hbouldin1216
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Edit***This post is hilarious in hindsight once you see what the boat has actually become.
Hey guys!
It's taken me forever to finally get this thread going, but I've finished what I'm calling "Phase 1" and want to get some ideas/feedback on Phase 2. I'm also ready to reduce my estimated 6:1 ration in terms of "Hours spent in the garage: actual time fishing!"
Some background: I posted a thread back in March of this year looking for a second tiller outboard to bolt onto the back of the 14ft Klamath my dad and I spent last summer rebuilding/upgrading. He bought a brand new 20hp Merc and didn't want it in the salt, so I started looking for one that I could use for the purpose. I got tired of driving 2 hours to any of the bass lakes and frankly was ready for something different. In addition for the WTB add, I tossed up my 2014 Giant Trance mtb as trade bait for my own rig, and lo and behold, traded my bike to fellow BD'er Scallywag for his absolutely bitchin' 14 Gregor.
The thing was absolutely beautiful; there's a ton of beat to hell tin boats out there (my dad's Klamath being one pre-refit) but this thing looked like it had never gotten wet. I've attached some pics that Jeff sent me since the exterior shots I took the other day didn't come out very well.
Ended up replacing the hub on the left trailer wheel and did a carb clean, but that was it. I had my own rig!
Phase 1:
I had worked with my dad on the Klamath (i'll add some pictures of that later, it came out really good) but there were several areas where we disagreed on things. He was paying for stuff so guess who's ideas won out?
I knew I wanted a bait tank, bilge pump, permanent running lights, tackle storage, and a bow mounted trolling motor. I also wanted to avoid carpet so that I could run it through the pay n' spray after pulling it out of the salt. This is going to be my bay boat/kelp assassin when the conditions allow.
Here's where I'm at so far. I've stuck with regular plywood and used copious Thompson's sealer on it. I didn't paint it because I was kind of just going step by step without a real plan for how I wanted to do things. I had a vision in mind, but I can't weld and hadn't really seen any other boats out there with my exact idea. I figured things would change down the road but so far I'm pretty dang happy with the set up and will paint the existing pieces instead of replacing. I've definitely McGyvered some of this; I'd walk around OSH until I found something that would work, and sure as **** it has. The folks here on BD have been tremendous, as a lot of my additions have come from the classifieds at a fraction of the cost of new. Unless you count the initial purchase price of my bike (~$2200 two years ago) I really don't have much into this.
I had to get creative with the electrical, because I wanted to keep as much of the foam inside the benches as possible. I also knew that my bait tank needed to sit relatively high in order for the drain to work, so I rigged up this box on the port side.
The floor in the stern is pretty flat on this boat, so I'm not sure the wood floor is going to stay. I cut the switch panel a little lower than I intended, but the one I bought is completely sealed and I plan to install a stereo, so I wanted the head unit up higher and dryer. I was able to reinforce it with 2x4 and the thing is rock solid. My cross support also locks the battery box into place, and leaves plenty of room for wiring access.
Fuses are built in (I've swapped some out due to accessory loads) and theres a rocker switch for a horn, which I also plan to include. Ran all of the negative leads to a bus bar to eliminate terminal clutter. Hot lead from the panel goes to the switch, so I can run all my leads to the battery at home and then just flip the switch when I get to the ramp. Fish finder leads and alternator leads go straight to the battery but all other accessories run through the switch.
The bait tank is an old unit from Aqua-World. I picked it up from a friend for $50 and he'd never used it. The pick up is a little interesting but when you're underway, there are no flow issues whatsoever. My transom isn't flat so a pump located there wouldn't fit without some serious modification. I'll likely replace the bucket since it's pretty old and brittle. I've epoxyed the you know what out of the thru fittings but it does leak a bit. I figure I can use all of the hardware on a new tank no problem. The brackets are simple angle mounts and I used the fuzzy side of velcro pads to eliminate rub. I secure it with a tie down running through the handles to two i-bolts. Not perfect but it works. I made the drain extension using some left over hose and PVC, and the ball valve actually works as a wash down for the rear deck. I'm happy with how it came out. I've got a connector for the leads so that I can easily take the tank off at home. Mounting it to port also acts as I nice counterweight when I'm fishing solo, which I do often.
A bilge was an absolute must, so I got a 500gph pump at blowout pricing when the West Marine store in Orange closed. Fiddled with mounting location and was able to sink 2 of the 3 screws into one of the channels and avoided putting holes in the bottom of the boat. It's a little higher than I would like but I was willing to make that trade off.
The hose is secured via hose clamp that I drilled into the transom block. Not very fancy but it works great! This thing dumps water overboard like a garden hose.
Not pictured is a Lowrance Elite 5 gps/finder mounted to the rear bench. I'll be RAM mounting that to the starboard middle bench so it's easier for me to look at without moving my eyes 90 degrees. I've got another Elite-4 that I will put forward so my partner has a screen. Picking the transducer up today from Cammackattack here shortly for a couple packs of Lagunitas. My kind of guy! I also dumped the old clamp-on seat brackets for Bass Pro pedestal mounts that I picked up from another member on here (can't recall his name). Way more secure and I have a 9" insert to serve almost as a leaning post on the middle bench.
So with Phase 1 complete, I've put some other projects on hold to go out and actually use the thing. Just had to get the essentials out of the way for my own piece of mind.
Here's what I have in mind for Phase 2, and hope you guys can help with some of the ideas.
Bow deck - with the deeper V on this boat, a floor forward of the 2nd bench is a must. Going forward in a hurry can be a little sketchy. What I can't decide is whether I want to extend the front bench all the way forward. We didn't do it on the Klamath and I've yet to see one done that looks really clean.
Bow mount trolling motor - I picked up a 55 lb Minn-Kota saltwater model thinking I could build a platform off of the bow, but the gunnels aren't flat and there's no way for me to achieve this without some custom aluminum fab. The motor also weighs a done and I'm just not sure I want that much weight up there. Has anyone seen a good way to mount a transom-mount motor up that way? The Minn-Kota is for sale if anyone needs one.
Seadek - Instead of carpet, I'm going to go with Seadek. This stuff is awesome and will still allow me to wash everything down at the end of the day. All of the benches and floor decking will have it.
Sound system - I see a lot of marine stereos for sale but would like recommendations on the speakers. They're going to get wet on this boat.
I'll update this thread as I go, but looking forward to what you guys have to say!
Hey guys!
It's taken me forever to finally get this thread going, but I've finished what I'm calling "Phase 1" and want to get some ideas/feedback on Phase 2. I'm also ready to reduce my estimated 6:1 ration in terms of "Hours spent in the garage: actual time fishing!"
Some background: I posted a thread back in March of this year looking for a second tiller outboard to bolt onto the back of the 14ft Klamath my dad and I spent last summer rebuilding/upgrading. He bought a brand new 20hp Merc and didn't want it in the salt, so I started looking for one that I could use for the purpose. I got tired of driving 2 hours to any of the bass lakes and frankly was ready for something different. In addition for the WTB add, I tossed up my 2014 Giant Trance mtb as trade bait for my own rig, and lo and behold, traded my bike to fellow BD'er Scallywag for his absolutely bitchin' 14 Gregor.
The thing was absolutely beautiful; there's a ton of beat to hell tin boats out there (my dad's Klamath being one pre-refit) but this thing looked like it had never gotten wet. I've attached some pics that Jeff sent me since the exterior shots I took the other day didn't come out very well.
Ended up replacing the hub on the left trailer wheel and did a carb clean, but that was it. I had my own rig!
Phase 1:
I had worked with my dad on the Klamath (i'll add some pictures of that later, it came out really good) but there were several areas where we disagreed on things. He was paying for stuff so guess who's ideas won out?
I knew I wanted a bait tank, bilge pump, permanent running lights, tackle storage, and a bow mounted trolling motor. I also wanted to avoid carpet so that I could run it through the pay n' spray after pulling it out of the salt. This is going to be my bay boat/kelp assassin when the conditions allow.
Here's where I'm at so far. I've stuck with regular plywood and used copious Thompson's sealer on it. I didn't paint it because I was kind of just going step by step without a real plan for how I wanted to do things. I had a vision in mind, but I can't weld and hadn't really seen any other boats out there with my exact idea. I figured things would change down the road but so far I'm pretty dang happy with the set up and will paint the existing pieces instead of replacing. I've definitely McGyvered some of this; I'd walk around OSH until I found something that would work, and sure as **** it has. The folks here on BD have been tremendous, as a lot of my additions have come from the classifieds at a fraction of the cost of new. Unless you count the initial purchase price of my bike (~$2200 two years ago) I really don't have much into this.
I had to get creative with the electrical, because I wanted to keep as much of the foam inside the benches as possible. I also knew that my bait tank needed to sit relatively high in order for the drain to work, so I rigged up this box on the port side.
The floor in the stern is pretty flat on this boat, so I'm not sure the wood floor is going to stay. I cut the switch panel a little lower than I intended, but the one I bought is completely sealed and I plan to install a stereo, so I wanted the head unit up higher and dryer. I was able to reinforce it with 2x4 and the thing is rock solid. My cross support also locks the battery box into place, and leaves plenty of room for wiring access.
Fuses are built in (I've swapped some out due to accessory loads) and theres a rocker switch for a horn, which I also plan to include. Ran all of the negative leads to a bus bar to eliminate terminal clutter. Hot lead from the panel goes to the switch, so I can run all my leads to the battery at home and then just flip the switch when I get to the ramp. Fish finder leads and alternator leads go straight to the battery but all other accessories run through the switch.
The bait tank is an old unit from Aqua-World. I picked it up from a friend for $50 and he'd never used it. The pick up is a little interesting but when you're underway, there are no flow issues whatsoever. My transom isn't flat so a pump located there wouldn't fit without some serious modification. I'll likely replace the bucket since it's pretty old and brittle. I've epoxyed the you know what out of the thru fittings but it does leak a bit. I figure I can use all of the hardware on a new tank no problem. The brackets are simple angle mounts and I used the fuzzy side of velcro pads to eliminate rub. I secure it with a tie down running through the handles to two i-bolts. Not perfect but it works. I made the drain extension using some left over hose and PVC, and the ball valve actually works as a wash down for the rear deck. I'm happy with how it came out. I've got a connector for the leads so that I can easily take the tank off at home. Mounting it to port also acts as I nice counterweight when I'm fishing solo, which I do often.
A bilge was an absolute must, so I got a 500gph pump at blowout pricing when the West Marine store in Orange closed. Fiddled with mounting location and was able to sink 2 of the 3 screws into one of the channels and avoided putting holes in the bottom of the boat. It's a little higher than I would like but I was willing to make that trade off.
The hose is secured via hose clamp that I drilled into the transom block. Not very fancy but it works great! This thing dumps water overboard like a garden hose.
Not pictured is a Lowrance Elite 5 gps/finder mounted to the rear bench. I'll be RAM mounting that to the starboard middle bench so it's easier for me to look at without moving my eyes 90 degrees. I've got another Elite-4 that I will put forward so my partner has a screen. Picking the transducer up today from Cammackattack here shortly for a couple packs of Lagunitas. My kind of guy! I also dumped the old clamp-on seat brackets for Bass Pro pedestal mounts that I picked up from another member on here (can't recall his name). Way more secure and I have a 9" insert to serve almost as a leaning post on the middle bench.
So with Phase 1 complete, I've put some other projects on hold to go out and actually use the thing. Just had to get the essentials out of the way for my own piece of mind.
Here's what I have in mind for Phase 2, and hope you guys can help with some of the ideas.
Bow deck - with the deeper V on this boat, a floor forward of the 2nd bench is a must. Going forward in a hurry can be a little sketchy. What I can't decide is whether I want to extend the front bench all the way forward. We didn't do it on the Klamath and I've yet to see one done that looks really clean.
Bow mount trolling motor - I picked up a 55 lb Minn-Kota saltwater model thinking I could build a platform off of the bow, but the gunnels aren't flat and there's no way for me to achieve this without some custom aluminum fab. The motor also weighs a done and I'm just not sure I want that much weight up there. Has anyone seen a good way to mount a transom-mount motor up that way? The Minn-Kota is for sale if anyone needs one.
Seadek - Instead of carpet, I'm going to go with Seadek. This stuff is awesome and will still allow me to wash everything down at the end of the day. All of the benches and floor decking will have it.
Sound system - I see a lot of marine stereos for sale but would like recommendations on the speakers. They're going to get wet on this boat.
I'll update this thread as I go, but looking forward to what you guys have to say!
