# Old Green Tin Boats



## Red3Fish (Jun 4, 2004)

I didn't want to highjack the "how old is your motor thread" but thought some of you might get a grin out of this story I wrote...probably 10 years ago. It was a loooong way from 2020 when I wrote it....not so far now!!LOL

Donâ€™t badmouth those â€œole green tin boatsâ€! You wonâ€™t be the envy at the boat launch, the â€œbig boysâ€ may look down at you, but after 50 years of fishing the coast, and owning several high dollar, big motor, shining fiberglass and stainless steel rigs, I have now settled on the old green tin boat as the best wade fishing boat made. Run all day long on 3 gal of gas (15 HP Evenrude). Light and easy on wheel bearings! Get back to the bay house, hose it down, flush motor, spray with WD 40 and be drinking a cold one while your buddies are still mixing their soapy water. 

Doesnâ€™t line up on the trailer exactly right--go around to back and â€œjostleâ€ it over to where you want it. Wanna wade a shallow flat? Tilt the motor up, tie it on your belt and take off---no long walk back to the boat over water you have already covered. Battery go dead in a back water slew? Cut your stringer and use it for a starter rope. Wanna pick up a bushel or so of oysters? Pitch â€˜em in the floor of boat, and hose down when you get home. (HA HA, donâ€™t even THINK of doing this in your buddies $40,000 rig!!) Most will run in 12â€ water. True, you donâ€™t want to get caught in a big blow, but if you are, a good boat handler, you can come home in 3â€™ seas. Just shift weight to rear, slow down til you have the bow up in the air a little and plow on through. You might have to kinda tack like a sailboat to go the direction you want and keep the waves at a safe angle, and it is a little slow, but you can do it.

Oh, well, I know I am preaching to empty pews, and an old green tub isnâ€™t going to make you pulse pound, your not going to pick up any â€œdock dollies" with it, but donâ€™t discount the old tin boat! Someday (if I live that long) in 2020 when your broken down in a back slew, because your fuel cell powered titanium hulled 560 HP hover craft had a transistor burn out, I will come putt putting around the corner in my old reliable tin tub and haul your *** home!! LOL

Later
R3F


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## Ready.Fire.Aim (Sep 22, 2009)

You and I think alike. I grew up fishing that way and still do. 16' aluminum boat, 25HP engine with a tiller handle. 

After fishing in the bay, stick a cut off 55 gallon drum under the outboard, fill it with a hose, start and flush the motor by running it a little. Then when done, tump drum over into grass. 

Your only priority is to clean fish, clean the cheap igloo, and hose off rods and reels. 
Boat stays in a shed so all items like gas cans , net, tackle boxes, rods stay in the boat ready to go. 

I never once clean the boat just to have a clean boat. It has loose plywood floors so occasionally lift them up to get at something dead that started stinking.

It is a simple & relaxing way to enjoy the outdoors. 

Have fun
RFA


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## cva34 (Dec 22, 2008)

Great read! Yep speed don't catch fish..Fancy don't catch'em either..


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## Longshot270 (Aug 5, 2011)

Yep, I was recently offered a fiberglass boat with a 50 horse, all I had to do was get it, but since I've only got room for one I turned it down to keep my little 14 foot "beer can"


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## Pasadena1944 (Mar 20, 2010)

My 9.9 could set up all winter and start on the first or second pull on the first day of fishing.....Only problem I had with it was someone decided they wanted it without paying for one....I sure miss that motor.....also wanted a 15 hp but I was always to poor...


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## Trouthappy (Jun 12, 2008)

Here's a picture of mine. Last autumn I repainted the topside for duck hunting, but didn't bother with the bottom. So a week ago my wife and I took the motor off, flipped the boat into the yard, and I put four coats of primer and paint on the bottom. Why let it oxidize? It's a 1982 Monarch bought new from Dam B in East Texas. Fifteen feet long, with a hollow seat that holds the 6-gallon tank, life jackets, paddle and anchor. The most gas it's ever used is about 4.5 gallons in a day. It's fished a few rigs offshore, too. We also launch it in the surf, far from any boat ramps or fishing pressure. This afternoon we are rolling it back onto the trailer, put the Yammy motor back on, and park it in the driveway. If this boat could only talk...We fished a tournament last Memorial Weekend in Port Arthur, caught some nice reds and trout at the jetties the first day. The wind came up the second day and we hammered a bunch of 40-pound drum in more sheltered water, also a few flounder and rat reds. I landed 11 of those drum myself. We got kayaks now fishing 5-6 miles offshore. You don't think a boat like this can run back to the beach in 5-10 minutes?

The trailer is so light, I can pick up one side and prop it up with a paddle. Check around underneath for rust spots, and give it another coat of paint. I've owned nine fiberglass boats up to 25 feet, and this is what I use today.


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## Longshot270 (Aug 5, 2011)

That's what I want but mine probably has twice as many stories since it now spans 3 generations of owners. :slimer:










Early 1960s 14 foot V-hull that dad still has the 9.9 merc but I run my 7 hp longtail.


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## Trouthappy (Jun 12, 2008)

Here's my other boat, a 1972 Ouachita v-bottom. Cost was $200. It was white, then I painted it last fall with northern camo. Last summer in Florida we carried it (super light boat) across someone's yard and camp, launched it in the marsh, and caught eight 40-pound drum and a redfish by pitching blue crabs at them. Just using my electric motor, it really scooted around. Each June the big drum tail, you can see broom tails wagging all over out there. Lots of mud and oyster bottom, you can't wade it. You can buy the original boat decals online, in this case the Ouachita Indian chief, but I haven't done it yet. This boat can be loaded into a truck, even on top of a small truck using a canoe rack, which we did. Or, switch boats on the same trailer.


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## Longshot270 (Aug 5, 2011)

Nice, looks like it is the same one as mine.

Got a link to the chief stickers?


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## Trouthappy (Jun 12, 2008)

Here's what the boat looked like, when I bought it. Here's a link to the boat stickers, they have stickers for about every kind of boat ever made. The dang stickers are about $45 for a pair...

This boat was kept for decades in a low-stress environment, fishing a 30-acre pond behind someone's house. The electric motor came with the boat. The marine battery wasn't much good, though.

http://www.vinylapproach.com/replacementboatlogos.htm


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## bearwhiz (Jan 30, 2011)

The first boat my dad bought me was a 10 ft Ouchita flat bottom. He bought a 5hp Sea King motor from a neighbor and I became the pirate of the local bayou. I was 11 years old. A couple of years later he bought a 14 ft semi v Ouchita with a 9.9 Merc. By this time I was old enough to hit west bay for duck hunting and fishing. I had that boat for about 20 years. I have had my share of fiberglass bass boats, bay boats and everything else. What I found was that the fancier and bigger boat I had the less fish I caught as I was too busy playing around with all of the gadgets. I'm back to a 17ft G3 tin boat and love it. If there is a next one it will probably be even smaller.


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## Trouthappy (Jun 12, 2008)

That 17-foot aluminum G-3 with a center console would get the job done for sure...


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## sea hunt 202 (Nov 24, 2011)

*tin boat*

Like this post I too have recently gone the way of an old tin boat runs pretty shallow, cheap on gas no storage fee's. And even when I had my bigger boat it was rare I had a chance to get it up to 58 mph Now it is like the fish are free well almost


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## southpaw (Feb 25, 2009)

A little aluminum jon boat was the first boat I ever had. I was 11 or so when i got it and I think it had an 8hp motor on it. My dad turned me loose on that thing and I think I found every oyster reef, sand bar and shallow spot in Rockport/AP with it. He's told me many times he got that boat bc he knew I couldn't sink it.


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## poppadawg (Aug 10, 2007)

x1000. Been there, done that. I currently have a 14' aluminum V bottom with a 25hp Nissan. Very low maintenance. I love simple stuff.


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## cjweber09 (Mar 8, 2013)

She ain't pretty, but she gets me where I need to go. I got a 14 foot RIVETED john boat (and yes, every **** rivet leaks... thank god I got a little bilge pump and I hit em with some flex seal every now and then)... my dad got from sears back in the late 70's. Has the same motor he bought for it back then, an old Johnson 25HP. 

If I got flat water, she does almost 30.. caught many a fish out of this boat.. gets a little crowded with more than just me on it, but she does the trick... I always get a chuckle when i think about all the fancy gear I have in the boat... fishing rods n reels, tackle.. all worth MUCH more than boat is floats in.. 


When i'm at the dock surrounded by 50,000 dollar rigs, I just think to myself... at least I'm not one of them Kayak guys... ha.


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## Trouthappy (Jun 12, 2008)

If you line the bottom with 1/2 inch painted plywood to take stress off the rivets, and paint the boat, and don't let copper on the aluminum, they will last for generations. After that, they can be recycled.

Here's my favorite jonboat picture, Sam Caldwell stringering a nice ling in my 14-foot Monarch back in the 1980s. Turns out ling don't like to be on a trout stringer, so we released this one. Maybe 40 pounds. I was sitting on the cowling of my 18-horse Merc when I took the picture. Ten miles offshore. Sam was nervous as a June bride out there, but he did okay with that throw cushion for back support. We caught a second ling about 15 pounds, released that one too.


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## Bocephus (May 30, 2008)




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## FLAT FISHY (Jun 22, 2006)

1975 polarcraft 14ft I bought for $75 off my old boss in 1983 when I bought my 35 evinrude brand new..When i die crank her up with me in it and send it out the Jetty


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## Trouthappy (Jun 12, 2008)

No pictures of it at the HL&P spillway? 



Bocephus said:


>


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## poppadawg (Aug 10, 2007)

Sometimes I feel a little inadequate launching next to those 50 grand boats. Being launched by the 50k truck they "had" to buy to pull the boat. Then I see them out on the water jumping out of their boat to wade fish and think what the hell is that all about?


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## Trouthappy (Jun 12, 2008)

My former neighbor who lives in POC, a member of 2Cool, is shocked at the 50K boats blasting around just to catch trout and reds. He says it used to be a poor man's sport, but no longer. He won't even go near the water, on any weekend. Let alone this coming weekend.


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## cwbycrshr (May 23, 2013)

Great Read.
Last summer we where plowing through 3 footers in my, less than $10K fiberglass 150HP 22' tunnel hull, headed out towards mud island constantly getting passed by those $50K boats. We slowed down to look at some birds working an area and watching out for wade fisherman standing neck deep outside Trayor Isl. Low and behold their was a 14' "old green tin boat" with 3 guys on it plowing up our rear end LOL. We slowed down to keep them in our cut for as long as we could, but finally bailed on Mud island and cut into channel to get out of the wind and those guys just kept plowing!


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## JavelinaRuss (Jul 24, 2007)

Had a 12'/9.9 rig, then a 16'/30 then a 18' bay boat. Yep back full circle with a 14' with a 25hp suzuki old enough too buy beer and I've used it more than all the others combined :cheers:








Although that Lafayette tower skiff in a thread on here is finer then frog's hair...:biggrin::slimer:


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## GSMAN (May 22, 2004)

This is the only picture I could find of my old tin green boat! I own a much nicer custom fiberglass boat and look pretty cool wearing my "columbia" fishing shirt when driving that boat(sarc), *BUT* this boat has been the greatest boat I have ever owned. Caught tons of fish out of it and none of the fish really cared what kind of boat I was in when I hauled them in.


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## tspitzer (Feb 7, 2013)

short WOOD Boat story--we were at SPI one year and friend of my father brought us a boat to use--we had to fill it with water before we used it to seal it up--the 5 hp motor did not have a cowling---I wish I could find the pics of that trip--I have not caught as many fish in my life as we did that 10 days at SPI--

we would pull up to the dock and get some laughs--then when the stringers came out everyone wanted to know where we had been--Potlicking has been around a while!!!!


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## G-O-T-B (Jan 15, 2010)

i have a 21 ft sea ark side console i love that boat it does everything i ask it to do and more.


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## Jerry-rigged (May 21, 2004)

Back when my Bro and I were both pre-teens, and begging Dad for a Go-Cart, he had teh good sense to buy us a 6hp outboard instead. We ran that motor on a 10' john, then a 12' john, then upgraded to 9.9. That 9.9 on a 12'x28" johnboat would FLY!  Later on in life I had a few other boats, but one of my favorite wasa 14'x48" john with a 20hp tiller merc. With me and my son it would run mid 20's, burn almost no gas and get us on fish. I wish I still had that 14' john boat.


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## Reel Aggies (Nov 30, 2007)

*My boat*

I am glad that I saw this thread! Here is my 14' Smokercraft (the "EL Vagabundo")with '85 30hp 'Rude on the back. I have wondered if anyone fished out of small boats, as these days all you see are big, expensive rides. We launched her in Baffin Bay a couple weeks ago at K-H, ran across to KR shoreline, back to the house we were staying in, all went well. I figure if I launch somewhere like Williamsons and fish the shallows, I shouldn't have any problems. No way I'd head through Baffin proper though. In reality though, years ago this was what everyone fished in! Riveted, leaks a bit, manual bilge pump always handy if if gets too bad. Would be nice to have floatation added to the rear though as my 300# rear has it sitting a bit low


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## FISHP (Jul 23, 2013)

I have been thinking about buying a 14' riveted John 36" bottom an putting a 6hp motor on it. Boat weighs 100 lbs and motor weighs about 55 lbs with built in gas tank.

I wade and it will get me to a lot of places to wade, much more range and comfort than a kayak and I can take someone along if I want to. I should be able to launch about anywhere you can launch a kayak. About $1800 brand new. 

I have had lots of boats and kayaks and canoes this is simple and useful and who cares if it gets scratched or banged up.


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## Red3Fish (Jun 4, 2004)

Dang!! Look at all the tin boat owners that "came out of the closet!" LOL 

My buddy on L Palestine bought a 16' Basstracker, riveted alum, and it leaked a little. I told him alum boats are SUPPOSED to leak, don't worry about it...that is why you have a bilge pump. I know y'all all know this, but wade fishing you always have water in the boat...just run 1/3 throttle with the bow up a little, pull the plug, and it will drain out. I don't even have a bilge pump.

To the guy looking to buy one.....14' X 40" or 48", is much more stable than the 36" one. Two big guys leaning over the side of a 36", to see that big fish coming in, could tip it over. And I would move up to a 9.9, or 15....you can plane out and cover some ground with them. Plane by yourself with the 9.9 or with two with the 15. Long term, I think you would be happier. There are quite a few of the Evenrude/Johnson motors (79 to 92) for sale at times on Craigslist for >$800. Plenty of parts available, and they last forever. Virtually all parts in those years are interchangeable. I love these little motors!

I bought a '79 electric start 9.9 for $200, that mainly needed carb cleaned + impeller. I have a '82 15 that is like new......carb cleaned, impeller and thermostat taken out and thrown away....$500. I like to buy them up around Dallas/Tyler....when I am up at L Palestine......fresh water motors. These little low profile motors weigh ~80#.

Every once in a while I think about getting a little bigger, then slap myself on the side of the head, and come to my senses!! LOL

Enjoyed all y'alls stories and pics!

Later
R3F


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## Red3Fish (Jun 4, 2004)

*pics*

.


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## Trouthappy (Jun 12, 2008)

A 12- or 14-foot jonboat will get you a million places that shore fishermen can't even reach. I've fished from both, even offshore. But a 15-footer will sure handle bigger water and has more room for coolers and equipment. Mine has six rod holders. I will roll the boat back onto the trailer by tomorrow, the sun has baked that oil-based paint onto the bottom real good, it's been almost a week. I will be going after kingfish with that boat, around July 1 when the wind should settle down a little. With any boat you have to watch the weather, and take the safest route back if it turns bad. That goes doubly so for jonboats. Heck, in the surf you can run them right onto the beach and go get the trailer.


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## Trout-deluxe (Apr 6, 2009)

Great posts about what fishing used to be...easy and relaxed, with lots of fish.

My previous tin can would run 20+ miles in a weekend on the bays and the fish we have caught out of that thing. 

I just bought my new one for $980 for a 16 footer with a 35 Johnson. 

NO I WILL NOT SELL IT TO YOU !!!

T/D


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## wiznut (Jun 10, 2013)

I've never had anything but a tin boat. I got my first one about 5 years ago while I was at Texas A&M. I started out with an old 10' with a 9.9hp. It has been followed by a slow progression of slightly larger boats over time. I went to a 12', then a 15', and I now have what I consider a near dream boat, which is my 1660 with tunnel and pods that I just recently completed. I love having aluminum boats, and I don't have to worry about scratching or keeping spotless.


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## jason101 (Aug 18, 2005)

*tin boat*

I love my little 12 footer with long tail motor. And so do the kids. Great for the river...


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## bjones2571 (May 2, 2007)

wiznut said:


> I've never had anything but a tin boat. I got my first one about 5 years ago while I was at Texas A&M. I started out with an old 10' with a 9.9hp. It has been followed by a slow progression of slightly larger boats over time. I went to a 12', then a 15', and I now have what I consider a near dream boat, which is my 1660 with tunnel and pods that I just recently completed. I love having aluminum boats, and I don't have to worry about scratching or keeping spotless.


I like that!

You guys have me convinced. I need a tin boat!


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## Sisco Kid (Mar 19, 2008)

I have been looking for a boat for awhille now, f4om kenner to frontier etc etc etc, I think a aluminum green boat just might fit the bill, do you a think a 17' is over kill?

Sent from my SCH-i705 using Tapatalk


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## Red3Fish (Jun 4, 2004)

Haha, Sisco, asking someone to help you pick out a boat is kinda like asking them to help pick out a wife for you!!....LOL. 

17' probably isn't overkill, just depends on what you want it for. It will probably handle rough water a little better, carry more people, more equipment, and more beer! It will take a little bigger motor...depending on how fast you want to go and cost quite a bit more than the smaller ones. If you fish out of a boat, a 17' is a lot better than a 14'. If you let yourself go crazy, you can spend 10k to 15k on an alum boat.

The negatives to alum boats are:

They will jar you in any kind of a chop on the water, especially the guy in the "jump seat" up front.
They are pretty noisy, until you learn what not to "clank" on them
....still pretty noisy.
Most won't take larger waves as well as a fiberglass V hull
Your wife will say "What did you buy THAT ugly boat for? LOL Most alum boats are FISHING boats.
The metal can get pretty hot, in the middle of the day, unless you 
carpet them or a Bimini top (I don't do it, wade fishing). 

That is about it for negatives. Much cheaper to buy, easy to maintain, easy to repair, cheaper to run (lighter, require less motor per length than a fiberglass). Don't forget about clean up!! Need to scrub white fiberglass with soap...wipe down stainless steel.......spray down alum with hose, flush motor, spray motor with WD 40 and walk away.

Good Luck in your Choice
Later
R3F


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## sea hunt 202 (Nov 24, 2011)

*rivets leaking*



cjweber09 said:


> She ain't pretty, but she gets me where I need to go. I got a 14 foot RIVETED john boat (and yes, every **** rivet leaks... thank god I got a little bilge pump and I hit em with some flex seal every now and then)... my dad got from sears back in the late 70's. Has the same motor he bought for it back then, an old Johnson 25HP.
> 
> If I got flat water, she does almost 30.. caught many a fish out of this boat.. gets a little crowded with more than just me on it, but she does the trick... I always get a chuckle when i think about all the fancy gear I have in the boat... fishing rods n reels, tackle.. all worth MUCH more than boat is floats in..
> 
> When i'm at the dock surrounded by 50,000 dollar rigs, I just think to myself... at least I'm not one of them Kayak guys... ha.


just clean around those leaky rivits and apply JB weld it works, did this one for my sister's 50th birthday


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## sea hunt 202 (Nov 24, 2011)

*just finished*

No more carpet and less fish smell this took the wife and I about 5 days to complete.


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## Trouthappy (Jun 12, 2008)

sea hunt 202 said:


> just clean around those leaky rivits and apply JB weld it works, did this one for my sister's 50th birthday


Yikes, well if you don't like the paint job on a jonboat, buy a quart or two and a paint roller and get busy. Cost is about $10 a quart. I recommend beige 1/2 inch thick plywood floorboards, they don't get hot in summer and they're not glaring white. And they take the stress off the rivets when walking on the floor. Not sure what the paint scheme is on this boat, maybe it's just generations of paint. The second jonboat has some attitude.


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## bjones2571 (May 2, 2007)

sea hunt 202 said:


> No more carpet and less fish smell this took the wife and I about 5 days to complete.


Got any "before" pics? Or "work in progress pics? Looks nice!


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## fishhawkxxx (Jul 7, 2012)

As far as flooring on a tin boat goes I use 1/2" thick perforated rubber mat because a g.w. told me if it had a wood floor it would be the same as a false floor requiring a fire extenguishire.
I prefer the riveted boats because they are lighter and easier to drag across sandbars n such.
I have now or have had just about every dimension 14 n 15' jon boat you can buy. Have ran several different engine hp and pretty well now run 35hp mtrs on my 14 n 15' boats.The bigger motor gets me home quicker if a storm pops up, if you have ever been in a storm with a 9.9 you know what i mean! Besides the x-tra hp will keep me on top of the waves if it gets bad


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## Trouthappy (Jun 12, 2008)

Check out tinboats.net

Here is their forum on converting v-bottoms and flatbottoms. Garage projects, rivet repair, paint jobs, everything.

http://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewforum.php?f=21&sid=c46f4d31f8c9cc3159036e59702705d2


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## Red3Fish (Jun 4, 2004)

I have enjoyed all your input. We are all kind of a "red headed step child" with buck teeth in the boating clan. That is all right.....we know it works.
Some of you guys have made a work of art out of your boats!! I appreciate that.

Later
R3F


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## sea hunt 202 (Nov 24, 2011)

*before pict's*



bjones2571 said:


> Got any "before" pics? Or "work in progress pics? Looks nice!


The carpet looked to be new when I got it from a fellow 2cooler no complaints. Although it was very old and once we started fishing it the carpet started to fail. Which is to be expected at this age, but the big deal was that with the amount of fish we boat it started smelling really bad. So we decided to remove the carpet, the boat is a great fishing machine and cheap to use. Now it is like the fish are free, compared to the payments and storage fee's with our last boat-we loved that boat too. But with the new red snapper rule and other constraints on fish - it just was not worth the expense.


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## salty_waders (Feb 13, 2006)

Love 'em! My first was an Alumacraft. I spent many days exploring the Lower Laguna with that thing...hit mud, shell, sand...no worries! Couldn't fish barefoot in the summer though! That sucker got HOT!! Sold it for a down-payment on my current boat. Now I want both!


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