Getting back to fishing..

This is a fishing boat and I am fisherman and I want to get back to fishing.. But I will be customizing her a bit more, like upholstery, covers, heavy weather curtains, electronics.



Here is a sneak peak, a seat cushion I made for the cooler seat.

This deck is done.

Well this deck is pretty much done. If you are going to attempt a project like this on your own boat please read this blog from the beginning or you will more than likely miss a lot of details.



 
 
 

 

 

Seating and center console.

Put the center console back on and the flip back cooler seat.








Make sure we use waterproof sealant on every screw you put into the deck. Don't want this deck to ever rot.

finishing up the battery box.

Went ahead and cut out the excess fiberglass, gel coated the box and installed the hatch and boot. Not 100% finished but it has gotten to cold to do anymore fiber glassing so I just need to weather proof it for now. In the spring I will sand the box down and put some matting over it to smooth it all out.





 

Cold front.

 

The next 3-4 days will be to cold to use polyester resin or gel coat so I will concentrate on some prep work to finish the battery box and get the center console back in and all controls connected and also install the seating.

Back to the battery box.

 

 

With the deck done and gel coated I went back to working on the battery box. The two sided box is actually a fair amount of work.


Started off with making a template once again, for the top and cutting the wood from the card board template.






With the wood top cut and fitted I made a tracing of the cut out for the hatch that will be installed in the top of the box for access to the battery and under deck cables.









Here is the wood top, all cut out and screwed down with 1″ stainless steel screws. I sealed all seams with Loctite PL glue. I then went ahead and fiberglass taped all the seams from the inside of the box, the tape is also what supports the wood top to the gunwale and transom since this box only has two outer plywood sides. I also used a sander to round off all the outer edges, fiberglass doesn’t like real sharp corners.









I then cut out the 1708 fiberglass to fit the plywood top. Normally I would just use mat on most of this box but the transom on these boats have a bit of flex. There is a bolt on raised rear deck these boats come with but I am eliminating mine. I don’t want to give up the space the raised deck takes up. I would rather have more fishing room on the deck AND my bay is very rough at times and I really do not like standing on a deck in a boat with low freeboard.


In order to get some of the strength back that the bolt on raised deck offered I used 1708 bi axle fiberglass on the entire box. Making the box strong causes it to act as a torque box or a brace since its mounted to the floor and the transom. If I find there is flex from the outboard’s weight while under way I will build another box on the port side.








All glassed up, with the sun going down and the temps dropping I pulled the tarp back over the boat and plugged in the heater there is no way the resin will cure fast enough for me to apply gel coat.














 

Materials and thank you Browns Point Marina.

 

As for material, that came from Browns point marina in Keyport NJ, please check these guys out if you need a boat, slip, storage, boat rentals, boat repairs, all kinds of boating products they are awesome. Thank you Sam and Brown’s Point Marina.


Click here to visit www.brownspointmarina.net


Don’t underestimate how much it will cost and what you will need to do your deck, stingers, bulkheads over.


It will add up fast and not be cheap.


I have enough resin and gel coat left to finish the boat off.  So I will use 7 gallons of resin and 1 gallon of gel coat.


Tons of mixing cups

8 cheap plastic measuring cups

10 4″ rollers

12 4″ brushes

4 4’x8′ 1/2″ marine grade plywood

1 4’x8′ 3/4″ marine grade plywood

12 yards of 1708 bi axle fiberglass cloth

150 stainless screws 1″ and 2″

1 10ft section of drainage pipe

1 motor well boot

1 17″ x 12″ boat hatch

30 2″ spring clamps

5  Loctite brand premium PL construction adhesive caulk gun cartridges

2  Loctite marine PL adhesive (this stuff is new, its like 3M 5200) (used for sealing any and all screws that went into the finished deck)

1 pint of MEKP ( I need more than came with the resin, I almost double the amount since I was always working in sub 70F temps.)


I will keep adding to the list as the project progresses.