Jay415's Alumacraft MV1648

[Jay415]

New addition to the boat! Since the modifications, I've only been getting around 13mph out of the 9.9hp so I've been searching craigslist for a bigger motor. The boat is rated for 30hp. I didn't want anything smaller than 25hp. I found this today and I got what I believe to be a great deal! I hope I did the proper checks on it. It's a 1999 25hp Mercury with electric start. Sounded good when ran and pumped water well. Both cylinders were within 2psi of each other on a compression test. As you can see from the pics it is super clean! I'll have it out for the first time Monday. I'm hoping to have a good report on the motor and the fishing!

One problem I did run into though is the hole to open the stern hatch. The hatch hits the motor and has to be forced open and closed. I'll deal with it for now! Off season project!!

 

[user 7806]

Clean looking motor hope it runs as good as it looks. I think you'll be happy with it, I have a 20 hp on my 1652 and it will do about 24 mph now that I have all the stuff in it. When I 1st got it I could get 26 out of it but That was just the boat and me.

 

[gillhunter]

Jay,

Great looking motor!! Now you have enough power to take James tubing :LOL2: :LOL2:

Mike

 

[Jay415]

Jay,

Great looking motor!! Now you have enough power to take James tubing :LOL2: :LOL2:

Mike

haha good idea!

Hey Mike got any idea of an easy way to modifying the rear hatch, without doing it over. Carpet won't peel back without destroying it, so I'd have to recarpet the whole piece. I was thinking of just cutting the hole bigger, waterproofing the edge and banding it some type of edge capping with a "U" channel, but I can't think of what beside maybe aluminum. Maybe I should just Aluminum angle and miter it at the corners. Any ideas?

Hmmm! Maybe I could use PVC corner guard and glue it on with a marine silicone. I could probably get it in grey.

 

[gillhunter]

Jay,

Something like these U-Channels?

https://www.mcmaster.com/#pvc-extrusions/=idj43z

Mike

 

[Jay415]

Jay,

Something like these U-Channels?

https://www.mcmaster.com/#pvc-extrusions/=idj43z

Mike

that looks good

 

[Jay415]

Test run with the new motor went well. I replaced the plugs and changed the lower unit oil. Seems like it might need a little carb work. Wide open was good but putting along it wanted to stall, and when starting to accelerate it wanted to stall. I had to play with the choke when accelerating from a slow. With my son and I I averaged about 25-26mph in a little chop. Fastest I saw on the GPS was 27mph. So all in all I am very happy! When I got home I cleaned out the fuel filter and set the idle screw a tiny bit faster. It seems a little better but that was in my driveway with no load. I'll see how it is tomorrow. If there are any motor guys that have an idea why it is acting the way it is, please chime in! I was thinking carb sludge. Here's a video of a test run with my son.
[youtube]dRRBgs_2pWY[/youtube]

 

[Jay415]

Fishing trip went well got some nice large mouth and smallies. My Buddy and I took a trip to Candlewood lake in CT and had a great day. Between both of us we boated a mixed bag of 28 SM/LM Bass (mostly SM), 3 rockbass, 1 yellow perch, and 1 bluegill. On one part of the lake, baitfish were busting the surface all around the boat, jumping a few inches above the water. Then all activity would cease, then would start again out of no where. It was pretty cool. Pulled a few SM from under the baitfish, but not as many as I expected with the size of the baitfish school jumping. Water temps varied on the lake from 80-85. Most fish were found in 10-20 FOW on outside weed edges, dropoffs and isolated boulders. Found a nice sized boulder on sonar that sat in 17 FOW and topped out at about 13 FOW. Saw a few fish holding to it and pulled 3 SM off of it. It was a very nice day, but hot. My Buddy landed a LM that was under 13" but weighed 1lb 13oz. This thing had a huge belly!

It appeared that someone broke off into a tree with a gold Kastmaster lure and the lure was hanging so the treble hook was just bobbing in the water. Well upon closer inspection a live Bluegill was also hanging from the hook and trying to free himself. I've never seen anything like that. I cleaned up the line and freed the bluegill.

Here are some of the better fish of the day including my PB Smallie;

4lb 6oz

3lb 10oz My PB!!

3lb 9oz

2lb 11oz

2lb 6oz

2lb 6oz

2lb 5oz.

Bluegill we saved

1lb 13oz LM under 13"

[youtube]3ECU1KkdFuk[/youtube]

 

[gillhunter]

Beautiful lake, great looking fish. Must have been a great day =D>

 

[Jay415]

Beautiful lake, great looking fish. Must have been a great day =D>

thanks it was! One of the best days this year! Numbers and size!

 

[DearJon]

Awesome build. Well thought out, and executed. Some nice fish too.

You mentioned having some trouble finding just the right nav lights for your boat. I put these L.E.D.'s on because they draw very little current and are super bright. Check them out at Ozonium.com.

Also, about the hydrofoil...It will add stability to your boat, and increase lift in the stern. Speed however, will most likely decrease 1-2 mph because of the additional drag created by the hydrofoil itself. You'd think it would lift the boat out of the water, thus creating less drag, but it's just not the case. I think you made the right move going to the 25 horse. Hope you get her tuned up, cleaned out and running right soon.

 

[Jay415]

Thanks! I like those lights a lot! That exactly what I was looking for!

As for the motor I'm happy I got the 25 also. I just hope I chose the right one! At the very least it'll help me make an more educated decision for future purposes!

 

[SpryGuy]

Boat turned put great, congrats on the new motor setup.

Couple of questions:

1. So did you end up running the fish finder threw the switch panel or did you end up direct wireing it? If you with threw the switch panel does the bilge pump interfer with it?

2. When you did the spar urethane, did you cover all the sides? I've read some people leaving the underneath side open to allow the wood to breathe.

 

[BigTerp]

Awesome build!! I'm looking to do alot of the same things to mine.

 

[Jay415]

Sorry for the late reply I haven't been on in a while.

Boat turned put great, congrats on the new motor setup.

Couple of questions:

1. So did you end up running the fish finder threw the switch panel or did you end up direct wireing it? If you with threw the switch panel does the bilge pump interfer with it?

No, not through the switch panel, it goes direct to the fuse panel with the bilge and I don't get any interference. I don't even get interference when I run the TM off that battery.

2. When you did the spar urethane, did you cover all the sides? I've read some people leaving the underneath side open to allow the wood to breathe.

Yes all sides were coating 3 coats on each side and 6 on the ends (I did the ends every time I flipped the board) Mornings I'd do one coat and evenings I'd flip it and do the other side.

Awesome build!! I'm looking to do alot of the same things to mine.

Thanks!

 

[DON75]

That's a great looking build! Skillful design and use of materials. Thanks for posting with all the pics and video. Kids have a short attention span and get bored easily and want to move on to another adventure. Keep taking him and you may just influence him to become a lifetime fisherman like his pop.

What seat mounts did you use and where did you find them?

 

[Jay415]

That's a great looking build! Skillful design and use of materials. Thanks for posting with all the pics and video. Kids have a short attention span and get bored easily and want to move on to another adventure. Keep taking him and you may just influence him to become a lifetime fisherman like his pop.

Yea I hear ya. I live on long island and saltwater fishing is more readily avail to me, so I just bought a 20' center console fishing boat. It's something I've wanted for a while and a good one popped up so I jumped on it. My son went out fluking with me and loved it. He was playing with the bait fish in the live well then whole time, catching them in the net or getting me new bait when I needed it. he got to reel in a few too.

What seat mounts did you use and where did you find them?

They are swivel-eze, Walmart carries them.

 

[Jay415]

Here's why I haven't been on often.

 

[trueblue1970]

Awesome build...you did a great job. I am looking at the same exact boat, currently use a 1541. Great pics as well from the fishing in Ct. Used to live in Garden City South, LI...miss the area, now in Florida.

 

[Gators5220]

Nice boat man! =D>