# 16' Cajun Special (Updated)



## Kimber.45 (Oct 19, 2010)

Here are some pics of the mod I just completed. It's an ole Cajun that was given to me by my Granddad. The guy he bought it from used a lot of wood that wasnt sealed very well and was starting to rot. I decided I was simply gonna start over and build it to fit my needs. I mostly duck hunt but really enjoy fishing too so it had to be a multitasker... It was set up with the seats in the back being really high and wide set. I'm certianly not what you would call a small guy so I wanted to bring them more towards the centerline and drop the height a bit to help balance me out. The new below deck 12 gallon fuel tank on the port side helps when running by myself. My Dad helped with a lot of the work and we kept bouncing ideas of each other. We had a lot of fun on this project. We decided to get some hatches and mount the seat bases in them to give access to storage underneath. The back deck also has hatch on each side to get to the batteries and fuel tank. All aluminum floor with foam underneath. All the wood you see in the build is marine ply that has been sealed with deck water proofing. Had a little sticker shock when we bought that stuff!! :shock: We extended the front deck back and added a new livewell with storage on each side. The steering console is custome built by Gator Trax. If you have ever dealt with them, you know how great they are. Gauges include Fuel, Voltage, and Speedo. She tops out at 37mph with me by myself (260lbs) and un loaded. All wiring is done with tinned marine wire. Blue Sea Systems rocker panel with 20 amp breakers instead of fuses. I have some off road lights that still need to be mounted to light up the stumps on those early morning hunts and I still need to build a trolling motor mount on the bow that will hold my foot controlled TM. Any ideas on that would be greatly appreaciated. Now that I have all the decks done and the floor in, the inside of the boat is being coated in Rhino Liner the same color as the console. Should have it back by the end of the week. Looking forward to hearing what you guys have to say.


----------



## hsiftac (Oct 19, 2010)

great job, i like the bare wood look
ill bet it really flies with that 70


----------



## Kimber.45 (Oct 20, 2010)

Thanks man! It wont be bare wood for long. Its getting coated in Rhino Liner this week. I should have it back this weekend. I was told it would add about 60lbs to the boat but that shouldnt slow me down too much. With my Dad and I in the boat, we hit 35mph and I can get her up to 37mph by myself. Might lose a mile an hour or two. Will post pics of her coated once I get it back.


----------



## Brine (Oct 20, 2010)

Nice rig Kimber. That trailer looks in great shape too. 

Would love to hear your feedback on the Rhino Lining. I'm still undecided on what I'm using. I'm certain it won't be carpet.


----------



## fishrmn70 (Oct 20, 2010)

Great job on the boat. Quick question, where did you get the hatches?


----------



## Kimber.45 (Oct 21, 2010)

fishrmn70 said:


> Great job on the boat. Quick question, where did you get the hatches?



Picked them up from Cabelas. They were a little pricey but I was really impressed with the quality. Really Heavy duty. I can walk all over them and they dont flex or give at all. I had seen some plastic hatches that were more affordable but I didnt know if the Rhino Liner would adhear to them very well or not.


----------



## fishrmn70 (Oct 21, 2010)

Thanks, I thought those looked familiar. I'm thinking about picking some of those up for my rebuild.


----------



## Nevillizer (Oct 22, 2010)

Good job on the build.


----------



## Kimber.45 (Nov 2, 2010)

Got the boat back from being sprayed. I couldnt be any more pleased with the results. All the wood work seams are now sealed and it looks fantastic. The marine ply was sealed on all sides before it was sprayed but it's even more waterproof now. Ive hunted out of the boat twice now and the extra protection is awesome. I got my off road lights installed so I can see the stumps sneaking up on my in the early mornings. Here are a few pics of the results...


----------



## DaveInGA (Nov 2, 2010)

It's looking good, are you going to "decorate" with some hunting camo as well?


----------



## Kimber.45 (Nov 3, 2010)

DaveInGA said:


> It's looking good, are you going to "decorate" with some hunting camo as well?



I'm gonna try to make my own stencils for the outside. In and out of the boat with muddy waders will be enough "decoration" for the inside.


----------



## TNtroller (Nov 3, 2010)

pretty slick end result, are those seats comfy for all day fishing, I mainly troll for crappie, so....


----------



## Kimber.45 (Nov 5, 2010)

TNtroller said:


> pretty slick end result, are those seats comfy for all day fishing, I mainly troll for crappie, so....



They really are. I had a spare when all the seat mounts were installed so I put it on a tripod for bow season. Able to hunt all day long. Still didnt see anything!


----------



## Usmctanker (Nov 5, 2010)

If you don't mind me asking how much did the rhino liner job run you?


----------



## Kimber.45 (Nov 8, 2010)

Usmctanker said:


> If you don't mind me asking how much did the rhino liner job run you?



Total on the job was $1250 out the door with tax and everything. Truck beds are around 400 for black. I figure I have at least 2.5 truck beds worth of coverage plus the custom color. Not to mention all the prep work that had to be done. All gauges and controls had to be taped and covered. Electrical switches and accessory mounts were also covered. They took all the hatches out and sprayed them individually, then sprayed the decks before reinstalling the hatches. This gave everything a good seal and all compartments are water tight. I figured they would just spray over the top of the hatches but they certainly went the extra mile. I've added my own colors this week in the form of mud and a little duck blood! Couldnt be more pleased with the results.


----------



## TomKat (Nov 8, 2010)

Very nice-
you have a pic of it stripped down and with the inside open. what did you do to brace the boat and strengthen the hull integrity?


----------



## Kimber.45 (Nov 8, 2010)

TomKat said:


> Very nice-
> you have a pic of it stripped down and with the inside open. what did you do to brace the boat and strengthen the hull integrity?



There are a couple of pics of the back deck bracing. The front deck and gun box are framed the same way. Full length horizontal braces running from side to side on the top and bottom of each deck with vertical supports in between. I dont know how to weld so everything is either riveted in place or bolted together. All the bracing is 1.5" angle that is .125" thick. Unfortunately there were a couple of build days where I forgot to slow down and take pics so some of the process is missing.


----------



## gouran01 (Nov 8, 2010)

looks great! I'm fixing to shorten the back decking on my lowe and theres some good visual inspiration there. I'll be riveting and bolting as well, any ideas on improvements you may have missed until it was too late? Is the bracing steel or aluminum?


----------



## Kimber.45 (Nov 9, 2010)

gouran01 said:


> looks great! I'm fixing to shorten the back decking on my lowe and theres some good visual inspiration there. I'll be riveting and bolting as well, any ideas on improvements you may have missed until it was too late? Is the bracing steel or aluminum?



All the bracing is aluminum. I dont know how your fuel system is set up but if you have a tank under the deck and the fill cap above the deck, I would make sure there is a straight shot to the tank from the gas pump. I had an idea of where I wanted the fill cap to go and where the tank needed to be. They didnt line up as easily as I had hoped. You can see in the pictures that the fill hose makes a pretty drastic "S" curve to hit the tank. Ideally, you dont want that. I was able to cut the hose short enough to make it work without gas backflowing out at the pump. Hindsight being what it is, I would change my strategy if I were going to do it again. I just happened to get lucky and it works the way it is. Thats really the only hiccup we found.


----------



## Tettle07 (Nov 12, 2010)

Cupholders!!! I demand cupholders or I will not accompany you on anymore Duck watching hunts (it will change from watching to slaying when we kill more than one). CUP HOLDERS POST HASTE!!!! ](*,)


----------



## crkdltr (Mar 4, 2011)

Kimber.45,

Thanks for directing me to your build. This project has given me immediate inspiration with the permanent fuel tank and the filler tube running to that stern/port bracing as well as the rear and front deck. Forgive me in advance for pirating your designs. :mrgreen:


----------



## reedjj (Mar 4, 2011)

WOW! Very professional.

That thing must Fly with a 70 on it! Your boat is what I was going for with my build.


----------



## Kimber.45 (Mar 4, 2011)

crkdtlr, Steal all the ideas you want man! I certainly used this site for help while I was working through it. If you have any questions about how I did anything, I'm more than happy to help. 

reedjj, Thanks man. She runs around 35mph average with two guys and gear. With just me, I've hit 38. If I lose a little weight i bet i could hit 40!! 8)


----------



## Mr.Green (Mar 31, 2011)

Just a Quick question. i know boats have a plate in them that tells what hp their rated at but there has to be a way to make it able to hold a little more. would you have any insight on this matter? this is my build, https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=18642 , and i know your boat is quite bigger than mine but Ive been told that mine is probably rated at 25-30 hp i like to do something to be able to put a 40-50hp motor at least on it. can you or any one else help with this?


----------



## crkdltr (Mar 31, 2011)

Mr.Green said:


> Just a Quick question. i know boats have a plate in them that tells what hp their rated at but there has to be a way to make it able to hold a little more. would you have any insight on this matter? this is my build, https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=18642 , and i know your boat is quite bigger than mine but Ive been told that mine is probably rated at 25-30 hp i like to do something to be able to put a 40-50hp motor at least on it. can you or any one else help with this?




https://files.dnr.state.mn.us/education_safety/safety/boatwater/backyardboatbuilders.pdf

There's a formula for determining you maximum "safe" horsepower rating. In that link on page 2 is where it starts. 

Basically your horsepower is determined by the type of boat (v hull, flat bottom and such), type of material (aluminum, fiberglass), transom width and transom height. If your transom is 12" and you were able to increase it to 20" then, mathematically, you would be able to increase your horsepower based on the formula. I'm sure you'd have to have the boat inspected by USCG and have them certify the Maximum HP increase. Just a guess anyway.


----------



## dyeguy1212 (Mar 31, 2011)

Nice, I like the gas opening.


How may rpms are you running? I'm surprised you cant get 40 or 45 mph out of that big motor.


----------



## Mr.Green (Mar 31, 2011)

Hey thanks for the help on the hp!! I went to the site figured i up and great news, My boat can hold a 40 hp. Thats perfect it should move across the water great with that size on it, once i can afford one. lol Thanks again for the help.


----------



## dyeguy1212 (Mar 31, 2011)

Mr.Green said:


> Hey thanks for the help on the hp!! I went to the site figured i up and great news, My boat can hold a 40 hp. Thats perfect it should move across the water great with that size on it, once i can afford one. lol Thanks again for the help.



I want to sell mine in the off season, if you're ever around MI let me know


----------



## Mr.Green (Apr 1, 2011)

Well Im in MS but you know for the right price and the right motor no distance is to far. lol


----------

