Recent content by crabbingdan

I made it out to this past Saturday, the boat handled great! I really like how everything came together. Got about a half bushel too.

Last week I finished the wiring for the bow and stern lights and installed the bilge pump. Mounted all the hardware and boat hook clips, and installed a fishing rod holder. There are a few small things I want to add/tweak, but for the most part, it's all done! Here are some final completed...

I'm hoping to install the bow light, stern light, and bilge pump this weekend and get them all wired up. I bought some old cheap stainless grab rails off Ebay that I'm hoping to find a place for too, install the cup holders, and there are a couple other cosmetic things I want to do too. The...

I'm guessing all the angle has added up to the range of $300-$400. That's been the most painful part of the build. At first I ordered some online because you can find cheaper prices, but once I paid for shipping, and some sites have a processing fee, that all added up to about what the local...

I installed a 5 switch panel and negative bus bar on a side rail, and started bolting down the decking. Installed hatch hinges and barrel bolts. Then installed the starting and deep cycle batteries under the front bench seat.

I bought two 4x8 sheets of 2" thick insulation and cut it to fit between the floor joists. Also cut it to fit the below deck bow area, along the side rails, and anywhere else I cut stuff it. Also used the super thick pool noodles anywhere the rigid pink insulation was hard to fit. Also cut...

Made some more progress this past month since my last posts... Put the plug in and filled with water to do a final test for any new leaks that might have surfaced during the remodel. I was really happy to see no leaks at all.

Thanks Derek!

Cut holes in the top rail boards for cup holders, rounded the edges of everything, and sanded. I chose an oak stain to darken it up a little and bring out the grain. Then I put 8 coats of marine varnish covering everything, with light sanding between every other coat. I don't really care for...

Used cardboard to get an idea for the layout of the front and back decks. For the side rails and risers, just measured and cut. Used a hole saw to cut the round edges of the under-seat storage area, then jigsaw to connect the curves.

To add a flat floor, I added braces along the bottom of the side rails for the floor joists to sit on. Ran the joists across and tied them to the center of the ribs across the floor.

I coated the SS with loctite 243 and some with TefGel to prevent corrosion in the brackish waters I go in. I've had the same SS hardware in an old aluminum boat for years now and no reaction has occurred yet.

The back bench seat will have stationary, permanent boards across it. I cut out the front face of the bench to make two cubby holes for storage inside the bench. I framed the back deck to cover the gas tank storage area, leaving an opening for the outboard, hoses, wires, etc. Connected the...

Framing continued... Framed in two hatches on the bow deck, along with vertical supports from ribs to deck frame. Connected bow deck to the front bench seat at a softer angle, to prevent it looking too boxy with so many right angles. The front bench will have a flip up seat, and will serve as...

Carl - Thanks! I didn't use rivets mainly because I've never used them all that much before, so I just don't know much about them. ...not the best reason to not do something, but I guess I felt more comfortable going forward with material I'm familiar with. In my experience once you tighten...