80's 14ft Grumman restoration

[m_lowlander]

Want to say thanks to all that put up great info here everyday. This was my first project. Cant say it was always fun, but I learned allot doing this. It is still not totally done. I want to change some stuff around and paint the outside of the boat, but for the most part its done.

Had it out a couple of times and its been fun.

I picked this up fairly cheap with a 9.9 Evinrude, bow min-kota, FF, and trailer and battery. The boat was old and needed a new transom. I got it because it's big. Biggest and widest 14ft boat I had seen. It has mid decks that are over 52" wide and a 65" beam.

Not worth including all the steps and details, but here are some pics. If by chance you have questions let me know....

 

[m_lowlander]

 

[m_lowlander]

 

[m_lowlander]

 

[TheBassinBarber]

wow that looks awesome, great work. I was wondering how much space were you leaving on your cuts to compensate for the carpet?

 

[m_lowlander]

Thanks. I leave very little. Actually it really a tight fit. Maybe an 8th ...maybe a 16th. The carpet will eventually compess over time so i want it all tight.

 

[alanbird_87]

Your boat looks really good...I like the carpet job looks very nice...if you don't mind me asking where did u get those black pull tabs for on your hatches and the hinges? Does ur front deck have any support along the middle or is it just supported by the 2x4s on the side rear and back? Thanks

 

[wingsnhammers]

There are just some boats that I have a natural attraction to. Grumman is one of those, although it is based on the history of the company. Grumman has manufactured aircraft for the US Navy during WWII all the way through the 90s. Famoust aircraft such as the F4F Wildcat, F6F Hellcat, F9F Panther, A6 Intruder, and F14 Tomcat were all produced by Grumman. They were all well known for being very sturdy and resilient workhorses. Although Grumman marine is surely a cousin to Grumman defense industries, I am sure that the parent company shared some details about working with aluminum. I would love to have a Grumman one day, just so I could name it some goofy cat name and fish the heck out of it!

You might have known that, or might not, or might not even care. Anyway, it looks like you are well on your way to having a very nice boat! Keep up the good work.

 

[m_lowlander]

alanbird_87 » Yesterday, 08:28[/url]"]Your boat looks really good...I like the carpet job looks very nice...if you don't mind me asking where did u get those black pull tabs for on your hatches and the hinges? Does ur front deck have any support along the middle or is it just supported by the 2x4s on the side rear and back? Thanks

Thanks, I'm surprised how it turned out. This was the first time I did anything like this.
The pull tabs are just old cargo straps I cut, looped and tacked under the lids. They add a little tightness to the lids and keep them closed and tight. The hinges are anodized aluminum from McMaster.

Heres a pic of the support I made.

 

[m_lowlander]

wingsnhammers » Yesterday, 14:59[/url]"]There are just some boats that I have a natural attraction to. Grumman is one of those, although it is based on the history of the company. Grumman has manufactured aircraft for the US Navy during WWII all the way through the 90s. Famoust aircraft such as the F4F Wildcat, F6F Hellcat, F9F Panther, A6 Intruder, and F14 Tomcat were all produced by Grumman. They were all well known for being very sturdy and resilient workhorses. Although Grumman marine is surely a cousin to Grumman defense industries, I am sure that the parent company shared some details about working with aluminum. I would love to have a Grumman one day, just so I could name it some goofy cat name and fish the heck out of it!

You might have known that, or might not, or might not even care. Anyway, it looks like you are well on your way to having a very nice boat! Keep up the good work.

Cool info. I did not know they were somewhat related. I will tell you this... this boat is a beast. I dont think they build aluminum boats like this anymore. The capacity for this 14ft boat is over 1,000 lbs.

 

[NH-PLAY]

What kind of light did u put in ur storage holes. I like that idea a lot.

 

[m_lowlander]

The lights are LED strips I bought on amazon for 5 bucks.
Cant find the ones I got but these are similar.

Wired into a switch. I like having extra light on the boat. And in case I get jammed out on the water in the dark it really lights up the boat....

https://www.amazon.com/Truck-Flexible-Waterproof-Light-Strip/dp/B004Y9YIU6/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&qid=1375964520&sr=8-12&keywords=led+strip+light

Heres a pic..

 

[m_lowlander]

I also got 2 of these for the two batteries I run.

Switch wired and really nice to have.

 

[NH-PLAY]

Thanks for light link, like that they r waterproof. Is that just telling u ur battery volt? Or dos it give reading on percent of battery too?

 

[m_lowlander]

Just the volts. But its easy to remember what % it is.

 

[OldTinBoatGuy]

Great looking build! Awesome job. Thanks for posting.

 

[m_lowlander]

Thanks to all for the feedback, much appreciated.

M

 

[Mojo]

Good job dude. I'm digging those volt meters.

 

[fishguy63]

I have the same Grumman Fisherman boat and was interested in performing a similar renovation. What did you make the transom out of? How did you attach the frame to the seats and did you create a template?

 

[fishguy63]

How did you go about prepping and painting the interior? Also curious how you went about designing the support system.