14-40 Lowe jon repair and fix up

[marshman]

hello there...im new here...been checking out the site for years though...im in south louisiana, been around boats all of my life, mostly jonboats...we call them bateaus around here...around the north shore lake ponchartrain i think most people call them flatboats...

i have redone quite a few in the past...i took on a new project here recently and decided to be sure and take photos along the way....

im still undecided the direction im gonna go with this one.... first instinct was camo duck-boat fit and finish...i find that easiest... then, i decided to go ahead and do it up nice(decks and carpet), thinking ill be giving it to my son when im done and it proves to function well...now, i just wanna go fishing, so im thinking ill just rig it bare while i decide what i wanna do with it...(im on a tight budget right now anyhow)

the boat... its a lowe 14, 40 inch bottom mod v....its a v front, flat bottom, riveted.... im not crazy about a riveted hull, but it was cheap and that works for my tight budget...

boat looked rough upon first sight...i had time to look it over real good though while waiting for the seller to show up.. i saw a diamond in the rough... boat had been sitting for quite a few years, but hull looked pretty much virgin and solid...i bought it...boat, motor, trailer for $500...

the motor is nothing i will use...its a 20 or 25 johnson that is probably older than me more than likely!! im 41... i have a sweet mid 90's model 2 stroke tiller short shaft 25 mariner(mercury)(my most favorite motor ever)

trailer, rough, but looked rougher upon first look....at first i immediately planned to scrap it since we have 2 other great trailers at the house i can use...anyway it was sitting on 2 flat tires of course..i think this boat sat for probably 5 or 6 years never being moved... i looked it over, it appeared solid enough to make it home...with new wheels of course!! so, to walmart i go...2 new tires/wheels, $100.... i opted for the 8 inch because i pull with a car...i can always go back to 12s later if i want...so, after getting everything home, gutting the boat and getting it off the trailer, and going over the trailer with a little better inspection, it doesnt look too bad...i may rebuild it, but for now i have the boat sitting on a road ready trailer that i already had...

back to the star of the show.... the boat... for the most part it was pretty virgin...no decks, no extreme bass ackwards modifications.... it had some funky old school cable steering with the pullys and brackets in the aft corners...i stripped all that out... there was some attempt at a deck in the from but it was only a few pieces of scrap aluminum assembled to be the bracing for a deck, no deck... it seemed pretty solidly constructed other than the small rusty screws they used to fasten it together...i scrapped that.... its not compatible with anything i have planned for this boat..

i stripped everything completely to bare hull....gave it a good cleaning... 10 years of leaves and crud, trash, and just funk.... gloves, garbage can, shop vac, simple green, scrub brush, water hose...clean...

transom, very flemsy... i never understood why these boats were built with such an inadequate transom... i think the little piece of ply was on about 8 inches tall on a 16 inch transom...it was completely shredded in rot.... i stripped all of that out...had to grind and punch out about 20 rivets just to get to a bare aluminum transom...

so now...i have a completely bare hull sitting on a good road ready dilly trailer... blank canvas...im gonna screw around with the trailer that came with the boat for a few days while i decide what i want to do with the boat...i gotta get some more money for material anyhow...itll be next week before i can get plywood and hardware to do the transom.....


pics... working on it..

 

[marshman]

the day i picked it up...

 

[marshman]

made it home..

 

[TMax27]

A blank canvas :!:

 

[marshman]

all stripped, gutted, and cleaned up...






this motor supposedly runs...ill worry about that later...i have no plans on using it...


ill be using this motor!!


on a good serviceable trailer...


transom...

 

[marshman]

started fooling with the trailer that came with the boat....its pretty solid and easily rebuildable...

started wire wheeling it....i counted at least 5 different paint colors...




got a primer coat on it... not being a galvanized trailer, im not counting on much life expectancy...ill probably sell it or maybe just make a utility trailer out of it... i fish saltwater most of the time...



now, back to the boat.... found a corrosion issue... the bow seat was a solid seat completely filled with foam... i noticed something on the bottom outside of the bow from a distance while taking a break...walkede over to get a better look, looked like oil dripping or weeping...not oil, but moisture of some sort for sure... i had already noticed that the seat had a real solid sounding thump to it...figured the foam was just really solid... but back of my mind told me waterlogged... bow was very heavy... and now looking closer i see that the lil weep spots are actually holes... so, off comes the seat...sure enough, a chunk of foam that i could barely pick up...easily 80 pounds of foam...i could squeeze water of it...

that would be daylight you see...i poked thru the holes with a screwdriver...i think im gonna drill them bigger with a drill bit, buff them really well and have them welded up...




about 80 pounds of foam....

 

[marshman]

i am tempted to regroup and cut some losses and go back to getting this boat together,,,its an all welded weld-craft 15-42...great boat, needs nothing but maybe paint, and a floor...but...the paperwork got lost, and in louisiana it is very difficult to get a boat legal without the proper paperwork...the boat was originally registered in texas...when we bought the boat, my only concern was the motor, my stepdad wanted the boat...we bought boat motor and trailer for 400...a steal...i have only 200 plus 200 for a maintenance check in the motor...(the motor sat for 5 or 6 years without running, so i knew to never even try to crank it, i just brought it to a mechanic...it runs peeeeerfect)



now, if i can only figure out how to get it registered in louisiana!!

 

[catmansteve]

My buddy bought a boat with no title, usually you can get a replacement but it takes time. Took him six months, by the time the title came in he had it fixed up to sell and made like 5x his investment on it. Every state is different though...

I'd file for lost title and fix the Lowe up and use it. By the time the title comes you might have time and money to fix the Weldcraft up too

 

[BigTerp]

I had a similar title issue with my boat and trailer as well. Took me 8 months to get a clean/clear title for the boat. I used mine as is until I got everything in my name. Once I got it legal I then started the major mods. Still waiting on my trailer title 9 months later, but I'm not giving up on that one either.

I agree with catmansteve, work on the Lowe and in the meantime work on getting the Weldcraft titled.

 

[marshman]

cant run a boat in la with tx numbers on it and no paperwork....thats just asking for trouble that i dont need....

im gonna continue with the lowe...i need a boat to go fishing now...if my budget would allow id have it ready to roll in a few days!! i just dont have the money right now...

--i have to get my transom back together...just need the ply and some nuts and bolts...and i think im gonna put a solid piece of 1/8 or 3/16 plate across the outside(mostly just so i dont have to plug all the holes where rivets were)... ill be running a jackplate...

--deal with corrosion holes in bow

--floor, front and rear deck..... i have all the aluminum bracing and support material, just need the ply...

--reinstall some flotation foam

--get 2 batteries, build support for them under front deck...

--get a fuel tank, fuel line, and filter

--material to build jack plate...i think i have some of it..

--misc hardware, glue, carpet or vinyl(carpet/vinyl can wait)


im actually planning to paint the hull and carpet or vinyl the interior but the cosmetic stuff can wait till whenever..

 

[marshman]

got the 25 off the other boat and on to a stand... got it cleaned up, gonna get a tank and hose this weekend to fire it up...i know it runs great, just been sitting a few months...



got a couple good coats of paint on the trailer...its just a rattle can paint job....

also, decided to go ahead and pull the middle seat out of the lowe...man, that opened that boat up alot...made a huge difference...mostly just optical illusion i guess...i thought till i was tired on how to make it useful storage...its a floating open bottomed seat...so i couldnt just cut it open and have a box...i wouldve have to fabricate a bottom for it...i may just incorporate a storgae box of some sort in to my front deck..but i dont really need storage, just a place to stow life jackets, rain gear, tool kit....im really thinking open ended deck, and some truck tailgate netting along the sides(oh wait, hooks!!! maybe scratch that idea!!).......im going very simple on my decks..... i see some people get waaay to carried away with deck construction on here...i dont want all that extra weight...

 

[BigTerp]

cant run a boat in la with tx numbers on it and no paperwork....thats just asking for trouble that i dont need....

That's why I was saying to get the Lowe done while you wait on the title for the Weldcraft. I definitely don't reccommend it, but I used mine during waterfowl season last year without a proper title. But I have private river access to a secluded part of the river. I never had to tow the boat out of my sub division. Not a good excuse though and if I got ticketed I was asking for it and deserved it.

Good luck with the build. Keep the pictures coming!!!

 

[marshman]

couple pics from yesterday...no boat work today... having a big friend and family get together fish fry this afternoon... been getting ready for that most of the day..

 

[marshman]

i got me some plywood!! and some glue, and a few other things.... gonna get my transom, floor, and deck made a make sure it fits so i can be treating the wood and painting it while the boat is at the welding shop..ill hopefully get it to the welder by the end of the week...with the holiday, i doubt itll be ready before mid week next week...thats ok, not gonna rush a good thing..

 

[marshman]

not too much done...fixing to get hot and heavy on it though... got in a rut, trying to make some decisions... contemplated getting a new hull to start fresh on before sinking a bunch of money into this one.. also was undecided on paint colors, carpet or no carpet...

the plan now is....

charcoal gray paint outside, light gray inside....gray carpet... plain simple 3 foot deck in front, removed middle bench seat, simple deck in rear...

anyway... bought a used trolling motor that is likke brand new...other than being a little weathered.. 40 lb thrust minn kota edge, hand control, bow mount... it had the tilt tiller on it, and i had an old tm with the extendable tiller that i prefer, so i swapped the heads out... while i was at it, repainted the white head to add a little custom touch..went with a metallic gray that will fit into the color scheme of the boat great.. got some new stickers made for it...








also had some new "lowe" stickers made for the outside of the boat once painted...





also... got my fuel tank, not crazy about this new breed of non venting tanks, but itll do for now..
got fuel line and fittings, battery, wire for trolling motor, carpet, glue, primer and paint,
. sealer for plywood floor and deck, some of the stainless nuts, bolts, and screws ill need...

oh yeah, got my 3 inch aluminum angle to build my jackplate, lights and wire for trailer...

listed in a list it doesnt seem like much i guess, but being on a budget the way i am, it kept me pretty busy...

ill still need a few things as i go, but at least the bigger purchases are made...now i just gotta get busy sanding and painting so i can get this thing together!!

 

[marshman]

not too much today...finally got the shed cleared out so i could get the boat in there...the on and off rain has been killing me...now i can work at night also because i have lights under there...now i gotta get started sanding and more sanding so i can get some color on it....




also, got my jackplate made and put together...still gotta clean up some rough edges, and round some corners..and i may put some brackets on the inside with an all thread lift device...




them stickers look great!! the pic does no justice for the paint job on the head...

 

[marshman]

scuff sanded all of the outside.... but then i got to thinking that i still need to seal all my plywood thats going on the inside and i could be getting that done while boat paint dries, so i flipped it back over to get my decks and floor cut to fit before i start painting..

got a front deck built...3 feet.. i wanted just plain and simple..and test fit trolling motor mount..


deck framing..


made me a little stencil to use for the rib cutouts...


floor cut out to fit... there 2 ribs up front that have some v to them and the floor wont lay flat. i could make some ribs to straighten the vee out but i really dont want my floor to ramp uo toward the front...



plan b...cut the floor, stop it where the v starts/stops and just box it in and make a bigger deck with storage...(honestly, after test fitting trolling motor and depth finder placement, i decided my small deck is too small anyway) so i added a little more than 2 feet






i still need to make 2 upright braces, then ill cut out a bulk head, and finish the deck, with a hatch...my deck will now be 3 pieces with a hatch... i may make a second hatch, theres certainly room for it...i gotta go to town and find some hinges now!!

then i gotta get the back deck made....

then i can pull all the panels out so i can be able to work on getting them sealed up and carpeted while im painting the outside...gotta have something to do while paint is drying!!

gotta decide on battery placement... my originally decided location will now be in a storage compartment...not sure if thats gonna be a go or no-go... but... i could have it in there and add an on board charger!! hmm....ill have plenty of room in there for that, tackle, and other junk...

i feel like im not getting much done but i guess i am...im very ready to go fishing!!

 

[BrazosDon]

Hey marshman that is one nice looking boat. Too bad about that transom but it looks fairly easy to fix. Looking forward to watch your progression.

 

[marshman]

oh im trying to fast track this build...i didnt have a whole lot of money to spend on this lil boat... but ive got all my purchases made for the most part...other than some screws and nuts and bolts... i still need some lights, a bilge pump and switches, and prob a few more odds n ends...

transom is taken care of...i have a new one waiting to be bolted in place... i laminated 3 pieces of 3/8 ply...and the jackplate will act as a stiffener to tie it all together... itll be strong enough for a 40!! i only have a 25 though...

ill only be fishing this boat for a year or 2 at most...im getting a bayboat soon(hopefully this winter)...then after that im gonna build a little composite lightweight marsh boat(poling skiff)...

 

[BigTerp]

Coming along nicely. Alot of this work is tedious!! I feel the same way as you sometimes, like nothing is gettig done. But in reality we are making good progress.