14' Flat bottom summer fixer up project

J

Jason Eam

New member
Found this boat and trailer on craigslist, both are gonna need a bit of work but I think I can make her a runner with a bit of time on the power tools, rolling glass and a little helpful insight along the way. Doesn't have an engine or weight rating plate so gonna need some help figuring out each. The previous owner had a 20 hp beavertail but I'm thinking of going with a surface drive and need to figure out how much weight I will be able to hang back there.




To do list
Rewire trailer
Carpet bunks
Add nav lights
Pull the deck and redo with sump for bilge
Remove and redo rub rails
Repaint hull - Line X deck
Build a pop up frame for blind

Any ideas or suggestions are welcomed.
 
Jason~

Looks like a great project. What are the LOA and beam?

The motor mount looks a little undersized to me - and at least the obvious grain runs sideways and not up and down. I would want something that reaches down almost to the bottom of the hull and - more important - has its principal grain running up and down. Here is a motorboard I made for a friend's South Bay Scooter - for a 9.9 or 15. It is made from treated 2x12. The spacers are to stand it off from the hull because the hull has a lip all around it. The semicircular cutout at the bottom allows access to the drain plug.

SpiritofBrentwoodMotorboard-aft_zps966cd139.jpg
SpiritofBrentwoodMotorboard-forward_zps7d122e32.jpg


You may need to make tapered spacers (wider at top than bottom - as viewed from the side) to give your transom the 12 to 15 degrees it needs for most outboards.

I sealed the board with 2 coats of epoxy before painting and then installing..

In any event, the motorboard should be well-secured through the transom. I typically use at least four 3/8" galvanized carriage bolts. If the transom is just a single thickness of plywood, I would add a piece of 1/2" ply (AC sealed with epoxy is sufficient) inside to serve as reinforcement. Everything would be set in 3M 5200 adhesive caulk.

Finally, note the shallow borings to receive the screw pads from the OB to keep it from twisting off the boat. I do these with a 1 3/8" Forstner bit on the drill press.

Hope this helps,

SJS
 
Sorry for the oversized pics, will work on that next time.

LOA is 15'7" and Beam is a skinny 3'6"

You are correct about the motor mount and the grain running horizontal and not vertical. The aft float box (1'7") was added to design but not sure if it was original or added later. Since I will be redoing the mount, while I have the box open I may add a couple stringers to reinforce it being tied into the original transom and get a drain plug added as well.
 
Does anyone have suggestions on how to rebuild the transom on this boat to support a 25 GTR, weight is listed at 235 lbs.

I was thinking of going to a aluminum fab shop and having the make a bracket that I could install inside the rear box that would run to the original heavy transom and through bolt it there. Would that be overkill or needed? If making a new mount with sandwiched plywood and glass with supports running forward to tie into the original transom would be enough I can do that instead. Just don't have experience with the weight capacity and thickness of glass and plywood for this part.
 
Nice looking boat, looks by the pics kind off hybrid stitch and glue and traditional construction. I have used a piece of lam beam for motor mount before also you could double up 3/4 ply. I woul use two transom knees coming off the bracket and secure through the pod deck. Hopefully there are some deck stringers underneath to bolt into backed up by washers and nuts. whats the history of the boat? Is it ply or cedar planking.
 
Whoa I just looked at the post again. Thats a lot of motor weight. I think securing knees to bottom is a must. I would also run aluminum square tube at angles from top of motor board to corners of inner transom
 
Thanks Bob. I don't know much of the history on the boat, previous owner never used it once. Son bought it and stored it in his garage and after 3 years he said to sell it. The owner before him (original) had it built custom as he understands. From my research of what I'd like to build it I did see it looks like a design from Bateau of their 14' Jon Boat, modified a little with the added transom box and not using seats but benches instead. The Bateau design is stitch and glue and plywood and glass was used with this as well. I will probably get their design plans for reference so when I pull the floor and dive into the transom and box I can see if everything as it should be already.

I agree in the need for bracing either in the form of knees, aluminum tube bracing or fabricated bracket to support the weight with additional through bolts as you mentioned. I'm guessing a fab shop is gonna cost me quite a bit to build some sort of bracket but if that is what its gonna take to make it safe then I'll do that.

The weather should be breaking about the time I get back home from work at the end of the month so it will time to suit up and let the glass dust start flying.
 
Jason, I am local, in Manassas... let me know when you are back and I can take a look with you and maybe help work out some ideas. I caution you that I tend to over engineeer a project, but putting that heavy a motor on a boat you did not build, a little extra engineering might not be a bad thing!
 
Sounds great Dave. Over engineering is fine in my book especially when dealing with safety. Also pleased to find a local.

Hope you were no where near the Manassas Mall recently with that gang stuff going on.
 
Nice looking boat. My biggest concern would be the weight of that motor. 235lbs is a ton of weight. I don't have any experience with mud/surface drive motors but I think the amount of torque from that motor will be a lot as well. If your set on that motor I would check that transom extension or maybe rebuild it depending on how well it was build. Stringers are a must back to the original transom.
Dave is a super nice guy he was very helpful answering all my crazy questions when I was rebuilding my sneakbox. His over building will be a good thing in this and most cases. Good luck with the build and keep us all posted on your progress.
 
Another option would be to go with a copperhead 23 hp surface drive. Doesn't have the neutral/reverse or some of the other features of the GTR like power trim but I bet its 100 lbs lighter (18 hp copperhead is 135 lbs but unable to find the weight for the 23). I have a friend that has a 12 hp copperhead on a sneak boat with similar dimensions to yours and it moves along pretty good. No problem getting on plane with 2 people, dog, and 3 dozen cork and wood decoys.

Also for what its worth...I really don't like carpeted bunks. I would much rather have PVC caps. They are much easier to launch/retrieve the boat and they don't hold water like the carpet.
 
Last edited:
I have looked at the Copperhead motors and actually from what I have found the 23 is lighter than the 18. This is from using the same block but being bored out more, so less material. I was going for GTR for the reverse. But agreed the extra 100# is a major issue. I would like to find someone nearby with each on a similar sized boat to see the both work.

As for the bunks I will look more into the pvc or ez glide style before doing anything.
 
I have no personal experience with longtails or surface drives, or the like.... , for me, outboard, push pole, oars or pike.... but I witnessed first hand on the last day of the season, that a surface drive sucks in the ice! Guy at the ramp had a fancy surface drive hull and drive... was great at putting the boat up on the ice, and spraying water all over the place. I know they have their place, and excel there, but not so good in the ice. We helped him and his party for well over an hour, as he was in the water before us. Eventually we worked out from the launch enough to be able to make head way. He went up river, we went down.... we got to our spot and set up.... looked back and could see he and his party had not gone far. Kept an eye on them, and they worked their way back to the ramp and gave up. We had an epic hunt, but had to break the same ice going back in. Always work the ice in the daylight!
 
I hear you on the ice problem and different motors. But we don't plan on staying in NOVA for any longer than we have to, 2 more years and my step son will be out of high school and we plan to move south at least to Williamsburg area or into NC so in the long run ice isn't too much of a concern.

Will see how this boat does once I get it powered and some hunts behind me. For down the road I have been looking into a mod-v just up front to knock down some chop if I get out onto more open water thanthan what we habe in the NOVA area.
 
Yeah I hear you on the reverse. I would love to get that 25GTR in a couple years. I have a 24 longtail now that gets me around just fine though.

Dave - Completely agree with the ice issue. Thats why its always nice to have multiple boats to use!

My longtail boat is a 17.5' by 38" smooth bottom aluminum boat and I use it exclusively in the marsh. I broke ice about an inch thick with it this year and it did fine but any thicker it would be way too much work especially not having reverse. The one advantage the mud hull has is it is all 1/8" 5086 aluminum. Most "normal" jons are .100" aluminum and 5052 aluminum. That said I have never had issues with ice and my brothers 1860 jon.
 
Narrow boats typically run much better with a longtail than a surface drive.
I really like the look of the boat but worry about the motor you plan to use.
 
Understood on the weight being my big concern along with handling. The Back Water 23 Swomp long tail is @ 175 lbs, while 60 lbs less than the 25 Gator Tail and 40 lbs heavier than the Copperhead. Need to get the floor out and redone then will weigh the hull to see what I'm looking at then and if I can go down in engine size.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top