Xpress 1546D Makeover... -- SOLD!

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Got a little more done tonight... but I ran into a few problems. When I first got the boat last year I got this real plush marine carpet from Lowe's that they had in the store. Well, I went back tonight to get some more. Figured I'd check the one closest to the house first, but they didn't have anytihng. So I drove to the next one (8 miles down the road) to where I bought it the first time - they sold out 6 months ago and haven't got any back in and don't expect to get any more. They had it in black, but that gets to hot (I'm figuring anyways) and it would show all the mud and dirt a lot more, so I went back to the standard stuff they have. Looks better than what I thought it would next to the good stuff.

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I got all the carpeting done except for one lid... and wouldn't ya know - I ran out of staples. Oh well... I did get the 2 outer lids attached. This time I did the piano hinges a little different. I attached them to the rear bench - main reason because I didn't want them to open up a full 180 degrees. I wanted to open them up because I plan on fabricating some of those "cook's tackle system" things. I'm going to cover the bench with the other roll of Hydro Turf I have left over. I was going to carpet, but I like this stuff. I wanted to do the decks and all with it, but I didn't know how to do the lid edges, and I didn't want to cut and attach them because I want my lids to be tight and I can see that stuff peeling off with the abuse.

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Then I got to playing around with the livewell a little more. I got my flow rite thru hull fittings and all, and figured I'd do that since i was at a stand still with everything else. I cut the hole on the livewell for the drain. The white stuff you see is this stuff called Aqua Mend. It's the epoxy that comes in a tube, you knead it up and then apply it. A little over 60 minutes and it was cured. I swore that I would never use that 5300 stuff again because of the mess it makes. Only problem I have now is that if I ever have to change anything, I'll have to grind this stuff off with my side grinder. I wish I would have gotten a new livewell pump, but this one works still and I'll deal with that whenever it dies.

Here is the 90* drain plug on the bottom of the livewell. Then on the inside, I have these little plugs that fit into it and seals everything up.

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Then it was time to cut the drain... yea, I screwed up. I should have cut it about 1/2" lower, but there should be enough pressure to drain it out.. the drain is just a little higher then the 90* bend under the livewell. I already had the hole cut, so there was no turning back.

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We're supposed to get about 3-4 days of rain starting tomorrow night... so I've got a pretty good bit done considering our tourney is this Saturday. I've still got to put the fitting for the fill in the livewell, and that's pretty much it. I've got a pretty good idea for how to mount the switches, so I'll try to get all that wired up too. I'm waiting on a package from BluewaterLED, then I can really move on and start screwing everything down in place. the only thing that is set right now are the lids and the middle support brace that the lids rest on.
 
Does the Aqua Mend stay pliable or does it get rock hard? That would be nice for a quick addition instead of having to break out the 5200; if it stays pliable that is.
 
I got the Aqua Mend at Home Depot I think... if not there, then Lowe's, but I'm pretty sure it's HD.

Now this stuff cures solid. It's actually made to be used for instant repairs - as if you were on the water and needed something to mend underwater. It's rock solid right now, not pliable like silicone... so if you ever needed to change anything, you'd have to put a little elbow grease to get it off. You can sand, drill, tap and just about anything else you want to do to this stuff.
 
yea, especially around the drain fittings and things like that... probably not a good idea for the livewell pump, but I didn't put that much there like I did around the drain fittings. I also bought some neoprene washers and cut them to fit so they will also help seal out the water.
 
Looks awesome russ, Looking forward to seeing it saturday... My favorite sealer in the world when it comes to water is the Ge silicone 2 clear... That stuff seals anything and isnt to messy.. I want to get a good look at your livewell, That is one area thats getting a makeover in my boat..
 
ok.. so the deck is completed. I just have a few more things to do and it will be ready for the tourney this weekend. I still have to wire the fill pump, but I'm waiting on a few things from BluewaterLED before I can go any further.

I got all of the fittings on the livewell installed and sealed. I ended up taking the deck that the livewell sits on off the boat, put it on the livewell, then installed all of the fittings, pumps and hoses. I didn't have enough room to work with it in the boat, and I wanted to make sure that I had everything sealed.

Here is the fill fitting. I put it in the very center. I got to thinking though - I might not have to run this as long as I thought. I think I can open up the drain plug in the bottom to have water in the livewell up to the waterline. But, it's an 800 GPH pump and that thing can move some water pretty quick.

I also installed the Keep'em Alive aerator, along with a Bass Pro livewell timer. I don't know if the timer is going to work right or not because the potentiometer didn't move like I thought it should. Not a big deal though, I will most likely want to run this type of pump on manual and not run it near as much as the 60 sec every 6 mintues.

Walking around the electrical section in Home Depot gave me a few ideas. I ended up getting a 6x6x4 junction box ($11) to mount the livewell timer to, and it will also give me enough room for the toggle switches for the Livewell LEDs, fill pump, deck LEDs and whatever else I decide to put in there.

That's about it boys... enjoy all of the pics - if you ever want to see more, or all of the pics at once, just check them out on photobucket here - https://s15.photobucket.com/albums/a382/russ010/Xpress Boat/

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a little more

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That looks outstanding. Nice and clean. Its amazing how carpet seems to make everything come together. Love the lights.
 
Troutman3000 said:
You are one serious modding machine....What kind of work do you do for a living.??

haha... I'm an insurance underwriter.

but where I come from in South Carolina, you never hire someone to do a job for you that you can do. I learned A LOT from my dad... he used to do everything for everybody in my community, and I always tagged along. Never knew how much I learned until I moved into my own house (which was a foreclosure) and basically did a home makeover on it. I did everything but the carpet in the house - I hate working with that stuff.

You and anybody else can do anything if you put your mind to it... it's really not that hard, just a little common sense and the people here at tinboats are all you need!
 
russ010 said:
Troutman3000 said:
You are one serious modding machine....What kind of work do you do for a living.??

haha... I'm an insurance underwriter.

but where I come from in South Carolina, you never hire someone to do a job for you that you can do. I learned A LOT from my dad... he used to do everything for everybody in my community, and I always tagged along. Never knew how much I learned until I moved into my own house (which was a foreclosure) and basically did a home makeover on it. I did everything but the carpet in the house - I hate working with that stuff.

You and anybody else can do anything if you put your mind to it... it's really not that hard, just a little common sense and the people here at tinboats are all you need!

Agreed. I have learned a lot over the last few years myself. Anything just takes time and repetition. I hate carpet too, the contracters can have that.

:beer:
 
Russ you did a great job on your mod. Glad to see your livewell finally came in. I was curious about the bracket your using for the ruler. Is that made for that or did you find something that would work?
 
That is actually made for that ruler - it's a Gator Grip sleeve, and I'm pretty sure I ordered it from their site when I ordered my Golden Rule... man, they have gone up in prices!

https://gatorgrip.com/cart/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=60

I've been thinking about this now that you mentioned it.... I'm pretty sure you can use the smallest aluminum C-channel at HD or Lowe's and make the same thing.
 
Do you mean space between the factory front deck and the deck I just built?

I'm not through modding this thing yet.. I still have to extend the front deck back. Right now I have 27" between where the front deck will extend and the rear deck that will be open. That makes the total open space right now around 5' just as it sits.

I'll take more pics tonight and post them up. I've got a mess in the front of my boat though - that's where I put everything so I wouldn't lose it... it's amazing what I've lost since I started this thing... I'm still looking for my rear navigation light - I have no idea where I put it. I remember taking it off and saying to myself "I'll put it here because I know I'll remember and find it"... go figure
 
russ010 said:
Do you mean space between the factory front deck and the deck I just built?

I'm not through modding this thing yet.. I still have to extend the front deck back. Right now I have 27" between where the front deck will extend and the rear deck that will be open. That makes the total open space right now around 5' just as it sits.

I'll take more pics tonight and post them up. I've got a mess in the front of my boat though - that's where I put everything so I wouldn't lose it... it's amazing what I've lost since I started this thing... I'm still looking for my rear navigation light - I have no idea where I put it. I remember taking it off and saying to myself "I'll put it here because I know I'll remember and find it"... go figure

I always do that and then my wife tells me where it is.

Yeah that’s what I meant. I am looking at a larger boat similar to yours. I really like the way you have set it up and was making sure there was some room between the decks. I love to bass fish but I also need something open in the middle when I run trotlines.

Oh by the way, This is the best build I have seen when it comes to weight distribution.
 
Ok Nick - here ya go.

The front deck now as it is is 5' long. It's definitely long enough as it is, but I can't cut into it to make any storage because it has braces running the length of the boat. That's one reason why I'm extending the deck back, as well as the placement of the seat. If it was up more towards the front another 8", it would be fine. But if you are sitting in the seat facing either side, one false step and you're laying in the floor.

The space between the decks right now is 57". The rear deck (including the area that's not covered at the transom yet is 6-1/2'. When I extend the front deck back, the space between them will be 28". Doesn't seem like much, but 2.5' is a pretty good bit of space.

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