# The poor man's fishing boat



## lap202 (May 25, 2018)

So reading here the past year has lead me from "fully decked out super bass catching machine" to still probably unreasonably, but more plausible upgrading plan.

I have no idea what this boat is. It's 12' and has no HIN on it so I have to assume 60s or older?

The best part of the build is the large sum of money allocated to my 7 month son instead of my toys these days.

I got the boat out of a metal scrap pile on my uncle's land someone was throwing. It has been fished and hunted on a pond on my dads land for the past decade, but it was till this year we got the boat legally titled so we can take it out and motor the public lakes.

Phase 1
Monday I'm going to start by making boat seats to put over the metal benches. I got the foam out of a mattress pad someone was tossing and will cut plywood and attach the foam to the plywood.

I got some water resistant material at walmart which cost 5 dollars as they had it half off. This will be stapled to the back of the plywood to hopefully make cozy and somewhat decent looking seats. It will then be screwed to the bench.

Other than this I plan to check for and replace leaky rivets and do an overall health check of the aluminum. I'll also be stamping the HIN I was assigned into the boat along with an aluminum plate I'm riveting on the back.

Phase 2
I'm hoping to fish the boat June 2nd. Afterwards I'll be doing a small piece of plywood over the front bench that will be big enough to fit a rod holder and a cup holder (important) as well as storage underneath for the anchor and a couple extra ropes for tying off.

From here I'll have a small deck sitting on the triangle shaped ribs between the front and middle bench. After getting it in I plan on testing how the boat cruises and how stable standing and casting feels. Should be fine as I'm only raising my center of gravity a couple inches to gain some flat space.

Phase 3
Currently I'm just going to get my basic updates done. If the boat allowed I'd like to build a deck between the back and middle benches, but will be happy with just a front deck. Also would like to do a board at bench level between the back and the bench with hatches to have access to the storage but also gain some flat space along with places to attach rod holders for trolling.

Phase 4
Will just be making it pretty. Thinking I'll sand it down and do a dark green on the sides with a grey for the bottom portion of the boat.

Inside will depend on what carpet I get, but most likely doing a neutral grey.

Starting on memorial day so hope to get you guys progress pictures right away.












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## lap202 (May 25, 2018)

Here is the material and foam I'll be using. For 5 dollars I think it will make for some nice benches.








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## jasper60103 (May 25, 2018)

Congrats on the new project and look forward to your progress.

I bet a with little soap and water you'll see a world of difference.
Does it float? Does the motor run? 

Good luck.

jasper


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## lap202 (May 25, 2018)

jasper60103 said:


> Congrats on the new project and look forward to your progress.
> 
> I bet a with little soap and water you'll see a world of difference.
> Does it float? Does the motor run?
> ...


She floats, but takes on quite a bit of water if I remember correctly. Motor is running according to the guy I bought it from. Will be testing it out here soon. Have a 4hp that a mechanic got running for me in reserve.

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## wmrmurphy (May 25, 2018)

Love your ideas. Some of the best and certainly most gratifying projects I've ever done were done before I had a pot to piss in. Scrounging and salvaging and McGyvering stuff together to make it work. Your right to target the money to your son, he will return the investment many fold in the not to distant future. Keep us informed as you go about this project... :beer:


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## lap202 (May 27, 2018)

So today's update on the project is simple enough. Made sure she fit on the trailer which I need to wire still.

Also bought a cheap plug as the one in the boat leaked badly and I'm assuming it was the old plugs fault.

I measured and cut the boards for my bench seats and will be sanding and prepping them for the upholstery.

Will take pictures tomorrow while I'm making the boat seats to show how good or not good they end up looking 








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## lap202 (May 27, 2018)

So wasn't patient enough to wait till tomorrow so got 1 bench made. Couple creases in corners, but it's mostly decent lpl

After sitting on it I do wish the foam was firmer as it sinks to the wood, but will be better than the hard plastic seats in the boat or the metal benches.

Made them for $2.50 per bench so cant complain too much!

These will be screwed to the benches on Monday to officially start my boat Modification.








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## akboats (May 27, 2018)

Looking good


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## earl60446 (May 27, 2018)

Don't throw the seats away. I think you will eventually want back support and the swivel option. 
Have fun.
Tim


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## lap202 (May 27, 2018)

earl60446 said:


> Don't throw the seats away. I think you will eventually want back support and the swivel option.
> Have fun.
> Tim


For back support I'll be building a single back support. I'll have tubes on the back of the bench that the back support slides in and out of so you can have it left, centered or right.

Maybe I'll want a swivel in the future, but it will be with a nicer seat. Too many sour memories of sore rear ends growing up on the hard seats lol

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## richg99 (May 28, 2018)

I agree with the prior comments. Some of the best projects are when you make something out of nothing. 

I can afford to buy "stuff", but sometimes you just look around and there, in the corner, is what you need for the latest improvement.

rich


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## lap202 (May 29, 2018)

So bunch of work today, maybe not as much on the boat as I had hoped, but got a lot done.


Started the day pulling off wood, seats, and a couple lights from the boat. 





The gunwales were pretty bent out on both sides so using a 2 by 4, some clamps and a pipe wrench I was able to get both sides to the point it is no longer noticeable they were bent out.








I drilled holes in the aluminum benches and screwed up into my homemade benches to secure them to the boat.





Other small thing done on the boat included siliconing and riveting a few holes in the back where a fish finder had been mounted. 

Most of the night actually went to wiring the trailer and sanding the paint off the wooden supports for the boat so I can recarpet them.

I did find time to do a cardboard template for my front deck. While cutting the wood, instead of cutting off the extra wood on the back I cut a slot into it. These extra sides will have cup holders added leaving most of the deck open for me to set stuff on and mount my front rod holder(s).










Final picture just shows the storage potential under the deck. Will use the front bench as a shelf and store anchor and ropes under. I am planning to tighten up the metal bar under there so it doesnt hang down.





Tho I would have liked to have gotten farther, I feel like I've had a good start to my project.

EDIT: Here is my current plan for this boat.


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## Bridge4 (May 29, 2018)

Looking good! Nice job straightening those rails out, it really did the trick. =D>


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## richg99 (May 29, 2018)

As far as recarpeting the bunks, you might consider topping the wood with 3*4 PVC gutter downspouts, cut lengthwise. Makes them very slippery. I have a post on here someplace. Let me know if you can't find it. rich


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## lap202 (May 30, 2018)

Back to work so very little done today.

I finished wiring the lights on the trailer and then started painting the bunks on the trailer to seal them better.

Tomorrow will be dedicated to stamping numbers in the boat and trailer so wont post an update.








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## LDUBS (May 30, 2018)

You did a nice job taking the "kink" out of the gunnel. Well done.


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## lap202 (May 31, 2018)

LDUBS said:


> You did a nice job taking the "kink" out of the gunnel. Well done.


I actually didnt expect it to turn out as well as it did. I just cranked down on it in a couple different spots till it was at this point.

I think this boat has the potential to turn some heads one day... Haha jk. Has the potential to get me on the water and not on the shore. 

Took a wire brush to the paint today to see how difficult it be to get the outside to the metal....

Definitely need to get some stripper to speed things up.





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## lap202 (May 31, 2018)

richg99 said:


> As far as recarpeting the bunks, you might consider topping the wood with 3*4 PVC gutter downspouts, cut lengthwise. Makes them very slippery. I have a post on here someplace. Let me know if you can't find it. rich


Finally took the time to find that post. Going to go my current route and just carpet the bunks for now as I want the boat fishable by this friday. I might actually have downspouts in my garage. I'll have to check!

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## richg99 (May 31, 2018)

They make two different sizes of downspouts. In my case, I needed the 3*4 ones.


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## lap202 (May 31, 2018)

Got the bunks back on the trailer and will be heading out tomorrow for the boats maiden voyage.

Got some green outdoor carpet for free and will be using it for horizontal surfaces and painting verticle surfaces white.








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## richg99 (May 31, 2018)

Coming along. FREE is good.


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## lap202 (Jun 1, 2018)

So today didnt go as planned unfortunately. My fishing buddy (girlfriends brother) came out to get the rest of the neccesary things done so we could take it out today. After sanding the boat (Only where my number goes) and applying the stickers we were almost ready to go.
.





Hooked up the trailer... no go on the lights. Wired it perfect so I got test the 4 pin and the thing has power between all the pins no matter where I test it.

So tomorrow I'll be getting a new connector so we can use the trailer. If it wasn't so windy I was debating strapping it to the top of the vehicle and calling it good.
---

We still went fishing at a small dam nearby. A thunderstorm was slowly rolling in, nothing severe so we just stood out on the dam and kept fishing...




To make things fun the wind suddenly picked up and water suddenly flowed over the dam. Chair went in and bye bye powerbait, but chair was saved along with the lamps and beverages we had sitting on the dam.

Tippy towed our way off as the rushing water made it slippery. So that was entertaining.
--

Other news the paint jobs done were not properly prepped (I paint for a living) and is some of the easiest I've removed so may take a night to get exterior all the way down

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## richg99 (Jun 2, 2018)

When you own a boat, you always have something to do...or fix. Ha Ha

Re your trailer lights..90% of all trailer lighting issues are usually a bad ground someplace.

rich


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## lap202 (Jun 2, 2018)

richg99 said:


> When you own a boat, you always have something to do...or fix. Ha Ha
> 
> Re your trailer lights..90% of all trailer lighting issues are usually a bad ground someplace.
> 
> rich


What I noticed on the lights is if it my test light to the ground on the connector while the cable is completely unplugged, I get power through the light.

Thinking a bad crimp in the connector.

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## richg99 (Jun 2, 2018)

Two things that I have done with used trailers.. #1 add two new ground wires, running them from the rear lights up to the front electrical connector. That eliminated many of the ground issues.

#2 These days, I just go buy a set of LED lights. Most come with the extra connectors. If not, I add them. LEDs are the best thing to eliminate trailer light issues, IMHO.


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## lap202 (Jun 3, 2018)

richg99 said:


> Two things that I have done with used trailers.. #1 add two new ground wires, running them from the rear lights up to the front electrical connector. That eliminated many of the ground issues.
> 
> #2 These days, I just go buy a set of LED lights. Most come with the extra connectors. If not, I add them. LEDs are the best thing to eliminate trailer light issues, IMHO.


I'm thinking it may be related to the trailer having 2 parts as it has a swivel in the middle for easy launching.
--

Today we decided to just toss it on top of a jeep and take it out for a test run. Our first attempt we launched into a stream by a dam that leads to a lake with no other access. Due to fast currents, water that was too shallow in random spots, and a bit of inexperience; we ended up standing on top of the dam walking the boat to the side and relocating to a different lake.

Second attempt went better and we were on our way when we noticed water coming in... we just got out so we weren't calling it quits. We stuffed a plastic bag in the hole which sealed better than some of the rivets on this boat.

Once home I decided to see how long it would take to sand all the paint off... 4 hours and 20% of it done I decided to wait till I can afford paint stripper. Also put rivets and silicon in the 2 holes on the back.

Still haven't got my small decks in, but will see what happens and if I get time soon.

















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## richg99 (Jun 3, 2018)

If your trailer is TWO parts (hinged), then for sure I would run extra ground wires to the front.


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## lap202 (Jun 5, 2018)

Trailer is hinged so we will be running wires. For the electronics on the boat I was curious if I could run the wires through the gunwale. 

I'd have a hole drilled in the back, one drilled in the middle and a hole drilled in the front.

These would be for the rear and front navigation lights and the hole in the middle would be for the led floor lights I'm adding.

Battery will sit in the back.

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## richg99 (Jun 6, 2018)

Unless your gunnel is dented or damaged, there is no reason why you cannot run the wires there. Be careful not to leave sharp edges where you drill your access holes.

On a Carolina Skiff, I owned a long time ago, wires were run through the rubber gunnel protector.

Another method of running wires is to use CPVC or PVC tubing on the inside of the sidewalls.


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## onthewater102 (Jun 6, 2018)

I tried on a sea nymph but I think the end of the metal that made up the sides were rough as it chewed up the wire insulation pretty badly just snaking them through. You'll know quickly enough if you've got that issue.


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## lap202 (Jun 6, 2018)

richg99 said:


> Unless your gunnel is dented or damaged, there is no reason why you cannot run the wires there. Be careful not to leave sharp edges where you drill your access holes.
> 
> On a Carolina Skiff, I owned a long time ago, wires were run through the rubber gunnel protector.
> 
> Another method of running wires is to use CPVC or PVC tubing on the inside of the sidewalls.


Will be using rubber fittings so metal edges wont be a problem.

As I'm on a hard budget I figure using the existing boat instead of running PVC will save me some cash. Will still end up running some PVC in the middle but not much.

My girlfriend and son are back from a trip so my progress will slow down to a crawl. Hopefully will find time to invest in the boat here soon.

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## lap202 (Jun 18, 2018)

So havent left an update in awhile as I havent got much more done on the boat. I got the trailer working by running a ground from 1 side of the hinged trailer to the other. Have been fishing the boat ever since.

This last weekend we fished 3 out of it successfully, tho it only topped at 11 and really dragged with the 6hp. Will be trying g a 10 hp on it sometime to see if it can handle it.

With 1 or 2 people the boat can fly. Only concerns right now are in regard to the battery and motors putting too much weight on the back when it's just me.

Will be looking at either front mounting my trolling motor or running wires to relocate the battery. Once my deck is in that may help also.





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## richg99 (Jun 18, 2018)

Re Front Mount trolling motor. 99% of high dollar Bass boats have them on the front. 

It is easier to pull a string than to push it.


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## lap202 (Jun 18, 2018)

richg99 said:


> Re Front Mount trolling motor. 99% of high dollar Bass boats have them on the front.
> 
> It is easier to pull a string than to push it.


It will be easy enough with this trolling motor to rotate it. Will then add a foot switch I found that will be between the battery and motor so I can turn it on and off from my pedestal I'll be putting in up front.

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## richg99 (Jun 18, 2018)

A foot switch is a great addition to any hand controlled trolling motor, IMHO. I've used the Big Foot brand, but just be sure your switch is rated for the amperage that a T.M. uses.

https://smile.amazon.com/Trolling-Switch-Action-Operated-Motors/dp/B001BAKM60/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1529366956&sr=8-1&keywords=big+foot+trolling+motor+switch&dpID=41zbJj3cUiL&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch


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## lap202 (May 9, 2020)

So if you ignore the date i started this we can pretend theres been progress! Alot has happened since my last post... had a daughter and the boat progress haulted.

Today i finally got back at it. Removed the front bench to prepare for the deck, carpeted the deck and got the cup holder (important!) In, and started on paint prep for the interior.

Will be priming it and calling it good. Thinking for the front of the benches, to hide all the dents and dings, ill be using my extra carpet to face them.

Only 4 or 5 more years at this pace and ill be done!




















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## richg99 (May 9, 2020)

Progress is progress, however you measure it.


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## Western14’ (May 13, 2020)

Looking good bud, congrats on the lil one. How did you secure the front carpeted bench?


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## lap202 (May 13, 2020)

Right now its just sitting there. Did a pretty good cut for size. After i paint the inside of the boat it will have some angle brackets on bottom of deck rivetted to the boat and screws through the oar holders into the top.

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## lap202 (May 24, 2020)

Quick update, interior is almost ready to prime. Just a little more sanding. Have been fitting carpet for the section between the benches. Got back sanded and primed.








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## lap202 (May 26, 2020)

Any advice on how to repair this. The back of the boat has a crack on the bottom. Kind of ecplains why after an hour theres 4 or 5 inches of water in the boat.






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## bplayer405 (Jun 15, 2020)

lap202 said:


> Any advice on how to repair this. The back of the boat has a crack on the bottom. Kind of ecplains why after an hour theres 4 or 5 inches of water in the boat.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


There's a few ways to repair a crack like that. Epoxy to riveting in angle with a rubber seal to brazing or welding. Depends on your skill level or if you want a shop to make the repair. It will need to be extremely clean before any repair is attempted. 

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