# Ethanw08's 1542 Jon to Crappie Cracker



## Ethanw08 (Dec 13, 2017)

Hey everyone, I am going to be receiving a new project in a week or two and was wanting to get your preference on it. Would you rather me do the complete build and then just lay all the pics and write up on you at once, or would you rather me structure it like a blog post where I update you as the progression is made? What would yall prefer happen? I have some really neat stuff that I am going to put in this boat that I don't think has ever been on this page so it should be interesting and of course, there are a lot of things I will be incorporating that I did see on this page. 

Thanks in advance, I will be posting pictures of what it looks like when I get it here in the next few days.

Ethan


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## jasper60103 (Dec 13, 2017)

Ethanw08 said:


> Hey everyone, I am going to be receiving a new project in a week or two and was wanting to get your preference on it. Would you rather me do the complete build and then just lay all the pics and write up on you at once, or would you rather me structure it like a blog post where I update you as the progression is made? What would yall prefer happen? I have some really neat stuff that I am going to put in this boat that I don't think has ever been on this page so it should be interesting and of course, there are a lot of things I will be incorporating that I did see on this page.
> 
> Thanks in advance, I will be posting pictures of what it looks like when I get it here in the next few days.
> 
> Ethan



Congrats and welcome aboard, Ethan!
Update as you progress with lots of pictures!

jasper


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## Ethanw08 (Dec 14, 2017)

Sounds good to me! Thanks for sharing your opinion! This first "blog" post might be a bit long winded, but I wanted to do something different than most I have seen and include an itinerary/cost sheet that you guys can refer back to and follow along with me as the build progresses so that you can see how much it is costing me and what else is left to do. I thought it might be a fun little thing to add. But first is a quick informal introduction and story of the boat and myself.

First my name is Ethan, and I plan to pick up the boat next week. I am not sure what brand it is, I just know it is a 15x42 that doesn't have any major leaks with a basically brand new electric start 25hp Merc that has only 20-30 hours on it. The amount he wants seems kind of expensive for the boat, but the motor alone costs about 4k. So in my thinking, I am basically buying the motor for half price, and getting a boat and trailer as a bonus. See, I was with my cousin when he bought the motor, and I know for a fact that he paid like 3k for it and when he jokingly offered the boat, motor, and trailer to me at $2,500 during deer camp saying "I'd sell it to you for $2,500 cause you're family" Well, I kind of laughed it off and said "for that price I may think about it man" I didn't think he was serious, and I certainly was not looking for a boat so there wasn't much said about it at that time. It wasn't' long before we changed the discussion to the deer we had seen that day and then whatever else guys talk about at deer camp. About a week later at thanksgiving dinner I asked him if he was for real on the boat offer and he said he was joking at camp but after thinking about it, he hasn't used the boat but twice (just two test drives basically) after I went with him to buy the 25hp Merc and would sell it to me if I was going to get more use from it, so I decided to buy it from him and the rest is history.

As for me, I am an avid outdoorsman that works as an accountant to support by hobbies. I am not the normal accountant, so I am told by my colleges in the sense that I enjoy getting my hands dirty. To them, this means that I don't take my vehicles to the mechanics for maintenance or repairs, and also because I hunt, fish, and love the outdoors more than the next guy here in the office to say the least. I have to admit, it does suck sometimes working in the office with people that would rather read books or talk about the ball game they saw last night than about that monster fish they caught or even better, the boat they sunk last weekend! But it is what it is, I like them, but its fair to say our common interest don't relate much in the office. 

Now that I have deeply depressed you with boring accountant stuff, you must know that I love to live in the details and analyze data or I would hate my job. I absolutely love to live in the details. SO, without futher a-due, I have gathered the "details" to share with you and listed them below. Everything with a star (*) at the end is an item that I have made an educated guess at the cost, and everything without a star (*) is something that I have added to my online shopping cart or have actually purchased. The reason for this is that I want you to know the known costs vs. the costs that may change in the future. Furthermore, the ($0) items are items that I have laying around the house and will most likely use. This list is subject to change, and is not concrete by any means but I will update it as those things change and let you guys know so that you can still follow along. I will also probably make a Project Completion Time Schedule so that you guys can keep me accountable for when I slack off. But that will be at a later date. So seriously this time, here is the list.

*Boat*
Jon Boat - $2,500

*Livewell Setup* - $52
*Trolling Setup* - $329
*Console & Storage Setup* - $470
*Boat Layout Cost* - $1,072

*Total Cost - 4,469 w/boat cost or 1,969 for just mods*

*Items For Each Setup*

*Livewell*
Cooler - $0
Bilge Pump - $17
Hose - $20
Catch Bucket - $15

*Trolling Setup*
Motor - $0
Battery - $174
Voltage Meter and Power Switch - $19
Minnkota Battery Box - $55
ProMariner On Board Charger - $81

*Console & Storage*
Garmin Striker 7 SV - 369 (caught a sweet deal on this side imaging sonar)
6 Gang Power Panel - 41
Building Materials - $60***

*Boat Layout*
LED's - $20
Seats - $167
Casting Seat - $94
Anchor Lock - $72
Casting Deck - $210
Bilge Pump - $17
External Fuel Fill - $41
Stabilizer Pod Welding - $60***
Removable Outrigger - $120***
DIY Power Pole - $25***
Closed Cell Foam - $15***
Boat Carpet - $160
Electrical Hardware - $70***


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## RedHatRedNeck (Dec 14, 2017)

Sounds like she’ll of a deal. Where are you located at?


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## Hanr3 (Dec 14, 2017)

Good luck staying on budget. :mrgreen: 

Looking forward to watching the progress.


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## Ethanw08 (Dec 14, 2017)

Hanr3 said:


> Good luck staying on budget. :mrgreen:
> 
> Looking forward to watching the progress.



Haha! Oh no! This listing wasn't my budget, it was just everything I could think of (big ticket items) I didnt even start to consider thr small stuff. The list wasn't meant to serve as a budget, but rather judt to give you guys an idea of where i was heading with the build. A budget wpuld be just too hard to do since I simply don't know everything that is going to be involved. I would agree though - if I had a budget I would need to take that amount and double it! Lol


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## Ethanw08 (Dec 14, 2017)

RedHatRedNeck said:


> Sounds like she’ll of a deal. Where are you located at?



Thanks! I'm from oklahoma. I don't plan on taking this to the big water lakes. If you guys want to google map them the lakes are Arbuckle lake, Thunderbird Lake, El Reno Lake, Fort Cobb Lake, and smaller lakes around the central part of the state.


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## Ethanw08 (Dec 14, 2017)

RedHatRedNeck said:


> Sounds like she’ll of a deal. Where are you located at?



Thanks! I'm from oklahoma. I don't plan on taking this to the big water lakes. If you guys want to google map them the lakes are Arbuckle lake, Thunderbird Lake, El Reno Lake, Fort Cobb Lake, and smaller lakes around the central part of the state.


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## RedHatRedNeck (Dec 14, 2017)

I lived on the Moore/OKC line for a little more than 3 Years. Know all the lakes you’re talking about. Also places on Kaw lake and the river north of the lak that boat would do good in. And places you can use lake to get to good public deer ground. What part of OK?


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## RedHatRedNeck (Dec 14, 2017)

Let me know if you’re ever up by Kansas City. I also make it back down to OKC was very once in a while.


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## RStewart (Dec 17, 2017)

Ethanw08 said:


> RedHatRedNeck said:
> 
> 
> > Sounds like she’ll of a deal. Where are you located at?
> ...



I've fished all those lakes except El Reno, but it's on my list. I live about 5 minutes south of thunderbird. Nice boat you got there & welcome aboard.


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## Ethanw08 (Dec 22, 2017)

Hey everyone,

It has been awhile since I have been able to post. Went on vacation last weekend to Vegas and had a severe cold kick in as I was getting of the plane which has kept me down for half of the week. I had enough energy to go pick up the boat last night and take some pictures this afternoon. Long story short, whoever had this boat before my cousin didn't take great care of it and probably hit every stump they saw.

While the boat apparently doesn't leak. I am going to have to do a leak test from some of the rivets I have seen. Also, there looks to be a few major dents in the boat where they have hit stuff. I doubt it leaks but it would be nice to make the boat look clean. If the dents are too bad, I might save the money for the huge plans I had to buy a better platform to work off of. I will know more in the coming weeks.


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## Ethanw08 (Feb 21, 2018)

I kind of fell off posting about the boat since there wasn't much interest after my last post. 

However, I got it in the garage last weekend where the real work began. Here is a list of accomplishments made in the past week. If you guys want pictures, I can post them if yall are interested. 

Cleaned boat out.

Performed rudimentary leak test by filling hull woth 4 inches of water. There was a slight drip from the transom where the engine mount is.

Tear down - Ripped out the ugly rigged and very unsafe wiring panel/box. Ripped out trailer harness wiring, and removed the previous owners water logged foam pad on the front mini platform.

This allowed me to start from ground zero.

Work started on Sunday -it is now wednesday and i have built the casting deck, carpeted, and installed using untreated wood that i sealed myself. 

Painted the front portion under the casting deck.

Incorporated the gas tank in frame so it and the battery can be moved to the front.

Then I tested the motor and it runs like a champ.

I plan to paint the rest of the hull just a regular brown color and install a trolling motor. I really wanted this build to be an amazing one but frankly, the previous owner shredded this boat frame so I think that build should be saved until I can buy a much better platform to play with.

I also recently got laid off so that has put a kink in funds for a bit so I am just making it functional and reasonable at this time. But it still needs to look nice.


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## eview326 (Feb 21, 2018)

Nice work 


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## Mainline9 (Feb 22, 2018)

Enjoying your ‘account’ of the build. Almost expected to see a spreadsheet from a boat builder who knows his numbers. Looking forward to seeing your progress.


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## Ethanw08 (Feb 22, 2018)

Thanks guys - today it was icy here so I did not have to go to work and what better way to spend the day than working on the boat? Today was one of those days where everything kinda came together and all the boring mock up prep work seemed to really pay off. 

Also, as a bonus to you guys, some sparks from the grinder somehow made its way into my tinder fungus (sounds worse than it is, basically tinder fungus is a tree fungus that grows on sick trees.) If you knock this off a tree and use a saw blade it becomes a fine powder that will take even the smallest spark to create an ember... I have this stuff for my bush crafting hobby. Anyways, without further adue here are some pictures for you!


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## Prowelder (Feb 23, 2018)

What type of motor did the boat come with?

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## Ethanw08 (Feb 23, 2018)

It came with a Mercury 25 hp electric start with only 30 or so hours on it


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## thedude (Feb 23, 2018)

I'm an accountant! And a boat owner!

Following along. I live in North Texas and have been to Arbuckle and lake dirty bird. Sounds like you have an awesome motor and dry boat. The rest will come together. I like the gas charged struts! Save a smashed finger or two...


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## Prowelder (Feb 23, 2018)

Ethanw08 said:


> It came with a Mercury 25 hp electric start with only 30 or so hours on it


OK that makes sense. I thought $2500 was an awful lot of money for that boat

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## Ethanw08 (Feb 23, 2018)

thedude said:


> I'm an accountant! And a boat owner!
> 
> Following along. I live in North Texas and have been to Arbuckle and lake dirty bird. Sounds like you have an awesome motor and dry boat. The rest will come together. I like the gas charged struts! Save a smashed finger or two...



It sounds like we have a lot in common! You must fish the south side of Texoma quite a bit! (I am assuming of course.) I think Thunderbird (I do hate how dirty it is!) will be my most common lake since this is a crappie boat and that isn't half bad for sauger and crappie. I did grow up spending my summers at Arbuckle and man, that lake is gorgeous! ....nice and clean water there for sure!

Thanks for the compliments on the motor and dry boat. I am hoping it will be stable enough with all these mods I am doing to it. I have to say those struts are my favorite mod so far, they are so handy! I know they will definitely be worth their weight in gold when I have to start taking the gas tank in and out, and also for cleaning.


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## Ethanw08 (Feb 23, 2018)

Prowelder said:


> Ethanw08 said:
> 
> 
> > It came with a Mercury 25 hp electric start with only 30 or so hours on it
> ...



Yeah, 2,500 would have been a bit steep if it did not come with that motor for sure. Since the motor is worth about 4k new I figure I basically just bought the motor and got the boat and trailer for free.


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## Ethanw08 (Feb 23, 2018)

Alright guys time for a bit of an update:

Tonight I went to Bass Pro to get an impeller/water pump for the motor. Reason being - my cousin said he had not changed it in about three years and from what research I have done on outboards (I am a complete newbie at them) says that they need to be replaced every two years especially if they are not used often because the rubber will take a set and not spin correctly. Since this boat has not hardly been ran in the past three years I decided I needed one. Long story short Bass Pro did not carry them and told me they would have to order one. I decided to get one off Ebay and so now I have one coming to the house. The price tag was about 26 bucks or so which I didn't think was too bad of a deal. 

Since I was at Bass Pro I decided to splurge a little. I bought a seat post for one of my seats that was originally matched with a bench attachment. When I bought the boat it came with two seats. SO, now instead of two bench seats, I have one camo seat for the back bench (to steer when driving) and then another camo seat which will mount to pole that is quick-mounted/inserted in the floor.

With that said, the previous owner (not my cousin) mounted this receptacle/pole base way up front. ALOT further than I would have. To paint the picture for you, it is about 9-10 inches centered behind the bow rail. Because of this, when I am sitting in the chair my feet dangle, and sit literally very tip of the bow rail. What I am trying to say is that if my fata$$ snaps that pole I am going in the water. :LOL2: It seems stable enough so I will give it a go for a few trips to determine if I am going to keep it there.

Since one of my plans is to have the gas tank in the bow - I bought a big spool of fuel line and as I was doing the mock up I noticed that the fuel pump thingy is ripping from being old so I purchased a new one at BPS tonight for a whopping 25 dollars..holy cow for what that thing is, 25 dollars seemed excessive.... 

So, in summary, I now have a working casting chair setup, all necessary fuel line parts, and I have started painting the inside of the hull a flat brown color. 

What color do you think would go well on the outside? Green, brown, what? I was thinking I would do brown on the inside and then green on the outside as kind of a two tone but maybe that would be ugly...I don't know at this point.

*In the works:*
Future plans include buying a battery (to be bow mounted as well), 4 gauge wire to run to back to the engine for electric start and accessories.

I bought 3/4 pvc for the wire channeling but it proved too large to run through the gunnel channels so I am going to have to downsize to 1/2" I guess. My plans so far is to have the fuel line running along the passenger side of the gunnel protected by pvc and then the electrical is to be ran on the driver side gunnel. None of the wiring or gasoline is going to be ran on the floor. 

What do you guys think? I will have pictures to come tomorrow night most likely.


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## thedude (Feb 24, 2018)

Never seen the fuel tank up front but no reason it shouldn't work. If you can get the fuel and battery both up there it should be a nice weight distribution.


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## Scott F (Feb 24, 2018)

I noticed that you said the motor is electric start and you have a trolling motor but you are only using one battery?


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## Ethanw08 (Feb 24, 2018)

Scott F said:


> I noticed that you said the motor is electric start and you have a trolling motor but you are only using one battery?



Technically I don't even have one battery yet lol. When i built the frame, I incorporated enough space for two batteries but I didn't know if two batteries were necessarily needed. If I did do two batteries would yoi suggest I use a dual purpose or a starting type battery for the main motor/accessories?


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## Ethanw08 (Feb 24, 2018)

Another update:

I was able to get most of the boat painted with the exception of the bottom. Here are some pictures of what the boat looks like now, it isn't exceptional in my opinion, but it is better than the camo pattern it had before. Maybe it didn't grow on me since I am not a hardcore duck hunter, but I think a brown/green simplistic pattern is best for all around hunting and fishing which is how this rig is going to be used. 

I was also able to get to the store and pick up some of the electrical stuff that I am going to need. I also got new trailer jack and wheel. the old one with the flat spot was not cutting it. That thing has been such a PITA every time I needed to move the boat.

Here are some pictures.


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## Prowelder (Feb 24, 2018)

You should order a cat tail stencel they're only like 15 bucks. And you could spray the outside of it with some different colors that green is awful. I hate to see you do all that work to it I leave it that color...

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## Ethanw08 (Feb 24, 2018)

Prowelder said:


> You should order a cat tail stencel they're only like 15 bucks. And you could spray the outside of it with some different colors that green is awful. I hate to see you do all that work to it I leave it that color...
> 
> Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk



I am definitely open to ideas, however, I have no reason to do a cat tail pattern. The green definitely isnt my favorite either. I am hoping the green grows on me, otherwise I might repaint it a tan color


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## Prowelder (Feb 24, 2018)

Ethanw08 said:


> Prowelder said:
> 
> 
> > You should order a cat tail stencel they're only like 15 bucks. And you could spray the outside of it with some different colors that green is awful. I hate to see you do all that work to it I leave it that color...
> ...


I definitely recommend repainting it. But that is just my opinion

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## Ethanw08 (Feb 26, 2018)

Alright, so this weekend was pretty productive. I finished the paint, ran the fuel line to the front, and started the electrical last night. While in the paint process I was able to get some more information on my boat. It seems that the previous owners that painted the boat, painted right over the LOWE decal. So, now I at least know what brand my boat is. The Lowe measures 15 feet long by 42 inches wide, but I do not see this boat offered on their website. Does anyone know what year Lowes may have made these?

Anyways, I just thought it was neat that I was at least able to figure out what brand the boat was. Stay tuned for the update coming with pictures.


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## ncfishin (Feb 28, 2018)

Good job. I really like the hatches. BTW, I hope you didn't have your CZ in the case when you was grinding! I got the same exact case with a nice 97B. Sweet guns.


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## ncfishin (Feb 28, 2018)

Just re-read the thread. Glock magazine, no big deal. I'd think about a different storage for the tinder.


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## thedude (Feb 28, 2018)

Ethanw08 said:


> Alright, so this weekend was pretty productive. I finished the paint, ran the fuel line to the front, and started the electrical last night. While in the paint process I was able to get some more information on my boat. It seems that the previous owners that painted the boat, painted right over the LOWE decal. So, now I at least know what brand my boat is. The Lowe measures 15 feet long by 42 inches wide, but I do not see this boat offered on their website. Does anyone know what year Lowes may have made these?
> 
> Anyways, I just thought it was neat that I was at least able to figure out what brand the boat was. Stay tuned for the update coming with pictures.


No title to the boat? I figured it would say what model and year.


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## Ethanw08 (Feb 28, 2018)

thedude said:


> Ethanw08 said:
> 
> 
> > Alright, so this weekend was pretty productive. I finished the paint, ran the fuel line to the front, and started the electrical last night. While in the paint process I was able to get some more information on my boat. It seems that the previous owners that painted the boat, painted right over the LOWE decal. So, now I at least know what brand my boat is. The Lowe measures 15 feet long by 42 inches wide, but I do not see this boat offered on their website. Does anyone know what year Lowes may have made these?
> ...



I got the title for it just last night, so at the time I didnt have that to look at..


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## Ethanw08 (Mar 1, 2018)

ncfishin said:


> Good job. I really like the hatches. BTW, I hope you didn't have your CZ in the case when you was grinding! I got the same exact case with a nice 97B. Sweet guns.



Thanks! Fortunately I did not have the CZ in the case! It is safely inside the house. I love my CZ 75B. It fits the hand so well!


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## Ethanw08 (Mar 1, 2018)

ncfishin said:


> Just re-read the thread. Glock magazine, no big deal. I'd think about a different storage for the tinder.



LOL the tinder that was ignited was all I had so no worries on it happening again! I am sure the issue was that I didn't have a lid on it. Had I had it sealed it wouldn't have happened lol.


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## Ethanw08 (Mar 1, 2018)

Update:

So, looking at the previous update I have since got the wires for the navigation lights, bilge pump, and electric start ran. I built a navigation/console for my new 6 gang switch assembly and possibly a stereo. I have to say, wiring up the navigation lights in the front was a PITA. A serious PITA for real! That alone took probably 4-5 hours. 

I am getting a little hasty, I want to get the boat in the water Friday the 2nd and so I am trying to just kinda throw it all together and I will make it look nicer next week.

The navigation panel could look a lot better, it is just bare plywood and I am considering it unfinished even though it is fully functional. Again, I want this thing to be nice so I just kinda took some rough cuts, slapped some screws on it so that I can focus on the trolling motor. 

I scored a really old motorguide bow mounted setup (probably 80's model.) It looks pretty rough, but works in all speeds so it will definitely do the job. I am having trouble figuring out a good place to mount it because I had originally planned on using a transom mounted motor.....

So I am in a pickle so to speak. I have a 30lb thrust transom and a 40 lb bow mount. Only issue I am having with the bow mount is making a raised platform for it to be mounted to, but if I do that. I don't have access to bolt it down. Pictures are to come, and I have been snapping them throughout all this new stuff I have been doing, but I just haven't had the time to sit down and do a good write up. it is coming though for sure, I promise.


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## Prowelder (Mar 6, 2018)

Ethanw08 said:


> Update:
> 
> So, looking at the previous update I have since got the wires for the navigation lights, bilge pump, and electric start ran. I built a navigation/console for my new 6 gang switch assembly and possibly a stereo. I have to say, wiring up the navigation lights in the front was a PITA. A serious PITA for real! That alone took probably 4-5 hours.
> 
> ...


This looks like the Most common way to mount a front trolling motor. It's like a hat section channel attached to the decking






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## Ethanw08 (Mar 9, 2018)

Man, I bet you folks might think I fell off the face of the Earth by now!

Quite the contrary! I took the boat out last Friday and found that it had a leak in the transom, and also a leak in the floor. The transom leak was easy to fix but the leak in the floor only occurs at speed (10-15mph) so it is a bit harder to troubleshoot, but I will find it in due time.

*Accomplishments since the test ride on Friday:*
Mounted and wired the Garmin Striker 7SV fish finder.
Sealed Transom Leaks
Grabbed my hole saws and punched a hole in the side of the boat for my bilge pump hose. Since I routed it to go into the console and pour out the side of the boat at that location you cant even see the hose. It looks pretty clean.

*Things in the works:*

1.) Trolling Motor - Guys, the trolling motor I bought works fine. There was nothing mechanically wrong with it. My issue was with that dang foot pedal. I found when sitting in the casting chair, there was just not much room to use a setup like that. If you remember from the previous body work postings, the casting chair mount is only like a foot from the front rail of the boat so it doesn't leave much room if any at all to work the pedal. Anyway, I figured a transom mount with a hand dial would be the ticket for this seat location on the boat. So I went to Bass Pro today and bought a brand new Minn Kota 55lb Endura Max with a fancy Digital CPU/monitor that is supposed to save quite a bit of run time. They advertise it will save up to 5x the running speed. I doubt it, but we will see... I am pretty excited about this new trolling motor and look forward to removing that old 40lb thrust 1970-1980's model one and installing the new and improved one.

2.) Find that pesky leak!
3.)Carpet the benches and Navigation console
4.) Install one more latch for the casting deck hatch.


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## Ethanw08 (Mar 12, 2018)

Update: 

I removed the old trolling motor and mounted the new one on Friday night and took it to the lake on Saturday. Man, that thing ran sweet! Ran it basically all day long and only had it deplete the battery to a 3/4 charge. Not bad!

I also found that leak! I have since bucked the rivet and will soon find out if that did the trick.

I will be installing the latch this week. But the carpet will be a little while. After that, I think the build is pretty much wrapped up. I will be posting pictures probably on Wednesday or Thursday this week.


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