Lund S14 remodel project

[giddyup99]

I just bought a nice little Lund 14'er and am planning to do a little remodeling with it. Here is what I want to do:

- Remove middle bench seat and add carpeted/vinyl floor

- Add casting deck by extending front seat to nose of the boat

- Add livewell (somewhere)

- Add rod storage along either side

- Add in-floor storage in casting deck

- Add splashguards

- Bow mount trolling motor

- Repaint exterior

- Plan on running electronics through rocker switches to simplify things and clean things up

I am planning to keep the deck at the level of the front seat. Does this make the boat really tippy?

WEIGHT... all this stuff is going to add a fair amount of weight. I plan on playing around with the arrangement of livewell, battery, etc. to see what works best, but if anyone has any input, please fire away! I do plan on stuffing as much marine foam into the spaces available as I can to offset some of this, although I have read through a ton of posts and some have stated the extra weight actually made their boat more stable.

Here's were I need help...I know several guys have done this project or similar ones. What am I missing? Am I being too ambitious for this little boat? Are there things you wish you did not do to your project, or vice versa; What didn't you do that you wished you had?

I'll add some pics and update this thread as I make progress.

[WyoChris]

I used to have a 14 ft Lund. You can definitly customize those boats.... just keep in mind you have a limited amount of space in the boat. So if you add too much, it may get a little crowded.

The best thing to do is add a floor to the boat so your not standing in the v-shaped hull. I also put 3x swivel seats in the benches which made it pretty comfortable. Also, use good quality supplies, there is always the problem of plywood, carpet, etc rotting from water after a few years.

[marine_man]

Do a search in this forum... there have been several major rebuilds and tips...

marine_man

[jwmiller33]

all of those things are very do-able. i am currently in the middle of redoing my Lund S-16 Delux. I removed the middle bench, am re doing the wood floor in the main part of the boat, adding a casting deck in the front with storage, added rod holders, replaced wood benches with new marine plywood, and finally, added carpet on top of all the wood to make it look mint (which it does). i also added some custom cupholders that are pretty snazzy looking.

to go on top of that, i am installing a gps and depth finder graph (hummingbird 595c), and also installing a bow and stern lights for night navigation, as well as 2 LED lights in the boat for night lighting. i will have this all wired up to a switch panel in the back. i also added a 55lb minn kota transom mount trolling motor

a project like this is definitly a really fun thing to get into. i bought my boat back in january and have been working on it for the past month and it should be completely done and ready for the water this weekend. i had fishing opener as a main goal to shoot for to get the whole project done. i still have to finish the casting deck up front and do all of the wiring, but i am going to make a thread in either the open water or boats and motors forum with all the pics, as i have been taking several pics of the process to show how i did everything and it is all documented well. check those forums for my thread sometime next week or email me (jwmiller @ stthomas . edu) and i can send u pics of the deck or other stuff i did

if u have any other questions, just ask the guys on here. i spent weeks researching and planning out my boat project with several trips to cabelas, fleet farm, and gander so i got everything i neeeded for my project before i went to work on it. the guys on this forum are super helpful with ideas and input if you ever need any advice.

hoped this helped

Jake

[jwmiller33]

i would also think twice about the livewell. those 14 ft Lunds get pretty crowded when you start adding all this stuff to it. if you are adding wood floors and a wood deck, with a storage compartment, you have to think about the weight and stability of your boat. that wood adds weight, but that wood is also bouyant, which is a positive thing to take into account. i had a buddy who removed the middle seat in his 14 ft Lund and it is fine. you just have to remember you are removing 1/3 of the foam out of your boat. i would maybe suggest getting a custom sized rubber mat for the main floor of the boat, and then just add the wood for the casting deck up front. that way you can save on some weight in your boat. i'm sure your probably not running much more than a 20 horse for the motor on that thing, so you want to make sure you dont add so much stuff that you start to slow your boat down

[jwmiller33]

ok so you got me all excited so i decided to post a couple pics of my boat.. a couple before and afters, but just for the record, im not done yet.

here are 3 pics of the boat when i first bought it. the wood was in really bad condition and the boat just needed a lot of TLC and elbow grease.

here is a pic of the front of my boat prior to adding the casting deck:

here is one of the rod holders i installed:

here are a couple pics of the support system i built to go underneath the front casting deck

here is a pic of the front bench with the new carpet, new seats, and cupholder on the left side. once the casting deck is done, just imagine all the carpet going all the way up to the nose of the boat

and here is a pic of the piece of rubber mat to put down underneath my gas tank. i just didnt like the idea of having my tank slide and bang around on the bottom of my boat, so i just got a 5 dollar rubber mat from menards to custom cut to fit in there. it actually looks really nice. and oh ya, thats where i mounted the fire extinguisher. pretty sneaky huh?

just a note, i am going to be re doing the floor tomorrow, with new marine plywood, and then carpeting it with the same carpet i used for the benches and the front casting deck

[jwmiller33]

I used to have a 14 ft Lund. You can definitly customize those boats.... just keep in mind you have a limited amount of space in the boat. So if you add too much, it may get a little crowded.

The best thing to do is add a floor to the boat so your not standing in the v-shaped hull. I also put 3x swivel seats in the benches which made it pretty comfortable. Also, use good quality supplies, there is always the problem of plywood, carpet, etc rotting from water after a few years.

i also totally agree with what wyochris said... the room in the 14 ft lunds is very limited,and when you start adding things, you take away more and more space.

i think those 14ft lunds DEFINITLY need some sort of small floor to be put in on the floor in the very front of the boat, because the V hull makes it standing extremely hard for whoever is sitting in the front when there are any type of waves in the lake your fishing. a buddy of mine did not put anything on the floor up front in his 14 ft lund and it makes it extremely difficult and unpleasant to stand up there to fish at almost all times, so you are forced to turn around and fish out of the main part of the boat which makes things crowded for both guys fishing the boat... but if you add the casting deck up front, you wont have this problem...

[giddyup99]

Thanks jwmiller for the responses. Looks like your boat is coming along nicely.

I was thinking I would try and sneak the livewell up front. I could probable put one between the support system in the front casting deck, but am going to pack a cooler along for the time being and see how it affects the performance and stability depending on the spot I place it in. It's not a must at this point, but if I can do it I would like to.

The boat is rated for a 35hp, but currently has a 20 on it. 35hp would appear to be ALOT of motor for the current setup!

I have looked through the 90 pages in this forum and have gained a ton of information - I know that some of the stuff covered will be redundant, but the search function doesn't work the best and I was more or less looking for some positive/negative feedback on the finished project.

[leech~~]

giddy, I stated this on another rebuild post also. But when putting in a new sealed floor on a older riveted hull, make sure to check all the rivets for leaks, so you don't have to tear it back out. Some times you can look for the rivets that look blacker then the rest and it maybe one that could be leaking. Good luck on the project.

[jwmiller33]

giddyup- let me know how the livewell goes for you! i really wanted to add one on my boat, but when i really thought about it, it was just one of those things that wasnt a necessity, so i decided against it for the time being. i really want to add one in the future, so hopefully you can add one in there, take pictures, and i can go off what you did and install one on my S-16.

here are some more pics.. today i installed a floor and carpeted it.. it looks super nice! let me know what you think..

i also installed the gps today.. i already had the transducer mounted, i just needed to run the wiring from the transducer, and the GPS thinger, to where the actual screen was going to be mounted.. it took a little time but i think i did it about perfect. i just got done doing that, so i will take more pics this weekend and show how i did that

[jwmiller33]

one more thing.. if you are going to go with the front casting deck like i did, i would recommend going with a seating system like i did. here is the pic of the seat mounts i used... notice there is a female and male piece, so it is a two piece system. the male piece is mounted on the bottom of your seat, and the female piece is mounted into your wood benches of your boat via 6 stainless screws

with this seat system, you can have the pedestal piece on hand in storage, so when you want, you can have the seat as a pedestal for the casting deck up front, but when you want to drive the boat across the lake, you can take the pedestal out, and the person has to face the back of the boat for the ride, which works out very nicely... if you don't know what i mean, here are two pics, one of the pedestal in, and one with it out.

[BoxMN]

Nice job JW, coming along great.

One thing I would recommend, is to try to use aluminum angle or tube instead of the 2x material. The difference in weight it huge, especially up front when you aren't pushing it with a high hp motor. I know it can be expensive if you buy from a store, but even things like shower enclosure frames or the frames from office cubicles can work. Just a thought

Good job and good luck guys! It is fun wand rewarding once you are done.

[jwmiller33]

boxmn-you are so right when you say it is rewarding when you are all done. i am almost all done and i am getting so excited...

the feeling of completing a project like this, building my own custom boat literally from the ground up is so rewarding.

i think a lot of people are underestimating the strength of the support system i built. my friend helped me build it who is 300lbs or so, and he stood on all 3 of the supports BEFORE i put any of the 10in pieces that go down to the floor, and the 2x4's were just fine when he stood on them. they are very sturdy and i dont think i need to add much more for support, but i am still considering it.

im not exactly sure what an aluminum angle or tube is. could you clarify?

[BoxMN]

Jw, you will enjoy every minute on the water even more now

Alum angle or tube is just basically using aluminum instead of the 2x4 or 2x6 or whatever in the bracing. It is still strong, but only a fraction of the weight. Harder to work with a bit, and need to rivet and cut alum, but can really reduce the weight of the additional materials. The angle is what makes it strong, or tube is even better, as it is essentially two angle put together like a square tube, just like a 2x2 or something.

If you saw those pics on my rehab of the alumacraft, we used alum from cubibles that we ripped, so it was like a U shape, but extremely lightweight.

If you do add any support and use wood, I would recommend using 2x2 if it goes upright, as that will be as strong as a 2x4 for any needs in a boat, at half the weight. Better yet, use alum

Looking forward to seeing your pics holding big old mossy backs in your "new" boat!

[Dan Brelje]

JW. Looks like the boat is coming along great!

[jwmiller33]

thanks guys! i really appreciate the compliments.. look for my thread i am going to make in the open water forum in about a week or so. once my boat is completely done, i will put up all the before and after pics so you can see the transformation!

[Neighbor_guy]

When I put the casting deck in the bow of my boat I used 2x4 and 5/8 plywood because I wanted the additional weight in the bow. When I fished alone, the boat would porpois really bad, by adding the wheight to the bow, instantly on plane. It is great.

[jwmiller33]

When I put the casting deck in the bow of my boat I used 2x4 and 5/8 plywood because I wanted the additional weight in the bow. When I fished alone, the boat would porpois really bad, by adding the wheight to the bow, instantly on plane. It is great.

that was EXACTLY my train of thought as well. i WANT additional weight for up there. i am also going to have a deep cycle battery for the electronics up there. pretty nifty idea

also, other random clutter stuff like the anchor can be stored in the storage up front which adds more weight

[Wish-I-Were-Fishn]

[note from admin: please read forum policy before posting again. thanks]

[BRULEDRIFTER]

here is one of the rod holders i installed:

Hey jwmiller,

How did you attach these to the boat? It looks like you just drilled the screws into the wood going out of the side of the boat and attached the holder to the wood block.

Is it just the 2 screws attaching it to the boat then? Do you have washers and nuts holding the screws in place?

I'm just wondering cause I want to install a few of these into my boat and it's very similar to yours.

Thanks!

[huntmtelk]

Hello I am wanting to do a floor replacement on the same modle Lund and would love to get any help you could send my way , Pictuers ? iIdeas ? please feel free to email me @ [email protected] great minds think alike

[polarsusd81]

Here are a few photos of what I did on my S14 a couple years back.

Driver's seat prepped for paint. Took out the floor and flotation foam washed it up, then ran a rag with thinner over it to get it nice and clean.

View of the middle bench that I cut out and formed an edge to mount the floor too. Worked pretty slick, and after a little trial and error, I got it figured out pretty well.

I took the foam from the middle bench, cut it to fit, and installed it under the floor to maintain all the floatation foam.

I painted the interior white, just rattle canned. Huge improvement over what it was.

Here is the front deck and pedestal seat that I installed.

I have also added a Humminbird 859 with a Ram base. I have it set up so I can use it at the back bench running the tiller and I can move it up to the front deck to use at the trolling motor. I am running a 24v Minnkota Maxxum 74 up front, enough to keep me going no matter the conditions. I have both batteries in the back, tried them in the front deck and there was way too much weight up there, couldn't plane out and when I stood up there the back of the boat actually came up out of the water with all the weight on the front end.

I do not have room in my opinion (using in this layout for several years now) for a livewell in this boat. I bring a bucket or a cooler and that is what the fish go in.

It is hugely rewarding to rebuild a boat better than it came out of the factory. My build isn't perfect, but I like it a heck of a lot more than what I started with. I have an old Mariner 15 and get 19 mph solo with the setup and gear (packed full). With another person I drop to 16-17 mph. I plan to get a bigger motor for it, hopefully next spring.