Thread: 16' crappie boat rigging suggestions?

Originally Posted by SeaRay

I had a 1984 Johnson 35 engine and it was the sweetest cranking and running engine I have owned. I put a CMC trim and tilt on it mainly because I often needed to lift the motor when fishing in stumpy areas. To my surprise and delight I gained an additional 4-5 MPH by being able to trim out the motor at WOT. You are correct about the gas economy. I have a 40HP 2stroke Yamaha now and it is a great engine but it use about twice the gas the 35 used. The boat is much heavier than the on the 35 was on but it still seems to like the gas pump.

Glad to hear from another 35 OMC owner. I've fixed and rigged 35's for customers, and they always praise these motors. That is what prompted me to try the 35, when I had a sweet 50 HP I was going to use. I'm glad I chose the 35. The 50 is a much heavier motor, and would definitely drink more fuel. This motor feels really balanced on this boat, and I don't have to try to shift weight around as I have on others in the past.

I finally bought some more gas today. I still had about a gallon left. I tend to run four or five miles, fish with the trolling motors, and then run the 4-5 miles back, and it seems that I use about a gallon or so per trip. With my 25 HP, I calculated that I got about 7 MPG. So far, this one is looking the same, or perhaps even a little better, with a little more speed, to boot.

This is turning to be one of my favorite aluminum boats of all time. Not the fastest or prettiest, but comfortable, economical, and very fishable.

-TH

Make yourself a drop in rear deck. That way fishing with 2 you could drop in or if fishing a technique that you need rear deck you would have it. Other than that no sense dragging around the extra weight. You should have enough room under front deck to level the floor, install battery trays with access through a hatch.

I would add water. Fish it for a while and let it tell you what you need.

Congrats. That is a sweet looking rig. All that hardwork has produced a nice fishing machine. Now go get it wet.

Well, it took me awhile to figure out how I wanted the back platform, but I finally settled on a plan.

The rear deck is not too big, using the existing floatation boxes/seats for support. It is made from a single sheet of 3/4" plywood with thick angle-aluminum across the front edge, and under the swivel seat base, to keep everything nice and light, but solid underfoot. The best thing about it, is that it is lightweight, and I have full access to the storage spaces below. It gets my battery and fuel tank out of the sun.

I built it last night, and decided to take the boat out today to make sure I like it, before I router the edges and add the carpet.

Here is a pic of the boat as it currently is:


Also, I'm adding some flat floor between the front deck and the middle bunk. That front deck is thigh-high from the floor, and it's a pain getting up there.

-TH

Why do my pictures always show up sideways? They look right when I post them on other sites.

Does anyone know how I can fix this?

Thanks.

-Tony

Originally Posted by thill

Why do my pictures always show up sideways? They look right when I post them on other sites.

Does anyone know how I can fix this?

Thanks.

-Tony

Tony ... it seems that cell phone pics have a tendency to translate over to this site that way.

What I've been told, and what I tell others, is ... if you take a cell phone pic with your phone straight up & down, and the pics come out (on here) turned to the left -- then take future pics with your phone turned 1/4 turn to the right (top of phone to your right).

Unless your phone's camera has the capability to be changed from "portrait" to "landscape" mode, turning the phone sideways to your right is the easiest way to consistently get pics downloaded on this site to come out in the correct position.

You can always use the Test Forum to see how pics will turn out, or even use the "Go Advanced" and "review" buttons before posting .... BUT --- neither of these have the ability to turn the pics to the correct orientation. They'll just show you how the pics will appear in your post, once submitted. So, your best option is to take the photos with the phone turned to the right, in the first place.

Looks good! I'd remove the middle bench and replace it with braces. Then I'd put foam down for flotation and cover it with aluminum sheet. I'd want plenty of flotation to make sure my expensive trolling motor and electronics were recoverable if I ever swamped out. A bilge pump would be plumbed in as well.

Finished the rear deck and got the section of flat floor between the front two bunks installed.

I am very pleased with the results. The boat is much more fishable. It's starting to feel like a real boat. For the floor section, I used 1/2" BC decking, and put two "stringers" of 1/2" plywood under them, cutting the section into thirds. This resulted in a rock-solid floor that was also very lightweight

I then removed all the wood. and soaked it with sealer and wood preservative. Next, I will permanently install everything and wrap it with carpet. Will post pictures soon.

-Tony

Good job. Look forward to the pics.