My first AMBITIOUS project.
Last summer we acquired a 1966 Mirrocraft 3614 14' Deep Fisherman "fishin' boat" with an Evinrude 8 HP motor, trolling motor, fish finder and trailer for a reasonable price. I had to spend about $200 to get the motor gone over completely, the motor only had about 20 hours on it, but it wasn't pumping water, so I got it tuned up and parts replaced as needed.
All in all it, had certainly seen some use and had been left tied up to a dock during a storm, so suffered a bit of paint scraping and a dent or two during the storm.
But it doesn't leak, it gets from here to there on the lakes, and I wanted to make it better and more comfortable.
This is what I am starting with:
This is the layout I'd like to end up with (the current Mirrocraft 1415 Outfitter) :
I have removed all the seats, the old broken transom; and I have pressure washed the interior hull:
I've flipped the boat and mounted it on sawhorses and tied it down to strip off the old brushed on paint:
I have acquired a treated lumber which is approved for contact with aluminum (no copper in the treatment) 2X12 which I have cut to the old transom shape and it is awaiting stain and varnish.
The thru bolts will be replaced with stainless steel. The old aluminum bench seats will be salvaged for a rear shelf inside the hull at the transom, and a couple of hatch covers (maybe).
I also purchased a 30X12X11 inch aluminum tool box from Northern tool which I will modify to be a wet well in the blue area of the floor plan above:
2 batteries will be placed starboard opposite the wet well to equalize the weight of the full wet well.
So far, calculations for weight will work out to be below the max with two heavy folks aboard, full wet well, 6 gallons of fuel, batteries, etc. Even with a motorized anchor mate she'll still be below the max weight by quite a bit. Flotation will be added under the decks,and I'll be using plywood for decking.
Barring rain tomorrow, I will begin stripping off the old paint.
I also will be rewiring the tilt trailer, and repainting it; in addition to replacing the bunks and probably the rear roller (which is bent but still rolls... Well, it does after I whacked it with a hammer a few dozen times!).
Wish me luck... I'm a woodworker, but this is one ambitious project!
Progress pix as time permits.
Last summer we acquired a 1966 Mirrocraft 3614 14' Deep Fisherman "fishin' boat" with an Evinrude 8 HP motor, trolling motor, fish finder and trailer for a reasonable price. I had to spend about $200 to get the motor gone over completely, the motor only had about 20 hours on it, but it wasn't pumping water, so I got it tuned up and parts replaced as needed.
All in all it, had certainly seen some use and had been left tied up to a dock during a storm, so suffered a bit of paint scraping and a dent or two during the storm.
But it doesn't leak, it gets from here to there on the lakes, and I wanted to make it better and more comfortable.
This is what I am starting with:
This is the layout I'd like to end up with (the current Mirrocraft 1415 Outfitter) :
I have removed all the seats, the old broken transom; and I have pressure washed the interior hull:
I've flipped the boat and mounted it on sawhorses and tied it down to strip off the old brushed on paint:
I have acquired a treated lumber which is approved for contact with aluminum (no copper in the treatment) 2X12 which I have cut to the old transom shape and it is awaiting stain and varnish.
The thru bolts will be replaced with stainless steel. The old aluminum bench seats will be salvaged for a rear shelf inside the hull at the transom, and a couple of hatch covers (maybe).
I also purchased a 30X12X11 inch aluminum tool box from Northern tool which I will modify to be a wet well in the blue area of the floor plan above:
2 batteries will be placed starboard opposite the wet well to equalize the weight of the full wet well.
So far, calculations for weight will work out to be below the max with two heavy folks aboard, full wet well, 6 gallons of fuel, batteries, etc. Even with a motorized anchor mate she'll still be below the max weight by quite a bit. Flotation will be added under the decks,and I'll be using plywood for decking.
Barring rain tomorrow, I will begin stripping off the old paint.
I also will be rewiring the tilt trailer, and repainting it; in addition to replacing the bunks and probably the rear roller (which is bent but still rolls... Well, it does after I whacked it with a hammer a few dozen times!).
Wish me luck... I'm a woodworker, but this is one ambitious project!
Progress pix as time permits.