New Built

tsharp

Senior Member
Tacked all the engine well and deck this afternoon before the rain hit. Still have to install the stiffer under the back deck and dress it out with flat bar. Going to have plenty room in this boat So you'll get ready.
 

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tsharp

Senior Member
Thanks HQ It's a lot of work I tell you. So hot my consuons gets soaked. Really HQ what do you think? You like it?
 

T-N-T

Senior Member
T, I likes it a lot! I love to build my own stuff. I like when people take the initiative to get off the couch and get something done.
Looking good from here!
 

tsharp

Senior Member
Thanks T! The man that taught me came check out the boat yesterday and was very impressed with the workmanship. He gave me a lot of good pointers on it. That man is my uncle. I worked for him in the shipyard where he was a foreman for many years.
 

1gr8bldr

Senior Member
When I built mine, I built it from a naked hull jon boat. I will talk about mine so that maybe you might pick up an idea that you like that could be done before the paint job. Because once it's painted, you hate to do anymore welding. First off, I cut 5/8 thick by 1 " x 2" blocks of aluminum, taped them 1/2 to fit the bigger rod holders and welded them around the rail. The angle on the bottom cut adjusted so that all rod holders had the same angle. My 150 Yamaha Jet is heavy so my gas tank and cranking battery had to go up front inorder to get the boat level sitting in the water. I used 50lb nail boxes in the naked boat to determine what had to go upfront. So I then built hatches left and right, gas tank in front of that, the middle open with console above. The middle open was for throw net buckets. The connection from the small factory front deck to my extended deck has a 5/8 trough so that while catching bait, the water will channel out the side rather than soak my lower floor carpet. My steering wheel is flat. This allows me to stand anywhere on the deck and drive, front, side, rear. I use the ball atached to the steering wheel. I built mine for extreme shallow water. A 24 ft Sea Ark. Most boats dont sit flat therefore the rear is floating more and usually sits deeper. A perfect balance gives you max flotation with the entire bottom floating equal weight. I mounted a small level on the console so that I can see when the boat is level. Very useful when heading toward a shallow shoal. Often, according to passengers, I will ask one to come up front with me... to balance out. I also have a visual because I know my sweet spot for running on plane. My depth finder GPS is mounted high, in line with where I am looking for running the river at night, by GPS. My navigation lights are mounted on the console sides rather than the boat hull. This protects them. I have a dimmer switch on my anchor light which I turn up when I want some light to see and down when just trying to be legal. Rather than support my motor with a brace from the trailer, I have 4x6's that run under the boat about 12 feet and extend to support the jet foot in transit. My first jet motor on my first boat broke all the transom welds during transit while trailering. My jack plate up down button is on the front console and the rear transom. Once loaded, while hooking up the transom buckle straps, I will use the up down to set the foot weight on the support. My trailer has rollers from front to rear. This allows me to load and unload with my tires no where near the water. I can offload in the grass if I wanted. Often times, I have put in places that I could not get to the water. As long as my motor supports reach the water, I am good. I could not find a steering cable long enough for my rig so I my only option was hydraulic steering. Glad of this. It works great. LOL, I had a guy build weld my gas tank once I had it all fabricated. Looked good to me, but the guy I had weld in my waterproof hatches explained that those tiny pit holes would leak. So he rewelded it for me. Once I had everything as I wanted it, I had it painted.
 

tsharp

Senior Member
Thanks for the info. This will be my second boat I built for myself, but I help build many more. Today we only worked a hour or so we laid out the center console and cut it out. There will be a built in fuel tank in the center of it.
 

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1gr8bldr

Senior Member
I weld with a wire welder, light steel. Is aluminum hard to weld? or just take the right equipment?
 

tsharp

Senior Member
If you look I use a spool gun wire feeder. Remember aluminum does not change color like steel so you have to be very careful. It's not that hard once you have the welder set, temp and wire speed. I use 100% argon. Your sheet must be clean and use a stainless steel wire brush.
 

Doboy Dawg

Senior Member
Ditto

If you look I use a spool gun wire feeder. Remember aluminum does not change color like steel so you have to be very careful. It's not that hard once you have the welder set, temp and wire speed. I use 100% argon. Your sheet must be clean and use a stainless steel wire brush.

Use that stainless steel wire brush and keep it isolated for use on "aluminum only"! Do not use it on steel then go back to aluminum. The aluminum needs to be kept clean for welding, keep all the oxides cleaned off. Same thing for any grinder or sanding wheels you use on the aluminum, use the correct discs and only use them on aluminum, do not cross contaminate them with discs used on other metals.

Use fresh wire and or store your wire inside a climate controlled area if there are long periods between use. Practice on some scrap aluminum to get your heat concepts right, aluminum and steel are two different beasts in regards to the way they conduct heat into and away from the weld. The color of the arc and weld puddles are different. Practice and the right gear make all the difference in the world, especially the right gear.

I too, use 100% argon shielding gas on aluminum with either spoolgun mig or rod tig. Keep the black soot oxides out of your weld. The beads should look like dimes laid stacked on top of each other in a row.

Tsharp is doing a very good job on this boat.:cheers:
 

tsharp

Senior Member
Well after taking sometime off the new built, I started back today. I welded all the front deck and the front hole. I sanded all the fan tail and engine well prepping it for it to be welded. Sorry no pictures, going to take pictures Saturday.
 

tsharp

Senior Member
Sorry to hear about your thumb. I welded my gas tank Saturday and had 1 small leak, I filled the tank with water an let it set overnight. Sunday when I checked I saw the wet area on my cement. I didn't have the top welded , I wanted to add a baffle in the center before welding the top.
 

Hooked On Quack

REV`REND DR LUV
Thanks HQ It's a lot of work I tell you. So hot my consuons gets soaked. Really HQ what do you think? You like it?



Love it Tbro !!!:cheers: Would like it even more if'n it was camo'ed, sprayed in liner, and a blind so we could go duck hunting in the morning and fish/shrimp in the afternoons !!


Awesome job brother, wish I had your talent.


Not real sure what a "consouns" are/is . .:D
 

1gr8bldr

Senior Member
Moe pics please
 

tsharp

Senior Member
Coming soon! I'm changing my plan on the engine well, leaning the fwd. plate 4/12" more for the tilting of the engine. I'm just welding and pre fitting my fuel tank and console.
 

tsharp

Senior Member
My son and I worked on the new built today we finished the engine well, all welded, just needs to be sanded down. We also welded on the console, tank drain. Hoping to pull her out and flip her over soon.
 

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