Well I just went out recently and got me a 12' aluminum v-hull Montgomery Ward Sea King (not sure of the year but I would guess 70's) and I couldn't be happier. I have a small transom mount 34lb thrust trolling motor on the back that will last me about 2 days on a full battery. I could row faster but it came with the package. I have attached some pictures.
Here are a few ideas/questions I have for the boat. They are ranked in order of which will be done first to last.
1. New paint job. Lots of scratches and chips at the moment. Anyone know how/techniques to apply a good DIY camo pattern?
2. Decking. The widest part of the boat near the middle is 4ft (48") and the transom is 3'7" (43"). Does this boat qualify for decking without making the boat too unsturdy? Partial decking would be fine, perhaps just a casting deck in the front. I will have to play around with some ideas but first I wanted to get your opinions on if this boat can handle a 200lb man standing up without having to worry about tipping if I have to do some powerful hook setting. If I did partial decking, like a casting deck in the front half, I would probably make the deck flat with the top of the boat. If I decked the whole thing, I would probably deck it about 8"-12" deep or where the seats sit right now. It is also a v-hull and I dont usually see a lot of info on v-hull decking. Anyways let me hear some input on this.
3. Live well. Would love to get a live well in this baby so I can bag me some keepers. This will take some research on my part, so if you know any good places to read up on custom live wells links would be most appreciated.
4. Bow mount trolling motor or preferrably a way to mount my transom mount motor to the bow. Any adaptors for this? I would also like a pedal up front to control the motor because fishing by yourself or having to steer/drive and fish at the same time can get frustrating. Does the motor have to be made to accept a pedal or is there a way to rig a pedal in between the motor and the battery and achieve the same effect?
5. Possibly a 9.9 outboard if money allows it. This could be out a ways (possibly 6 months or so).
Thats all I got for now. I'm hoping to get started on this asap. Looking forward to any advice you have to offer. As this is my very first boat, I am new to the boating scene so if I ask some dumb questions please bear with me. :lol:
Here are a few ideas/questions I have for the boat. They are ranked in order of which will be done first to last.
1. New paint job. Lots of scratches and chips at the moment. Anyone know how/techniques to apply a good DIY camo pattern?
2. Decking. The widest part of the boat near the middle is 4ft (48") and the transom is 3'7" (43"). Does this boat qualify for decking without making the boat too unsturdy? Partial decking would be fine, perhaps just a casting deck in the front. I will have to play around with some ideas but first I wanted to get your opinions on if this boat can handle a 200lb man standing up without having to worry about tipping if I have to do some powerful hook setting. If I did partial decking, like a casting deck in the front half, I would probably make the deck flat with the top of the boat. If I decked the whole thing, I would probably deck it about 8"-12" deep or where the seats sit right now. It is also a v-hull and I dont usually see a lot of info on v-hull decking. Anyways let me hear some input on this.
3. Live well. Would love to get a live well in this baby so I can bag me some keepers. This will take some research on my part, so if you know any good places to read up on custom live wells links would be most appreciated.
4. Bow mount trolling motor or preferrably a way to mount my transom mount motor to the bow. Any adaptors for this? I would also like a pedal up front to control the motor because fishing by yourself or having to steer/drive and fish at the same time can get frustrating. Does the motor have to be made to accept a pedal or is there a way to rig a pedal in between the motor and the battery and achieve the same effect?
5. Possibly a 9.9 outboard if money allows it. This could be out a ways (possibly 6 months or so).
Thats all I got for now. I'm hoping to get started on this asap. Looking forward to any advice you have to offer. As this is my very first boat, I am new to the boating scene so if I ask some dumb questions please bear with me. :lol: