First Project! 1985 Polar Kraft 1444 *UPDATED PICS 3/12/12*

[dettmer13]

Hey everyone. I've been lurking the site for about 6 months now, mostly checking out other people's builds and getting ideas for my own. I'm glad y'all are here to help me along/give motivation/give advice. The trip to NC to pick it up was an excursion in itself, but the boat is here now. So, without further adieu, here it is:

I picked up this 1985 Polar Kraft 1444, the 1989 Johnson 25HP, and a 1997 tilt trailer for $850. The motor runs great, but the boat and trailer needed some work. Here's the pics.

The boat as it sat on the trailer:

Lots of stuff and an old gas tank by the transom:

Lots of possibilities here:

Took the motor off the transom and made a quick mount for it:

Plans for the boat:
Cut out center bench for more room.
Front casting deck
Carpeted floor
Swivel seats
Switch panel for bilge pump, lights, etc
Batteries under the casting deck
Steel flex the bottom

 

[dettmer13]

Worked on the trailer a few days ago and got it finished in 2 days!!! The old bunks were held onto the trailer with metal straps and zip ties :shock: I took EVERY SINGLE BOLT out of the trailer and replaced it. I waterproofed the new 2x4's for the bunks and let it dry for 48 hours. While those were drying, I made a new bow stop bracket, added the new bunk supports, and added a new winch. The trailer hitch was bad as well, so I cut about 2 1/2" off of the tongue and put a new receiver on it. I also took the hubs off and the bearings looked pretty good, as well as the bearing buddies. I cleaned then all with diesel fuel and repacked them with grease and painted the axle. Here's the finished product:

I have since changed how this is setup. I moved the winch below the bow stop, so the bow ring will be below the stop.

 

[dettmer13]

More progress today. I cut the center seat out, then I started looking at the transom. I knew it was bad, but had NO IDEA how bad it was. I took the cap off and found some more nastiness.

Also, there was a LOT of silicone around the hull. Luckily, i think it was from a transducer. I thought it was gonna be a lot worse.

Also took all the steel that was holding the winch ring off the boat, cleaned it up and added in some aluminum. Sealed it up with some 5200 and added some support in the back.

I cleaned up the aluminum on the transom and used some acetone to get it really clean:

All primed and ready for the new transom:

Got the new transom cut out and glued with 2 pieces of 5/8" plywood. Drilled all the holes 24 hours later and started the spar urethane. It took 4 coats of the urethane, then it was time to get it in place. Here is the new transom. I'm pretty happy with it, and its SOLID!!!

I sealed all the bolt heads with 5200 as well. It's going to get a coat of steel flex too, so I'm not really worried about leaks.

Hope y'all are enjoying the build thus far. It's a long weekend, so I'll be working on it as long as the weather cooperates.

 

[dettmer13]

More progress yesterday. I finished sanding, cleaning and riming the inside of the boat. I love new paint, it makes it look brand new (well, sort of). Made a small platform for the new fuel tank to sit on, and while waiting for my steel flex to arrive, started to do a little framing for the deck. I almost finished ALL of the framing, including the floor supports and the front casting deck. When I got home last night there was a pretty little box on the table from FASCO!!!!! I know what I'll be doing tomorrow. It's supposed to be sunny and 75* here in Augusta, GA. I'll be sanding the outside of the boat (I plan to steelflex the entire outside of the boat up to the gunwales) to rough up the paint. Hopefully I finish the boat before March 12. My friend is coming back from Afghanistan and he wants to fish a little a few (or more) beers will be had out on the water. Pics to follow....

 

[fool4fish1226]

Coming along nicely.

 

[dotchess]

I have a 1448 on my Mod. You may want to look at it. It sounds similar to what you are doing to that one. I have videos of what I did. I am no expert though!

 

[Ictalurus]

Boat looks good man, PolarKrafts are tough boats.

 

[dettmer13]

More progress as of yesterday. Finished all the sanding/wire wheeling. My steelflex came ina few days ago, and the weather was 75* and sunny. STEEL FLEX TIME!!! After reading the dedicated steelflex thread, it was time to get to it. It went on pretty good and the color was exactly what I wanted. It's pretty easy to work with for about 20 minutes or so, but when that stuff decides to set up, you better start again. I'll be posting pics when I get home from work. Really looks like a new boat!!! Now, it's time to start the tempaltes for the decks and waterproofing.

 

[dettmer13]

LOTS more progress done over the week/weekend. Still gathering parts and such but making the most of my time. Here's the progress:

There's a support rib in the back so the tank wouldn't sit straight and level. I built a little platform for the tank using aluminum angle and 5/8" plywood. I used some spar urethane to treat it and painted it.

I finished spraying the inside of the boat with some self etching primer. I doubt that I'll paint the inside with anything else, but I'm still debating. I also finished framing the deck and floor brackets.

Here's the wiring schematic I came up with. I'm still a bit fuzzy how I'll do this, but for now this is it. If anyone has any input, I'd appreciate it. I understand 14 ga is a bit overkill, but it should work:

The steel flex came this week, and I had a serious break in the cold weather we've been having. It was easier to work with than I thought it would be, with the exception on when it starts to set up. Here's the first coat:

Here's the mixing station. And in case you were wondering, yes, that is a kitchen whisk on a drill motor. It worked extremely well, i was pleasantly surprised. AND it was only .94 cents at Wal-Mart.

Due to some high winds picking up, I decided to move it into the garage for the last coat. There's not a lot of room in there, so it was kind of a pain to paint in there. I have one bad sag on the right side of the boat because it started to setup before I could spread it out. Oh well, at least it won't leak there :LOL2:

Here's the finished paint. I'm really liking the 2-tone I have here, and I think I'll keep it. My buddy told me it looks like an old Army jeep, so I think I'll stick with that idea when I paint the letters for the registration.

I hope y'all are enjoying the build thus far. On the agenda this week is run the plastic conduit down the side and run preliminary wiring, buy the plywood and start making templates for the decks and sides.

 

[fool4fish1226]

Looking great =D> keep up the good work. The hard part is over now let the fun begin.

 

[KevinWI]

great start...looking forward to seeing it complete

 

[TimRich]

The boat looks really good! You are moving right along with the mods. Keep it up!

 

[dettmer13]

Thanks for the compliments everyone. THis project is more my "therapy". Luckily, my wife understands that. The work I do for the Army is "mentally straining" if you will. This is my sanity check.

 

[dettmer13]

Called the DNR today to find out where my registration was. Apparently, they typed in the wrong HIN when they entered it. Seeing as they already cashed my check, I was a bit upset. They gave me the registration number and my new tags should be here with in the week. Hoping to get a few more things done today and over the weekend. More pics to follow.

 

[dettmer13]

Question regarding waterproofing decks. Should I waterproof them with Thompsons waterseal or use the spar urethane like I did with the transom?

 

[jojo]

Question regarding waterproofing decks. Should I waterproof them with Thompsons waterseal or use the spar urethane like I did with the transom?

I would use the spar urethane for all your waterproofing.

 

[bigrog61]

That boat is really looking great. What a fine job you are doing! You will have alot of bragging to do while catching up with your buddy and catchin fish! Thanks for serving!!!!!

 

[dettmer13]

Thanks for the compliments. I decided to keep with the idea of an old Army jeep. I painted the numbers with some stencils I made (found them online). I should be picking up the plywood, carpet, hingles, and more urethane for the decks today. Also plan on getting some wiring done today. Pics to follow.

 

[dettmer13]

Sorry I haven't updated in a little while. LOTS of progress on the boat. I'd say it's about 90% now. Just have to get a few more electronics and other odds and ends, then it'll be ready for the water! Enjoy the pics...

 

[TimRich]

Man the boat looks great! I can't wait to get my carpet done, it really looks clean! Nice work!