V-Bottom Boat Zack Taylor Style??

B

BrianCromwell

New member
I have seen pictures on here before of small aluminum boats that were decked over with wood and fiberglassed and made to look like some of the custom built wood boats out there. I was re-reading eric's build of the scaup and it got my wheels turning... I have a 14' v-bottom and I would like to do something like this with it. I have a big boat, but I want a small boat that's safe and easy to hunt when I'm by myself or with one other guy. I tried to find zack taylor's book modifying small boats online, but I had no luck. Does anyone have pictures of small boats done up like this? I would like to get some ideas before I go cutting on it...
I would like to take out the benches, cut it down to about 4" above water level, and add floatation in the bow, under the floor, and in compartments in the rear.
Advice, tips, or insight would be appreciated.
 
I'm sure it would be, but I want to do this boat before I undertake building the entire thing. I plan on building a boat in 2 years.
 
I've modified my boat, and my friend modified his like you want yours. Unless you can weld aluminum and have the stuff on hand I agree with Howard. I cut my bench out, put in the floor, and stretched the deck. Cutting the sidewalls, decking it in, and adding a cockpit is way more complicated. Unless you have the need for a multi purpose boat I would buy a used or build one. My 02
 
I think this is what your looking for. Who ever did this might speak up.

boat1a.jpg

boat5a.jpg

BTW we're a freindly group around here, my name is Ed. What's yours and where do you hail from?

Hope this helps.
 
I'm sorry for not introducing myself. My name is Brian, I am currently in NE Oklahoma but I am in the process of moving to Lawrence, KS, which is about 40 miles west of Kansas City. I've been a lurker here for a long while, never posted though! I'm sure you guys will get sick of all my questions before this project is over!
 
using a nickname.....this site is very simple and has only a couple of very basic rules, one of which is that we use our real names and not nicknames.....you likely missed the explanation of that "rule" when you registered.....please Edit your profile and change your user name to you real name....

Appreciate it....

Steve
 
I apologize Mr. Sutton.... I fixed it. I use okquackhead for my username everywhere... didn't mean to break the rules...
 
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Brian,

i have decked over two 14-ft V-hulls and believe it makes them much more efficient hunting tools. Improves cargo hauling and increases safety on bigger waters. This is a link to the first deck I did with wood. This boat was an old tube that was incredibly stable and I miss that old hull a lot.

2nd boat was decked with an aluminum deck, wood coaming and ply flip boards. This hull is more sleek and less stable, but the deck is way cool.

sternshot.jpg


2yearspaint2.jpg

 
Thank you for the compliment. The really Neat (yes I'm over 50 so I can still say neat) thing about the aluminum deck is that I was planing on hammer riveting it together myself. After posting plans and information about the project a local Duck Hunter emailed me saying that welding was a hobby of his and he'd be glad to tig it together for me. This allowed me to pop rivet it together while cutting and fitting, then he welded it up into a solid assembly. Way strong as I can stand any where on the not flex it while remaining remarkably light weight.

I had never met this duck hunter before, he simply volunteered to help.

Scott
 
What a studly rig. It looks like something the SEALS might use as an assault boat. I may deck my 14' Jon boat like that for next season.
 
One more picture: This is the old stable tub with the plywood deck. It worked very well for about 7 years until I managed to kill the old hull.
wolvdeckgoosin.jpg

 
Great looking boats scott! I am looking to do something very similar, only I want to cut off the top of the boat about 6" above the waterline, then deck the top over. I want a low profile boat for small waters, creeks, ponds, etc. I want to be able to hunt 2 guys out of it sitting on the floor...

I plan on adding a couple storage compartments in the rear, a big one in the bow under the deck with a built in fuel tank. Also, I want to put floatation compartments in the front, rear, and under the floor.

I was wondering if I can make the boat strong enough after cutting the top off and taking out the bench seats... I plan on fiberglassing everything and using birch plywood and 1x lumber to build the thing.

I thought I saw a couple old v-bottom ski boats on here where a fellow cut the top off of them, decked them over, and made them into little marsh boats... That is exactly what I want to do only with an aluminum boat... I tried a search but yielded nothing...

I am mainly looking for ideas on this thing... in the form of pictures, advice, etc. I'm looking for some experience in woodworking and boats before I undertake the building of a complete rig... and I have about $20 invested in this boat so far, so if I totally tear it up it's not too big of a deal.

Thanks!

Brian
 
The advice I can give you toward cutting up your boat is to try to find someone with a boat like you want. I looked for two years before I just did it. I also scoured the boatyards and marinas and gathered ideas. I sought the advice from two fabricators before making the first cut. Take the benches out and leave the sides alone first. I think you should definitely lay up your designs in cardboard or luan. These will allow you to use them as a template for the real deal. Mock it up and sit in it, get in and out and see what's what. You may not want to drop the sides. If you leave your sides alone like scott did you'll gain storage space, without sacrificing the boats integrity. Cutting off the gunnels will have need for additional bracing. If you tie the top to the sides you will still need to add supports to keep the flex out. There is a thread about a welding machine right now that may interest you if you can weld. The only thing I can think of to watch out for is making the boat to heavy to plane. Good luck with your project.
 
Do the gunnels have T-metal reinforcement riveted to it? If so you could reattach it after cutting down the sides.
 
Brian,

Interesting concept but unless you weld aluminum and have a way to accurately bend structural aluminum shapes (angle or square tubing) I recommend staying away from this project. Try and find a junked fiberglass hull like the projects you mentioned. V-hull Aluminum boats kind of come in two types, plate thats formed and welded into very strong hulls (custom salt water rigs mostly) and light sheet aluminum that is wrapped around shaped structural forms and normally the sheet is riveted to these forms. I took my old tub apart and after being riveted in the shape of the hull for 50 years it sprung out almost perfectly flat when I removed the rivets. If you cut this style hull off 6" above the water and remove the seats you will have to fabricate ribs strong enough to support the flimsy sheet and some type of a shear rail to hold the shape of the boat and anchor the deck. You could fabricate a shear out of wood before cutting the hull. Maybe laminate a few thin pieces together with epoxy so they hold their shape when the epoxy dries. Sandwich the hull with a clamp strip on the outside, screwing through the hull into the shear. Trim the hull at the top of the shear then fair off the clamp, hull and shear flat for your plywood deck. Where I'm stuck is how to attach the hull to new wood frames or ribs. If they are wide enough you could screw from the outside thru the hull into the ribs but it won't look good. You could possibly hammer rivet aluminum angle clips to the hull and screw the wood stations and ribs to the clips. Lots of work, fitting and riveting, sounds challenging.

Again I recommend finding an old glass hull. It will hold it's shape when you cut it off. New frames and supports simply epoxy in. It will be heavier but so much easier to work with.

Have fun!

Scott
 
Well you guys have talked me out of cutting the hull... Looks like I will be making mine similar to Mr. Farris's. Do you happen to have any more pictures of your boat Mr. Farris? I will be doing mine out of wood, I have never welded in my life and I don't plan on paying someone to weld it for me.
Does your boat hide well in little cover? I will be covering mine with raffia and natural vegetation... I am needing something that will hide in little cover, like the edge of a small slough. I would like to make mine to hunt off the floor or seats very close to the floor, as I am 6'6" and I need to get low to be hidden.
 
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