# My build - A Series of Unfortunate Events



## Buffco (Apr 12, 2014)

I'll get to the specs and before-pics in a bit, but first, a sample of my work. Who can spot the mistake?


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## stevesecotec02 (Apr 12, 2014)

your hub looks bass akwards


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## lckstckn2smknbrls (Apr 12, 2014)

[url=https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=348443#p348443 said:


> stevesecotec02 » Sat Apr 12, 2014 7:03 pm[/url]"]your hub looks bass akwards


Yep.


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## huntinfool (Apr 12, 2014)

Yep, 2000lbs. Hub on backwards.


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## Buffco (Apr 12, 2014)

stevesecotec02 said:


> your hub looks bass akwards



It doesn't just look that way brother, it is.

You ever stare at something you did wrong as it slowly sinks in, but you still try to mentally will it to be right?

Yeah. Anyway, pics next. I have an '87 Alumacraft 1457, 9.9 HP Nissan (1992 vintage). The PO made a few mods that I thought I liked to begin with, until I found this forum.


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## Buffco (Apr 12, 2014)




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## Buffco (Apr 12, 2014)

The trolling motor mount is kind of rickity now because the rivets have wallowed out some. I want this mounted differently. Also the foot control was screwed to the rib.


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## Buffco (Apr 12, 2014)

The winch post needs work. The roller doesn't even contact the boat.





And the PO moved the roller mount down a couple times indicated by the ripped out holes.


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## Buffco (Apr 12, 2014)

PO took out the front bench and added the seat pedestal. It's open in the front which is handy for stuffing life vests in. 

But the live well... I thought I liked it, but it's a fish cooker. Water gets too warm and fish die pretty quickly in it. Thinking about taking it out but this is the most nerve wrecking part because it will require welding.


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## Buffco (Apr 12, 2014)

Now check this out. I'm assuming the welded aluminum struts strengthen the transom and I'm considering a 15-20 Yamaha four stroke. What do you guys think about these? They take up a lot of room that could be better utilized. I'd love some opinions on this especially.


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## Buffco (Apr 12, 2014)

Final mod from the PO, sliding rear seat. It kinda works and is handy for tiller steering without having your left hand chicken winging behind your back.


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## Buffco (Apr 12, 2014)

Sorry for the multiple posts. First thing I'm doing is sanding and painting, trailer and boat. The hubs were repainted and had new bearings, seals, and Bearing Buddies installed. If only I had sense enough to install them right side in. 

Thanks for looking.


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## stevesecotec02 (Apr 13, 2014)

When you say 1457 im assuming the beam is 57" so tje floor is 36". If so the 9.9 should do plenty and i wouldnt go bigger than a 15hp 2 stroke. A fourstroke that size is just too damn heavy on a small boat. Those transom braces look like overkill to me and probably add 20lbs to the transom. Maybe you could leave livewell and fill it with ice to be used as a cooler. The bow stop roller is useless on a flatbottom get a piece of 2x4 for the bow to.rest against. Good luck and have fun with your build.


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## ccm (Apr 13, 2014)

The old live well could be used as a nice dry storage box. If the trolling motor still runs good I'd look around for a used Gator mount. Easier operation + it has the break away feature which in most cases will keep the shaft from bending if you hit something. If you look around you can find one for $100 or less. The transom braces are a little crazy; if it were up to me I'd redo that because they take up quite a bit of room. Cool boat it is going to be a neat project to watch!


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## Buffco (Apr 13, 2014)

stevesecotec02 said:


> When you say 1457 im assuming the beam is 57" so tje floor is 36".



That is correct. I was puzzled by this too but that's what the spec sticker says on the side. 1457. Did Acraft just label them that way? But in any case yeah, it's a 36" deck.

About the transom, I'm clueless about them. I'm worried about removing the braces and why the PO put them there in the first place.

If I remove them, should I add knee braces at the bottom?


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## fool4fish1226 (Apr 13, 2014)

[url=https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=348480#p348480 said:


> Buffco » Today, 05:32[/url]"]
> 
> 
> stevesecotec02 said:
> ...



The PO was most likely running over the HP rating and wanted more support. I would not worry about removing them plus it looks like there are two knee braces on there that look stock. JMHP


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## Buffco (Apr 14, 2014)

Thanks. I feel more confident removing them now. Going to save a lot of space.

I have a few questions:

1) What are you guys using to secure aluminum angle to the ribs in your floor to make a flat bed? Pop rivets? SST screws? I've looked at several builds but can't find what is being used.

2) Can I use my air hammer to buck solid rivets? It seems from my research I may need to buy a regulator to lower the PSI at the hammer from 90 to about 25-40. 

3) If using my air hammer is OK, does anyone have a link for the hammer to use? All I have for my air hammer are typical demo chisels.

4) Finally, when using solid rivets, do you put any kind of sealant on the exterior on the rivet tail? Before or after bucking? Or does bucking it seal up the hole watertight?

5) What size solid rivets and where do you order them? Sorry, I'd only ever heard of and used blind/pop rivets.


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## huntinfool (Apr 14, 2014)

Welcome. Personally if the live well gets too hot for fish, it may not work for a cooler either. That being said, why not add a layer or two of insulation with a skin of aluminum. This will keep it from getting too warm and then could double as a cooler. Just a thought. 
As for the transom. It looks pretty stout. How is the original transom? Is the wood rotted? If not I'd say your probably OK. Sometimes people recognize a problem with a rotted transom, buy don't know how to fix it. I've seen many done like that. 
The bow stop can be changed to a board as stated above. 
As far as using an air hammer for rivets, I'm not sure. I do know you don't need any sealant on them.


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## Knee Deep (Apr 14, 2014)

It appears from the picture that the braces are there due to him raising the transom height.


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## Buffco (Apr 14, 2014)

Thanks for the replies, guys.

Do you guys use blind rivets to put aluminum angle across the ribs to build up a floor? Sorry for so many questions. I've been perusing this forum for a couple months, admiring the builds, but there are a couple of things that I've not seen an answer to.

Thanks.


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## TNtroller (Apr 15, 2014)

I doubt the transom braces as referred to are in fact braces. Looks more like a transom "riser" to me to raise the OB up some. Maybe he had too big/heavy of a motor on it and was trying to stop some flexing with the concept but don't see how it would have helped much.


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## Buffco (Apr 15, 2014)

Can't figure out what I want to do with the middle and front. The rear bench I think I will put a flush mount seat on the right, and gut the rest of the bench for storage. Probably close off the gap between transom and rear bench for fuel tank. 

Here's the thing. Most guys here build casting decks. I don't want that I don't think. A lot of my fishing is in the river and I use bream poles with popping bugs for redbreast. It requires you get low under overhanging branches so a casting deck will be way to high off the water.

I may extend the front a little to hide the battery and for extra storage.

That leaves the front seat and live well. I keep going back and forth on wanting a live well and not. Wondering if I should rebuild the front bench and install a flush mount seat in the middle with storage on either side.


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## Buffco (Jun 16, 2015)

Guys I don't know what to do with the rear riser. As you can see it makes the motor line up perfect with the bottom of the hull according to posts I've seen here. It's just a 9.9 so it's not over large as suggested above. 

View attachment 1


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## Jake11 (Jun 16, 2015)

nice boat! my last tinny was a 1436 alumacraft. loved it. nice thick hulls on them. as far as securing the angle to the ribs i would just use 3/16 pop rivets. i'm by no means an expert so take my advice as you will but anytime i'm securing anything that is above the water line or not going through the hull at all i just use pop rivets. easier IMO. I would say from those last two pictures that the "transom brace" is definitely more of a jack plate than a brace. from my experience with my acraft the transoms in them are tough as nails. mine was a 93 i think and had the original transom in it. the boat had NOT been well taken care of and that transom was still rock solid. i'm sure you've already picked this up from reading other posts but if you do go with screws to attach anything to the boat go with stainless and generous helping of 5200. i've had a couple of pretty nasty experiences with boats that had regular zinc/steel hardware used as fasteners on the hull. good luck and keep us updated.


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## surfman (Jun 17, 2015)

The 15 hp 4s and the 20 hp 4s Yamaha are exactly the same motor and weight the same. I looked at the 15 and got the 20 for that reason plus the extra 5 hp at no weight gain. If the wood in the transom is not rotted then there should be no need for all that bracing unless he was running along tail mud motor or something like that. If the wood is rotten replace it and it should hold a 20 hp 4s fine.


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## Buffco (Jun 17, 2015)

What about the line from the hull to the (terminology needed) part on the foot of the motor? From reading here in this forum those should be in line like they are currently in my setup. If I remove this homemade jack plate I'll only lower the motor 2 inches.

And no the transom isn't rotten. It's perfect.


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## surfman (Jun 17, 2015)

Yes it looks like it is at the right height, can you bolt the motor onto the transom?

on second look looks like the bolt holes are too high also, can that riser be bolted on better or can a more solid one be made. seems like I saw one on here not long ago someone made similar to that and it looked pretty good.


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## onthewater102 (Jun 17, 2015)

Looks like the motor is installed at the right height using the PO's riser...you can probably get rid of those gangling braces by simply running thru bolts through the riser material and the top of the transom.

I'll dig around here, somewhere recently I saw a post of someone bucking solids with an air hammer and a sledge head with a bevel drilled into it - he'd be the one to ask what pressure he was running etc. I was looking to do a restoration on my grandfather's boat where I'd be doing the same, so I needed to follow up on this question for myself too.

I buy my rivets through rivetsonline.com - i believe they have solid rivets as well.


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## Buffco (Jun 17, 2015)

The biggest issue are those braces running into the rear behind the back bench. They take up a lot of room. I may try fastening the riser better after removing the braces. 

Thanks for all the replies. Getting a new trolling motor, Minn Kota Edge 45 lb, 36" shaft today. Fishing this weekend!

Next on the list is to remove that live well. I don't use it, I just throw fish in the cooler on ice. I'll just need to find someone that can weld the hole he put there for water.


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## Buffco (Jun 20, 2015)

New Minn Kota Edge!


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## Buffco (Jun 20, 2015)

View attachment 1


View attachment 2


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## Jake11 (Jun 20, 2015)

Nice! I see she floats! I'm a little jealous.... it has rained here for the last 7 or 8 straight days. The only good thing is I don't feel bad about working on my build rather than fishing in it.


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## Oldfart9999 (Nov 26, 2015)

If you're still working on it Bass Pro Shops sell a jackplate for small boats and motors that should work very well and look good. Interesting build.
Rodney


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## Buffco (Nov 26, 2015)

Oldfart9999 said:


> If you're still working on it Bass Pro Shops sell a jackplate for small boats and motors that should work very well and look good. Interesting build.
> Rodney


Thanks for the update! Yeah I'm still working on it. Deer season put it on hiatus. [emoji4]


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