Lund S14 Mod Help (Newbie Here)

[MJBaldwin]

Alright guys here is the deal. I have my grandpa’s old Lund S14 and I am looking to modify it as he doesn’t use it and I am guying to buy it from him. I got a pretty good idea of what I want to do but want to hear if it sounds practical what I want to do and if anyone has ran into any problems trying to do this.

First I want to take out the middle bench (has anyone had any problems with this?) I have seen it done a lot on these kind of website so I am guessing it’s not that big of a deal.

I have noted up the drawing that I found on a different forum but it’s not what I have in vision so I marked it up and I am looking for anyone with information and or pictures of theirs that they have done.

I was thinking about getting the outside repainted but want to get the inside remodel done first that being said I am thinking of painting the inside a light grey color is there any special paint I need for this or can I just use some rattle cans. (remember I want this to look good not half assed but still keep it in a decent price range)

Any information would be great guys.

Thanks Mike

 

[jdsgrog]

I actually just finished a mod of my '76 lund s14. Take a look at my mod in the link on my signature. I actually took out both bench seats, but you should keep a couple of inches as they act as ribs. Also, you will need to compensate for the structure of the middle bench seat. But your side decks should do that as long as you secure it to the sides somehow.

Also, take note that the angle of the two rear seats are about the same, however, the angle of the front bench is slightly different, and the very front bench is noticeably different.

Also, take a look at benjineer's lund s16. Similar boat, just a couple of feet longer and about 6 inches wider.

 

[dave shady]

Fun to start and looks like you have a good plan. Keep it light as you can afford to.
When I bought my S-18 it was all over done in 3/4" plywood very heavy. If the
guy would of done alum frame and thinner wood for all the lockers
and stuff that were installed it wouldnt of been so bad. I went the other route
all aluminum and gutted it. No rod lockers as its a hunting boat also but I will
make a removeable rog holder on one side that can just be taken out when
not fishing mode.

Good luck with your build!
Dave

 

[benjineer]

If you have kids or anyone that will sit beside you when under way, don't put the depth finder across from the driver's seat. You won't be able to see it. If you mostly face forward (not straddling the bench), I'd put it on the right side maybe mounted on a ram mount or in an oarlock receiver. Besides, it's a little weird looking across the boat at speed. I'd rather be facing forward.

 

[jdsgrog]

One other thing I thought about. The s-14 really runs light at the bow and will thus get pushed around with the wind when at rest and with the waves going at speed. Depending on the size of the motor, I'd add some weight to the bow side to level the trim which is why I put my two batteries under the 3rd bench from the rear (btw I have a johnson 33hp on my boat). With the trolling motor, casting deck, and the two batteries towards the front 1/3 of the boat, the boat really sits nicely at rest, and at idle and even accelerating, you can still see over the bow without issue even with me sitting towards the back.

With the extra wood and aluminum, I'd say I added about 150 lbs to the boat from it's original 285 lbs. Though I lost some top end, she rides smoother in rougher water compared to when she was lighter.

 

[MJBaldwin]

Thanks for the information guys. JDSGROG I really liked your mods to your boat. I am was thinking about putting some weight in the front like you said just didnt know what I wanted to put up there. I am a little unclear on how to reinforce the floor if I take the bench out. When you say aluminum are you just buying little pieces and then riviting them in? How much does this normally cost and where could your buy that?

 

[benjineer]

It's not the floor you have to worry about as long as you leave the bottom part of the bench in there (see my mod and jdsgrog's for picks of it cut out). When you unhook the arms that go from the top edge to the bench, the sides will get flimsy at the top, and even more so when you cut the bench loose. If your side boxes are the same height as the benches, just attach those arms and the L bracket below to the top of the side boxes. If you were to go up high with the side box, you wouldn't need the arms. Just make sure you attach the box to the side of the boat. The sides are my biggest challenge as I don't want boxes, only a narrow (6") shelf that's open underneath. I may have to scrap the idea and put in boxes if it's not sturdy enough though. I'll update my pics soon I hope.

 

[taterosu]

On my aluminium, I bought a little at a time. I got it from different places. Tractor supply, Attwoods, Lowes, and ace hardware. Tractor supply and Lowes was the cheapest however its still high. If you have a steel sales place close by it would be cheaper to order it all at once. The rivots and stainless screws, I found out later, are cheaper at fastnel. There a link in the material section on this site if you dont have one close by. My decking is old road sign I bought from a sign company. There were really cheap and have a added alloy to make the stronger than normal aluminium sheeting. I didnt remove my bench seating just lowered the back one but some of the boats have a rib underneath the seat already. Some of the guys on here have left part of the bench in and reinforced it, look at buffords flat bottom boat. Hope this helps

 

[benjineer]

Find an industrial steel/metals supplier. Buying any amount at Lowe's, etc will kill you. They want $31 for an 8' piece of 1/8 x 1-1/2. I paid less than that for a 25' piece.

 

[MJBaldwin]

How much of that angled aluminum do you normally need? As you can tell I have not started this project just want to make sure I am not going to get into anything too deep. Picking up the boat here in two weeks when we go on our anual fishing trip but right now the floor is rotted out and same with the seats. There is a little casting deck with a cut our for storage and thats about it. I know I could do that again if my vision is too much $$$. I am a little unclear on how to attach the rod locker boxes to the sides of the boat I think I can tell from the bottom which is pritty cut and dry how to attach that with the aluminum. Thanks for all of your information guys its a lot of help.

 

[benjineer]

I think I've bought 3 pieces of the 1-1/2" and 2 pieces of 1-1/4". Bought some when the prices were higher. $145 total.

 

[jdsgrog]

I bought my aluminum online at one of two places.

https://www.speedymetals.com and https://www.onlinemetals.com

The prices are decent, but you must take shipping into consideration. Also, the shipping cost increases if the length is beyond 4ft. Typically, you should expect to spend about $1-$2 per foot of 1.5"x1.5"x.125" thick depending on supplier and the length of each single piece. The shorter the piece the more you pay because of "cutting fees". For shipping, if you go online, you will pay anywhere from $10-$20 per shipment. I'd recommend that when you get the boat, do all the measurements to figure how much aluminum you will need so you can keep the cost down by shipping as much as possible in one shipment.

In terms of structure, as benjineer said, the bottom is not what you have to worry about. The ribs and strakes on the boat act as the structure for the bottom. The two things you would have to worry about is the sides and the potential twist. Though I'm not a structural engineer, from my knowledge, the twist is prevented by the bench tops providing both the lateral support and stiffness. The braces under the floor I put down was more to support the floor from bending when standing on the floor. But since everything was being "built into the floor", I made sure that the floor was secured to the bracing with rivets.

Once you get the boat, show us some pics. If it has a floor in it, you may not need to put in too much support, just support the sides. Also let us know what year the boat is. There seemed to be some differences in construction of the "newer" s-14's in the 80's compared to the older ones from the 70's.

 

[MJBaldwin]

jdsgrog,

I will post some as soon as I get it in my possesion. the Boat looks identical to yours that you have from the rear to the front look the same but Ill post a few pictures up. From what I remember he just put some plywood down and called it good nothing fancy so I am sure I would have to put some bracing down in order to construct the rod/tackle lockers.

 

[taterosu]

jdsgrog great sites. Really good prices. Wish I had know before I built my mod.... ](*,)

 

[jdsgrog]

Tater, yes, prices are good, but shipping is where they get you. I paid an average about $18-$20 per shipment. I had three shipments, but it was still less than what I would have paid at a retail store. So if you buy online, you should be sure to take that into consideration, otherwise if you do multiple shipments, it will cost you about the same as retail. But if you plan to buy in "bulk" it's well worth it.