Lowe 1448 Project and old boat

First off I want to say hello to all. I have been a lurker behind the scene long enough and finally decided to join.

Here is a couple pics of my current completed boat, its been done for a few years now so no pics of the build up of it. I dont even know the make of it. It is a 1436 and serves me well, but I have moved and the lakes around here are a little bigger than the ones in NJ with bigger motor limits. Its decently stable but I just dont feel comfortable in it here.




Friday I went and picked up a new Lowe 1448 and new trailer. When I ordered it, I had a plan. But now that its here, and what I thought was a storage compartment in the middle seat turner out to be a livewell so the plans have changed a little and its kind of a trial and error build now. I got started on it this morning but I didnt have much time to work on it before the boys baseball game so its not to far along yet. I will post updated pics here as things get done. I also plant to strip everything off the old boat and put on this one.

:WELCOME:

Thanks for joining! :beer:

So far so good! The boat is nice! Are you going to keep it as a livewell?

Jim said:

Thanks for joining! :beer:

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No problem, thanks for having a great site :beer:

Jim said:

Are you going to keep it as a livewell?

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Yeah I plan on keeping it a livewell. When originally I thought it was a storage compartment, I was going to deck right over it and put a livewell back by the rear bench. Since I dont keep many fish or hardly ever tourney fish anymore, this will be more than adequate size for me. So it took a little thought process to get the front deck like I wanted and keep the livewell lid functional. I bumped the front out 1.5 inches and then went with uprights screwed to the bump outs to get the deck height even. I still have to mount the side pieces for the front deck yet. Should be out working on it now, but I am sun burnt enough for one day :lol:

Welcome Aboard! Nice rig and looking forward to the progress of the mods! 8)

nice looking boat
keep up the good work

:WELCOME: aboard! Look forward to your progress. I am just finishing my mod, but plan to get a 1448 or 1548 in the next year or two for bigger waters.

alumacraftjoe said:

...but plan to get a 1448 or 1548 in the next year or two for bigger waters.

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Joe, don't know if you plan on new or used, but you might checkout Tyler Boats, Inc. located in Rockport, IN (across the river from Ownesboro, KY). It's where I bought mine, and they're down to earth friendly folks.

https://www.boats.com/common/frame.jsp?priorPage=/sites/tylerboats&frameUrl=tylerboats.bravehost.com

welcome aboard

Nice Project

Nice rig BrewDog.

What are you using for lumber for the front deck? Are those 2X4's or 1X2's?

I'm redoing my deck and trying to figure out the best/lightest way.

Dave

Thanks for the welcome aboard guys, glad to be here.

Dave Deutsch said:

What are you using for lumber for the front deck? Are those 2X4's or 1X2's?

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Those are actually 2x3 that I had left over from a recent job, and the decking is going to be 3/4 plywood.

Here is the rest of the frame work for the front deck, added side rails to each side, and the mock up of the deck itself. Fitted everything, then took it to the basement and added carpet to it, hopefully be able to install the deck on Wednesday.

Coming along nicely! =D>

nice work!

very nice! i have a 1448 also, probably going to come out quite a bit different than yours though
working on it this week i am GLAD im am carpeting it, that army green gets hot as hell in the sun

nice custom tinBoat commen along

Lookin' good! 8)

Thanks for the compliments guys, finished up the carpet this morning, and test fit everything. Everything seemed to fit good, and function properly. They are calling for rain here this evening and tonight, so I took it all back off and will wait and install it tomorrow, along with the trolling motor, seat, sonar, and do all the wiring. I will probably wait a little while to do the rest of the boat, as I am off work the next 2 weeks and would rather be on the water fishing, than home working on the boat.

looks good man

Looks great! Gonna be a heck of a fishing boat.

Thanks for the pics! I ordered a Lowe 1448T (the tall transome) a couple weeks ago, should be here next week hopefully. I'm planning on a console and two casting decks. Will try to use aluminum angle for most of the framing. I'll post something when I begin work, but wanted to say keep yours coming, it's great seeing everyone else's ideas!