14ft shallow V build

I guess it's time to start a build!

I have a 14ft shallow V with a 6 horse Johnson motor. Boat I'd a 1972 Montgomery ward Seaking and motor is a '77 seahorse. The trailer has no identification, though I doubt it to be homemade. I got this all for a steal, as I got it from the original owner and it has been stored inside all its life, having not been used in the past 12 years too.

I had a lot of options though I settled on the cheapest and simplest build design I could do. With a small boat that I'll likely resell to fund a larger boat eventually in a year or two, I decided to keep the seats in and just deck over the top. This will give me much needed storage as well as space to stand and move comfortably while using a bow mount trolling motor.

Yesterday I began building the framework for the boat. Tomorrow, I will seal and cut the deck. The framing surprised me because I did not use a lot of wood like I've seen and yet it is very sturdy. I took it to the lake with a piece of 1/2" plywood laid over and it did not flex at all under my weight!

pics and details to come!



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sounds good! how about a few pics?

Since I have been doing mine and reading a lot on this site, I have been interested (and a little concerned) about my transom height. Mine is only 15" I wish I had a 20"

what is yours?

Mine is 15 inches. I'll post pics when I get around a computer! My phones isn't agreeing with that! I love you build because it is a very similar boat!

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The bracing is minimal as can be seen in the pictures, though today I may add more. I built it minimally not knowing the location of the hatches I plan for just yet. Today is the deck cutting and placing!

looks good

are you from Ohio?

I have that same Reef Runner sticker on my Lake Erie boat lol

Spent my whole life here in beautiful North Canton. Many of the lakes I fish and hunt are west branch and mogadore. I have large private ponds I do that on as well, big enough for an outboard even!

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Got a good amount done today. Deck is cut. The bottom floor is rather just a board placed in to help see it all come together. Eventually the floor will go there, but for now the deck was the goal! Thursday I will be sealing it then hopefully this weekend it will be finished with the bow mount trolling motor and the hatches and carpet!



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off to a great start bud

looking good, I'm building a similar layout as you with my 14 footer. I cant wait to fish out of it!

I decided on this because it's the least work and I doubt stability is an issue. I'm very excited to get the spar on and finished to see it all come together as well!! Good luck on your build

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Today's Update:

I spent a lot of time thinking about whether or not I enjoyed the style of the framing and decided I hated it ultimately. So i started more or less from scratch with it to lower the deck about 1.5" to directly sitting on the seats rather than raised above them. I spent the day rebuilding the deck and putting the first coat of spar urethane on everything.

Tomorrow, it should mostly be finished. At least to where it is fish-able! I intend to add 2 more coats of spar urethane to the wood and then cover with carpet on the main deck and hatch doors with hinges. Also, I purchased hardwood (Oak I believe) to replace the transom. That will happen tomorrow as well. Then, I will add a floor between the rear bench and middle sometime this week or next. In the meantime, I've spent long enough off of the water and from fishing!

Are you adding anything for flotation under the deck? I want to do a similar setup to my old 14 footer but am concerned about the extra weight.

I did not add anything as it's sitting on top of all of the original seats. I don't ever cross big water and fish shore lines. I'm a fairweather fisherman as well that is a solid swimmer. Therefore, I don't particularly care to add much. I did however just place the deck in snugly. It's not bolted down nor do I think it needs to be. So if I sank, it would float out maybe? Lol

I will be adding a bilge pump at some point to keep up with any standing water in the back, because I'm not sure if it leaks. I also may apply steelflex at some point too.

I started with the deck because this was the most labor intensive part of the build. I had a week off from my schooling this week so I tried my best to knock it out. I did, too, aside from the transom wood and hatches. Seeing as I tore out the transom, the boat is out of comission for another week or so. Plus, assuming I put the transom in on Tuesday I as hope to do, the 3m 5200 will have ample time to cure while it sits until the following Tuesday to fish.




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I think your floatation is fine

you did not remove any, correct?

and what you added was wood, which floats, so that's a wash.

I removed my center bench but took the foam out of it since it was still like new and added it to my boat. But I did not add any additional.

UPDATE:

The boat is darn near finished. I at least can use it to fish now. The only additions left for the boat are likely a non weight bearing rear deck because I like the extra spots to place small tackle or something while I'm changing lures, plus it makes it look more tidy with the battery and gas tank hidden; and I have a 55lb bow mount that I will install sooner rather than later. The last is to put a folding seat in the rear for the driver to use while controlling the tiller.

I've decided on no rear floor between the rear and middle bench seat to cut back on weight. I have no idea how to put the seat in the boat, whether I want it between the benches, or I can mount it on a swivel to the rear bench. Any suggestions?

For now though, updated pictures:

looks great bud

on the seat, I would just bolt it to the bench like most others do. Take a look at my build

you would not want it on the floor between the benches, how are you going to reach the motor?

Prior to beginning the build it was on a floor between the benches. The pedestal was butted up against the bench. If I can reuse the pedestal and not have to purchase anything else, I'm gonna lol

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this picture is when I brought it home . The pedestal you can see is slightly in front of the bench. I hated it dead center, so it will be slightly offset, but I'm not sure if on the bench or not.

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I still dont know how you would reach the tiller handle with it where it was. Unless you have gorilla arms or are facing backwards while driving

haha, if I turned sideways, it was only a short reach. Maybe 22 inches in total, minus the distance that the till handle protrudes towards the seat? The benches are only 10 inches wide and it began 12 inches from the transom.