# Lawdog's Alumacraft 1648 first duck boat project



## Lawdog (Mar 22, 2010)

Howdy everyone. I'm new to the site and new to boating. I just bought my first boat from a friend after he had to relocate to another state. I got what I think is a good deal on the boat, but it was a lot of money to me. As I began surfing around, I found this amazing site. I've learned a ton and got some good ideas, so I decided to post up another mod thread and maybe some of you guys can help me out with ideas along the way. 

I'm a serious waterfowler and have hunted extensively out of this boat the last two seasons. I know what she can and can't do, but now that it's mine, maybe a few changes are in order. I will use it mostly for duck hunting, running shallow rivers in eastern Montana and some occasional fishing. I do not plan on hunting from the boat itself, but rather it's more for basic transport. I like to call it my *T*actical *O*pportunity *P*latform, a term I've borrowed from a friend on another site. 

*Boat details:* it is an Alumacraft 1648 with the dry storage center seat. It has a Mercury 25 hp factory jet, 4 stroke EFI. The motor is absolutely solid and reliable. Hull weight is about 285# and the motor weighs in at 192#. This light weight makes it easy to handle and she'll run in very little water, both of which come into play in December in Montana.

For starters, I'll be adding Camoclad to the sides and transom. Then, I will probably look into adding some lights and modifying the bow deck area to make it a little less slippery for the dogs. 

She runs me and a buddy and all our gear easily--it's more of a tank than a sportscar. A third person slows it down a bit, but is still doable. Four people is an adventure! Been there, did that. One thing about the jet is that it is very weight-sensitive, so everything I do (or don't do) will be dictated by weight concerns. 

Thanks in advance for all ideas and advice you all may give me. So, enough intro... here's a pic to get this started! More coming soon.


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## Nevillizer (Mar 22, 2010)

From your "lawdog" name I'm gonna guess your a LEO? Welcome abaord and good luck. Keep posting pictures, we all like pictures.


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## ober51 (Mar 22, 2010)

If I'm not mistaken, there were problems with the camo clad, so take a look around, read reviews or discard if I am off base, ha.

Great boat, you know it well and seem to appreciate the size (which is never big enough IMO). Can't wait to see the mods.


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## LOWEshooter829 (Mar 22, 2010)

Looks good...how fast does that 25 push with 3 people and gear?


Looking forward to your progress...I have a similar size boat and it is also a duck rig in the making


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## Lawdog (Mar 22, 2010)

ober51 said:


> If I'm not mistaken, there were problems with the camo clad, so take a look around, read reviews or discard if I am off base, ha.



I did a lot of reading about Camoclad before deciding to take the chance and go with it. In fact, that search is what led me to this site, specifically a thread in this area. I saw guy here who had trouble with it staying put. I suspect the main problem he had was trying to put it onto Steel flex (sp?) and it just didn't want to adhere. My buddy who is helping me with much of this is a body man and has no concerns that it will adhere, once properly prepped. I also decided to go with the permanent kit, rather than the removable version. It's cheaper and hopefully will work out fine. We hope to get it started and done in the next couple weeks. 



ober51 said:


> Great boat, you know it well and seem to appreciate the size (which is never big enough IMO). Can't wait to see the mods.



I was told before I took the plunge that boats are "a hole in the water that you throw money into!" And that I would always want a different/bigger/badder one. All true, but I am just easing into this whole deal as best I can. So, it will be a few mods for now and run it on my own for a while and see what I want to do next.


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## Lawdog (Mar 22, 2010)

LOWEshooter829 said:


> Looks good...how fast does that 25 push with 3 people and gear?
> 
> 
> Looking forward to your progress...I have a similar size boat and it is also a duck rig in the making



We're all 200+, prolly over 230# when geared up for hunting (waders and such). Two guys it will run 15-17 against current and 20-22 with it. I'm running in a relatively mild river here. Three guys slows it a bit, say 12-14 upriver. Once, we ran 4 guys (three big), two dogs, 4 loads of gear, about 3 doz dekes... We were "walking speed" in the strongest current and gunnels were about 6-8 inches off the water. I felt like Worf: "Prepare for ramming speed!" So, there is a practical limit of 3 guys and we lighten the gear up a bit as needed.


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## caveman (Mar 22, 2010)

I have seen that duck before in some old post..
may be wrong??
Looking forward to your work.


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## Lawdog (Mar 22, 2010)

caveman said:


> I have seen that duck before in some old post..
> may be wrong??
> Looking forward to your work.



Ha. It's a temporary avatar until I can play some in Photoshop.


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## dyeguy1212 (Mar 22, 2010)

Nice ride!


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## RBuffordTJ (Mar 23, 2010)

Nice rig! Like to find others who keep that thin blue line. :wink: 

I look forward to seeing what you do with it, and man I am jealous of your location, got a good friend up in Kila who is begging me to move out there...wish it was that simple.

Bufford in Orlando


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## Quackrstackr (Mar 23, 2010)

Why don't you buy a stencil kit and paint your camo instead of using Camoclad?

Sure, the CC will look identical to commercial camo but paint will last a lot longer.

They have Natgear stencils out now that will make a paint job that looks identical to the commercial camo.


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## Lawdog (Mar 24, 2010)

Quackrstackr said:


> Why don't you buy a stencil kit and paint your camo instead of using Camoclad?
> 
> Sure, the CC will look identical to commercial camo but paint will last a lot longer.
> 
> They have Natgear stencils out now that will make a paint job that looks identical to the commercial camo.



Howdy. Too late! Already got the clad delivered. I saw some of your posts (and others too) critical of the Camoclad in other threads and I thought about your points before I made the decision to go the clad route. In the end, the cost was very reasonable for me to get the clad and I think the results will look better. As for the long-term durability, I have realistic expectations, but we'll see. If it goes well, I'll be pleased. If for some reason it doesn't, I'll post that up as well.


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## Quackrstackr (Mar 24, 2010)

The CC will be fine unless it gets scuffed up or nicked with use. I don't really know how long the color will stay true before it fades but the vehicles that I have seen with it applied were nicked up pretty badly from road debris.

I wonder if the permanent stuff leaves much residue if you have to remove it?


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## Lawdog (Mar 24, 2010)

Hmmm. I suspect removal of the permanent clad down the road might be very difficult. That was one thing I considered. The removable kind is easier to install, but was another $55. From a very casual inspection of it--I've left it in the tube for safekeeping--it appears very tough. But, I'll know more soon. I am hoping to put it on this weekend and I'll take lots of pictures and will report back.


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## Nevillizer (Mar 24, 2010)

Can't wait to see how she turns out.


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## Quackrstackr (Mar 24, 2010)

If memory serves, they recommend the permanent for boat installs but they also recommend that you 100% have your mind made up that it will be cladded for all of eternity, too. That stuff must be a pain to get off if it ever does fade out.


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## Lawdog (Mar 25, 2010)

Plan is to give the boat a good scrubbing with a degreasing soap wash, then a wet sand on the sides to make it nice and smooth. Then, we'll clean the sides with a good wax/grease remover and dry. If time allows, I may get one side done at least.

This bow deck area is another focus. I'm thinking of putting down some sort of surface that is non-skid so the dogs can ride up there a little more easily without sliding around so much. Maybe Herculiner or Dura-touch.


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## Lawdog (Mar 27, 2010)

Before... 











Well, say goodbye to the old olive boat. We worked our tails off tonight and got one side of the boat done. I've taken lots of pictures, but am too tired to put any up tonight. I'll have lots of comments on the camo clad after we finish and we get some sleep. It's pretty easy to work with, except when you hit a rivet. My boat has a lot of them...


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## Quackrstackr (Mar 28, 2010)

Lawdog said:


> It's pretty easy to work with, except when you hit a rivet. My boat has a lot of them...



The dreaded air pocket.

Applying heat there may help but the material will probably shrink back and look even worse.

Looking forward to the progress pics.


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## Lawdog (Mar 28, 2010)

Progress! I learned a lot about Camoclad over the last 24 hours. It's pretty neat stuff, very durable; more on that later. It's easy enough to put on if you give yourself lots of room, a good workplace, good lighting and lots of time. Oh, a professional body man as your helper is advisable as well. Thanks Buddy! I'll be taking us into mallards soon....

Two sides done and it looks awesome. For us, the darn rivets really got to us after a while, with about 100 of them on each side of the boat. We developed a system for them and it took a couple minutes per rivet. When you have a problem or wrinkle, you have to pull it off and redo the area. The stuff is really strong and did allow continued reworking of an area with no damage to the vinyl at all.

Anyway, after seeing some results that people weren't happy with, we did not take any chances with the prep. That took a couple hours in itself, getting the hull scrubbed, then we wet-sanded it with 2000 grit paper to make it nice and smooth and to help adhesion. We then went over the sides with Prepsol, a wax and grease remover. Finally, just before application, we hit the sides with a "Special Cleaner" that is designed to help adhesion. 






Here it is as we were about to begin.






Right out of the chute, we made one big mistake. Chalk it up to fatigue. The instructions say to cut the sheet in half lengthwise, so we did. Sheets are 4' x 5' so, you cut it in half lengthwise and end up with two sheets much larger than you need for the sides of a basic jon. This led to a lot of waste, but in pieces too small to use for much, say 4 inches by 60". Fortunately, we caught it after the first sheet, which is shown below.... Lots of extra hanging off there on the bottom. 

After that, we cut 480 mil and we had only an inch of waste per sheet. Bottom line, measure the sides first and cut them to size and you might save yourself enough to clad something else with. 






Buddy has it figured out as we near the end of the second side. Slow and steady is the way when you get to the splash rail.






Proper tools are important and the included squeegee tool was stout and worked well. 






We brought some additional tools we knew were pretty important, especially as the night wore on. "Where did you put the rivet-problem solver?" :wink: 






Almost there... Finishing the second side. We are very pleased with how it turned out. I'd have some more pics, but we were away from our families enough this weekend, so the T.O.P. went into the garage and we got the familes together for a grill. More pics soon. Next, I'll get the bow area done and then order up one more piece for the transom.


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## dyeguy1212 (Mar 28, 2010)

Looking awesome! 8)


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## caveman (Mar 29, 2010)

Keep us posted as to how well it holds up. as i like it and would not mind it on my boat.just not sure?


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## Nevillizer (Mar 29, 2010)

I impressed. Looks pretty darn good.


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## gsxraddict (Mar 29, 2010)

post a pic from the side that shows the whole boat.

looks nice man....

was your dog wearing a camo vest?


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## Lawdog (Mar 29, 2010)

Howdy guys. I am pleased with how it turned out. I was too busy tonight to get it out into the driveway for a pic. If the weather holds tomorrow night, I'll get that done.

My faithful companion.


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## Lawdog (Mar 30, 2010)

Alright. The weather gave me a break and I was able to get a few quick pics. 
















The splash rail really looks sweet. You can see the rivets toward the stern. This pic also shows the depth in the camo pattern. I'll need better light to really show it, but the dimensionality of the cladding was striking as we put it on. Very nice print quality.






Up close, the protruding rivets make it look like it's paint.


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## Lawdog (Mar 31, 2010)

This has always bugged me: The eye cleat mashes up against the guide for the winch strap. (I'll be moving the anchor cord out of the eye cleat soon enough). 

This came set up this way from the dealer. Does it look normal?


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## wyodeputy (Mar 31, 2010)

Sorry can't comment on the eye and winch problem (my experience is with other setups) but KUDOS on the camo clad, you did a great job. I never disliked mine except for the problems I had (which you are aware of). But when it came time to pull that stuff off .... WOW what a pain in the arse ! Just didn't adhere well near the bottom but everywhere else. 

I think you'll be happy with it and it'll give many years of duck hunting service. BTW, we need to trade a few hunts ... Idaho for Montana ! Take care


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## Lawdog (Mar 31, 2010)

Roger that, Wyo! I need to get the bow done, but it's sleet/snowing here this week. Feels like duck weather doggone it!


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## russ010 (Mar 31, 2010)

just drop your winch post down .... that will put the stop just under your eye


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## Lawdog (Mar 31, 2010)

russ010 said:


> just drop your winch post down .... that will put the stop just under your eye



Should the strap then run over the top or underneath of the stop/guide? I'm very new to all of this. Thanks.


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## irishfan (Mar 31, 2010)

Lawdog said:


> russ010 said:
> 
> 
> > just drop your winch post down .... that will put the stop just under your eye
> ...



My boat does the same thing. I leave it like that. That way the front of the boat doesn't go anywhere when you secure the rear of the boat, it can't roll up and over the top. Pretty solid that way. You don't really need a bow tie down with that.


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## Lawdog (Mar 31, 2010)

I think I've got the issue resolved with the simple changing of the roller guide to a 'Y-stop' which is better suited to mate with the flat front. I'll get it installed and get the anchor rope moved and that should fix it.


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## Lawdog (Apr 9, 2010)

Weather has me a little bored and I can't actually work on the boat for a few more days. Maybe I can have the good folks at Iguana Grafix help me out. What do you all think? Cool? Not so much? :|


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## Doug (Apr 10, 2010)

Looks 8).


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## dyeguy1212 (Apr 10, 2010)

Pretty cool


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## Lawdog (Apr 13, 2010)

Well, weather permitting, I'm taking her out on the river for the day tomorrow with my wife. I discovered an issue with my trailer tires and replaced them today and am adding a spare to boot. I think that was a smart $110. I've got the boat almost all cladded too, but the transom will have to wait thanks to the early demise of one of my trailer tries. I hope to have some good pics tomorrow night.


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## dyeguy1212 (Apr 13, 2010)

bring your camera 8)


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## Froggy (Apr 14, 2010)

Looking good, I lke to see a picture of your new winch set up, I kind of have the same problem.


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## Lawdog (Apr 14, 2010)

Well, today I burned some vacation and took my wife for a day on the water in some of my favorite country. I'm pleased to say that everything went great, except the 16-22 mph wind that pushed us around a bit when we tried to float. Water levels in my part of the world are mighty shallow right now, so we ran in some thin stuff. Ran a good part of the day in 8-12 inches of water. Trick here is you gotta keep her on plane when it gets shallow. I'm learning to grit my teeth, brace for the worst and drive right over stuff. When you're on the throttle, it's surprising what you can go through. Anyway, time for some pics. 

Here it is in a back channel we drove into.






Nice place for a picnic spot, don't you think?






You need to come in here slowly. Dog is looking for ducks.


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## Lawdog (Apr 14, 2010)

Froggy said:


> Looking good, I lke to see a picture of your new winch set up, I kind of have the same problem.



Froggy, the 'Y-stop' part didn't pan out. When I put it in, it was too big vertially and it hit the winch strap. I ended up simply relocating the anchor rope and now it's absolutely fine. The eye cleat area is fine for loading and unloading now with the rope out of the way.

This is the only pic of the area I could find quickly. I also added the spare tire last night.


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## Lawdog (Apr 14, 2010)

For what it's worth, the clad held up fine. Not an issue anywhere on the boat that I could find. 

Here's a tight shot of the bow and side, where I would expect a problem if there was going to be one.


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## basshunter25 (Apr 18, 2010)

Glad to see your camoclad is holding up. It looked like the stuff wasn't gonna work good for boats from what I saw in another post on here. What did you do to prep the boat prior to putting on the clad? The numbers look awesome!


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## Quackrstackr (Apr 18, 2010)

It will probably be fine so long as it's not getting banged up. It doesn't look like Lawdog wrapped it around any corners and he stopped well above the hull seam so it should be good to go so long as he doesn't sideswipe many trees or rocks.

Lawdog, when are you doing the inside? :lol:


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## Lawdog (Apr 18, 2010)

basshunter25 said:


> Glad to see your camoclad is holding up. It looked like the stuff wasn't gonna work good for boats from what I saw in another post on here. What did you do to prep the boat prior to putting on the clad? The numbers look awesome!



I detailed everything I did step-by-step in posts on page 2. If you go to their website, you can download or view the PDF of installation instructions. We followed them to the letter, with one exception. In short, clean it well. Then, we wet sanded the whole surface with 2000 grit paper to smooth off any issues. Third, remove any wax and grease with Dupont Prepsol or an equivalent. Lastly, although not called for, we used a product called "Special Cleaner 582" immediately before application. Again, see post above for more info on that. This last product is supposed to improve adhesion and is used in the auto body/detailing industry.

As for the room at the edges that we left, this is expressly called for in the instructions. Camoclad.com has an installation video too. It is excellent. In it, the guy says to leave about 1/2 inch at your exterior edges and this will help resist peeling issues. 

I love how the numbers turned out too. I ordered them from waterfowldecals.com. Spendy, but they're nice. They're a 3M vinyl product too. They included a third sheet, in case I ever develop a problem, I'll have an extra.


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## Lawdog (Apr 18, 2010)

Quackrstackr said:


> It will probably be fine so long as it's not getting banged up. It doesn't look like Lawdog wrapped it around any corners and he stopped well above the hull seam so it should be good to go so long as he doesn't sideswipe many trees or rocks.
> 
> Lawdog, when are you doing the inside? :lol:



Man, you are a skeptic!  1) Already sideswiped it good into some Russian Olives. 2) Sand and rocks are part of life when you run jets in rivers. 

I'm telling you, this stuff is tough. We'll see how it lasts... fingers crossed.

Inside? Not soon... $$$.


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## Quackrstackr (Apr 19, 2010)

No, not a skeptic. :lol: 

There are many trucks in this area with the clad accent kits and several have it on boats. It can take a beating but it will eventually have chips, rips or tears in it. Hopefully, it won't start to peel on you. It may be an easier route the first time to a fully camo'd boat but there is no way to touch it up when the above happens and if it begins to peel, you are really in for it. My b-i-l's, f-i-l owns an outfitter service / outdoor real estate agency and had his Yukon custom wrapped with it. He's had it on for about 3 years now and it has not worn very well. When you get down to it, it is only vinyl after all.

I tend to keep my boats for a long time so paint is much easier to handle down the road if and when it needs to be touched up or refinished.

Just personal preference.

So long as you are happy with it and it suits your needs, that's all that matters.


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## Lawdog (Apr 20, 2010)

Quackrstackr said:


> So long as you are happy with it and it suits your needs, that's all that matters.



Yep.


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## midnight_f150 (Jun 2, 2010)

do you have any new pic of it? it looks sweet. just wonder how the inside turned out.


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## dyeguy1212 (Jun 2, 2010)

Lawdog said:


> Quackrstackr said:
> 
> 
> > So long as you are happy with it and it suits your needs, that's all that matters.
> ...



Haha I just read this page... I'm with you lawdog :roll: :wink:


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## Rat (Jun 2, 2010)

The clad looks great, so how did you get the rivets so perfect? Just lots of time on each rivet or something special like a heat gun? 

On the bow eye; You want the bow eye to be below the bow stop with the winch rope under the bow stop, like you have it. This is for safety in the vent you are rear-ended, or rear-end someone else, it helps to keep the boat from becoming airborne. You can also attach an additional safety chain from the bow cleat to the trailer tongue which will help even more. If it is above, like mine is currently, you will have a problem loading and unloading. What happens is the bow eye catches on the bow stop when the stern floats and hangs on to the boat; very frustrating to load and unload. Mine will be changing soon. :evil:


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## Lawdog (Jun 2, 2010)

Well, it's been a long time since posting. Life intruded. 

We have a little lake nearby that is electric motors and paddles only. One trip out with paddles and a trolling motor was in order. I added a Minn Kota Endura 50 trolling motor, a Minn Kota Power Center battery box and got that all up and running. It tools around pretty good. Pics soon.


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## Jeffrey Curtis (Jun 3, 2010)

I like your boat and I send you a PM about it


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## teejay (Jun 3, 2010)

Lawdog- is your motor 25hp at the engine, or at the pump? I also have a 16x48 that I'm putting a 40hp (at the engine around 25hp at the pump) jet on and I'm kind of worried about how much power or lack of it will have.


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## Lawdog (Jun 3, 2010)

Howdy. I have a Merc factory jet which is rated 25 _at the jet pump itself_. The lower unit is made by Outboard Jets and they outfit a variety of motors by several manufacturers--Merc, Yamaha to name a couple. 

Mine runs eastern Montana rivers with three guys and full load out for duck hunting just fine--two labs, dozens of dekes, three guns, three blind bags, etc. It is not a sportscar, more of a tank. I did four guys once... it was an adventure. Two guys zips pretty good. 23 mph with current, about 17 against. Only drops a couple mph adding the third guy. I run a lot in the dark in November through January, so speed is not always desired in any event. One advantage of the smaller motor I have found is that it keeps the weight of the whole deal very manageable.


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## Lawdog (Jun 3, 2010)

Rat said:


> The clad looks great, so how did you get the rivets so perfect? Just lots of time on each rivet or something special like a heat gun?
> 
> On the bow eye; You want the bow eye to be below the bow stop with the winch rope under the bow stop, like you have it. This is for safety in the vent you are rear-ended, or rear-end someone else, it helps to keep the boat from becoming airborne. You can also attach an additional safety chain from the bow cleat to the trailer tongue which will help even more. If it is above, like mine is currently, you will have a problem loading and unloading. What happens is the bow eye catches on the bow stop when the stern floats and hangs on to the boat; very frustrating to load and unload. Mine will be changing soon. :evil:



Rivets: a little time and effort on each and a heat gun over all of it. 

Bow eye: I moved the anchor line elsewhere and that solved it for me. I agree on keeping it where it is. I just let out some slack now at launch and give the boat a little shove and it clears away nicely.


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## gdonnell (Jun 5, 2010)

Good looking boat it should get the job done. I had one a lot like this to duck hunt in Arkansas finnily wore it out. I now use 1648 war eagle with 40 HP


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