'94 Lowe 1440M Build

[UCFJed]

As so many have said before me, this community has been such a valuable resource for me as I did research on Jon boats and everything involved. Just wanted to say a quick thank you before I describe my build.



I purchased a 1994 Lowe 1440M and 1987 Trailer on craigslist after doing months of searching. The hull and rivets are in great shape but it needs some love in a few areas. I have an existing 07 Yahama 8hp that will be powering this bad boy that I've had for over a year (if that gives you any idea of how long I've waited for a boat!). The previous owners had put a wooden deck on the bow and rear bench. The wood was rotted and waterlogged so it had to go.



While the rear bench wood came out relatively easy, the forward deck was is even worse condition and the hole that was cut for the seat showed some wet foam unfortunately.



I have a couple of questions for a few projects I can start to begin on (if the weather warms up):

• Is there a way to determine if the full foam is waterlogged without removing the metal deck?
• Regarding painting of tin boats, is the Rust-Oleum approach fine? Does it last a few seasons?
• With adding decks, is it a major difference in weight between the wood and aluminum frames? Looking to make this modification last around 3 seasons.

Look forward to discussing with everyone. If you are up in Northern VA and want to fish, let me know!

 

[dearl]

Welcome!

Nice project, I've worked on boats similar to yours and the front deck foam is not likely to be soaked, but you can pull a plug sample using some pvc pipe, just run it through the hole for the seat base, all the way through the foam. push the plug out of the pvc and check it. Your probably ok, but if its wet and you have to remove it, its not as bad as removing it from the rear bench.
The rustoleum route will work, just be sure to use a etching primer on bare aluminum so it will stick.

For me personally, wood framing belongs in wood boats, and that's just my opinion, wood has to be maintained, and if you use pressure treated wood, it will eventually eat your boat. I customize many boats every year, aluminum is to me more permanent, its light, relatively cheap, and easy to work with. Its your boat, use what you can afford and have fun with it. If you choose wood, treat it with the ole timers recipe really well and it will last a long time, but like all wood eventually it will soak up water.

Heres a few pics of a boat I did last year for a guy, its a 1448 but the deck may give you some ideas. He uses it for hunting and wanted a lot of storage under the front deck for supplies and bow cases.

Before...

 

[Bowhunter1661]

I had the same exact boat as you. Bought it already with decks however. The front was all aluminum with aluminum decking. Floor was all aluminum decking. Rear was plywood. I will never be caught using plywood in a boat of my own. All aluminum all the way. No rot, no saturated wood, less weight, worry free.

My current boat is all aluminum as well. I'll never

 

[UCFJed]

Dearl, thanks for the warm welcome! Great looking boat, if you were close I would definitely be giving you a call. I'll check out the front foam using some PVC to see if it's just around the hole that is waterlogged. You have intrigued me regarding the aluminium framing. Do you not need any sort of vertical support? How's the stability? I'm not as comfortable with aluminum but part of the fun is learning new things. How did you affix it to the side walls? I'm leaning more and more towards going the all metal approach but there is less information/guides on how to do it.

Bowhunter1661, nice boat as well! I was considering a very similar seating setup to how you had it. Did it come with the TM mount or did you have to do that? Did you like the floor plan or were there things you would change after you fished with it? As I typically bring a buddy to fish in the back, did you have issues fishing in the back with the seat there?

Will be doing lots of research on aluminium decking. I've called a few machinist shops but none of them seem too interested.

 

[dearl]

Do you not need any sort of vertical support? How's the stability? I'm not as comfortable with aluminum but part of the fun is learning new things. How did you affix it to the side walls?.

Depends on the deck load and what you intend on using for your cross members. I use 1.5 x 1.5x .125 6062 aluminum tubing for a lot of structural bracing, just because its sturdy and easy to weld, but you can use rivets. If I had access to a welder or had someone that could do it I would weld it to the side walls. If welding is not an option, you could rivet tabs to the side walls for your bracing supports. If you use vertical bracing on the bulkhead of the forward deck, you will probably be ok, but id check to see if you had any sag with someone up there before I installed the decks. No more than your talking I don't think you would need any more.

 

[Bowhunter1661]

UCFjed, I attached a link to my build. Im not saying it's the best ever, but, it was fairly easy, very sturdy and should last as long as I own the boat. You'll have to check out all the pages to see the full build. I showed framing it out as well.
https://forum.tinboats.net/viewtopic.php?t=39578

As far as my previous 1440M, it was extremely stable for a 14 footer. I would fish Lake Michigan all the time with it. As long as waves were under 1-2 feet I had no issues at all. I think what helped a lot was the deck layed flush with the middle bench. Unlike the previous gentleman that posted that removed the bench and built it level with the front deck. Although it was more difficult to flip and pitch from it, it was very very stable.

Fishing with two people it of a 14' boat is, well... fishing out of a 14' boat. You still need to call out your casts and position the boat parallel to what ever it is you are fishing. Over head or side arm casts towards the bow will result in hooking your partner.

If the back fisherman leaves the seat in while not sitting on it then the boat will tip towards that side. This does make fishing for both individuals pretty uncomfortable. I would either give my partner my pedestal seat or remove the seat all together in order for them to stand in the middle of the bench.

I made my trolling motor mount. I bought an old road sign lol. Bent it like a top hat and used RIVNUTS and 1/4-20 bolts to hold it down. Worked fantastic. Was very sturdy and never had any issues. Attached is a drawing of what it looked like. I simply took the sign and used a metal bench too with a rubber mallet to hammer the 90 degree bends.

Verticle suppprts are a necessity in my opinion. You can use angle aluminum or square aluminum for this. I used 1 1/8x 1/8" thick. All pop riveted. Welding would have been better however I didn't want the expense of having a welding shop perform the welding.

One thing for me that made ALL the difference in the world was installing a recessed foot pedal tray. Completely changed the stability of the front fisherman. Best money I ever spent on that boat was that.

This was my first boat of my own. Had my grandfather not become ill and offered me his 1648 Generation 3 I would still be completely happy with it.

 

[UCFJed]

Good news, found a buddy who has a TIG welder and is open to helping me. Of course all of the shops around me that sell any sort of aluminum are only open M-F so I have to keep exploring to get a better idea on price. Trying to build a boat while you are planning a wedding is a constant balancing act with the future Mrs.

Spent a couple hours this last weekend doing a deep clean of the boat and checking for leaks. Nothing leaks as far as I can tell so one less thing to worry about. Started painting parts of the boat, currently split between a tan or the classic green. Leaning towards tan as it's a bit different.

Thanks for the great information bowhunter. I've been using your old boat (and parts of the new boat, excluding painting in a new garage #-o ) as a build potential with my buddies. You made a great point about being flush with the middle bench, that was one of my debates after buying the boat. I'd always rather be stable and not be able to flip well then the alternative. I'll look into the recessed foot tray as part of the build.

Next steps, get the materials for the forward deck and hopefully framing it soon. Even though she isn't pretty yet may take it out this weekend and try to get some fish in the new boat.