# 1973 PolarKraft 1440 MV - The Birth of Ictalurus



## Ictalurus (Apr 12, 2010)

I found this beauty on CL a few weeks back, no trailer or motor, and the mods are now in full progress. I had previously restored a 1965 12' SeaKing and was looking for a longer and wider boat. I had not heard of TinBoats when the SeaKing was modded, but I staggered across this place over the winter and have gotten plenty of good ideas from everyone, especially knowledge of metal work. It seems fashioning a high front deck is the most popular option, but our family often takes scenic river trips and my wife prefers to sit a little lower in the boat, so keeping a low floor was the starting point. After several trips to BPS and Lowe's, there were enough supplies stockpiled to begin the mod. I have attached a layout plan, please let me know if you see any design or useablitly design flaws or improvements that can be made. Over the last week the boat has been cleaned out, leaks patched up, primed, bottom side painted and the decking cut out. One question on the water sealer for the wood, I purchased some Cabot's Deck Stain (wanting to stay clear of Thompson's), the can indicates water protection, just hoping it's good to go, not wanting to add another sealer on top of it. Again, love the site and ideas or suggestions would be most welcome.


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## nathanielrthomas (Apr 12, 2010)

Looks Great!! Welcome aboard.


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## perchin (Apr 12, 2010)

Is that cabot stain??? Hope your not just staining the wood, stain is not a sealer or protectant, its made to change the color of wood(stain). you'll need to seal it with some good spar urathane or thompson's. I go with spar urathane, let it set up for 30 min. and hit it again. (do that twice for a high build-up of protectant.) That's one nice looking boat you got there. Welcome aboard and good luck with your project. :wink:


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## Ictalurus (Apr 12, 2010)

I'm also a bit confused on the stain/sealer. In reading this site, I've tried to stay away from Thompson's. The label on the can indicates it water protects and the clerk at Lowe's said it was fine, but you know how that goes. I've always used stain and then spar varnish over that, but this time I'm just looking to seal and carpet. I've thrown on a better picture of the stain/ possible sealer, let me know what you think.


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## dixie_boysles (Apr 12, 2010)

HOLY CRAP. We have the same exact boat except yours is 8 years older! We even did the same kind of floor bracing (aluminum agle with small vertical pieces...lol) Great minds must think alike!! 

here is the link to my Polarkraft build:

https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=12178&start=0.

Your doing an awesome job man! Im going to paint mine flat gray using Parker Coatings jon boat paint from cabelas with the whole interior of the boat grey carpeted. just check out the pics and you will see man!


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## dixie_boysles (Apr 12, 2010)

you wouldnt want to sell me that front handle for the boat would you!?


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## perchin (Apr 12, 2010)

Ictalurus said:


> I'm also a bit confused on the stain/sealer. In reading this site, I've tried to stay away from Thompson's. The label on the can indicates it water protects and the clerk at Lowe's said it was fine, but you know how that goes. I've always used stain and then spar varnish over that, but this time I'm just looking to seal and carpet. I've thrown on a better picture of the stain/ possible sealer, let me know what you think.



To give you the shortest possible answer, you would still need to seal over with spar urathane. They say stain/sealer becuase its to mislead you to believe they are the go to for every application. All brands do this, they get away with it because the sealer part is to seal in the stain without bleeding. (kinda misleading huh?lol)
Anyways, yeah I personally would use any spar urathane over thompsons myself.


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## Ictalurus (Apr 12, 2010)

dixie_boysles said:


> you wouldnt want to sell me that front handle for the boat would you!?
> you wouldnt want to sell me that front handle for the boat would you!?



It's an interesting piece, i just replaced the old rusty 6 lb steel reinforcement bar with a lighter, better looking aluminum piece.



perchin said:


> you would still need to seal over with spar urathane



No problem, although I was hoping this would work.


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## Ictalurus (Apr 12, 2010)

dixie_boysles said:


> HOLY CRAP. We have the same exact boat



I really like the PolarKraft. I had my eye out for a 14 ' that was 40" - 48" wide, preferably the latter. It seems the used market is flooded with 36" and those with a 48" bought them for a reason and hang on to them for awhile. This 1440 popped up and I pulled the trigger. I've had it on the water a few times and it seams pretty darn stable and very well built.


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## dixie_boysles (Apr 12, 2010)

yeah they are very well built! so are you putting the front handle back? Im really looking for one and dont know where to find one


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## Froggy (Apr 12, 2010)

Nice start, good luck.


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## Ictalurus (Apr 12, 2010)

Well, after stewing about the water sealant the past few hours, I'm going to pick some up on the way home tonight, any thoughts on what you consider to work the best.


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## ober51 (Apr 12, 2010)

Spar varnish is my personal fave and protects super well. The Thompson's/ Bear's etc water proofer.


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## perchin (Apr 12, 2010)

spar varnish doesn't have the protectant that spar urathane does. Go with any spar urathane.


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## ober51 (Apr 12, 2010)

perchin said:


> spar varnish doesn't have the protectant that spar urathane does. Go with any spar urathane.


  That's what I meant - I used Spar Urathane.


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## Ictalurus (Apr 13, 2010)

Not to beat a dead horse on this one, I double checked the Cabot web site this morning and looked up the product I bought (thinking it was sealer and stain) and they claimed the following:

"This distinctive product not only sustains the natural beauty of exterior wood, it also provides excellent wood penetrating protection against the sun and all damaging weather elements. It’s
water-repellent, to keep moisture out and guard against wood warping and checking. Cabot Wood Toned Deck & Siding Stain is for use on new or reconditioned wood only, including decks, siding, shingles, shakes, trim and on log homes. Mildew Resistant: Yes."

https://www.cabotstain.com/pdf/CSOL3000.pdf

Everyone still on the side of another coat or two with an additional sealent? Just making sure I'm spending too much time sealing and sealing again, although that may not be a bad thing.


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## longjohn119 (Apr 13, 2010)

Water repellent and water proof are two entirely different things. Go with the spar urethane, personally I like the Varathane line. My brother makes custom doors for the insanely wealthy and he swears by Varathane but Minwax Helmsman is a good spar urethane too. I used it on all my decking and 1/4" sideboards too and not a bit of rot on any of it after 7 hard seasons of use. It also makes a better base for gluing carpeting, products like Thomson's waterseal or raw stain finishes like you have now are very poor in that department

I just traded in a '66 Polarkraft 1436 that I rebuilt the transom on in 2003 and it's was as solid as the day I finished it. Even the guy at the boat place was impressed (I had backed up nearly the entire transom with 3/16" plate I had obtained a few years earlier). I rebucked every rivet on the boat and only had one leak on me the entire time and that was due to a trailer issue tearing one loose. Tough little boats, I even jumped logs with it in the spring going up creeks and side channels when the Mississippi was high (Not recommended unless you really know what you are doing and have a strong arm to lift the motor fast as you slide over). I had an old 20 HP Merc 200 on the back and it would really scoot even with all the excess weight from all the wood I used. 

Bottom line: If you are going to use wood for anything in a boat you really need to seal it up, especially if it's stored outside. That's doubly true for a major structural component like a transom.


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## Loggerhead Mike (Apr 13, 2010)

> Ictalurus



can you pronounce that in dummy terms for me :mrgreen:


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## Ictalurus (Apr 13, 2010)

Loggerhead Mike said:


> can you pronounce that in dummy terms for me



I'm not quite sure how to type out the pronounciation, but, Ictalurus is a genus of catfishes (order Siluriformes) of the family Ictaluridae. It includes the well-known channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) and blue catfish (Ictalurus furcatus). 

I was going to name the boat the "Catfish", but being a biologist, everyone at work thought that I should go with the scientific name.


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## Troutman3000 (Apr 13, 2010)

Ictalurus said:


> Loggerhead Mike said:
> 
> 
> > can you pronounce that in dummy terms for me
> ...




I love the name.....


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## nathanielrthomas (Apr 13, 2010)

Troutman3000 said:


> Ictalurus said:
> 
> 
> > Loggerhead Mike said:
> ...




ick tal oo russ


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## Ictalurus (Apr 14, 2010)

The transom is now complete, boy is that fun wedging in in and out of there to make sure it fits. Also, picked up a gallon of Minwax Helmsman Spar Urathane to protect the wood decks. Tonight, the back deck is on the agenda, will post pics later.


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## Ictalurus (Apr 21, 2010)

It has been a busy week on the boat. All woodwork has been completed and now in the finishing stage. The front seat support is complete, decided to leave it open through the bottom rather than box it in, should leave room to attach a paddle to the seat. 

Up next:

Seal all wood with spar urathane.
Paint the inside.
Run electric lines to the front and back.
Carpet decking.


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## Troutman3000 (Apr 21, 2010)

Looking great man! Cant wait to see it finished.


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## Ictalurus (Apr 21, 2010)

Just a tip on the vents in the back deck, they are from Lowe's, extremely heavy duty (designed to be walked on) and only cost about $1.50 each. The marine vents at BPS are $7.00 to $10.00 depending on size, and only came in white. Thought it was a find.


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## perchin (Apr 21, 2010)

Ictalurus said:


> Just a tip on the vents in the back deck, they are from Lowe's, extremely heavy duty (designed to be walked on) and only cost about $1.50 each. The marine vents at BPS are $7.00 to $10.00 depending on size, and only came in white. Thought it was a find.



Thanks.. :wink: And the boat is coming along nice.


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## biggun1979 (Apr 21, 2010)

The boat looks great I CANT WAIT TO SEE MORE what part of tennesse are you in


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## Ictalurus (Apr 22, 2010)

biggun1979 said:


> what part of tennesse are you in




I'm just outside of Memphis. Most frequent fishing trips are to Herb Parsons, Glenn Springs and the Hatchie River. Now with the bigger boat it would be nice to fill a cooler with some slabs up at Reelfoot and also Lake Sardis and Lake Enid just across the border in MS.


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## Loggerhead Mike (Apr 22, 2010)

lookn good man


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## Ictalurus (Apr 26, 2010)

Made a little progress the last few days, basically just making sure that there is nothing left to cut and everything is ready for the final few coats of urathane. Put it together to make sure it all fit before carpeting the decks. Here are the most recent pictures.


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## Troutman3000 (Apr 26, 2010)

Looks good man. The carpet adds about 1/8th of an inch to the edge just so you know.


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## Ictalurus (Apr 26, 2010)

Troutman3000 said:


> The carpet adds about 1/8th of an inch to the edge just so you know.




Thanks troutmann, that should just about seal it up nice. There are a few places where an extra 1/4" would be nice though.


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## Ictalurus (May 26, 2010)

It was a very productive weekend, the boat is now complete  I'm very pleased with the final result, plenty of storage and open space. Check it out.


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## sacalait (May 26, 2010)

Nice !!!!!! =D>


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## CHILLWILLATX (May 26, 2010)

Looks like a lot of fun - when are you going to be taking it out.


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## Troutman3000 (May 26, 2010)

THAT LOOKS AWESOME>>>>>


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## Brine (May 26, 2010)

Very nice.

Is the small hatch in the floor at the bow for the foot pedal?


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## Ictalurus (May 26, 2010)

Thank you all for your kind comments and ideas throughout the project.



Brine said:


> Is the small hatch in the floor at the bow for the foot pedal?



No, just a little place for wallets, keys, etc...


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## UtahBassKicker (May 27, 2010)

DUDE..........Completely awesome!!! Well Done! =D>


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## ober51 (May 27, 2010)

Nice and clean, great job.


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## dyeguy1212 (May 27, 2010)

Looks great!


Can you point me in the direction of those vents in the back? I need to pick some up for my rear deck. Are the thick enough to have someone stand on them without cracking them?


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## wolfmjc (May 27, 2010)

Nice Job! =D>


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## Ictalurus (May 28, 2010)

dyeguy1212 said:


> Can you point me in the direction of those vents in the back? I need to pick some up for my rear deck. Are the thick enough to have someone stand on them without cracking them?



Picked them up at Lowe's in the plumbing section, they're designed to go in floors and be walked on, $3.94 for the pair :lol:


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## biggun1979 (May 28, 2010)

Man the boat looks great be proud of it good job


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## MrHitman007 (May 29, 2010)

GREAT job... looks like you are ready for some fishing!


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## dyeguy1212 (May 29, 2010)

Ictalurus said:


> dyeguy1212 said:
> 
> 
> > Can you point me in the direction of those vents in the back? I need to pick some up for my rear deck. Are the thick enough to have someone stand on them without cracking them?
> ...



Darn, mine doesn't have them (or atleast I don't think). I looked for some about 2 months ago, and all they had were white ones. Looks like you lucked out!


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## Ictalurus (Jan 18, 2011)

The boat has been great to fish out of. I've made a few changes to make things move a little smoother out on the water. I've removed the permanently mounted seats and installed seat bases so when I'm by myself there's no tripping over another seat. Also the battery has been moved to the back hatch next to the gas tank. The additional storage space mid vessel is very nice.


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## natestep (Jan 18, 2011)

Good job bud, looks great!


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## BaitCaster (Jan 26, 2011)

I like what you've done here. I am thinking about adding a low front deck like yours to my boat. Mainly I want to be able to have a pedestal/post in the front so I can have a bycicle style seat for fishing.


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## vanbc (Jan 26, 2011)

Very nice job!!!! =D> 

How much weight would all that wood add to your boat ? 

Up here in Cananda i have heard that if you do a mod like that you have to get the boat inspected. Do you have to do something similar ?


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## Ictalurus (Jan 26, 2011)

Thanks Baitcaster, I love the low deck, feel much better in the boat rather than on it. The boat also doubles occasionally as a family craft so the middle seat needs to stay in. I've thought and thought about seating options and this seems to be working. I see your boat has a livewell in the middle seat, I can only dream.


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## Ictalurus (Jan 26, 2011)

vanbc said:


> Very nice job!!!!
> 
> How much weight would all that wood add to your boat ?



If I remember, wood and carpet totaled roughly 180 lbs (81Kg). The weight seems to help stability. No special inspection in TN that I know of.


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## vanbc (Jan 26, 2011)

Ictalurus said:


> vanbc said:
> 
> 
> > Very nice job!!!!
> ...


Thanks !!


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## dixie_boysles (Jan 26, 2011)

looks like we both finished our boats!

https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=12178&start=100


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## Ictalurus (Feb 8, 2011)

Can't stop tinkering with the boat. I fashioned a jack plate to get my cav plate even with the bottom of the boat. The motor is a short shaft, just a tad long for my transom though. The bimini top is on the way & the boat is now named. Think I'm ready for spring now, can't wait for the water to warm up a bit.


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## Ictalurus (Feb 8, 2011)

Picture of the cleaned up 1966 20 HP Johnson added for this year


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## bulldog (Feb 8, 2011)

You did an amazing job on your build!! Looks awesome and very user friendly. =D> =D> =D> 

The cup holder you have near the front deck, they are great but break if you accidently step on them or drop something on them. I have them in my boat and I have broken 4. After the second one I had my buddies promise to replace them when they break 'em! :LOL2:


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## Ictalurus (Feb 9, 2011)

bulldog said:


> The cup holder you have near the front deck, they are great but break if you accidently step on them or drop something on them. I have them in my boat and I have broken 4. After the second one I had my buddies promise to replace them when they break 'em! :LOL2:



Thanks for the tip, no problems yet.


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## Troutman3000 (Feb 9, 2011)

Thats a great looking rig. Good job.


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## BaitCaster (Feb 9, 2011)

Looks great. Really nice job on that jack plate.

Tinkering is half the fun, eh?


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## Ictalurus (Feb 27, 2011)

Decided to make one more adjustment to the boat before the spring fishing explosion I'm about to embark on. I took the foam out of the middle seat and made a little storage area, it's actually quite big. In the process I also shortened by middle bench and gave the back floor 10.5" of length. Real nice improvement, took it out for a quick spin yesterday and I love it. The bimini top also came in and I put that on today. Real easy, took only about 1.5 hours and that was with me staring and thinking for about half of that. Looks like it will cover the rear portion of the boat and be totally out of the way up front in the fishing area. Maybe my ice chest will be in the shade down here in August now  Also swung by batteries plus and picked up that tasty little 12V 10ah to run my depth gauge, I love it. :lol:


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## Ictalurus (Feb 28, 2011)

If anyone uses that style battery setup for their fish finder, how long between charges should i expect from a fully charged battery?


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## susky river runner (Mar 3, 2011)

WOW your tin looks great man! Great job.


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## deerslayer (Mar 4, 2011)

Nice boat! what type of bimini top is that? I am looking for something for my polarkraft this year for our crabbing trips. Would be nice to have something like that, that I can take off and on


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## Ictalurus (Mar 4, 2011)

susky river runner said:


> WOW your tin looks great man! Great job.



Thanks River Runner, it's been a work in progress. Think I finally have it just the way I like it.  



deerslayer said:


> Nice boat! what type of bimini top is that? I am looking for something for my polarkraft this year for our crabbing trips. Would be nice to have something like that, that I can take off and on



Thanks Deerslayer. I went back and forth about adding the bimini. It's very hot down here in the summer, but I didn't want anything that was too big and got in the way. I saw the two bow bimini, which I thought would store easier than a three bow, on sale at Cabela's and jumped on it. 

https://www.cabelas.com/product/Boating/Boat-Covers/Bimini-Tops%7C/pc/104794380/c/104703480/sc/104216580/Hurricane-2-Bow-Bimini-Top/737023.uts?destination=%2Fcatalog%2Fbrowse%2Fboating-boat-covers-bimini-tops%2F_%2FN-1100622%2FNs-CATEGORY_SEQ_104216580%3FWTz_l%3DUnknown%253Bcat104794380%253Bcat104703480&WTz_l=Unknown%3Bcat104794380%3Bcat104703480%3Bcat104216580


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## reedjj (Mar 4, 2011)

Looks great! White with the white bimini is very nice. What kind of seats are you going to use?


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## Ictalurus (Mar 4, 2011)

reedjj said:


> Looks great! White with the white bimini is very nice. What kind of seats are you going to use?



Thanks Reedjj, the boat & and bimini are actually grey. It is a lighter grey though, my last boat was green and it got rather warm in the summer. Already have the seats, nothing special.


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## TWub78 (Mar 27, 2011)

Sharp looking tin great job =D>


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## alanbird_87 (Mar 28, 2011)

Great looking boat! =D> Came a long ways from where it began.


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## sbm2240 (May 5, 2011)

Great job on your boat! I clicked your link in your signature when you posted on mine. VERY impressed.. so now the real question... how's it fishing!

Enjoy!


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## Ictalurus (May 14, 2011)

sbm2240 said:


> Great job on your boat! I clicked your link in your signature when you posted on mine. VERY impressed.. so now the real question... how's it fishing!
> 
> Enjoy!



Thanks man, it fishes great. Stability is fine with the low decks and the 20 HP pushes it quite well.


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## Ictalurus (May 14, 2011)

Decided that the middle deck modification worked so well I did the front too. The extra bit of floor space really pays of when fishing. I just need to pick up some carpet and move the wiring from view.


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## sbm2240 (May 15, 2011)

Ictalurus - I reviewed your build again and had a question - The jack plate you put on your transom, did it help with the performance of the motor? I to have a short shaft mercury and it seems to me the motor still sits a little to low under the boat. I'm wondering if raising it up like that would help with the performance?

Thanks!


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## Ictalurus (May 16, 2011)

sbm2240 said:


> The jack plate you put on your transom, did it help with the performance of the motor?



I didn't have a GPS speed before the jack plate, it seems like it may have picked up an extra MPH or two. The best thing about it is the extra clearance in with the tiller, I'd do it again just for that. With two people, gear and a full cooler livewell the boat hits around 22 MPH. I'm sure it if you raised your motor it wouldn't hurt at all.


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## FFDOZIER (May 16, 2011)

The boat looks great brother. I especially like the storage in the Bow area. Great Job.


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## Topgun (May 16, 2011)

Very nice! I like all the storage, yet still plenty of room to move around. Even the gas tank sits on carpet! Mine probably won't be so lucky. I'm jealous of your 20 hp. Around here most of the good fishing lakes have 10 hp limits.


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## Ictalurus (May 19, 2011)

FFDOZIER said:


> The boat looks great brother. I especially like the storage in the Bow area. Great Job.



Thanks man, fixing up this boat has been a blast. I still stare at the boat all the time wondering if there is anything else that I need to do.  



Topgun said:


> Very nice! I like all the storage, yet still plenty of room to move around. Even the gas tank sits on carpet! Mine probably won't be so lucky. I'm jealous of your 20 hp. Around here most of the good fishing lakes have 10 hp limits.



Thanks, I also like the 20HP. I use my 8HP most of the time due to several area lakes having a 5 MPH limit, but the 20HP is fun. Hits about 22 MPH with 2 people and gear. I haven't emptied the boat and ran it wide open solo yet. Keeping the center bench in and taking the foam out was a great choice for this boat, plenty of storage and room for passengers.


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## Topgun (May 19, 2011)

Thanks, I also like the 20HP. I use my 8HP most of the time due to several area lakes having a 5 MPH limit, but the 20HP is fun. Hits about 22 MPH with 2 people and gear. I haven't emptied the boat and ran it wide open solo yet. Keeping the center bench in and taking the foam out was a great choice for this boat, plenty of storage and room for passengers.[/quote]


I think overall I'll be just fine with my 9.5hp setup. Most of the lakes that allow larger motors end up with lots of pleasure-boats that make giant wakes. I'm not sure my shallow 14-footer has any business out there anyway. Some day I'll have another boat for those kind of waters. :lol: 

Forgive me if it's in this thread somewhere, but did you add back any flotation after gutting the benches?


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## Ictalurus (May 23, 2011)

Topgun said:


> Forgive me if it's in this thread somewhere, but did you add back any flotation after gutting the benches?



I put down the blueboard foam between the ribs under the deck. i didn't add up any numbers, but it seems like it took more foam to fill under the deck than I had removed from the seat.


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## larryg (Aug 31, 2011)

very nice project.how long is that bimini top.i have some poles that someone ws junkin but wasnt sure how to set them up.


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## Ictalurus (Sep 1, 2011)

larryg said:


> very nice project.how long is that bimini top.i have some poles that someone ws junkin but wasnt sure how to set them up.



Bimini is about 5 1/2 feet, perfect size for this boat, keeps the back in shade and the front open for fishing. I think you can get the mounts at BPS pretty cheap.


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## Ictalurus (Dec 2, 2011)

I've sold the PolarKraft. It's nice to finally be down to one boat!


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## CAM757 (Apr 12, 2014)

Rustoleum Deck Restore and Sherwin Williams Woodscapes solid stains both penetrate the wood deeply and look great.


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