18' Polar Kraft Conversion

Good evening. I'm very happy that google has led me to this website. I've found so many inspiring conversions that I've decided to start mine. It's an old Polar Kraft 18' jon. Overall, the boat is in good shape, however the transom is shot. I have an an older Merc 25 tiller that I'll be using (unless I can convince the wife to let me upgrade!).

My first mission is to fix the transom. Tonight, I removed the aluminum channel and corner turnbuckles. You can see in the pics (maybe) the discolored wood thats rotten.

Welcome! On upgrading the motor....it's always easier to ask for forgiveness than for permission. Good luck!

You got a point there. I can always tell her my fishing buddy made me buy it!

Tin Yachtsman said:

it's always easier to ask for forgiveness than for permission. Good luck!

Click to expand...

Hahaha, never thought about it like that. Definitely true. Welcome to the sight!

I've got the transom down to bare aluminum, removed the 2 center "pods". I need some input on electrical. I'm starting from scratch (except battery) and will need a switch console, running lights, bilge, live well and some "driving lights". Any thoughts on wire gauge, componets, setups?

Thanks,

Chad

with wiring i would always go with one guage bigger than it calls for, but thats just me. for lights,bilge etc.. stuff that doesent draw a lot of power i think you would be fine with 12 or 14 guage, thats what ive used and never had any problems. and a switch/fuse panel is always a good idea.... p.s. running a trolling motor you want 4 or 6 guage and your battery as close to the troller as possible, the farther away the harder it is for the troller to pull the power needed to run and puts unwanted strain on the motor and circuits.....

and as far as batterys for a trolling motor, always use a deep cycle marine or a good gell cell. cranking batterys are designed for short powerful bursts needed to start an engine and not designed for a slow draw of power that accesories use, although it would work but you will run out of juice and battery life sooner than with the before mentioned types...

Thanks for the info.

Now a question about carpeting and flooring. Should I roll with 3/4 or 5/8 marine board for the floor? I'll have several sections carpeted. I was think about fitting each piece, then carpeting it and then using stainless steel to attach. I was going to leave the screws visible so that I could remove a panel as needed. Is this what people normally do?

5/8" should be sufficient. As far as the hardware goes, normally the head of the screw will bury down into the carpet. It will still be removable, but you probably won't see the head of the bolt or screw.

the boat looks sound . i see the the bad spots in the transome. i just got my transome back in and a few spots welded up at the top near outboard transome corners. now its time to paint my 78' 16' monark.

We did a bunch on the boat this weekend. We installed 1 1/2 inches of marine plywood (also treated with Thompson's), welded a 1/8 think aluminum plate on the transom to help support the motor. The original aluminum was a bit tore up from the motor mounts, so i thought I'd try to give more support. We turned the boat over, prep'd and primed. Then I painted the first coat of 'Hunter Green'.
I'll post the pics in a few

Oh! Almost forgot, we cut the top access to our 'dry storage area'.

Here are pics of the new transom in progress. It's done now.

Here are pics of the paint in progress. I'll post more pics on this when we turn it back over.

The hull was VERY oxidized so I hit the whole thing with sand paper to ruff it up, and then used an air compressor to get all the dust off. I then gave it a vinegar bath. I used Rustoleum Aluminum primer, then the color coat is a hunter green spray. It looks pretty good even though I've only got 1 good coat on. I'll probably end up with 3 or more to make it look nice and even.

I almost forgot the cut out for dry storage.

Looks like your already roiling. Keep steady at it. Looking forward to seeing your final build.

The "hunter green" is a little darker than I had hoped. What is the opinion on the color of the boat?

First off very nice boat for a conversion.

"Hunter Green" does seem a little dark, but as long as you are ok with it thats all that matters.

Keep up the good work

I've done a ton of work on the boat since my last post. I've repainted it again to a flat forest green. I've started attaching the new aluminum floor angles. I've started framing the storage compartments and rear deck. On the trailer, I welded a "U" on the back end for the transom saver.

Lookin good!!!! The paint looks better too