ACB14 - New 14" V Project

[thad.]

Stainless is fine with aluminum.

 

[Stevecris]

Hello everyone. It's been almost two years fishing with this boat just about every Saturday year round. I can say it has been great. But now it is time to do something about an easy walk through to the front of the boat. I would also like to enclose the batteries up front and mount a better trolling motor up there. My main concern is in removing or modifying the center structure which is giving considerable support to the mid section of this boat. The small front section I will build will firm the front up a bit and I plan to remove the rear seat in favor of a solid back seat/deck setup. So there will be a bit more side to side support in the rear as well.
What do you guys think, can i safely remove the section between the two coolers?
Steve

 

[offdutyangler]

What about only removing just enough for a walk though? you could box it off for some storage.

 

[Stevecris]

What about only removing just enough for a walk though? you could box it off for some storage.

I think that's a good idea. The main side to side support is comprised of two 2" square aluminum pieces that now form the top of the entire section. I placed these two 2x2" shafts in such a way where there is significant tension with each shaft wedged between the right and left sides of the boat up high near the top rail. I guess I could eliminate the one vertical center support in favor of two vertical supports just after the coolers. Then cut out the mid section. But eliminating the two solid 2x2 running from one side to the other will surely make that mid section of the boat weaker. I guess the big questions is how do I determine if there is enough support without risking my boat and me

 

[Gizmo30]

Very nice boat! Where did you buy the 2" aluminum? I want to use your idea in my boat. Thanks! Gizmo

 

[Stevecris]

Very nice boat! Where did you buy the 2" aluminum? I want to use your idea in my boat. Thanks! Gizmo

Hi Gizmo, I bought it a a place that supplies contractors with the material to frame screen porches and screen pool enclosures

 

[MotorBoatin]

How did you attach the 2" aluminum to the boat without adding additional holes? Or did you and just reseal? I framed the inside of my boat with wood before doing my research, I'm much more fond of the metal frame idea.. Much more durable. Also, can the 2" aluminum be bought from any normal home improvement stores?

 

[Stevecris]

How did you attach the 2" aluminum to the boat without adding additional holes? Or did you and just reseal? I framed the inside of my boat with wood before doing my research, I'm much more fond of the metal frame idea.. Much more durable. Also, can the 2" aluminum be bought from any normal home improvement stores?

Sorry for the delayed response. The boat had hollow floor ribs. I made some 2" U brackets to accept the 2" cube material. I rivetted the bracket to the ribs and the the cube to the channel.

I got all the material from a local store here that supplies screen room installers with every thing they need.

 

[Stevecris]

I'm not complaining about the setup at all. Just an idea. That's what the site is for right. 8)

I think if it were me, and I wanted two coolers, I would frame them individually, that way there wasn't a tall deck to climb over when moving from front to back in the boat.


I like the boat, and the work you have done. I hope to find some aluminum like that when I start on mine. I hope to have the inside cleaned out, and the transom boards out next weekend.

Absolutely became a problem, especially when fishing alone. Also with the trolling motor in the back meant trolling in reverse all the time-not good. Last weekend I figured out a way to do what you suggested and also fabricated a mounting bracket for the bow. I'll post pictures soon. Huge difference. Should have done it sooner.

OK, so here are the pictures of phase 2. The goals of which are as follows:

• Move Trolling Motor up front
  Put more weight in the nose
  Have a clear path too the front
  Make as much room as possible for fishing up front

All of these were accomplished and the boat is an even better bass fishing machine.

 

[Scott Mac]

Looking good. It will be a nice set up when you get her done.

 

[Stevecris]

Here are a couple pics of the completed phase 2 with the newest addition - a 4 pole holder. Phase 3 is also coming to mind. Since I practice catch and release the cooler on the left holds tools and spare trolling motor parts etc. I am going to consolidate this and use the recovered space for my tackle so I can get rid of the tackle bag I have. Some sort of tray system facing forward - I think. Any ideas?

 

[Stevecris]

OK, so A lot has happened since I posted phase 2. I have been fishing some local bass tournaments as a non boater for almost 2 years now. It is time to became a boater, but I really love the ease and economy of this boat. It is petty far from being tournament ready so I thought new boat was in the cards. Then I spoke with Jim Folks at our Melbourne Strike Zone outfitting shop. Jim runs a bunch of fun tournaments out of strike zone and is an accomplished bass fisherman who easily shares his bass fishing knowledge about central FL lakes. He suggested that I convert a 72 - 92 quart cooler into a live well and fish my boat. This got me thinking and phase 3 is born.
To make this boat tournament ready for the clubs that exit in central FL, the following must be done:
#1 - a live well. by asking around I came up with 92 quarts as the "would like to have" with 72 being the min. I went for the 92 quarts because we have some pretty big Bass down here that I hope will visit the live well during a tournament. I want them to have a nice stay
#2 - all the clubs seem to require a tethered kill switch. I think I should have had one by now, but my 1981 25 hp Johnson just does not have one
#3 - Lights
#4 - Bilge pump

I have started on 1/2 of these projects and will post pictures soon. The biggest part of the project was building the live well. I made a ton of expensive mistakes, but I always budget for that. However, when I run down the cost for you guys, we'll see what it should have cost and I am sure many of you can do it for a fraction of what I paid. But for me, it was a project that I wanted to do and learn about.
The main reason the live well project is so complex and costly is the following list of requirements:

#1 - No motor inside the well heating up the water - it gets hot enough in FL during the summer months and it will be hard to keep the water cool as it is
#2 - No fish escaping when I open the lid and I want to stand on the lid, so I don't want to cut it
#3 - I want a bag fill pump out
#4 - A good clean installation that will keep 5 large bass alive
#5 - completely detachable so I can remove it easily whenever I want
#6 - use only one pump to fill circulate, and pump out
I think that covers it. In the next posting I'll tell you what I did and post some pictures.