# 270Handiman's 1649 Custom Flat Project



## 270Handiman

Duck season is over, so it's time to get this project started in earnest.

I bought this boat in September of 2009. It is a 1995 Custom Flat 1649 with a beam width of 70". These boats are made by a company here in South Louisiana named Custom Boat Manufacture Inc. They are very well built and extremely durable boats. Mine is powered by a 1995 Suzuki DT40. Here are the pictures of the boat from the ad when I bought it.

















I bought this boat primarily for duck hunting, but I'll also use it for going to our camp down the river and fishing for specs and redfish around Lake Pontchartrain.

I ran the boat hard this duck season to shake it down, and mechanically there are no apparent problems. A typical day hunting for me requires a roundtrip run of 10 to 15 miles, so I probably put somewhere between 200 to 300 miles on it this winter without any issues. The boat will run 33 mph with just me in it with 12 gallons of gas, 1 battery, and all my gear. Adding 1 hunting buddy and a dog, the speed drops to 31.5 mph.

This project is going to be more of a restoration job than a modification, but there will be some mods. I have already performed major surgery on the trailer, replacing both hubs and springs, and trying to salvage the axle and spindles. The brackish water in Lake Pontchartrain where the previous owner always launched just EATS metal! I always launch in a river, so regardless of where I hunt or fish, I'm flushing everything with freshwater before I head to the house.

I’ll try to list most of what I want to do to the boat in my next post. I have a ton of pictures, and I’ll post as I go along.

270


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## dyeguy1212

Glad to have you here!


Nice rig, very similar to what I have. I look forward to seeing your plans, as well as some more pics.


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## 270Handiman

Here are some of the basic things I need to accomplish:

1. Put in an aluminum floor
2. Install new built-in (plastic) gas tank
3. Extend deck to cover new tank
4. Install new electrical system (started on this already)
5. Create battery storage for 2 batteries
6. Paint inside and out (*including motor) :wink: 
7. New stainless prop for maximum speed with load (ongoing battle)
8. Fix trolling motor and create “quick detachable” mount
9. Buy some dang real seats and get rid of the mickey mouse crap that’s in it now :x 
10. Remove most non-functioning brackets added by previous owner
11. Hydroturf all interior flat surfaces

Well, that should about do it. Now if I just had a bunch of extra money and time I’d be all set! [-o< 

Here are some more before pics:


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## dyeguy1212

I can't imagine why an aluminum floor is number one on your list :lol: 


I would have fallen overboard atleast 20 times with all those ribs to trip over.


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## 270Handiman

dyeguy1212 said:


> I can't imagine why an aluminum floor is number one on your list :lol:
> 
> 
> I would have fallen overboard atleast 20 times with all those ribs to trip over.



Yea, and these aren't your regular little aluminum boat ribs. These suckers are 2.5" tall and spaced every 18" O.C. :roll: The good news is that when you do trip and fall, the boat is wide enough to catch you!

270


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## Specknreds

Nice rig!!!!!!!!! That is a very tough commercial boat.

I wish these windy cold fronts would stop. I'm ready for the lake and Hopedale to crank back up!!

If you need a reasonable aluminum welder for anything, I know a good one who lives not to far from Front St. in Slidell and is a member on here.


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## 270Handiman

> If you need a reasonable aluminum welder for anything, I know a good one who lives not to far from Front St. in Slidell and is a member on here.



That sounds like somebody I need to talk to. He would probably know the best place to get my aluminum also.

You can shoot me a PM if you need to.

Thanks,


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## caveman

That is a good looking boat and all open for mods.


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## 270Handiman

I've made some progress on my boat, but nothing really to write home about. The previous owner applied cheap bedliner on most of the flat surfaces of the boat including the front deck, rear transom braces, and on top of the console. This stuff apparently was not very durable because it was coming off in some places, and it was slicker than owl poo when it got wet. Not to mention the fact that I think it just looks like crap. So, it had to come off. Pics to follow when I get home.


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## 270Handiman

Deck Before:











Getting started:
















Getting better:


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## 270Handiman

Finished stripping:











Primed (and wet with water from another part of the project I have going):


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## 270Handiman

Also did some other areas:




































Finished products:


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## dyeguy1212

Wow looks really good! Looks like a brand new console..


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## Froggy

Looks great! paint, a wonderfull invention, twisted your ankle yet? :wink:


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## 270Handiman

Froggy said:


> Looks great! paint, a wonderfull invention, twisted your ankle yet? :wink:



Not yet, but with these 2.5" ribs it's only a matter of time! I really have to get this flooring project rolling.

I've got some new pictures I need to get posted of the paint job coming along.


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## 270Handiman

I'm a month behind on my updates  but I have all the pictures so I'm going to try to get everything caught up:

I had to clean and prep the exterior for paint. I had 15 years worth of oxidation and what would be the equivalent of road grime built up on the existing paint. I tried several commercial products to clean the hull, but I finally settled on a solution of vinegar and water used in conjunction with Scotch Bright pads to clean the hull and prep it for paint. The following pictures show the in-progress, and you can see what a difference it made. 


























Now final shots of both sides:


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## 270Handiman

The next step was to prime the entire surface with self-etching primer. The hull had so many nicks and dings in it, that it was impossible to just prime the bare spots. So I did the entire hull. I used the Duplicolor self-etching primer because I like the way it looked when dry. It seemed to have a smoother finished surface and wasn’t as chalky as the Rustoleum product. It also seemed to lay down flatter when I was spraying it. As a side note, it matched the existing hull color almost exactly, and if I was going to leave the boat green, I would not have need to top coat it. These pictures were of just the exterior, the interior was done later.


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## rick50

Don t know if you have your aluminum yet, but I was buying some the other day and the sales man told me the price of aluminum is going up by the end of the month.


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## Troutman3000

Looking good handi


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## 270Handiman

rick50 said:


> Don t know if you have your aluminum yet, but I was buying some the other day and the sales man told me the price of aluminum is going up by the end of the month.



Hey Rick, thanks for the heads up! I guess I need to make that happen soon.

Troutman - It actually looks way better than this now, I just haven't made it that far updating my posts :wink: 

hint - the green is just the base coat!


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## 270Handiman

Now on to actual PAINT!

Applied an OD Green base coat using Krylon spray cans. If I were applying a glossy topcoat, I would have used my air gun, but for a dead flat OD green finish, the rattle cans worked great.












Outside painted, inside still in various other stages: (Also notice the 2 pad eyes on the top rails. These were removed and smoothed.)






Contrast between paint and primer: (also in this pic you can see the last remaining bits of bedliner on the two handrails. It is gone now, thank goodness. I hate that mess!)


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## 270Handiman

Now the fun starts. 

I have a Mossy Oak Shadow Grass stencil kit from Styx River. I plan to paint the entire boat inside and out. The only part that will not be painted is the bottom of the hull (I hiding from ducks, not fish!) I went into this knowing it would take some time, so I work on it when I have time and never get in a hurry. Luckily, this boat doesn’t need to be ready in the spring to fish, but rather in the fall for hunting season. The stencil kit is pretty straight forward. You start with the brown base pattern, add the black “break up” pattern, then you finish it off with the light colored grass pattern. There is really not much other commentary I can add to the process; so I’m just gonna post a bunch of pictures.

First I made a couple sample boards to see which way I wanted to go with it (tip I got from a buddy - Thanks Gary!). I went with the one on the left.






Thanks for looking!


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## 270Handiman




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## 270Handiman

Now it's starting to look good!


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## 270Handiman




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## 270Handiman




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## 270Handiman




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## 270Handiman




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## 270Handiman

You will notice that there are some areas in the boat that are either not complete, or that haven’t been started yet. Some of this is because I had wiring or fuel lines in the way at the time. The area around the rear bench is not complete because of a bunch of brackets and stuff that the previous owner added are still there and are in the process of being cut off. And still more of it (i.e. – front deck and top of rear bench seat) is going to have Hydra-turf on it and doesn’t need to be done really. Also, the aluminum floor that will go in soon will cover all of the existing floor.


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## RBuffordTJ

WOW! =D> 

That looks great man! What a great job!

Bufford in Orlando


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## russ010

GREAT job!!!

that may be the best camo paint job I have ever seen... wow


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## 270Handiman

After working around the motor and cables this whole time, and struggling to make it all work with the motor in the way, ……….






I now have a reason to remove the motor and all the wiring harness.






It’s gonna be a nice addition to this project, but dang I could have saved myself some headache just taking the motor off in the first place. Now I have to do all of this kind of stuff…….


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## 270Handiman

Here are some before and after pics of some of the miscellaneous brackets I had to remove from the interior before I could finish the interior painting…..


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## ober51

That looks professional - great freaking job =D>


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## Waterwings

Nice work! 8)


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## perchin

This paint job leaves me in awe.... =D> =D> =D>


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## Mojo

Great Job! That looks totally awesome.


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## sturdi87

Amazing job on the paint, very impressive. Thanks for the pics!


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## Brine

Ditto the comments on the paint. Has to be one of the best I've seen. =D>


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## switchback

Man, I was loving the paint before the last step then seen the last one. Great job!!


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## rellis1962

Hey Handiman, I have a very similar boat (I have a thread going here as well) custom flat 1654. It is a heavy rascal. I have question - Are you painting the bottom of your boat? I have about decided to paint only about the front half of the bottom. This is the part I can get too without flipping her. I am sure you are having the same problem. If you plan to flip her, I would like to know how you will do it. I have 3 helpers but I still think it will be too much to handle.


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## rellis1962

Sorry, Just went back through your thread and found your comment about not painting the bottom. Mine has a good coat of primer on the bottom, so may just leave it that way.


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## 270Handiman

rellis1962 said:


> Sorry, Just went back through your thread and found your comment about not painting the bottom. Mine has a good coat of primer on the bottom, so may just leave it that way.



rellis, I know exactly what you are saying. Here's the way I see it. It's a big, heavy duty all-welded boat. There is no potential for any rivets leaking or anything like that, so no need for Steelflex or any type of seal coating. The only reason to paint it would be for asthetics, and unless someone crawls under the trailer to look, it'll never be seen. My boat has the original OD Green paint on the underside, and it is in good shape. The only thing I plan to do is crawl under with a can of self-etching primer (which matches the original color pretty closely) and touch-up any bare spots, which are mainly on the ribs. 

However, my wife and daughter have pointed out to me that I need to paint from under the point of the bow to the beginning of the rake (area shown in this picture) because apparently it looks like I missed this area (this is the only area of the bottom that can be seen when the boat is on the trailer). I had purposely avoided this area because stenciling around 1 rib is bad, but trying to work around 7 ribs would probably cause some sort of mental health breakdown. 







So, if it gets done, it will be after everything else is complete.


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## Queencitybassman

Hey man great job with the boat.. Could you tell me what colors you used on your stencils and what brand.. i want to do something very similar for my boat


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## flintcreek

Man I believe that is the nicest camo paint job I have seen.....just bought a 16' yesterday and it has a camo paint job but nothing this nice...I may have to consider some of those stencils to help mine out....Great job...Flintcreek.


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## rivercat

dos the spray paint stay on the boat very well with it going in and out of the water


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## 270Handiman

Queencitybassman said:


> Hey man great job with the boat.. Could you tell me what colors you used on your stencils and what brand.. i want to do something very similar for my boat



Bassman,

The colors were pretty simple, with one exception. I used the Krylon camo in black, dark brown, light tan, and OD Green. These, of course, are available at Wal-Mart or wherever. The exception is the lighter brown color that you need. For this, I got the "Fall Brown" color from Styx River, who is the company that makes the stencils. They actually have all the colors you need, but it was just easier to get the others locally. So I ordered a case of the Fall Brown and didn't have to worry about that any more.


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## 270Handiman

rivercat said:


> dos the spray paint stay on the boat very well with it going in and out of the water



Mine hasn't been in the water yet, but I have no doubt that it will stay. A buddy of mine did his several years ago the same way, and it still looks great today. Obviously, stumps and rocks can create scratches, but that goes the same with anything. Also, little girls on bikes who run into the boat with exposed steel on their handle bars can also create scratches #-o . 

I have a good self-etching primer as a base coat, which I know is bonded to the boat. So all the paint has to do is bond with the primer. One thing I would not do is to put the boat in the water before the paint is completely cured, as that would be more likely to create problems. I don't mean dry, I mean cured, as in 7 to 10 days after applying.


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## longjohn119

It's too bad Krylon quit making that camo paint in 1 quart cans a couple of years back. I used it in '03 when I did my 1436 PolarKraft and the great thing about it (and this is generally true of all flat paints) is it sticks better because it's basically a primer (not an etching primer though), it'll go on thicker without running and it's easy to touch up and get it to blend without watersanding or buffing. I'd just wash it good and touch up the boat every winter with a spray can and it would look like I repainted it. Also a can of flat spray paint will cover more area than a can of glossy spray paint because a lot of what makes it glossy evaporates while the flat paint has much more pigment that doesn't. I use flat paints on my electronics projects for these reasons, the only drawback I can think of is decals and stickers don't go on very well although a little water sanding helps in that respect. I night fish a lot and have to navigate waterways with commercial traffic and lots of navigation buoys so a glossy paint of out of the question, it has too much night vision killing glare when using a spot light to spot the channel marking buoys. I wanted to use the canned Krylon and roll it on again but since they no longer make it I bought a gallon of Parker's Duck Boat Paint after a recommendation from a buddy. I guess I'll find out how good it is next week, it's not a true flat paint but a dull matte finish similar to what a lot of the manufacturers use.


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## rivercat

oh ok thanks and i like what u have done great job


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## Tettle07

I have been looking at those exact stencils for some time, thinking of puttin em on my duck boat (a 1436) and I wanted to know how easy they were to do, and if you ran into a problem with paint build up on them, stencil giving you problems, or something like that.....Since you are now experienced with the stencil kit please give the good, the bad, and the ugly low down on it..


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## wolfmjc

that is one sweet paint job! =D> =P~


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## jj97blazer

Hey man, what size CMC tilt/trim unit is that? I'm thinking about getting one.


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## 270Handiman

jj97blazer said:


> Hey man, what size CMC tilt/trim unit is that? I'm thinking about getting one.



It's a PT-130, the big one. It works great in the driveway, but I haven't tested it on the water yet.


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## 270Handiman

Tettle07 said:


> I have been looking at those exact stencils for some time, thinking of puttin em on my duck boat (a 1436) and I wanted to know how easy they were to do, and if you ran into a problem with paint build up on them, stencil giving you problems, or something like that.....Since you are now experienced with the stencil kit please give the good, the bad, and the ugly low down on it..



I think that they are a great product and they are not really “hard” to do, but basically it all comes down to how much effort you put into it. It will seem really easy right before you start, then you get really worried when you first start and it doesn’t look like you thought it would, then it turns into a nightmare when you get to your first rib or uneven surface. However, something happens as you keep going, and you actually start to figure out how it needs to be done to make it look like you want it to. If it gets really bad at some point, and you start thinking “maybe I should just forget this whole mess and just paint the boat back green”, then the best thing to do is quit for the day and get away from it. It will not seem as bad when you come back to it later. It gets easier as you go, and once you get one area looking good, it really makes you want to do good on the rest of the boat.

As far as the specific things you mentioned:

Paint Build-up: It happens, but it's not really a bad thing. The added weight of the build-up actually makes the stencils easier to use in my opinion. The stencils are cut from mylar, so to clean them you just let the paint dry and break it off in big chips by bending the stencils.

Problems with the Stencils: None, other than almost losing my sanity using them and almost getting a divorce because I spent so much time working on the boat.

If you decide to give it a try and need any advice, just let me know!

Good luck


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## 270Handiman

Trying to get everyone caught up  

I finished the camo on the inside of the stern:


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## 270Handiman

Then I attacked the power tilt/trim unit with Mossy Oak Shadow Grass!


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## 270Handiman

Then I attached it to the boat with 1/2" stainless bolts and locking nuts


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## rook

I am really impressed with your paint job. I made some custom stencils for my last rig but they still didnt hold a candle to yours. Bravo hoss. Looks great.


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## Anonymous

I'm located in Houston, TX.
Let me know when I can drop my boat off !  

As already been said ... beautiful job. 

If you don't mind, where'd your get your CMC T/T? How much? 
I'm looking for used, but not much luck.


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## 270Handiman

That Robbie Guy said:


> If you don't mind, where'd your get your CMC T/T? How much?
> I'm looking for used, but not much luck.



Well, I lucked into this one. Didn't cost me a dime, just had to promise a few duck hunts down the road.


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## 270Handiman

After I got the PT/T mounted, I moved on to doing a face lift on the motor.


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## 270Handiman

After I got rid of all the corrosion and sanded it all down, I applied a zinc chromate primer to all metal surfaces
















This was probably the worst color green I've ever seen!!!!!!! And it smells bad also!


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## 270Handiman

Also, the worst thing about the whole motor project was getting the original stickers removed from the fiberglass hood. I used every kind of sticker removal chemical I could find and it barely touched the stuff. I pulled the paint off of the stickers really fast, but it wouldn't touch the residue underneath.

I also took the time to smooth out all of the old scratches and dings in the fiberglass hood before I repainted. Somehow I didn’t get pictures with the red filler putty on the grey and white hood with the green lower unit, but trust me, IT LOOKED BAD at that point. 

But, it looks better now, and this is before all the new stickers went on!
















I wet-sanded the hood with 1500 grit and buffed it out with polishing compound 7 days after painting. I guess that is the reason you see so much reflection in these pictures.


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## 270Handiman

Somehow, I didn't end up with any pictures of the motor right after I finished it, so I snapped this one when I went home for lunch today (unfortunately it was raining). Obviously,it is now mounted back on the boat.


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## 270Handiman

I noticed a few posts back that I never posted any pictures of the work I did on the trailer, and I think it's because I don't appear to have any!

I replaced all the bunks and carpeted them, replaced all the old bunk brackets with new ones, mounted everything with new stainless hardware, replaced the winch bracket with a new one that I had to modify to fit my application, installed a new winch, and added a transom saver. And I did all of this without ever removing the boat from the trailer. Here are a couple pictures from today in the rain that at least prove I'm not lying, lol. [-X 

First, here is the picture from earlier that reminded me how bad the trailer used to look:






Now, here are the ones from today:


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## Loggerhead Mike

thats one slick ride you made, great work


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## 270Handiman

Somebody went shopping!
















This is 2 pieces of 4 x 8 x 1/8 plate, 1" angle, 1" tubing, and 1/2" tubing


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## Troutman3000

Looks great man, is it time for decking???


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## 270Handiman

First order of business was to get the floor down. Because the ribs of this boat are 18" on center, I decided to lay 1/2" tubing at 9" on center perpendicular to the ribs to reduce the unsupported areas of the floor. Now the largest unsupported area is 9" x 18" , versus 18" x 49" if I would not have used the tubing. (one piece of tubing is missing from these pics)


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## 270Handiman

Troutman3000 said:


> Looks great man, is it time for decking???



Yes sir, it is time!


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## 270Handiman

Here's a couple more pics showing all six of the ribs in place.


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## Zum

Nice work,looks like it will be nice and sturdy.


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## altimas

This is an amazing project! The paint job is phenomenal!!!


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## Anonymous

Pulled up this thread from my bookmarks. 

Has there been any updates? Or any new pictures?


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## 270Handiman

Yes, a lot of work has happened since my last update. I've got pictures of everything, just haven't posted them. The boat now has an aluminum floor, extended aluminum casting deck, built in 13 gallon tank under dack, dry storage/gun box under deck, compartment for TM battery, and new fuel filter and hoses. I'm waiting on $$$ to put the Hydro-turf on all the flat surfaces. 

Guess I need to try to post more pictures!

270


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## sum-kina

HANDI,
THERES NO WORDS FOR THIS PAINT JOB!!!!!!!!!
FREAKIN AMAZING......

YOU MUST HAVE VERY GOOD PATIENCE WHEN IT COMES TO THE LIL THINGS CAUSE I WOULD OF HAD NO MORE HAIR AFTER THAT PAINT JOB....

I HAVE TO SAY IT LOOKS FREAKIN GOOD!!!!!!

CANT WAIT TO SEE THE PICS OF THE REST OF THE BOAT WITH THE FLOOR IN IT....

=D> =D> =D> =D> =D> =D>


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## rellis1962

Great Job Handiman! Looking forward to pics of the Al work. I am very jealous of the Aluminum floor etc. I opted for wood. I don't regret it yet. I did everything one is suppose to do to wood to make it last. We need to post side by side picks of our custom flats projects once they are finished. I think we are the only custom flats on this forum. I have the 1654. What is the max HP for your boat?


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## 270Handiman

Rellis,

I agree, we need to get some side by side shots of our custom "Custom Flats"! My boat is commercial rated and therefore doesn't have a max HP rating. It does have a recommended rating of 35 HP, but that ain't gonna happen. I have a 40 on it now, but a 60 may be next in line if this old suzuki ever gets tired.

270


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## Bassman018

Wow, did allot to fix that boat up looks nice. That reminds me of one of the old gator hunting boats you see in Louisiana.


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## hsiftac

that is a very nice looking boat, hopefully when i get one like that i can make it as nice, cant wait to see some pictures of the floor and deck!


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## reedjj

More Pics!


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## 2007NNBS

NO NO NO go camo on the motor. But still one sick rig. Come to moultrie,GA and paint my 16'


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## ishootthings

awesome boat! did you weld the floor togeather? or rivet? 

i want to do an aluminum floor.


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## 270Handiman

The floor is actually put in with self-tapping screws so that I can remove it to clean if I need to. Everything else is riveted or welded!

270


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## mangelcc

That camo paint job looks awesome!!!! Great job


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## 270Handiman

Thanks! It was a lot of work, but I think it turned out well.

270


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## SilverFox

Finished pics? Am I missing them? 

Looks awesome.


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## 270Handiman

Lol, no, your not missing them. I'm been to lazy to post what I have, plus I still haven't installed the hydroturf. 

Also, this got in the way:







I'm still trying to figure out how to weld this white stuff! :shock:


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## SilverFox

Oh no... traitor. LOL :LOL2: 


[-X I can't say never but... it'll have to be close to free for me to ever own a fiberglass boat.


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## 270Handiman

Yep, 2 years ago I would not have thought it either! But when the directions to your fishing hole are: "18 miles south of that last island", your attitude starts to change a little bit!


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## Decatur

I was a little iffy on the paint job until you added the dried reed layer, then, *WOW*! Fantastic job!


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## semojetman

I am a painter at our local Ford Dealership collsion center, and I too, would not have the patience for that paint job, but it looks great man. Good job.


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## Coy

Amazing paint job....I am speechless. PLEASE post some final pics of this boat!!


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## Popeye

Did anyone notice or does Louisiana stipulate the numbers on the STBD side read like this, front to back, not left to right?






In Illinois (and all the other boats I've seen) the numbers read from left to right, not front to back... Just curious.


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## You Know

That must just be something that he did. My numbers read from left to right.


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## mmf

270 handyman, did you ever get the floor put in on this boat? It was kind of left hanging at the end.


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## 270Handiman

Popeye said:


> Did anyone notice or does Louisiana stipulate the numbers on the STBD side read like this, front to back, not left to right?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> In Illinois (and all the other boats I've seen) the numbers read from left to right, not front to back... Just curious.



That was how the numbers were when I bought the boat.....yes, they were backwards. They are now painted on in the proper order.


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## 270Handiman

mmf said:


> 270 handyman, did you ever get the floor put in on this boat? It was kind of left hanging at the end.



Yes, I finished the floors and front deck. I still haven't put down the Hydroturf however, so it looks "unfinished" inside. Truth be known, it hasn't been out of the driveway since opening day of last duck season. I have 500+ pics of the project, so there has to be some that haven't been seen here.

270


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## 270Handiman

270Handiman said:


> Here's a couple more pics showing all six of the ribs in place.



This was my last real update, so I'll try to catch up from here.


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## jdbassin2003

That paint Job is amazing, Getting ready to start my own project, So many ideas on here


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## 270Handiman

To hold the the new longitudinal support ribs in place, I cut a bunch of 1/2" angle in 1/2" pieces to make "L-Brackets" to be riveted down to the original boat ribs. I had originally planned to rivet them to the new 1/2" tubing as well, but because the 1/2" tubing was 1/8" thick, it only left a small area for the rivet to go through, and I found it easier to go to small stainless screws. With these new ribs in place, the distance between ribs was reduced to a maximum of 9" which is now easily bridged by the 1/8" sheet for the floors with no flex at all.


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## 270Handiman

In the process of getting these new ribs installed, I realized that on 2 of the original ribs I needed to shim between the new rib and the old to keep the new ribs flat where the rake of the bow starts. I picked up some small aluminum flat stock from HD to cut the shims from.


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## 270Handiman

To secure these new ribs to the front of the rear seat, I attached a piece of angle to the rear seat to create a ledge for the new ribs to rest on. Also in these pics you can see where I cut the leg of the console loose from the floor to be able to slide the flooring under it. (rest assured that I cleaned it up before the floor went in)


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## 270Handiman

Now for this!


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## 270Handiman

I cut my sheet to follow the contour of the hull, and then I primed the whole sheet top and bottom and painted the cut edges and a 4" strip around the outside OD green, thinking that the Hydroturf will cover most of it (and it will if I ever put it in! #-o ).


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## fish2keel

handiman,

Great boat! I have followed this thread and read it over several times! 

I have a few questions. You said when you were painting your motor you used red putty....do you have the name of this stuff? I have some dings in my motor and want to fill them. Your motor is amazing as with the rest of the boat! Also what was your procedure on painting the motor? I saw you said you wet sanded but did you sand, paint, wet sand and paint again. Just curious. I hope to have my motor half as nice as yours! 

Ill keep following along! Thanks in advance


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## 270Handiman

Installing it was the easy part!


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## 270Handiman

fish2keel said:


> handiman,
> 
> Great boat! I have followed this thread and read it over several times!
> 
> I have a few questions. You said when you were painting your motor you used red putty....do you have the name of this stuff? I have some dings in my motor and want to fill them. Your motor is amazing as with the rest of the boat! Also what was your procedure on painting the motor? I saw you said you wet sanded but did you sand, paint, wet sand and paint again. Just curious. I hope to have my motor half as nice as yours!
> 
> Ill keep following along! Thanks in advance



The red putty is just a body filler putty that you can buy at the auto parts store. It comes in a tube, and is easy to work with. I actually used Bondo on the deeper gouges, and then finished it off with the putty to smooth out any remaining spots.

The prep work is THE key to making the paint come out right. Spend as much time as necessary to get everything smooth, then prime it and check for smoothness again. You can wet it at this point to see any remaining issues. Once your satisfied, prime it again and sand with fine grit paper or a scotch brite pad. Then I painted, sanded, painted, clear coated, let cure for 7 days, wet sanded, buffed, waxed.

Hope this helps!

270


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## 270Handiman

You may notice the area at the front where the floor stops.........On to the next step!


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## 270Handiman

The idea was to extend the deck to create a place for the new fuel tank, TM battery storage, and a gun box.


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## hsiftac

glad to see an update from you, awesome boat keep up the good work and keep us updated!


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## 270Handiman

After a bunch of dry fitting and head scratching, I got started on the bulkhead for the new deck extension. It is supported directly over one of the original ribs for strength. I also have a Tempress hatch to work into the mix. In the last pic you can see the piece of angle attached to the rear of the original deck that will serve as a ledge for the deck extension.


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## 270Handiman

In case anybody is wondering, this is absolutely the best way to cut a bunch of aluminum angle and tubing!


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## 270Handiman

One of my best ideas was creating the small fitting block you see in the bottom left hand corner of this pic. It is just a piece of my deck tubing with a small piece of scrap floor plate attached to it. I used this to position the piece of angle that is attached to the rear of the existing deck. By holding it up flush with the existing deck, I could just slide the angle up below it and drill my holes. The top edge of the existing deck is rounded over, so there was a small bit of overlap in the way the new deck would attach, and make the tightest joint possible. I also used it on the top of the bulkhead in the back to determine what height to cut everything back there to have a perfectly flat surface from the front of the original deck to the back of the new extension.


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## Jonboat Jerry

270Handiman said:


> One of my best ideas was creating the small fitting block you see in the bottom left hand corner of this pic. It is just a piece of my deck tubing with a small piece of scrap floor plate attached to it. I used this to position the piece of angle that is attached to the rear of the existing deck. By holding it up flush with the existing deck, I could just slide the angle up below it and drill my holes. The top edge of the existing deck is rounded over, so there was a small bit of overlap in the way the new deck would attach, and make the tightest joint possible. I also used it on the top of the bulkhead in the back to determine what height to cut everything back there to have a perfectly flat surface from the front of the original deck to the back of the new extension.


Sometimes it's those "Eureka Moments" that yield some of the really clever solutions that make life so easy. Beautiful work! =D>


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## Howard

Very nice! Love that you left it opened without to much decking. Why did you not rivet the floor to the ribs?


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## 270Handiman

Howard said:


> Very nice! Love that you left it opened without to much decking. Why did you not rivet the floor to the ribs?



It's screwed down with stainless steel self-tapping screws and finishing washers. If I ever need to pull the floor, I just uncrew it!


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## 270Handiman

A few more of the deck fabrication


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## 270Handiman

I guess I don't have a singl picture that shows it, but I build a "cradle" where the floor stops to hold the gas tank on the back side. This cradle protects the tank and holds it level with the floor. More deck build pics.


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## fish2keel

Thanks so much handiman! This is a great build! 

Are you welding your front extended deck? I dont see any rivets

Thats exactly what I want to do with my front deck


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## 270Handiman

And more! I think these are the last of the deck framing pics. I don't see it in any of the pics, but there is another support bar on the back of the hatch cover.


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## 79Stroker

Your boats coming along great, what size gas tank is that, i think you have me wanting to spend some money


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## mmf

I really love your aluminum build handyman and the paint I really like too!


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## 270Handiman

fish2keel said:


> Thanks so much handiman! This is a great build!
> 
> Are you welding your front extended deck? I dont see any rivets
> 
> Thats exactly what I want to do with my front deck



Nope, all rivets. Some of them are done from the bottom where possible, some I drilled through the top of the tubing and shot the rivet through the inside, and the rest are done using the homemade L-brackets you see in the pics.


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## 270Handiman

I'm running out of deck build pics, other than putting the skin on. I apparently had a lapse in picture taking at some point because I don't have any that show the additional cross braces I put in the deck. I edited on of the other pics to show how the rest of the braces ran. Of course they were pretty and neat and evenly spaced, but this gives a general idea.


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## Cubman

Do you have any more pictures of this project? I am very impressed.


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## 270Handiman

Final phase starts tonight! Gotta get her finished so she can start looking for a new owner. I have a new project waiting!

Sent from my BlackBerry 9670 using Tapatalk


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## Stove Iron

270Handiman said:


> Final phase starts tonight! Gotta get her finished so she can start looking for a new owner. I have a new project waiting!




So what's the new project? You spent a LOT of time, effort, money, and "married man vouchers" on that Custom boat (I'm hitched myself and have been working on my Alweld), so your new project must be another exciting one at that.


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## 270Handiman

The new project is going to be an 18' true flat bottom boat for use with a Mudbuddy surface drive motor. The motor is actually what started the project, because it's being built up from parts. My initial idea was to just jerk the motor off this boat and pull the console, and let her rip. However, after thinking about that a while, I just can't stand the thought of tearing up this boat by running a mud motor on it. So she'll get a new home and I'll get a boat that doesn't have quite the same sentimental value!


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## Zum

Been awhile since I've posted but came back to your build to see the nice job you did on your camo.
The build was great also,nice job.


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## rrawhide

Hi Handiman

Your boat looks wonderful - hope mine will look as good.

I noticed that your first used a light brown paint and then a dark brown? My kit olny came with sand, black and one brown. Did you add another or do something different? Can't want to get my holes filled and then start the stencils.

Thanx

rrawhide


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## KevinWI

Great job on the camo.


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## 270Handiman

rrawhide said:


> Hi Handiman
> 
> Your boat looks wonderful - hope mine will look as good.
> 
> I noticed that your first used a light brown paint and then a dark brown? My kit olny came with sand, black and one brown. Did you add another or do something different? Can't want to get my holes filled and then start the stencils.
> 
> Thanx
> 
> rrawhide



You noticed right. I added the darker brown myself. It went on in the same step as the light brown. It adds some depth and shadows to it I think.


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## rrawhide

Hi Handi

What dark brown did you use and where did you get it?

thanx

rrawhide


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## 270Handiman

rrawhide said:


> Hi Handi
> 
> What dark brown did you use and where did you get it?
> 
> thanx
> 
> rrawhide



I just used the brown Krylon camo color. Actually, I used all the camo Krylon colors plus the light brown from Styx River.


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## rrawhide

Hi, again, Handi

Some of your pictures of the finished stencil job seems brighter than others. Did you clear coat too?

rrawhide


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## 270Handiman

No, no clear coat. Although I may on my next one! :wink:


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## rrawhide

next one - next one?

is there something in the wind or just a figment of imagination?

pictures pictures pictures

thanx

rrawhide


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## Kochy

Nice boat, On my boat, I was thinking of putting Aluminum Diamond plate, what is your suggestion? Like I see that you used sheet metal, Do you think Diamond plate is way to expensive?


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## 270Handiman

Diamond plate is nice if it is going to be the finished surface. Personally, I prefer to cover all the flat surfaces with Hydro-Turf. It looks good, helps quiet things down if you drop something, and it's much easier on the feet in the summertime.

Sent from my BlackBerry 9670 using Tapatalk


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## 270Handiman

rrawhide said:


> next one - next one?
> 
> is there something in the wind or just a figment of imagination?
> 
> pictures pictures pictures
> 
> thanx
> 
> rrawhide



Let's just say we started with this as the base of the project, and we're moving forward from here!

Sent from my BlackBerry 9670 using Tapatalk


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## rrawhide

hummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!!!

just do not know what that is!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

hint?

rrawhide


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## vahunter

Its a transfer case to make a 4wheel drive boat. Just kidding


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## hsiftac

I dunno what it is, but I'd plug up those holes before you put it in the water! :lol:


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## KevinWI

is that a Jet motor?


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## 270Handiman

vahunter said:


> Its a transfer case to make a 4wheel drive boat. Just kidding



Your really close on the purpose of it! But it's a block, not transfer case!


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## Lazysob

It looks like a compressor with the jugs removed.


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## 270Handiman

Lazysob said:


> It looks like a compressor with the jugs removed.



Yep, your very close, just different application.


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## Aaron Lariscy

Its a v twin motor for either a long shaft or a surface drive motor I am voting surface drive...


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## 270Handiman

Gotta have more parts of course!


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## rrawhide

hummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!

just a few more hints please.

or

could it be this?




for your dingy?

rrawhide


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## 270Handiman

rrawhide said:


> could it be this?
> 
> 
> 
> for your dingy?
> 
> rrawhide



Lol, no, but that would be cool!


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## 270Handiman

Aaron Lariscy said:


> Its a v twin motor for either a long shaft or a surface drive motor I am voting surface drive...



You sir get the prize, if there was one! It's NOT a long tail! :wink:


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## 270Handiman

Work is in progress!


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## vahunter

Looks like it will be pretty one too


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## Aaron Lariscy

270Handiman said:


> Aaron Lariscy said:
> 
> 
> 
> Its a v twin motor for either a long shaft or a surface drive motor I am voting surface drive...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> You sir get the prize, if there was one! It's NOT a long tail! :wink:
Click to expand...


I want to see someone do one that is remote steer instead of tiller I think it be pretty cool. I'd love to have one but can't really justify the pricetag for my boating style.


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## 270Handiman

270Handiman said:


> Final phase starts tonight! Gotta get her finished so she can start looking for a new owner. I have a new project waiting!
> 
> Sent from my BlackBerry 9670 using Tapatalk



Took me a month, but I finished it up!


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## 270Handiman

I'm going to try to post the rest of the build pics from where I left off in October 2010.

My last actual build pics I posted were of the framing of the front deck. These represent how it sat when I began work again this February.


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## 270Handiman

One of my goals from the beginning was to Hydro-Turf all the flat surfaces. Here is the turf work on the front deck:

Pulled the hatch and bow light plug






The turf comes in 60 x 40 sheets, so I started with the center


























Then I put the sides pieces in and it looked something like this


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## 270Handiman

Next was the rear bench







A few cuts, some paint on the new drivers seat base, and it now looks like this


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## 270Handiman

The next project is what I called "gutter guards" when I was working on them. This boat has huge ribs, so the floor was left short on both sides leaving this "gutter" where leaves, trash, cell phones, wedding rings, shotgun shells, and other items could get lost forever. You can see what I mean here






The area in question


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## 270Handiman

My thinking from the start was to leave the floor as a solid sheet of aluminum, and have separate pieces on each side that would fit around the ribs and attach to the floor.

This meant that they had to be strong enough to cantilever out and still support the weight of a person standing on them. I ended up going with 1/4" x 6" 5086 plate. I bought 1 piece, had it cut in half, and brought it to the house.

I have a gap in my pictures of most of this process, but you can see here where I had the piece for this side cut to length, and laid in place pushed up against the ribs






And if you look REALLY closely, you can see that I scribed a line to mark the cutouts required. I don't have any pics of the process, but once I had it all layed out, I set it up on my bench and got to work. The following pics show the end result before paint. What you don't see here is basically 2 weeks of cutting, cussing, test fitting and grinding! ](*,) 

The "tool" I used to scibe all the lines are shown in these 2 pics


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## 270Handiman

The of course I had to paint them to match






I had to put some thought into making the existing holes line up with the new holes I had to drill in the gutter guards because the existing holes let me tap down through the floor, the 1/2" floor runner below it, and the rib. That, plus an extra screw further out, should make it about permanent!


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## 270Handiman

Anybody see the next little project laying around in the pics above? [-X


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## hsiftac

Is it on a stand in the picture looking out of the garage? The big question is what are you putting it on!


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## 270Handiman

Nope, way more obvious than that.

Sent from my BlackBerry 9670 using Tapatalk


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## hsiftac

ahh duhh, could it be the floor?


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## vahunter

Either the trim unit or the trolling motor against the wall...


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## SNOOKED OUT

What brand of primer and paint did you use? Was it all spray paint?


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## dyeguy1212

Wow, really?


Jackplate. :roll:


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## 270Handiman

dyeguy1212 said:


> Wow, really?
> 
> 
> Jackplate. :roll:



Finally! And it made a huge difference in performance!


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## vahunter

I said trim unit but when I zoom it does look more like a jackplate so I was off a little. Haha


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## 270Handiman

vahunter said:


> I said trim unit but when I zoom it does look more like a jackplate so I was off a little. Haha



Yep, lol. I already had my trim unit detailed earlier in the thread, so I didn't give you credit there. However, now I have the trim unit mounted to the jackplate! :twisted:


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## cmatthews_jm

Awesome camo job with that build...very professional looking.


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## JBoze

Awesome job! Are you putting Hydro Turf on the Allum. floor?


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## brasso

So I take it your going to throw a mudbuddy 45 mag on the back of it sooner or later? with as mechanically inclined as you seem, why not buy the extra parts and make it a 5500 or 7000? Also, what will the little longtail be used for that you have in the garage? 

You did an awesome job with the paint, and the entire boat. A little more than I would of put into my boat, but you definetely gave me a few ideas.. I appreciate you directing me to this thread. Did you ever put up a build thread on MMT?


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## 270Handiman

Final Pics before the sale


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## 270Handiman

brasso said:


> So I take it your going to throw a mudbuddy 45 mag on the back of it sooner or later? with as mechanically inclined as you seem, why not buy the extra parts and make it a 5500 or 7000? Also, what will the little longtail be used for that you have in the garage?
> 
> You did an awesome job with the paint, and the entire boat. A little more than I would of put into my boat, but you definetely gave me a few ideas.. I appreciate you directing me to this thread. Did you ever put up a build thread on MMT?




It has been converted to a 5500, it was just a 45 block that we built up. The longtail was my first mud motor back in 1992. We ran that sucker for years! I used to have it on an old 14x36, but we finally gave up and trashed it a few years back and sold it for scrap. And no, I never did a build thread on MMT, figured they wouldn't be interested in a ribbed bottom boat.

I'm about to start my paint job on my new rig in a few weeks.


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## brasso

270Handiman said:


> brasso said:
> 
> 
> 
> So I take it your going to throw a mudbuddy 45 mag on the back of it sooner or later? with as mechanically inclined as you seem, why not buy the extra parts and make it a 5500 or 7000? Also, what will the little longtail be used for that you have in the garage?
> 
> You did an awesome job with the paint, and the entire boat. A little more than I would of put into my boat, but you definetely gave me a few ideas.. I appreciate you directing me to this thread. Did you ever put up a build thread on MMT?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> It has been converted to a 5500, it was just a 45 block that we built up. The longtail was my first mud motor back in 1992. We ran that sucker for years! I used to have it on an old 14x36, but we finally gave up and trashed it a few years back and sold it for scrap. And no, I never did a build thread on MMT, figured they wouldn't be interested in a ribbed bottom boat.
> 
> I'm about to start my paint job on my new rig in a few weeks.
Click to expand...


Sweet! So you did all of this and now your selling the boat? :? 

Whats your next boat gonna be? I take it your throwing the 5500 on it?


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## hsiftac

Really enjoyed watching what you did with that boat, will you be posting progress of your new boat?


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## 270Handiman

I can I guess. It's a new aluminum hull so there nothing to work on there, but I will be doing another camo job and installing the Hydro-Turf. I bought an old aluminum bay boat trailer and I've been completely refurbishing it, and that would have made a good thread if I would have thought of it. #-o


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## 270Handiman

brasso said:


> 270Handiman said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> brasso said:
> 
> 
> 
> So I take it your going to throw a mudbuddy 45 mag on the back of it sooner or later? with as mechanically inclined as you seem, why not buy the extra parts and make it a 5500 or 7000? Also, what will the little longtail be used for that you have in the garage?
> 
> You did an awesome job with the paint, and the entire boat. A little more than I would of put into my boat, but you definetely gave me a few ideas.. I appreciate you directing me to this thread. Did you ever put up a build thread on MMT?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> It has been converted to a 5500, it was just a 45 block that we built up. The longtail was my first mud motor back in 1992. We ran that sucker for years! I used to have it on an old 14x36, but we finally gave up and trashed it a few years back and sold it for scrap. And no, I never did a build thread on MMT, figured they wouldn't be interested in a ribbed bottom boat.
> 
> I'm about to start my paint job on my new rig in a few weeks.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> 
> Sweet! So you did all of this and now your selling the boat? :?
> 
> Whats your next boat gonna be? I take it your throwing the 5500 on it?
Click to expand...


Gator Trax 1750 HD with Hybrid rake, extended deck, gun box, half box with pedestal seat, and 9 gallon gas tank beneath the HD.


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## brasso

Awesome! not that gator trax isint a good boat because they are, but have you considered a custom builder yet? Its gonna be a little bit cheaper and made the exact way you want and wont be near as heavy as a gator trax.. Those things are frkn tanks.. I know a guy who can make you one, that even looks like a gator trax because thats how I wanted mine built


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## 270Handiman

Yea, I considered it. I even considered building it myself. Problem is that I just can't talk myself out of the Gator Trax. I will have some custom features done, and other than modifying the basic hull they will do anything you ask them to do. Remember, they were the "custom" builder years ago, so they know what it's all about. Who's your builder?


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## whiteboots16

Man I have read this tread over and over agin. I'm about to start mine this days off. I have a 1648 semi-v commercial hull that i want to make into a center console.


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## 270Handiman

whiteboots16 said:


> Man I have read this tread over and over agin. I'm about to start mine this days off. I have a 1648 semi-v commercial hull that i want to make into a center console.



Should be a nice project. Looks like you're only a few minutes from me, so hollar if you need some help.


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## whiteboots16

Will do man thanks.


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## Gators5220

Man sweet boat, love how open it is, and clean! =D> =D>


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