Recent content by farmer4life

Nice boat! I have a 1968 of the same make and model that I redid last year, including a transom. Your transom compression solution is a good idea but I don't know if it will be as effective as clamps. You do have a lot of weight on there, but with clamps you can apply much more pressure. Those...

I struggled with this on my own build but ended up buying something similar to that Lowes product and I’m very happy with it. The key as others have mentioned is sealing it. You still need to seal marine grade anyway. I used old timers to seal and topcoat with porch paint for the floor, and...

Hey Bear, looks like a great boat and a great plan! I pulled the bench seats all out of my 14’ mirrocraft earlier this year and went full flat floor. Couldn’t be happier with how it turned out. To make up for the seat removal I added angle struts from the top of the gunnels down to the floor...

I wish mine were still the original turquoise… but since it’s not… I don’t know if I have the interest in making it that loud. I’m leaning towards a deep forest green but this is AT LEAST a year away…

That grey is the primer? I think that colour looks really sharp. Keep up the good work.

I’m surprised so many states/provinces (including my own) only require life jackets to be in the boat, not on the person. Are there any which require it to be worn (regardless of age)? Otherwise it’s like an unworn seatbelt - does you no good just to have it there. Seems like lives could easily...

Boat report: I love the layout. There’s so much room compared to the old benches! It’s rock solid, the side braces do a great job of keeping the hull from flexing. It’s fairly stable in the water. The floor does move the centre of gravity up a few inches but still very stable with 3 guys all...

When I was shopping boats two years ago I saw one for sale very much like this layout. They were asking (what I thought was) too much so I bought this instead. Now, many hours and dollars later I’m likely approaching the cost of that other boat… but I can still tell people I bought this boat for...

The boat is finished! (Well, good enough to fish out of anyway!) Four days till it hits the water! Here’s the finished product:

My 14 has a 20HP on it and it goes plenty fast even with 3 guys in it. Rated up to 35HP, I could go bigger if needed but what I have is paid for!

The floor is in! Here’s the installed frame with all the foam (in several layers). I fit close to 9 cubic feet which gives me close to 540 lbs flotation. Following the US Coast Guard Boat Builders Handbook I calculate somewhere around 500 lbs needed, and their calculation assumes worst case. So...

Good deals go fast. When I was actively looking two years ago I was on every day for weeks looking at the typical used sites. The trash sticks around. Every once in a while you find something of value but it never lasts long.

This is how: What you’re seeing is the wooden frame (2x2) which supports the floor, a stainless angle bracket screwed to the end of the 2x2, and a stainless self-tapper screwed into the aluminum rib. Rubber pad added between the bracket and the rib for cushioning/protection, and 3M 4200...

I had a half bag of polymeric construction sand so I used that. Now that it’s on the board it’s a little more coarse than I’d like but I’ll live with it. I don’t generally fish barefoot so it will be fine. Definitely grippy!

Nope no rug. Seems like it would get dirty/ratty too quickly. I looked at vinyl but too pricy. Paint is cheapest, and there’s a few folks on here who speak highly of the paint-and-sand combo so I’m giving it a try. For $30 it’s worth the risk.