** SeaArk 1652 Bass Boat Conversion - "The Dirty Oar" **

[ATW]

Next came the floor...

 

[ATW]

Then the rear deck area.

Also painted my throttle control bracket and installed that.

 

[ATW]

Then the hatches-- which we could wrap around and make for a nicer install. I had to patch the hole in the hatch that is under the driver seat.

 

[ATW]

Here's how we're sitting as of last night:

 

[ATW]

I picked up some rubber half round trim pieces on eBay for $15 for 20 foot. Should make the cut carpet edge look nice and clean when I put it on.

That's all for now.. I'll update as I go. Feel free to ask any questions!

 

[ATW]

Been busting my rump on this lately
Plan on launching the boat tomorrow if all goes as planned. I'll post my updated progress tomorrow.

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[perchjerker]

looking really good bud!

 

[bamalivin]

If you didn't already know, your engine can be somewhat easily modified to a 35 hp. If you, like myself find yourself in need of the extra ponies, that is something to keep in mind. Boat looks great btw! Happy boating!

 

[ATW]

If you didn't already know, your engine can be somewhat easily modified to a 35 hp. If you, like myself find yourself in need of the extra ponies, that is something to keep in mind. Boat looks great btw! Happy boating!

Thanks all.

I have looked into this-- might consider it down the road. We'll see what kind of performance I get from this boat-- I'm expecting decent results with the power trim!

 

[ATW]

Bilge pump drain routed underneath the rear corner cap on the port side.

 

[ATW]

Steering console getting cutouts for switches, radio, etc.. before painting.

 

[ATW]

The rear seat mount worked out pretty slick-- Before carpeting, I added a 1" square aluminum tube that runs the length of the open hatch in the rear-- this is so I can rivet the rear hatch cover onto it as well as provide some much needed support for the pedestal mount since riveting the hatch and bolting the seats to thin aluminum jon boat sheet metal wasnt happening.

Since I added 1/8" aluminum sheet on top of of the rear seat, I figured toggle bolts would suffice for the front 3 bolts holes of the seat mount and provide enough coverage to support weight. The rear 3 bolts would be through that piece of aluminum square stock I aforementioned and provide the brunt of the stability. I cut 3 3/4" holes for the toggle setup in the middle of the bench.. the toggle nuts are a 5/16-18 thread that I ordered online.

It worked out well. There is some flex in the bench but it's not coming out-- I gave it the ol' earthquake test with my 220lb frame-- best of all, still no wood used.

 

[ATW]

Painted the upper portion of the console and installed my switches, radio, & fuse panel.

On the right hand side of the console is my six gang switch panel and my power trim switch.

I removed two of the stock switches to install my livewell timer switch and the momentary push button switch for the horn. Wiring was a breeze. I left one switch blank for future additions (probably interior lighting)

On the left side, I have my manual/auto bilge switch and my DC outlet and volt meter. The volt meter is connected to the DC outlet switch on switch panel. Good for checking voltage on occasion to the cranking battery. I might add this to the front deep cycle trolling motor battery since it is quite handy.

On the side, I have a marine stereo. Won this on Ebay for $70 which included the marine antenna and additional AUX jack. Also takes a USB stick. The marine antenna is the black vertical piece sticking out the other side of the console. It works well but the speaker wires that came with the speakers I have are trash-- I ordered new replacement wire this week.

The four bolts on the above picture sticking out of the front of the console is where I mounted my fuse box. I had a tough time finding a decent place that was hidden out of sight. Here is an under shot (disregard the rats nest of wires-- not a final install yet)

 

[ATW]

I built a riser out of aluminum angle for the fuel tank to sit on in the rear to get off the floor. Everything is a snug fit. Battery, fuel tank, bilge pump, livewell pump, wiring to back, motor controls, and motor wiring. (again, apologize for the cable management!)

 

[ATW]

As stated in an earlier post, I had Minn Kota All Terrain 55 in a 52" shaft that I bought last year for $225. I've never had this boat in the water but based on research, a 52" shaft is overkill for a foot control in a jon. I ended up selling it to my neighbor for $300 and found a 2015 Minn Kota Edge 45 in a 42" shaft on Craigslist for $275-- I got it for $225.

I riveted my jon boat trolling motor bracket to the front bow, but not before sanding the edges and contact points down to bare metal as I want to have this welded on eventually. I had a Minn Kota plug and socket for this too.

 

[ATW]

I have front and rear zamak sockets for the nav and stern lights. Bought a new angled front light and a rear stern light from Academy Sports for $28.

 

[ATW]

Been doing a lot of research on my motor height. The Sea Ark's transom is 20" but at a reverse angle so from the transom top to the bottom of the boat at a 90-degree angle is shorter. My motor was dead even with the bottom of the boat even with the CMC PT-130 trim unit with the clamp adapter. I realized that the CMC unit was mounted on the boat in the lowest position so I brought it up to the other mounting hole which raised the entire unit about an inch. The AV plate on the motor is about 1" higher than the bottom of the boat-- hopefully this will work. I find it hard to believe that you could put a long shaft Evinrude/Johnson right on the 20" transom and have it perform. My motor is a good 3.5-4" higher now and sits about 1" above the hull. Hopefully thats the sweet spot with setback. Can't wait to experiment with it.

And yes, I did bolt this motor to the CMC unit also-- Don't trust your clamps by themselves, people!

 

[fl.graderman]

I'll be interested to see if this height works out for you... I read about the "rules" for elevating the motor with setback when I was dialing mine in. I also have a jackplate with 4" of setback and I started out at about 3/4" above the keel with the AV plate. Long story short, I'm getting the highest speeds and best performance now and my AV plate is about 1/2" below the keel.
Any higher and it blows out in turns. It may be different in your case...I'll be following...

2015 Tracker Grizzly 1448 MVX
1996 Evinrude 25hp 3 cylinder looper

 

[ATW]

I'll be interested to see if this height works out for you... I read about the "rules" for elevating the motor with setback when I was dialing mine in. I also have a jackplate with 4" of setback and I started out at about 3/4" above the keel with the AV plate. Long story short, I'm getting the highest speeds and best performance now and my AV plate is about 1/2" below the keel.
Any higher and it blows out in turns. It may be different in your case...I'll be following...

2015 Tracker Grizzly 1448 MVX
1996 Evinrude 25hp 3 cylinder looper

I believe each boat is its own beast so the "rules" for the height really don't apply. The physics and process make sense, but there's a lot to take into consideration--hull shape, boat weight, weight distribution, trim, prop, etc.. Hard to come up with a solid equation for the correct setting. I hope I don't have to go 'up' on my motor because I don't want to drill new holes for the outboard mounting on the CMC unit-- The clamp adapter works ok for small motors on CMC PT-130 but the hole locations on a 20-35 HP OMC suck with it-- I had to drill through 1.5" of solid aluminum for the mounts. :shock:

 

[ATW]

Launched the boat on Thursday after work. It ran like crap. Died under load and wouldn't get on plane. I picked up a new connector for the fuel line since it leaked when you squeezed the bulb. Also noticed a water leak in the back of the motor by the spark plug--water jacket gasket is torn. It also leaks a little fuel at the primer solenoid valve. Ordered a carb rebuild kit and gaskets to repair everything. Hope to retry it by next weekend with new parts and a clean carb.

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