14 ft Mirro Deep fisherman redo

[phozzy]

Ive been on this site for months getting ideas for my boat. I finally graduated and I have had a little time to get started. The boat was all original from 1972. I fish all the time so I wanted to remove the center seat so I could walk around. I also want a flat deck with casting decks in front and back. I also decided that I want everything to be removeable so I could easily clean and also so I could store the decks out of the elements in the winter. I am still undecided about what route I should go for floor covering. I thought of carpet but that rots the quickest. I thought of painting oil based with some sand in it for grip too, The last thing I was looking into was outdoor interlocking tile, they make uv resistent stuff that looks good and would be easy to install, I would love suggestions. Here is what I have so far. Never posted here before realized my posts start from the bottom

 

[Ranchero50]

Looks pretty good, one suggestion before decking it, I would fit a pair of longitudinal stringers on the outside of your wood joists to carry the floor weight on the original ribs. Your current setup will be stressing the skin, not as strong or durable setup. I honestly don't see you center bench making the sides srtonger. A simpler stronger version would be to make some plywood forms for the front and back of your mini seats. Just coat them well and they shouldn't suck up a lot of water.

Another thing, if you throw a little heat at the aluminum it bends easier without cracking out.

Jamie

 

[Captain Ahab]

Looking good - I have a 16" MirroCraft and all I have done is take out the middle bench

 

[phozzy]

Looks pretty good, one suggestion before decking it, I would fit a pair of longitudinal stringers on the outside of your wood joists to carry the floor weight on the original ribs. Your current setup will be stressing the skin, not as strong or durable setup. I honestly don't see you center bench making the sides srtonger. A simpler stronger version would be to make some plywood forms for the front and back of your mini seats. Just coat them well and they shouldn't suck up a lot of water.

Another thing, if you throw a little heat at the aluminum it bends easier without cracking out.

Jamie

thanks for the input on the extra stringers I wasnt sure if I should add two more to each but now I will. Not sure what you mean by plywood forms do you mean enclose the under part of the seats? If so I do plan on doing that with wood or aluminum I understand it will act as arch support. Also thanks for the aluminum trick I am learning as I go here. Gotta make templates for the floor and get started on that.

 

[phozzy]

Got to work the on her the last few days, heres what I did. Any body use dri deck or similar flexible interlocking tiles on their floor? Thats what I am going to use and wanted some feedback. Also was wondering about bed liner for my interior paint, what is the best brand?

 

[Anonymous]

Niiice job.

I can tell this is going to come out looking sharp !

 

[dyeguy1212]

Looking good

 

[phozzy]

now you can really tell I have too much time on my hands. Here is a crude 3d model of the finished boat. Just found a stainless steel pool ladder that I am going to convert into hand rails.

 

[daltonmcgill]

looks good =D>

 

[phozzy]

Got the back deck built. dry fitted the seats to get an idea of what shes gonna look like.

 

[phozzy]

I varnished all the wood support 2x3s and primed and painted the casting decks, floor panels and bench tops. What is the best way for me to attach the painted ply wood to the removable supports? At first I was going to use stainless bolts, but then I thought I could just use deck sealant to attach. I thought that if I didn't use screws through the ply it would last much longer. Will this work? Should I just bolt it so I can detach later if needed?

 

[toptog]

Nice job so far.

Just a suggestion though, white decks will get really bright on those bluebird days. It could become pretty blinding.

 

[phozzy]

Its been a month since I last posted. I have got a lot done. I was able to paint everything but the interior and exterior aluminum. Anything that could be removed and painted was. I also got to add a stainless steel handrail cut from a pool ladder. It turned out awesome and really makes you feel comfortable when winds bring white caps on the lake. I have also added my interlocking floor, I have posted close ups of it. It is awesome stuff that is easy to fit. I would recommend it over vinyl or carpet anyday. It lets the wood underneath breath and is easy to clean. Once the handrail was up I mounted vertical and positionable rod holders. Things are starting to warm up around here so I should be able to get the rest of the boat painted soon.

 

[dyeguy1212]

awesome!

 

[phozzy]

Here is the original

 

[MassFisherman]

That looks great. What kind of paint did you use on your decks? What is on top on the front and back decks...it looks like stripes in the pictures.
Thanks.

 

[phozzy]

Here is a better picture of the stripes. It is 2 inch embossed grip tape I got from https://www.safetydirectamerica.com/15.html. I got it instead of sandpaper grip tape because it can be cleaned and is less abrasive.

 

[phozzy]

I used spar varnish on all the deck supports and a primer and 2 or 3 coats of rustoleum on the decks