'68 Mirrocraft Rebuild

[Fourbtgait]

Picked up a 14' deep fisherman two weeks ago, winter project.
2008 Trailer is in perfect shape.
2001 Johnson 25 hp, has a slight miss, already fixed the manual tilt mechanism.
Both the fishfinder and trolling motor are in perfect condition, batteries not to old.

But.......
Has an ugly camo job and the interior modifications are old.
Stern platform was built up 4" above the seat, tiller handle almost rubs.
Bow platform built up 2" above the seat.

Waiting for decent weather to see how the bow platform feels, though I do intend to lower and shorten it. The stern platform is already gone. Thinking of moving the 6 gallon fuel tank behind the seat just in front of the motor when I take it out just to see how it sits/runs.

Camo paint came off sides easy with a light coat of old brake fluid. The original green needed paint stripper, which turned it into goop that wiped off with a towel, then a wire brush wheel on angle grinder to clean it up.

Let's see if I can figure pictures out...

 

[Fourbtgait]

Sorry the one picture is sideways, suggestion on how to turn it? Was not that way in the file.
Also learned the order they post in.
Transom original paint is a bear to get off. They must have sprayed it twice, lol.
I don't troll a lot, thinking of mounting the fishfinder transducer on the trolling motor.
Lots of holes above and below waterline to seal.
Will JB Weld work for below waterline also or better to use rivet/bolt with 5200?
Transom board is in decent shape but will replace it anyway so I don't have to later. Thinking of making it deeper, notice the aluminum transom flexs some tilting motor up and down.

More pics.

 

[fool4fish1226]

Looking good keep us posted :beer:

 

[Fourbtgait]

I will Fool4fish.

I did some measuring before work, then wasted some time drawing a layout. I say wasted because when one compares dreams to reality, I need to rein my thoughts in some for layout, storage.
It is a bit difficult in that I have not fully deconstructed the boat, weather is supposed to be good this weekend to head to the lake, see how things work as is and what to change. Current storage layout is a waste of space.

My fishing will be local lakes, up to possibly 1,000 acres. Here we have a combination of warm and cold water species. So both casting and flyfishing.

 

[bassfisherjk58]

Nice Boat,can't wait to see it finished.That green paint must have been popular at the Mirrocraft factory.I have a 1985 14 ft' Mirrocraft that had the same color on it before I redid it.Good Luck!

 

[Fourbtgait]

They must have gotten a really good deal on that paint, even the 1968 catalog shows them that green. Could not find a hint of primer under it, never had a paint react the way it does.

I'm looking at the hull being white, topsides a deep forest green. I had those colors on a wood boat I built, thought they looked nice.

This weekends weather will be good though we have snow in the mountains. I'll fish some, test the boat for balance and such. I did move the 6 gallon fuel tank behind the seat, directly in front of the engine. I'll see how she runs, I could probably go with a smaller tank as it is. Thoughts?

 

[Fourbtgait]

Took her out on the lake today for testing and some fishing. Ramp was not steep, so had to wade in the water launching and retrieving. Rear side guides on the trailer would help aligning for retrieval.

WOT she runs at 23 mph, gps speed. Has a very slight miss in the engine. Had the 6 gal fuel tank directly in front of the engine, so that weight and my own at the stern. 4-5 mph she does squat some. Plus the bottom of the hull is rough from old paint, keel gouge, etc.

No leaks in the hull at all. Glad I took the old rear deck/chair off, sat to high and about 30 pound of weight at the stern. Both the fish fibder and trolling motor work good, very few fish out today.

The stability of the hull with the front casting deck leaves a bit to be desired. I kept an eye on boat wakes, slowly got used to it but find I don't stand as far forward as I would like. For me the stability in front of the bow seat lacks. i stand more comfortable at the bow seat or just a tad behind it. Both batteries are just in front of the bow seat, so add in my 200 pound and the bow squats some. Really didn't care for the bass seat on it, preferred to just stand. If i put a pedestal seat up there, it will be lower, with a back.

Thinking of pulling the front deck off, lower it to the original seat height, extend it behind the bow seat 1' to maximum of 2'. Then move the batterries to just behind the bow seat, use the area in front of the bow seat for light storage, etc. this would help centralize the weight, possibly allowing more of a comfort factor farther to the bow.

The central seat I would like to remove, building a side hull bracing system to keep the stiffness, working in storage on each side. If I could, I would buy 2 3 gal fuel tanks, move them more forward on each side of the hull also for weight distribution. But thats doubtful with the curvature of the hull. But having a lower floor 6' long, 3-3 1/2' feet wide would be very nice for when the waves are a bit much. Possibly add in a seat base on the lower floor.

Planning on using as much aluminum for flooring supports as possible for weight savings, 1/2" ply for decking.

 

[Fourbtgait]

Removed the front casting deck, took an hour and half. All the plywood was screwed down with sheet rock screws, half of those had the heads full of adhesive for the carpet. Plus....everything was also attached with construction adhesive. They used 5/8" ply for the casting deck, 1x4's under that, with chunks of 1x4 secured to the hull with more construction adhesive. The lower deck was made from 3/4" ply with no supports under it so it all took on a "U" shape.

I haven't pulled the seat out yet but found out that yes, they are a structural part, but...the seat top is made from 3 1x3's with sheet aluminum cover, the foam poured around over and around the wood. Hmmmmm. Instead of laying the casting floor on top of the seat, i could integrate it into the supports, running an aluminum angle from seat support to seat support. Loss of foam under the seat would be made up around and under the storage areas.

I did look at dropping the casting deck lower, to the seam where hull sides/bottom is, but that would require fabricating a drop support beam for the hull. This would lower the center of gravity an additional 6" with very little loss of deck width.

 

[Fourbtgait]

Stripped down, center seat removed, 90% clean inside.
Though the construction adhesive did not stick to the wood, it certainly sticks to the aluminum hull.
Finally used a heat gun and scraper to remove the majority of it. Will finish now with the heat gun and a razor blade scraper.
Also need to build a motor stand, left it on today to add weight to lift and drain the hull easier.

Thinking main floor 3'6" wide, need to review other builds to see what they did.
Read through the Coast Guard flotation requirements, they make sense and will calculate the foam this week. Had it in my mind that I could stuff the underfloor areas but after reviewing the regs and a couple articles, one should not rely on all low foam lest the hull turn turtle. Foam also needs to sit up high as in under the gunwales, which a tin boat lacks...

 

[Fourbtgait]

Question on laying out the floor.
The consensous is to level the boat to get a level floor.
What part is everyone using as the level area?
The gunwale?
On the mirrocraft, if this is level, the seats are higher in the bow. At the same time, the keel towards the bow is lower.

 

[fla_cracker]

Nice project.... It is the same model as mine. I'm just starting my build. https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=32073 it's probly gonna slow going for me.


I can't wait to see what you come up with...

 

[Fourbtgait]

Thanks Fla. i had looked at yours before I posted also.
I did establish level after viewing several Mirrocrafts, realizing the chine where they rest in water is level with the gunwales. Floor level laid out on the ribs, main floor joists cut to length.
Did that while waiting on the new transom to cure.

Though the old transom had no rot, just bad weathering, I was surprised to find it had twisted/bowed in the center from motor weight 1". I added extra depth to the new transom to stradle the transom braces more and added a larger motor bolt cover plate.

New transom is made from exterior glued doug fir sturdifloor. This material has practically no voids like regular cdx will. Glued together with System Three epoxy, a layer of 6 oz fiberglass on the outer face, all surfaces coated with more epoxy. Two reasons for the fiberglass. Add a bit more stiffness to the transom but also because if doug fir is not sheathed, the sun will surface check it.

 

[Fourbtgait]

Floor is in and braced. Need to determine the one seat base I will be installing, run extra supports.
Battery box supports in, 24 inches back from where it was, lowered down 4 inches from original location.
Deciding on front deck layout, height, found out the front seat side wall brackets were designed out of level to the rear ones.
Hmmmm

 

[fla_cracker]

Looking good.

Are those L channel or C channel? It's kinda hard to tell from the pic. Also, could you post up a rough sketch of the layout your shooting for?


Thanks

 

[Fourbtgait]

Good morning,
They are 6031 angles, 1 1/2 and 1 1/4 inch.
I started off with a sketch like everyone else does and quickly realized you end up changing and adapting because our thoughts exceed the size of the hull. I am trying to keep balance low as we have a lot of wind year round, which leads me to debating the front deck height. Most people go at the top of the front bench seat, I will either do the same or drop it down 3".
The main deck is as low/wide as possible and still allow drainage under the last joist/rib, I have 3/4" clearance.

 

[cardinaljosh88]

I'm curious as to why you remove the seating. Isn't that the flotation?

 

[Fourbtgait]

Yes, the seat is for floatation, but as long as I replace the flotation amounts in other places, it will still float as per Coast Guard regulations. Removing the center seat provides me with a 5'6" long center flat deck. In this area I will put a pedestal seat base for use.
I also removed the rear seat but in the same location have built the framework for another. This one provides a cut out in the center to place the fuel tank under, out of the way and a bit more forward. Each side of it will hold flotation, along with more in the bottom of the two stern corner compartments.
The bow seat has also been removed, letting me lower the bow casting deck down 3" from top of seat, or an 8" step up from the center deck. Though i will have several large compartments under the bow deck, there will be enough void area to fill with foam to compensate for what has been removed. I do need to keep the foam high so the boat if it ever sinks, does not turn turtle.
I have repeatedly looked at other builds to pick up ideas on how to construct certain areas and adapt them to my build. I will admit that using aluminum is a pain, taking longer than wood, but also lighter.

 

[bassfisherjk58]

Very nice job,so far. I can't wait to see the finished boat.

 

[cardinaljosh88]

That is a sweet looking setup. I would love to get mine under way but I am having a hard time finding time between work and hunting. Until I do find the time I will enjoy watching other boats come together.

 

[smackdaddy53]

Looks great! It is amazing what a man can do with some angle, tubing, a saw and rivet gun