Benjineer's Lund S-16 Mod

[benjineer]

Ok, here are the before pictures. I've got a lot of work ahead of me. Bought this in July in WI and hauled it back to MS. From what I can tell, it is a '77 model with '85-'87 model motors. I plan to remove most of the middle bench and adding a floor, front casting deck, and bow-mount trolling motor. Planning to make this a bass and inshore saltwater machine. I'm not going to get super fancy with it. It will be carpet-free, but it might get some new paint. I'll try to post here and another site I've been getting ideas from. Thanks for looking. Advice and ideas are welcome. That's what I'm here for. This is the 3rd boat I've worked on. The others are on my personal HSOforum at benjineer.com.

[jeffreyd]

what is a boat in that condition worth and how much will you end up spending on it to "fix it up" I am looking for a project boat have found one but not sure if the guy is ready to sell yet.

[benjineer]

You can find values on NADA.com for most boats, motors, and trailers. The estimated average on mine is Boat-$580, Motors-$125ea, Galvanized Trailer (up to 17' guessed 2000 model)-$800. The custom tank adds $350+ in my opinon, I'm not counting all the rod holders, battery, seats. Total $1930. That's about what I paid for it. Market value is what someone is willing to pay, so I try to look up similar items on completed auction listings. Now that you have used values in your head, go see what you'd pay for a new one! Ouch! Try $2500 for a 16' alumacraft (boat alone), and it's less of a boat than mine. Add $3000 for a motor and $1500 for a trailer. It gets ugly for just a basic jon boat.

I don't expect to spend over $500 for everything I'm adding. So far, I'm up to about $200. I spent $75 for fuel and volt gauges, tank sending unit, gas fill and vent all to do the tank right. Will buy about $30 in vent hose. Today I picked up anchor rope and chain, hose clamps, stainless seat base for front deck, 2 life vests, and cup holders at a salvage store for $75. I bought 1 of 2 pieces of 1/2 treated plywood, 2x4s, and some paint. Also bought a few tools. I have some stuff on hand already like a bucket of stainless steel screws and some switches, connectors, and wire (from an earlier sale at my favorite salvage store). I also have an extra fuel/water separator I plan to install. It's going to involve more sweat than money (there's no shortage of sweat with heat indexes at 105!)

[jwmiller33]

is the custom gas tank the very last picture? that is pretty crazy looking.. what/where is it custom molded to fit in the boat? it kind of looks like its shaped to fit in the very bow/nose of the boat on the floor. if thats where its meant to go, that is pretty awesome!

[jeffreyd]

thanks for the info, i figured about 500 to do a mod like that. I am with ya on the heat, suppose to be 115 tomorrow. made 112 today so it is starting to warm up a tad.

[benjineer]

The tank is wedge-shaped and fits very well in the bow against the front bench seat. The previous owner said it's a 20gal tank. That sounds about right from my measurements. I like it because it puts some weight up there. It's well-made out of .090 Al with baffles and braces, but they didn't know much about proper venting. It had a block on top of the hole you see that had two quick-connects going to different length tubes (one being the reserve). He had some kind of plug inside the filler neck that had a hole in the top he said was the vent. He didn't believe me when I said his tank was getting water in it. I poured about 6 gallons out of it. There was quite a bit of sludge and water, but it cleaned up nicely. There was only one spot that was pitted, but it's not deep enough to cause a problem anytime soon. I'm wondering how long it will take to burn up 20gal with twin egg beaters. My 17' fiberglass boat has the same size tank with a 115hp. I've been 50+ miles in it. I was going to post more pictures today, but they disappeared from the camera. Today I'm going to see if I can get a piece of the seat I removed converted to end caps for what I left.

[Ralph Wiggum]

I'm curious how one runs two tillers at once. Are they tied together in some way?

[jwmiller33]

I'm curious how one runs two tillers at once. Are they tied together in some way?

i was thinking the same thing... it would be interesting to use...

do you just hold onto one of the tiller handles and steer with that one, as it looks like they are connected some how. how does the throttle work? are the throttles connected as well or do you have to give gas on both handles to get it to go?

how does it work for trolling? can you just run one of them at a time and troll down to a slower speed?

[benjineer]

There is a tie-rod connecting the two for steering. They both have clamps on the throttles that give them resistance, so you don't have to hold them both. I thought it would be a pain to operate, but it wasn't hard to get used to. Here's a closeup of the clamp and a few more pics of the progress.

[benjineer]

Looking at these pictures is giving me the itch to remove the rest of that seat and just put a narrow shelf from front bench to back bench for support, etc. I cut it where I did because I wanted to leave the heavy gauge angle bracket/brace holding the seat to the floor. I think you can see part of it here under the board. I might be able to cut a little more of it back at least. I guess it will still be enough for a kid to sit on. I plan to put a recessed seat base in the floor between the middle and front benches (like Shoot2kill's). I'll also have an ice chest in there to sit on, so I guess seating isn't really an issue.

[benjineer]

Here are a few more pictures from the weekend. I was able to remove a little more of the middle bench up to the L brackets. I think they are about 14" wide now. That gives me about 29-1/2" between them. I still have to pull the floor back out. I'm not happy with the support (or lack thereof) on the outside edges. I'll get a picture of the framework when I take it back out. I'm not bolting it down to the hull braces like some have done, but it won't be removable either. It's pretty heavy right now, but the treated 2x4s are not dry yet. I used stainless steel flathead screws to attach the plywood to the 2x4s.

Here's one of the fuel tank in with the sending unit I added.

Hmmm, I think there's room for the trolling motor battery in front of the tank if I put a piece of 3/4 ply across the braces. It might stick up above the deck, but it would allow me to put the weight lower. Something to look into. It might even offer better support for the deck than the nose bench brackets. I don't have a pic with the right angle to see it here. Guess I'm going home for lunch.

[Shoot2Kill]

Hooooyah, I love boat mod posts! Especailly Lunds! Nice work so far man...I see that you made reference to my mod - if you need any ideas or wonder how I did something just let me know.

In your last post you said something about putting the trolling motor battery up front with the gas tank, I'd be leary about the weight in the front and the boat not being able to get up on plane and plowing water...just my .02...maybe it will totally work fine though. If it's just a 12V system it should be okay I guess..I just wouldn't want 2 batteries that far up front.

Great pics and I'm looking foward to watching as you go!

[jwmiller33]

i agree with Shoot2Kill.. it is always good to have weight in the front of the boat, but I think in your case, with having a 20 gallon gas tank already up there, i think adding the trolling motor battery too would be too much weight. you have to remember, your going to have a person sitting up there a lot of the time as well and with only 20hp total on the boat, i'd be worried about getting on plane with a full load. you might want to have the trolling motor battery in the back, but nothing beats a test run to see how it performs before you make any final decisions.

[benjineer]

It's a 12V motor, so just one battery. I don't imagine I'll fill the tank up, and I plan on putting a seat base in the floor further back. In most cases, no one will be riding on the front at full speed. We'll go for a test ride when I get things closer to ready. I can get along without a dedicated trolling battery since I don't have to have electric start. I have the battery in back on the boat I have the motor on, so I got 6ga wire running to the front. I can move it all over and keep a single battery in back.

[Shoot2Kill]

I have the battery in back on the boat I have the motor on, so I got 6ga wire running to the front. I can move it all over and keep a single battery in back.

Bingo...yep, if running the wire and having the battery in the back is possible that will most likely be your best option. It's crazy how much weight an aluminum boat can manage when it's in the back, but in front it usually equals decreased boat performance. I have 3 batteries in the back, the motor, and my gas tank between 1/4 to 1/3 the way up from the batteries and my rig with a 25 hp gets right up on plane and scoots. The problem that you could run into with too much weight in the back though is your bow porposing if the front of the boat isn't heavy enough...somehow with my mod I ended up with a perfect balance and I'll be the first to admit that it was by pure luck!

Also....I just have to ask but are the middle seat things sticking out really doing anything for the boat but taking up space? I don't see how they make the boat any more stable or give it any support. A friend of mine just completely cut out his middle seat and removed everything associated with the middle seat and it opens up you up for so a lot longer side lockers if you want them. I think his boat is more sturdy now with 2 side lockers than when he had the middle seat. I see in one of your post you were thinking about removing them completely...maybe someone else can chime in on the importance or lack their of regarding those supports.

[SkunkedAgain]

I like the middle seats. They make good spots for little kids and with lids, could make good storage and/or livewells. As for the battery issue, you could rig it up so that the battery has two possible locations - one in front of the gas tank and one in the back. That way the battery is truly ballast and can be moved to the front or back depending on the needs of the boat at the time, mostly determined by whether you have passengers or not.

Run some PVC conduit under the floor board so that you can pull wires to the front and back of the boat. Don't forget to leave an extra string in there to pull future wires too!

[benjineer]

I expect it would be sturdier with side lockers instead of the bench if they are attached in the right places. That's what I'd like to get to eventually. I want all the floor space I can get, so I'd make them small. What I have left of the bench will be like a gusset in absence of the side lockers. The top edge of the boat is pretty flimsy with nothing attached, so I know they are doing something. I'm getting the itch, so I may have to throw some of it back together and go for a ride. The engines got some bad gas/water in them last time I ran it, so they need a good running anyway.

[jwmiller33]

i completely removed the middle bench in my 16ft aluminum lund and had absolutely zero problems and this is my 2nd year after removing them.. a lot of guys make the argument that they are for support (which i am sure is 100% correct), but there are also 3 other similar supports in my boat, so i think removing the one in the middle is fine as long as you have the others still there

my boat's layout if a little different than yours tho. i have two small sidewalls that are about 6 inches wide on each side of the back half of my boat, so they give me a nice ledge to put stuff on which is really handy.

you can see where i cut out the middle bench here:

it really opened up the middle floor of the boat soo much, it was really nice. a lot more room to stand, fish, put stuff, etc... and if i ever am fishing with a 3rd in the boat, i just throw a foldable chair in and we are good to go.

[Shoot2Kill]

i completely removed the middle bench in my 16ft aluminum lund and had absolutely zero problems and this is my 2nd year after removing them.. a lot of guys make the argument that they are for support (which i am sure is 100% correct), but there are also 3 other similar supports in my boat, so i think removing the one in the middle is fine as long as you have the others still there

my boat's layout if a little different than yours tho. i have two small sidewalls that are about 6 inches wide on each side of the back half of my boat, so they give me a nice ledge to put stuff on which is really handy.

you can see where i cut out the middle bench here:

it really opened up the middle floor of the boat soo much, it was really nice. a lot more room to stand, fish, put stuff, etc... and if i ever am fishing with a 3rd in the boat, i just throw a foldable chair in and we are good to go.

Nicely done man, looks great! It's crazy how much more user friendly a guy can make these older boats.

[benjineer]

Here are a couple of updates. I was going to use wood framing but changed my mind. Going with 1-1/2 x 1/8 aluminum. Building the casting deck first and then I'll start on the floor again. My current goal is to have something at least usable by the end of October for a MS delta trip.

This may change, but I had to mount gauges and switches somewhere. The front deck was pretty much set, but I'm still undecided about the final plans for the rest of it. I may have to use it a while before I decide on a final layout.

Making a trolling motor mount from brite-tread for the TM in the second pic.

[big musk411]

Looking Good Bengineer! Keep the pics coming.

I will second what everyone else says, don't put too much weight in the bow!

I redid my 95 lunkerV16 with a casting deck in the front. It now rides much better with one person, good with two and wet with another on the bow deck. A lot slower in general. I think it would ride real nice if I could increase my hp from 25 to 40, the maximum.

If I could do it over again I would try to make the casting deck lighter.

Matt T

[benjineer]

I just got the decking cut. Someone on another site suggested rejetting the carbs with 15hp jets, since the 9.9 and 15 are essentially the same engine. I may try that if I'm not satisfied. Hopefully I can go for a test run soon.

[benjineer]

Getting closer. Planning to use as-is once I get TM wired up and bench top on over the elec. panel. Exterior paint can wait. I want to have it fishable by this weekend. May throw a piece of old plywood in for a temporary floor. Gotta secure/hide those wires. Made the mistake of getting my little boy to help me pull the TM cable while I fed it from inside the hatch. Now he just wants to yank all the wires for fun. I guess I couldn't ask for much more. He'll be 2 in December.

[jwmiller33]

nice work! it is coming along nicely and it looks really nice! what kind of material did you finish the top of the casting deck with? it is just painted? or is that some other material? what are the 3 switches for in the last picture?

[picksbigwagon]

That front cap looks awesome....how much was the diamond plate? I wouldn't mind doing something like that on my late 80's crestliner. It has the rounded front cap on it.....