12' Alumacraft Rebuild - NEED ADVICE

[arob8924]

Interesting. Is your boat a shallow sided model? I would feel uncomfortable putting a floor in mine it's already pretty tippy the way it is!

 

[SeTh_PsE]

Before I removed the seats the top of the seat was 11 inch from floor so it's not super shallow and my is defiantly not tippy

 

[arob8924]

Hm. Is it a 12 foot? The inside looks the same as mine but it's hard to judge the length

 

[SeTh_PsE]

14ft

 

[arob8924]

Nice, well let me know what you end up doing!

Im building my storage locker in the bow this saturday as well as installing the transom extension, and hopefully have enough time in the day to test the boat on the water. Ill have photos posted when im done.

 

[SeTh_PsE]

Ok cool will be looking forward to seeing what you come up with and I will probably start my own thread

 

[arob8924]

OKAY ive had a few good work days. Im going to post them seperately because there are a lot of photos. So the transom extension, I cut angle iron, drilled holes (took forever), made a length of wood with the correct thickness needed, then cut two strap lengths of iron, and sandwiched it all together. Im very happy with the end result, other than i cant drill two holes in line vertically... The transom actually feels much stronger than it ever did before. The boat still wont plane easily with just me in it.. with a person up front is better, but i have a buddy who is giving me a hydrofoil that he doesnt use. I think that will solve the planing issue.

 

[arob8924]

Now the bow storage. The materials I used are:
2x4 lumber
3/4" Plywood
Heavy Duty Door Hinges
Nails/Screws
Indoor/ Outdoor Carpet
Carpet adhesive
Staples

The pictures speak for themselves, but Im really stoked about how this turned out. The platform is extremely sturdy. I stood on it (on shore) and it didnt bend or budge at all. In fact my grandfather fell into the boat onto his knee right in the weakest point of the structure and it wasnt phased at all. The total weight added is probably less than 40 lbs, but i didnt weigh any of it. Let me know what you think!

 

[arob8924]

So I got some stuff done, but still have some work to do. This is what I hope to get done by the time our water warms up enough for the fish to bite:
Extend/Raise back seat and carpet
Install a metal platform to support a new, better anchor pulley
Install and test hydrofoil
POSSIBLY remove middle seat and build removable pedestal seat with stand
-If i dont remove the middle seat, ill carpet it.
MAYBE put low profile flooring with carpet.

Still wanting to hear more testimonials on removing a middle seat on a small 12 foot boat like this. I think with my lack of floor space it would improve the functionality of the boat tremendously.

 

[SeTh_PsE]

Looks good so far man I got my boat all sanded last night and ready for paint need a little warmer day to finish up the rivets due the sealant I am using and I have also starting making the template for the floor structure and hope to have it built this Saturday

 

[arob8924]

Alright I added the backseat extension and it made a HUGE difference. I'm much more comfortable and stable. I also had trouble with the boat planing so I put a hydrofoil on and it planes great now. Next I'm going to add rod holders and improve the inside of the storage locker, then add a lift and lock pulley. I also added a new base to my seat with carpet so I can move it around. Let me know what you think!

 

[huntinfool]

Looks good.