12' Aluminum bow mod

[Seahawkfan]

Wanted more storage space and wanted to add some weight up front for solo ventures. As I stated in another thread I bought a 15 hp Yamaha and it's about 25 lbs heavier than my 6 hp Evinrude and was concerned that the extra weight coupled added hp that my bow would ride to high.

I plan on posting pics as I go for those of you who are interested.


I will start with mock up pics and go through the entire build. Open to Criticism as I know it won't be perfect.

1st pic is the front seat removed. Pretty easy, just drilled out the rivets.

Here are some mock up pics.

 

[Seahawkfan]

Here are a few more.

 

[Seahawkfan]

And here is up to date pics.



Decided against marine plywood and went with Oak plywood, nice and straight compared to marine , treated right, it is better for this application IMO. Just going to prime and paint the wood with a non skid light grey exterior paint. Decided against outdoor carpet that most guys seem to go with for two reasons, 1...I don't like the idea of water sitting underneath the carpet and sitting on the wood...and 2...I thought it would be easier to wash the mud and blood off of.

 

[Troutski]

12 foot screamer....

12 foot screamer....

Man you do have some skills, looks to be a great craft... That 15 horse should make that 12 footer scream.....
Thanks for the pictures...

Chuck

 

[Raincatcher]

Very impressive skills! Now you have to post the finished product and a video of the beast in action!

 

[Toyracer38]

Looking great! You got skills!

 

[mikeee2362]

2...I thought it would be easier to wash the mud and blood off of.

Nice....blood...there's positive thinking!! Nice job!

 

[FishFinger]

That's beautiful work.
15 HP... that's gonna be scary fast.

 

[DrTheopolis]

Looks very nice.

As I mentioned in your other thread, my friend has a very similar setup (except in a 14' Sea King). It's not "scary fast," but it isn't underpowered by any means. Depending on your prop, should be good for about 20MPH, which is plenty and then some for that boat.

I definitely agree with your thinking, since my friend's and several other similar boats I've dealt with through the years have the problem you describe -- bow rides high. Stow your gear/anchor in front if solo (but you already mentioned that), and having a passenger sitting as far forward as possible makes a huge difference in getting it to plane right.

Probably need sea anchors or something if you want to troll. That's the only complaint my friend has with his, and little boats like that aren't always too friendly about trolling in lots of wind(but not as bad as a driftboat).

 

[grizzlynitemare]

That is beautiful craftsmanship. If I was decent at crafting stuff with my hands, I'd might have thought about stealing your idea.
And that 15 horse is gonna have some get up and go. I have an old 12' smokercraft with a little old 9.9 hp merc on the back. It goes 10+ easily with 3 full grown men in the boat.
Best of luck completing the build and on the waters.

 

[Seahawkfan]

Looks very nice.

As I mentioned in your other thread, my friend has a very similar setup (except in a 14' Sea King). It's not "scary fast," but it isn't underpowered by any means. Depending on your prop, should be good for about 20MPH, which is plenty and then some for that boat.

I definitely agree with your thinking, since my friend's and several other similar boats I've dealt with through the years have the problem you describe -- bow rides high. Stow your gear/anchor in front if solo (but you already mentioned that), and having a passenger sitting as far forward as possible makes a huge difference in getting it to plane right.

Probably need sea anchors or something if you want to troll. That's the only complaint my friend has with his, and little boats like that aren't always too friendly about trolling in lots of wind(but not as bad as a driftboat).

Ya that 15 is going to be to much to troll with so after finishing the bow mod I plan on bow mounting my 48 lb thrust minkota. That is going to be another custom job. Also after that I plan on rigging something up to get my front seat back on. As of now because of the hatch in the new bow the seat wouldn't allow the hatch to open. I plan on mounting the seat on its own piece of wood and putting a hinge and lock downs so it can be tipped forward and allow the hatch to open.

Well, time to go prime the wood. Hope to have it all painted and installed by Saturday. I will post the pic when complete.

 

[eugene1]

You might be surprised on how slow your yamaha will troll!

I had a 1994 30 hp Yami on a 15' boat before. I could troll slower than 90% of the other boats out there.

Best,

 

[Seahawkfan]

Your boat is totally set up for an easy bow mod although it seems what you have done suites the purpose. Nice work!

 

[Seahawkfan]

Well I got delayed by a day due to my obsessive nature. I decided to beef up the hatch area by pre framing instead of scabbing the hatch stops to the ply. I figured it would be worth the effort now for the future re install of the front seat. Anyway I'm getting close, should be complete Sunday if I don't come up with another hair brain idea. Here are some pics.

Impressed with the texture and quality of this non skid paint. This is only the first coat and the texture was impressive.

Can't wait to get it on the water.:sad:

 

[eugene1]

Looking good!

One thing to consider is moisture getting into your bow compartment from wave spray or rain. I can't tell from the photos if there is drainage under that front rib, but make sure that the area can dry out in between trips. Open the hatch or incorporate some kind of air vents. Mold can start growing on your gear if it isn't well-ventilated.

Best,

 

[Seahawkfan]

Looking good!

One thing to consider is moisture getting into your bow compartment from wave spray or rain. I can't tell from the photos if there is drainage under that front rib, but make sure that the area can dry out in between trips. Open the hatch or incorporate some kind of air vents. Mold can start growing on your gear if it isn't well-ventilated.



Best,

Ya I thought about that to. That's part of the reason for the flat cut at the tip of bow deck also left approx. 3/8 gap between the aluminum and the wood. Not really worried about mold since I didn't have dry storage in mind while designing the Mod. Also the boat is stored in my garage so I'll just open the hatch and let it dry out.

 

[Seahawkfan]

I finally finished the project. I'm happy with it but the problem is it makes the rest of the boat look like it needs a paint job.:blushing:

Anyway here are some pics.

 

[mikeee2362]

Turned out nice! Good job!

 

[Raincatcher]

Well here is a short clip of her on Estacada lake. Throttle only gets to 2/3 as she is still technically breaking in.

Hmmm, says I need to sign in to Dropbox...I don't have an account so I will take you word she is potentially a fishing beast...when you actually say it.

 

[rogerdodger]

hey that looks fantastic, it reminded me of one of my first projects on our 16' Alumacraft, I covered the bow area with stained plywood and put in a hatch (under the red rug in this old image) to provide lockable storage under and because the goal was also to have a place for dogs and kids to ride, I added the bow rails at the same time, an easy project once you get all the stainless steel fittings and pipe....hey, yours would look cool with some bow rails..:thumb: cheers, roger