New project, Lowe Husky 1860

[flaxterra]

Hello all, I joined this site a while back when I had my 15' sylvan jon boat. I have owned many jon boats, the one thing I realized is once you get one, you want a larger one. At least that is how it is for me. The last boat I owned was 15' and 60" wide. It was a great boat. I sold it a while back because we had a baby. Now my son is getting old enough to go fishing or at least ride in the boat. So figured it was time for a new project. I began looking around for 17' or bigger jon boats. The first real one I found was a 17' alweld that was 8' wide!!! Of course it didnt work out. After looking for a while a guy emailed me and said he was selling his duck boat if i was intrested. The rest is histroy. I now have a 1988 Lowe husky that is 18' long and 84" wide with 24" sides. It has a fiberglass center console and flip back cooler seat. It is camo right now but I will change it to a almond color. It has a 50 hp johnson that is clean enough to eat off of. I will use it primarly for fishing saltwater. That is why I need to color light, because the hot florida sun will heat up green fast. Anyways, I do have some plans but the boat is pretty much set up how I want it. I will post some pictures soon, and explain what I plan to do. I look forward to sharing project with everyone.

 

[bulldog]

Welcome aboard!! Boat sounds like a beast!! Pics man, pics!!! Also update your profile info so we all know where in the world you are from.

 

[libertyday]

yeah....lets see some pics of this boat! Sounds like you have a great project boat!

 

[flaxterra]

Here are some pictures. They dont do this boat any justice, its huge. It really just needs some cleaning up and some paint. These were taken the day after I bought it. I couldnt wait to get started. Right now I am focusing on painting it and adding a rear flip deck over the fuel tank and across the rear foam boxes to make it one full deck. I will add some more pictures later of the color, I have most of the inside done.

 

[flaxterra]

Well its been a full 2 weeks of work. We have a new baby on top of a 2 yr old. So its pretty much get off work, play with kids, dinner, bath time and out to work on the boat. I finished it up yesterday and had the day off. I took it out for a test run and did a little fishing while I was at it. I painted the boat, did some trailer repairs and added some led deck lights. Not a lot of mods yet. I really just wanted to get it water ready. The 50hp johnson performed better than I expected, got on plan real quick. It was a good day to test it out because it was glass calm when I put the boat in and by the time I made my way back I had a strong head wind and some 1 to 1.5 footers. It preformed just like any other jon boat but there is a big difference with it being 18' and 7' wide. Anyways here are some pictures of today, I will try to get some light pictures at night. I found the link for the lights on here. It was a 5 pack of led lights for really cheap. I also found a website that does letter for boats, you just type in your boat name and choose a style. I think it was $5 for the letters and $2 for the shipping.

 

[HookedUp443]

Sweet setup man. Nice fish as well =D>

Can you please post the name of the website you found for the letters?

 

[ultra353]

that looks awsome!

 

[flaxterra]

Thanks guys!!! I really love this boat. I want to get the cushions redone and maybe make a flip deck over the gas tank to make a full deck across the back. thats about it. The website is signspecialist.com. I ordered them at the end of the week and received them the first of the week. Here are some pictures of the lights. I took them with my phone, so you cant really see the full effect. I put them on the ribs in the front and back. The front face the deck supports and the rear face the foam boxes. They reflect back to the center of the boat. I also put one facing down in center console. It really gives it a cool look and really lights up the floor. Plus you dont see the actual lights, just the reflection.

 

[semojetman]

looks great man. some fresh paint really spuced er up.

The interior lights are a great idea.

 

[ITGuy]

Hey there, OFF SUBJECT, but do you know what the link was where you got your lettering / boat name and had to just type it in?

I really like that set up. Hoping to find something like that when I am looking to start a build.

Thanks

 

[Oldgeek]

That boat is a beast...kinda like a tin on steroids. :lol:

 

[libertyday]

Im ready to buy it!! you wanna sell it! Great boat man....

 

[flaxterra]

HAHA nope not for sale!!! Thanks guys, I looked long and hard to find a big jon boat that was in my price range. My next trip will be at night so I can try out the lights. The website is listed in my post above, sign specialists I think. Anyways, the lettering I got was 18", I wish I got just a little bigger. I've been busy working on a baitwell that is made out of a plastic drum with plexiglass flip top and has been cut down to 18", which is the same height as my seat. It is just a pump in and out system with a spray bar inside. I will try to post some pictures.

 

[SlowRollin']

What a beast! Lovin the Center Console on that bad boy.

Looks bigger with the lighter paint. Where you planning on putting the baitwell, front of the CC?

 

[flaxterra]

I made the bait well removable so it can really go anywhere. I plan on putting it either in front of the console seat or behind the flip seat. Depends on how many people are fishing. If you want to see it, check out my post in the boat house.