Any Set up suggestions for 16ft Deep V

[Unclepaul]

I have a 16ft 1959 Alumacraft Deep closed bow that I am setting up for Both Trolling (Weather and Lake conditions permitting), and pan fishing in the Bays and finger lakes. My boat is wide open now so I can set it up any way I want. I have a 50hp merc, and a 10hp Johnson for a kicker. I have 2 Invader manual downriggers, Planner boards, Several Poles and 100 spoon or so.  I am looking for low budget Ideas and suggestions on setting this up for all kinds of fishing. This boat will be used for only fishing so I can mount anything permanently anywhere I wish.Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

 

Thanks

Unclepaul

[Don Supon]

This project will cost you some money because materials are not cheap. You'll need foam, plywood, and carpeting (or vinyl) to build a floor. Then you need seats. A planer mast for the boards mounted up front with the reels mounted aft of the windshield. Bow and stern lights for inspection, as well as required safety items. Can gunnels support the tork of downriggers/ rod holders, or will they have to be reinforced? A battery and box are not in the photo. Nor do I see a GPS/fishfinder. A bilge pump might be handy. Where is the trailer? Rod holders will be needed also. I'm guessing at least $2000 and a lot of work. Have you already checked for and repaired any leaks? 

 

This could be a source of pride for you, a real handyman's special, but not an investment project. Good luck.

[jimski2]

Downriggers are not necessary since Dipsey Divers and in line weights will do the job. In line side planers will get your lures away from the boat for near surface fishing. Half a dozen adjustable rod holders will do you well. A color graph and a chart plotter will be effective. A bilge pump is a neccessity. Three quarter inch flooring will stiffen the side flexing in rough water. Horn and lights are a good idea. Storage compartment for lifejackets ,flares, anchor with lines and a mounted fire extinguisher. A radio is good.

Edited December 15, 2013 by jimski2

[Unclepaul]

I have rebuilt the transom and floors since the Pic was taken. I have all the necessary safety equipment from other boats I have owned. I am Planning on putting in a livewell, Bait cooler, Planner Mast, GPS Fishfinder, Solar Battery Charger, Bilge Pump, and several rod holders. The Boat has Bow and Stern Lights, and I am going to add some kind of lighting for the deck for night Fishing.

( Bullheads and Muskie). I need Ideas on Rod storage and boat layout for  Gas tanks, anchors  Battery,ect. I am going to cover the marine plywood i used to replace the floor with rinoliner, No carpet. Also looking for DIY ideas for tackle storage.

 

Thanks

Unclepaul

 

[J.D.]

Unclepaul, We may have to get together for coffee and some boat rigging discussion this winter... I have a 17ft. aluminum I've rigged as a multi-species boat, also run from Braddocks Bay. I checked your profile.... we are also the same age, birthdays are a week apart... We can talk after the holidays if you'd like.

 

Jim S.

North Greece / Braddocks bay

 

Edited December 15, 2013 by J.D.

[Unclepaul]

Sounds good... Did you go to hilton schools?

[SylvanTroller]

I restored/redid a sylvan deep v aluminum last winter. I used 3/4 Maine sealed with. 2 part epoxy and used vinyl flooring from defender. Well worth it. I thought about rhino liner but it fades over time and aesthetics were a consideration (at least for my wife). If you haven't laid your deck yet consider coating the inside with gluvit.

As far as layout I have 2 manual canon downriggers with extended booms on swivel bases off each side, 2 rod holders off the back and two more north of the riggers on the gun wales. I plan to add a few more rod holders but my talent level seems limited to six rods. At least on this boat. I set up a 6hp 4stroke kicker with a control king and ez steer (this cost more than the entire rest of the project). This set up works well for kings and walleye. I added a casting platform in the bow for bass and relocated my batteries up there. I got a ton Of help from the iboats forum. Check it out there is a ton of info therein. Also happy to answer any questions I can. Tight lines.

[LongLine]

From the pic, the gunwales don't look very beefy or very wide.  They might distort/torque if you permanently mount riggers or dipsey holder on them.  Both will put a lot of strain on them. I also see some wires running under them.   I'd suggest you consider a board across the back and mount stuff on it.  The board will eliminate the torsional load on the gunwales.  The board will also give you a working table which you can put stuff under. (obviously leave the center clear so you can easily access the engine.) 

 

Tom B.

(LongLine)

[laker1]

Just a suggestion, but while you have access I would recommend examining your floatation. A buddy of mine did not and this fall he found himself swamped and lost his boat. His survival suit saved him. This happened on Lake of the Woods in November.

[Unclepaul]

Flotation check.... Absolutely. Im not going to screw the floor down until I get it wet and check everywhere for leaks. As far as a board goes, Im not sure how to put one on without interfering with access to the main engine and the kicker. I used a board on my I/O but had no outboards to be concerned about. I have no power tilt on my 50hp so I need access to it. . Aesthetics are not a real concern (My wife dosen't fish). Just need everything functional, Easy to access, and FUN.... Putting this together for FUN....FISHING..... Retirement....  FISHING.......Thanks to Everyone for there replies / Suggestions.

Uncle Paul 

[Sk8man]

UnclePaul- You could hinge it in the middle so that the middle section swings up or out when you need access to it. You could either use overlapping plates or a "pin" system to keep the integrity (strength) of the board. As long as you don't locate a downrigger in the middle it should work.

[Capt Vince Pierleoni]

Uncle paul,

I think the guys want you to make sure you have the right amount of foam under the floor for flotation, not just that shes watertight.

The suggestion of mounting a board across is a good one. That how I got started. A 2 x 6 with 2 manuals(downriggers). It got mounted on whatever we could get to fish out of. We just clamped it to the sides of the gunnels and in your case would definitely provide some rigidity.

[Jack]

I wonder if you could build a couple of boxes 6"wide by 24" long (or longer ) that fit in the corners. You could build them so they could mount to the floor , the splash well and the gunnels. The long side of the box would run parallel and flush to the top of the gunnels . You could add some shelves/storage in the boxes sort of like a book shelve to store tackle and down-rigger weights. You could mount your riggers and rod holders to the top . Mounting them to the floor ,well and gunnel would strengthen the transom /gunnels and leave the back of the boat open for you .

 

Good Luck !

 

JT 

Edited December 17, 2013 by Jack

[Jack]

Not a great picture of what I was suggesting ,but close . 

[IRon]

The bow area looks perfect for some built in tackle/lure storage. Some rod lockers along the sides would be nice, too. Wouldn't hurt to widen them out a bit from the existing gunnels. On my 16 footer the live well was in the walk through area towards the bow, but I think that would interfere with your swivel seats. Kind of limited to behind the seats there. I had my riggers mounted to the gunnels on it, no board.

 In my current restore, a 21' walk around cuddy, floor space in the back is limited, so I opted to eliminate the live well and bait well. A cooler with ice is my live well, because it's either catch and keep or catch and immediate release so I don't need the head ache of recirculation pumps and a thru-hull hole. So I use a big cooler w/ice and it double as seating plus I mounted rod holders on it so it does triple duty. For live bait/cut bait I have a smaller cooler I can fit inside my big one if it has to. Lots of possibilities............. 

[tlr426]

This is a piture of the layout I used for my old 16' crestliner when I redid the floor. Worked well for mounting riggers and I am staning on a little bow platform that I mounted rod holders to and ran inline boards off. I coated the floor with a durabake roll on liner had great grip and durability. But was hard to clean and was rough on your skin. Have fun and good luck

[Sk8man]

Very slick...nice job of it!

[Unclepaul]

I don't understand what the foam under the floor is for. Unless the boat is full of water and sinking it's  not going to do anything for the boat is it?. Just trying to get it right........Getting some great input / Ideas from everyone.. Thanks again...........

 

Unclepaul

 

Paint has been stripped off the bow since this pic was taken............

[LongLine]

The purpose is to keep it from sinking.  You could make the argument that it helps to "sound deaden" the hull a little.  One drawback is that if it ever becomes water logged, it's near impossible to dry out.  One thing to remember is to never-ever run a fuel line, from a built in tank, in or under it. (The line will eventually rot and you'll have to remove the foam in order to replace the line.

 

Tom B.

(LongLine) 

[Has Been]

Once you get the floor, flotaton fixed I would do this. First get depth finder w/ surface speed & temp. Don't have to spend a fortune here. Also, a marine radio for safety. 2 decent bucket seats also.

 

    I would get a 2x 12 & mount it just in front of the engine well right across the gunnells, hangind over both sides about 6 inches, mount your riggers so they are at about a 45 degree angle on the board as far as you dare hanging over the side.

Get 2 or 4  GOOD adjustable rod holders. Mount 2  inside of the riggers for them & 2 on the gunnells about a foot to 18 " in front of the riggers .Figure out a way to run your boards( What you will be using mostly spring ) ,maybe a mast on the bow, & you should be set. 2x 12 so you can sit or stand on it , lean up against it  and sore things under it. Maybe even elevate it a bit .I built a rack for my boxes on my first boat arttached  under the board.Also the tanks & batteriey were on floor  under & I wasn't tripping on them

 

 Get a good big deep cycle  battery, maybe 2. Distribute weight evenly.  Give thought on how to rewire properly.

 

Be smart & don't go to far from port & you should be OK. I have a small 16' open boat I slayed the kings out of this fall . I ran 2 rods & just one a lot of the time.  Pick the  best times of the year to be out there.

 

Also a compass & maybe a small bilge pump.

Edited December 18, 2013 by Has Been

[Xxx]

I restored a 18ft fiberglass boat about 7 years ago and also replaced the floor & stringers, one of the biggest mistakes I made was, the original seats were those back to back seats and they were built into the floor system, after praying in the Styrofoam I put the floor on the same height as it originally was, I realized that I could not put flush mount seat bases in, if I would of raised the floor 3" up which could of been easily done all I would of needed was to rip a 2x8 in half and screwed it to the stringers, this would of been the ticket, instead I needed to install the dome style seat bases, while not a problem for the driver seat, the other seat I like to put in the middle of the boat near the rear was a issue on the account of stumbling over it, so I opted not to put one in. I used a folding chair for the 3rd person. Just keep in mind what type of seating you will be going with, one doesn't think of this till it's to late. Just food for thought. PAP

[REZ]

Uncle Paul, you received and invitation from JD to talk about setting up your boat. Take him up on the invite! Several years ago he helped me set up my 17.5 Alumacraft for Lake O. Not only is he a nice guy, he is also very knowledgeable about his  set up and what you need to increase your chances of catching fish on Lake O. I followed his advice and did great. Not only did he tell me what I need, he told me what I DIDN'T need, which saved me some cash. Great guy and very helpful!

                                                                      

                                                                                                                         Good Luck,

                                                                                                                          REZ

[IRon]

 Here's some REALLY good reading about flotation in a boat. Do the math, it might save your and your friends/families life.

 

http://www.uscgboating.org/regulations/boatbuilder_s_handbook/flotation_part1_e.aspx

 

 I'm guessing very few if any older boats with just under floor flotation would keep you afloat if you start taking on water, (wave over the stern, bow etc.....). The articles have a lot of common sense advice on safety and it's the law for boat manufacturers. If you do the numbers and figure in hull weight, motors, gear (downriggers, batteries etc.) and where flotation ought to be located, it will scare you. 

[J.D.]

REZ !!!!!!!

 

Nice to see you on the board, Gary!  I didn't hear from you last summer, so I figured either you didn't make it up to Sodus for the salmon action, or you wised up in your old age and decided not to hang out with me.....  Either way, i hope things are going well for you.

 

Merry Christmas!

Jim

[tbulhead]

Make sure you check out tinboats.net.   Its covers a lot of mods people make to aluminum boats.  I have an old boat from the 1950's that was originally closed bow that was made into an open bow for duck hunting by a previous owner.  Its not the best idea for the middle of Lake Ontario, but its great for fishing the bays and Finger Lakes with pedestal seats.