'm going to make it to the lake again this year and wanted to check the boat one more time before I carpet and finish it. My pool is an in-ground, plenty big enough to float this thing. I was just wondering if the chlorinated water would affect the aluminum hull.

Any feedback would be great!


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## DesertRAT (Oct 3, 2015)

Been working on the second half, back half, of the boat for the past few weeks. Making some progress. The hardest part is getting the measurements right.


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## DesertRAT (Oct 3, 2015)

With the help from my son, we managed to get the deck cut. I'm down to the end of the boat now. I also got the graphics in yesterday. I'm done for this weekend, hoping to get some time around the middle of October to finish decking it out.


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## Shaugh (Oct 6, 2015)

Very nice work. The joggle sticks are a revelation to me. I had never seen them explained so clearly before. Definitely going to try that the next time I need to duplicate a large curve. I had always tried to do it with stiff fabric stapled to the junk plywood, but there was always a lack of accuracy. 

Bimini tops are nice but create so many obstructions. In Southern TN some shade is an absolute necessity as well. I started using these EMT fittings that they sell for flea market canopies. I actually tried the umbrella idea before I found these.

https://www.tents-canopy.com/canopy-fittings.html

With them you can make your own T tops and canopies that are easy to put up and take down in seconds if it gets too windy. They give you less obstructions to cast around:

3/4" on ultra light boats:






1" or larger on bigger boats:


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## DesertRAT (Oct 6, 2015)

Very Nice! That's a great idea Shaugh. I may have to try your idea, my bimini is sitting kinda low, I should have gotten one that was a few inches higher.


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## Shaugh (Oct 6, 2015)

Some people get worried when they see the single vertical, although I've never had a problem with 1" conduit, you can always design it to have 4 verticals like these:

https://www.overtons.com/modperl/product/details.cgi?pdesc=Smith-Stainless-Steel-T-Top&i=72546

For a lot less money... fittings are dirt cheap.. making your own fabric top on a sewing machine is easier than you think too..


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## Johnny (Oct 6, 2015)

DesertRat said: *can I float it in a swimming pool to check for leaks? *

LOL of course you can !!


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