Recent content by BadMan

It is nearly done. Taking advice offered here, I painted the interior hull a light tan. Added wiring for a fishfinder that was included with the boat. It is old, but it was in the deal and it powers up, so I am going to try it. Made a small bracket to hold it on an oarlock. I have only...

Good idea...I am applying bedliner only to the portion below my decks, and above will be tan. Took it out for a test and learned that elevated decks would have been a disaster. It is smal enough that it would quickly have tipped over. Tough to stand in, let alone stand ON.

Mid-way through the project: Boat hull is black as is trailer. Trailer needed work. I added a front jack and wheel. Recarpeted the bunks. Added new rollers and a bow stop. Inside, I finished and fitted the oak-plank seats (I added new floatation foam, too) to replace the plywood ones. Also...

No photos this time, but there will be soon. I've cut and applied sealant to the 3 floor pieces, and carpet is next. Also have cut and varnished (1 coat) the wooden seats. They are oak and look very sharp! More to come.

I have reconsidered the livewell idea with all this discussion about weight. Now just looking at flooring, seats on swivels, and lights plus some cosmetic fixes. That way I can carry a cooler with food and drinks, tackle, the deepcycle battery, and a friend and still get away with a trolling...

Okay, went with 1/2"--it should do well, since this isn't an elevated casting deck, just a flat floor on the hull. Thanks for the advice Also: Leak-tested. To my surprise, just 4 small leaks, and 3 were along one line of rivets where the hull was dented.

Great idea to keep the floor in place! Thanks!

Inside now... There are two ribs that run longitudinally. My current plan is to lay 2x2s along side them and the attach the 3/4" flooring to those. (The 2x2s will hold the floor about a 1/4" higher than the ribs.) Should I fasten the 2x2 to the ribs or make them snug and leave the floor...

Have you seen that commercial for the spray-on product where they cut a screen door into the hull of a boat, then they spray it and the door does not leak? I wonder if that would work...

I owned a Fiberglas boat years ago. Loved it. Eventually sold it. Nowadays, I live in a resort town with easy access to four smallish lakes. Some have horsepower limits, some have electric-only restrictions. I needed a boat again. So I went in search of a small aluminum boat and trailer as...