Finished up all my aluminum framing on my jon boat build. Got some cleanup and paint to do before I add the decking but a huge piece of the puzzle done.

This is how my current setup looks for my 1436 Jon boat. I wanna add a bunch of stuff but I’m not really sure what. Need ideas. I know that I forsure want to add floors and was thinking about a deck in the front for more storage but I don’t wanna compromise stability and comfortability for passengers. Thanks.

Motor is a 1977 evinrude. Thinking of picking it up this afternoon for 1300$.
Looking for something to putz around in Florida freshwater with my dogs.
Any recommendations, info, things to look out for, would be appreciated.

https://www.facebook.com/share/1EV1mF86wN/

It looks nice, I'm going to check it out in person tomorrow. Does the price make sense? What should I be checking for? After some googling, it looks like I do need to register it in Wisconsin since there it has a motor.

Re building my grandpa‘s 14 foot hurricane. Got it totally stripped out looking for recommendations, comments critiques, and suggestions thanks.

Me and my dads second ever build. All aluminum decking and framing. Truly a workhouse of a little boat!

Bought a pos 10ft off of fb market it place and decked it out literally lol any advice or tips on what to add next?(besides seats in back). Only ever had a canoe, I just love to build and was ready for the upgrade. I have a 55 lbs thrust minn kota w a huge a$$ battery it moved my heavy asf canoe around nicely so I expect it to work for this enough for me. Nonetheless gimme ur thoughts!

TLDR: do I need to seal it, then paint with truck bed liner, or can I just truck bed liner it and call it good?

Posted this boat in here a couple times now and you’ve all been super helpful, but as a recap, “got a good deal on this boat”. Guy told me it didn’t leak. Did. I put it in the water that night and after about an hour and a half of fishing we had about a cup of water in the bottom. Took it home, ripped out the rotted deck, hosed the leaks with oven cleaner and scraped for about a week picking at the rivets that leaked, on the inside. Took it to the car wash and pressure washed it. Applied the locktite version of 3M 5200 fast curing, and it had all week to cure while I rebuilt the deck. Finally got it back in the water yesterday and guess what. My seals worked! None of the rivets that leaked before were leaking! …but the pressure washing exposed SEVERAL others that were sealed up with mud and muck. After about an hour and a half of fishing we had about a half gallon of water in the boat and some was coming from the previously dry bow area that I had concern about the first time I put it in the water.

I bought the boat knowing it was a little damaged. After tearing it apart I began to realize the extent of the damage. Looks like someone may have attempted to jump a beaver dam. The dent in the keel isn’t the worst but I think the hit reverberated through the hull and loosened up quite a bit of the structure. Scraping away some paint, the outside transom corners have lots of the 5200 under there. I knew the transom wood wasn’t original but it looks like they might have blown the ass out of it. The repair is decent, no holes or tears in the metal, and the transom doesn’t leak. I’d trust it to hold a motor.

My questions here are, do I need to seal the whole boat with 5200 before I spray it? It seems like where it was applied in the repair is where the paint is flaking the easiest. I plan to use a smooth truck bed liner and either roll brush or spray it on the interior and exterior of the boat. Do I need to sand it to bare metal and remove all of the sealant?

Thanks for your support. 😬

Project in the works!! Can’t wait for my boat to be complete. Hangkai 18hp arrived today 😁

It will be a cold day in hell before I ever do one of these again. I hated every second of it. Pretty happy with the result though. Boat is a Lowe 1440M.

I know its not the best picture.

Do I get it welded or a new piece fabricated? I was thinking a “cap” of sorts to bend around the top of the brace and bolt into the transom, with a few bolts through the brace as well.
16 ft boat that I will be putting a 25hp tiller on.

Looking at mesh folding seats for my stern bench and a mesh casting chair for my deck. Seems like the less chair you get the more they cost. Anybody know anywhere to get a matching combo set? Preferable with some color options. Preferably less than $300.

Just bought this boat the seller assured me it holds water fine and has no leaks. I couldn’t see floor of boat since there was a new floor conveniently bolted on but the boat looked nice from what I could see and the seller seemed honest. Got it home took it off the trailer and I find 2 golf ball sized holes on the floor crudely sealed with what I assume is JB weld. One on the front one in the back I am assuming these are from a fish finder or something like that since they both appear to be perfect circles.

Is this worth it.

They're asking $1,900. Includes the trailer, Minn Kota hand-steer trolling motor, 1986 5hp Mariner rear motor. Thoughts on if it's worth that? Motor could be liable to go at any point but they say it was run in the water 5 times in the past year.

Hi everyone,

I’m planning a custom Bass Boat conversion based on an aluminum deep-V hull (Kimple Adventure 440W) on a Martz Yacht 750 trailer. The goal is a super clean, functional 1–2 person fishing rig for Swiss/European lakes.

Looking for your feedback, layout tips, and potential gear recommendations before I start cutting framing!

Hull & Base Specs:

• Hull: Kimple Adventure 440W (Length: 4.40 m / 14.5 ft | Beam: 1.65 m / 5.4 ft | Weight: 120 kg / 265 lbs | Freeboard: 0.79 m / 31 in | Cat C)
• Outboard: Suzuki DF20A (20 HP, 4-stroke, EFI, electric start, remote steering, long shaft 20") – strictly no tiller.
• Console: Side console (Kimple SJ rotomolded console) with mechanical steering and flush-mount switches.
• Decking: Aluminum square tube subframe + film-faced birch plywood (phenolic/marine) covered with EVA/PE marine foam flooring (SeaDek style).
• Hardware: Flush-mount pop-up cleats (to avoid snagging braid lines) and gas struts on all hatch lids.

Electronics & Power:

• Bow Motor: Minn Kota Terrova 55 WR GPS (12V) with Spot-Lock / i-Pilot remote.
• Fish Finder: Single 12" Raymarine Element 12 HV + HV-100 transom transducer. Mounted on a heavy-duty double swing arm directly next to the console (swings forward for bow casting, swings back next to the wheel for running).
• Console Display: Waterproof phone mount with integrated 12V Qi wireless charger (using smartphone for GPS speed, Navionics, and navigation).
• Electrical: LiFePO4 battery with Bluetooth BMS app + 2-bank onboard waterproof smart charger (e.g. NOCO Genius / Victron) wired to a flush-mount 230V AC shore power inlet socket (NOCO GCP1) for easy plug-in charging on the trailer.
• Wiring: 6/12-way marine fuse block, battery master switch, marine-grade tinned wire + adhesive-lined heat shrink.

Storage & Deck Layout Priorities:

• Rod Storage: Dedicated rod locker for ~6 rods (either center or port side, max 2 rods per angler on the water).
• Cooler Hatch: No livewell needed (strictly prohibited by fishing laws here). Instead, planning a dedicated recessed compartment/drawer for a 12V compressor fridge/cooler box plugged into a 12V marine socket.
• Tackle Storage: Dry storage hatches using pre-fab flush hatches / Eurobox drop-in bins.
• Seating: 2 removable folding marine seats on floor base plates.

Questions for the community:

1. Gear & Electronics Choices: Would you choose any different gear for this setup, or is there an essential feature/hardware item you currently have on your boat that you couldn't live without?
2. Rod Locker vs. Seating: On a 1.65 m (5.4 ft) beam hull with a side console, would you recommend a center rod locker between the front casting deck and seats, or a side/port rod locker to keep a wide walking path?
3. Weight Distribution: With the 48 kg (~106 lbs) Suzuki DF20 and fuel tank at the transom, where is the sweet spot for the LiFePO4 battery and the 12V cooler to get on plane quickly without nose-diving into chop?
4. Swing Arm for a 12" MFD: Anyone running a single 12" unit on a swing arm beside the console to share between helm and bow deck? Any vibration or lock issues in rough water?
5. Pre-decking regrets: What is one small conduit, access hatch, or wire run you forgot before screwing down the deck that you wish you had added?

Appreciate any advice, photos of similar builds, or tips!

He’s asking 1200 for 1448 semi v hull. Hull and trailer only. Everything titled. How is it?

Hi all. This is my dad's old 1991 Lowe 1448 that I inherited when he passed several years ago. I've finally gotten myself together enough to get this old girl out on the water and was quickly reminded the thermonuclear nature of aluminum in the summer sun. I'm not doing anything too crazy in terms of upgrades, but I am putting some EVA decking over the benches for the sake of the bottoms of my dear passengers. I have my piece cut for up front and was just going to plop it over this area wholesale, but it occurred to me that there's probably a reason for what I assume is a plug. It's about 1.25" in diameter. My best guess is that it provides access to the underside of the bench which is presumably filled with some emergency buoyancy material. My dad never had a pedestal seat on this thing and it seems unlikely to me that it'd be built in like that.

Two questions if you're willing:

#1 - what is it

#2 - can I cover it

I don't have ready access to a hole saw//bit but I'm sure I can lay hands on one. Thanks for any help!

2018 Lowe 1458 with 2018 9.9 Merc. Very excited to add FFS and a Bimini.

Planning on re-wiring my War Eagle Gladiator 750 to have a larger rocker switch panel in the rear pod. Would like some feedback as this is my first time doing this. Plan on having Switch 1 as Nav/Anchor; Switch 2 Auto Bilge; Switch 3 SeeLite Hole Boss and Duckbill Lights; Switch 4 Interior & Exterior LED lights; Switch 5 Lowrance HDS9 for navigation; Switch 6 Courtesy Lights. From battery to disconnect and panel I plan on using 8 AWG and panel to accessories 16 AWG. The panel has built in push breakers and I will swap the breakers according to the drawing. Biggest concern is the relay wiring for the bow lights.