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Well I purchased a 12' sea scamp with a karavan personal craft trailer and a mercury 40 motor and am now planning to make some chages. Imagine that[crazy]
Seem like everything needs to b modified, but I think I just like to tinker.
So far I have installed some night running lights, but not wired in yet, some anchor cleats, one in each corner on the rear and one up front, put my trnasome mount 50# trolling motor up where it will be, need to make some wooden shims for it yet, new plug for the motor and a new fuel line hose for the motor.
I am working on how to put some type of floor in and be able to remove the center seat. I am a big man and don't need to be trying to climb over that seat when I am out alone. I am thinking about a center support and using the side of the boat (there is and indentation at the water line) for the outside support.
Off to work now so I will continue latter any thoughtwill be appreciated.
Thanks
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Well I took some pics today to share.
Here I have put the front running lites on and front celat and where the trolling motor will be. I will be making a wooden shim for the mount help with the flex because of the motors weight. You an also see that the rear running white light is leaning the wrong way (did not know there is a right and wrong way for them)
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Here you can see the lite pointing the wrong way better and how I have the seat for now. I have it on the seat gripper that I used on my canoe so I can slide it more to the middle if I need to do that when we are fishing so we won't be tilting ( I am full of "balast"). Also a shot of the Mercury 40 4hp, love that it has neutral, forward and reverse, but no shear pin, imagine that!
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I have taken the rear light down till I mount it correctly and not sure how I will handle this back area. The cooler seem like it won't be accessable enough there so if I put a lid on this area that side will store something. Also not sure about those pole holders for trolling, strong enough but not sure if they will be right for me.
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Here's my flor template. Not sure how I will support it either down the middle or across. I will use the side water line grove for the side support and will be using 3/4 cdx plywood, should be stout enough for me to stand on and put a pedistal seat on up near the front so I can opperate the trolling motor and such.
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Here you can see an extra removable passenger seat and I have closed in the front area and will have the battery there under that front bench seat.
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You might want to move some weight forward . Like your gas tank . You will know what I am talking about when you take her out and see where the balance point is going to be . With your tank and trolling battery up front the balance should be good . You can run your fuel line under your subfloor . 3/4" plywood might be a little over kill for the floor with the right support down the middle you should be able to use 1/2" CDX . You will want to keep the weight in your boat down as much as possible . Curt G.
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Thanks Curt. I had tried some 1/2 just spanding the bottom supports and thought it sagged to much, but thinking about it now, it may have been because it wasn't secured in place. I do need to keep the weight down.
I have been thinking more of running the supports length wise so I could store rope or paddles under the floor.
Running the fuel from the front will take some thinking unless I go with a smaller can. Not sure how big I really need for a day of fishin. Any idea there? I suppose you just make sure your primming bubble is in the back by the motor for access.
Thanks a lot Curt, I really like to think things through before I cut. I have bought the 3/4 already but if I use it for the support runners it will be good or maybe I'll echange it.
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i was going to say the same thing as curt .3/4 is on the big size.for the supports i would go lenght wise just because it will let the water run more freely to the back of the boat.
you definatly need to balance out the boat.with the combination of you,the fuel tank,motor and cooler all in the back,that boat will be standing on end in the water.
the new fuel line is no big deal,you can buy it at any auto parts store,just make sure it for ethenol fuel.and put 2 clamps on every end,and the ball near the motor.
another idea befor you put the floor in, is to put a piece of 2 inch pvc pipe,mount it on one of the supports.this will give you a chase to run wire,ect without them laying on the bottom of the boat
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Thanks for the imput!!
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Put an in line fuel filter between the squeeze bulb and the motor . They are only a couple of bucks . Also for support for your floor you can cut 4 inch pvc and stand it on end between the bottom of your boat and the floor . It is very strong and light . To get a measurment for the correct length of PVC drill a small hole in your plywood where you want your supports just big enough for a small tape measure to go through and measure from the bottom of your bout to the bottom of the plywood this will give you the correct lenth for each support . You might want to cover the plywood with indoor outdoor carpet , so it won't be slippery when wet . Try not to use ethenal , it is not good for your motor . You should be able to go all day with a 3 gallon gas tank . I have an 18 foot inboard , outboard with a 5 horse trolling motor and it won't use three gallons in 8 hours of trolling , pushing a 2800 pound boat . Curt G.
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Thanks Curt great suggestions, especially the pvc since I have some already.
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Well the project has moved on slower than I had thought, especially the floor. However I did settle on a lower floor, not in the side water line seam. Idid put a lenfth of 1/2 pvc under the floor along with the fuel line running from the tank under the front seat.
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I also have the battery in front under the same seat. It fits tight when slide the seat back in to it's original placement. Im hoping that will secure it.
I am not sure how I will put the rod holders in yet. I want to run some supports for the to of the boat to the flooring, just not sure how yet.
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The next item is the front seat. I have the support tubing from the table in a camper I had stripped, which I will cut down to the appropriat hiegth and mount one of the swivle seats on it. It will pull out of the floor mount like it does in the camper for traveling if it needs to.
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So thats how the story goes. Not sure ow I will secure the floor yet so any suggestions on any thing I have or need to do is appreciated and thanks for the suggestions so far.
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Well I need a nice or mild Saturday so I can check out this setup, sure hope it feels ballanced.
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I think it looks great.. I like the idea of running the fuel line under the deck..
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You've done alot of work to make this fishing machine. Looks great and best of luck. Now you just have to get some blood in her.[  ]
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I enjoyed reading about the modifications you made. I just bought a 1965 Starcraft Sea Scamp 12'. It was kept in great condition, and the boat has no leaks and rides great, however I think it is underpowered with the 8hp evinrude it came with. I can't get it on a plane with 2 people. I was thinking about tuning up the engine, but after reading several posts, i think I am going to upgrade to a 15hp motor. My only problem is that the boat says it is rated for 10hp only. I am wondering if the 15hp would cause any problems with weight. The boat seems very stable. I noticed you have a 40 hp motor.... do you have any problems with the extra weight it brings, or stress on the transom? How fast does your boat go with the 40? Thanks
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By the way I love how you drilled out holes for the rod holders, right into the seats. Any concern about losing the strength of the seat where you put them? I am 225 lbs so want to make sure I don't weaken the wood bench seats.
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He has a 4 horse motor , not 40 . When you say it won't plane . Does the front of your boat stay so high you can't see where you are going when at full power . If this is the problem you need a Whale Tail or something like it to bolt on your cavitation plate on the lower end of your motor . It will force the nose down and bring you up on plane . It will help to play with the trim of your motor to get the right plane . 8 HP should be enough power to get you on a plane . There are a lot of factors that come into play . It could be the pitch on your Prop also . Curt G.
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Thanks for the reply. My front end stays down, because I put as much weight up there as I can (coolers, fishing gear, etc)... and I also put a passenger up in the front seat facing backwards. She rides nice, but I cant imagine I am going more than about 6- 8mph. One of these days I will get a GPS and find out for sure. It may be that I have had some old gas in the tank from before I bought the boat (it was damn near full when I bought it, about haf a tank now and I have added 2 gallons fresh). It also looks to have some extra oil in there, and she is pretty smokey. At first I couldn't run at WOT, but now I can, and still can't get her to plane. I heard these starcraft are notoriously hard to get on plane, although again, I love the stability and the ride. When I get some time I am going to check out the fule filter, the lines look good...but I thought the same thing, I should be fine with an 8 on that boat. I fish saltwater down here on the West Coast of FL so I need to run a couple miles to get where I want to go usually... the help is appreciated.
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If they say the boat is rated at 10hp, then don't go over that. Transom may not take more motor.
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Nice work... Glad to see someone working on an older boat! Thanks for the post!
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The motor is not 40hp but a mercury 40 which is a 4hp motor.
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