# 14' Johnson Skiff Buildout



## Plumas (Jun 2, 2018)

Hello,

I am about to embark on a rebuild of a 1970's Johnson skiff. It fell into my lap for next to nothing. Posts and updates are probably going to be few and far between the next few months as I wasn't planning on tackling a project anytime soon, and have a lot going on, but the opportunity was too good to pass up.

Of course, now that I have the boat I can't help but tinker a little every few days. I hope to be able to dedicate a few time chunks in the next week or two to get all the seats cut ut out and the paint stripped


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## Plumas (Jun 2, 2018)

These are pictures of the hull and motor




  








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Jun 2, 2018




Rear view









  








Front view




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Jun 2, 2018











  








Engine with lid off




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Jun 2, 2018


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## Plumas (Jun 2, 2018)

I knew the transom was soft but I had no idea it would just deteriorate when I opened it up





  








transom rott




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Plumas


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Jun 3, 2018











  








transom rott




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Plumas


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Jun 3, 2018


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## Plumas (Jun 2, 2018)

Also did some paint stripper testing this weekend. There is a ton of paint to remove and it thought I might be able to save some sanding time. I started with Citrisitrip, it is a non-toxic paint remover. The results were good. I did a few test patches on different parts of the boat. It only took off 1-2 layers at a time but it took 2 applications waiting 45 minutes after each one then scraping to get all the way down to the base.

Covering it with plastic did not seem to make too much a difference. I guess that is more for overnight application





  








citristrip test




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Plumas


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Jun 3, 2018











  








citristrip test




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citristrip test




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Citristrip test




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citristrip test




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Jun 3, 2018


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## Guest (Jun 3, 2018)

Love these old Johnsen rebuilds! Great little boats for what they were intended for too! Keep the updates and pics comin!


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## Plumas (Jun 2, 2018)

Had to run out of town for a few days, but had some free time this morning before work, got a little deeper into the demolition. I am leaving the center seat in for now for structural support. There will be a back and front platform, once those are in I will cut out the center seat.

Does anyone know to determine the orientation of the bow casting platform?. The water line was painted with house paint so I am not trusting that. Can I go off the seats? I am assuming they would be parallel to the water. I want the platform on the bow to be parallel to the water when at rest.

Stripping all this crappy paint is a pain. My plan is to focus on the gunnels and any areas that will be exposed, and wire brush what will be below the deck. This area will be sealed and foamed.


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## Plumas (Jun 2, 2018)

Changed to a 2" receiver on the trailer, it came with a 1 7/8. I was lucky and had one lying around that was for a 3" tongue. I cut off the old one and drilled some holes and bolted this one on. I will weld it when going over and use a friends machine. But at least it lets me tow it to the car wash to do quick a quick pressure wash.




  








2" ball receiver




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Plumas


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Jun 10, 2018


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## Plumas (Jun 2, 2018)

So I got into the demo, found some foam under 1 seat. I had the perfect tool got it all out in under 5 minutes




  








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Jun 10, 2018











  








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## Plumas (Jun 2, 2018)

The citristrip is working great to get the crappy house paint off. Then I am going over it with a wire wheel on an angle grinder. It is making pretty quick work of the project.




  








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Jun 10, 2018











  








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Jun 10, 2018


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## Plumas (Jun 2, 2018)

I have all the rotted transom out and both the front and back seat. Plus all the carpet. That was the worst. I pressure washed it out and am going to leave it draining while i go to work.





  








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Jun 10, 2018


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## yobata (Jul 14, 2015)

Plumas said:


> Does anyone know to determine the orientation of the bow casting platform?. The water line was painted with house paint so I am not trusting that. Can I go off the seats? I am assuming they would be parallel to the water. I want the platform on the bow to be parallel to the water when at rest.


I made the bow deck flush with the rolled gunnel. With a person on the bow, the front deck is parallel with the waterline


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## OakHill63 (Mar 28, 2013)

Wow! Looks awesome! Can’t wait to see the finished product!!!


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## Plumas (Jun 2, 2018)

yobata said:


> I made the bow deck flush with the rolled gunnel. With a person on the bow, the front deck is parallel with the waterline
> 
> View attachment 30331


Thank you for the picture, that is pretty much exactly what I am going for, a simple clean micro skiff. Did you raise your floor off the hull at all? Do you have your gas tank up front to distribute the weight? If so, do you have any problems when it is choppy taking up air?


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## yobata (Jul 14, 2015)

Plumas said:


> Thank you for the picture, that is pretty much exactly what I am going for, a simple clean micro skiff. Did you raise your floor off the hull at all? Do you have your gas tank up front to distribute the weight? If so, do you have any problems when it is choppy taking up air?


I have a 6 gallon portable tank under the front deck thru an open bulkhead, it's still not enough weight up front. I'm about to add a trolling motor and stash the battery as far forward as possible. I'm not sure what you mean by "taking up air"??

I tried not adding a false floor, but as soon as you remove the middle bench seat, the floor becomes too flexible, so I added stringers and a few ribs and a false floor...


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## Plumas (Jun 2, 2018)

yobata said:


> I have a 6 gallon portable tank under the front deck thru an open bulkhead, it's still not enough weight up front. I'm about to add a trolling motor and stash the battery as far forward as possible. I'm not sure what you mean by "taking up air"??
> 
> I tried not adding a false floor, but as soon as you remove the middle bench seat, the floor becomes too flexible, so I added stringers and a few ribs and a false floor...


Sorry, let me try to clarify about "taking up air". I have a worry that by putting my gas tank up front that it will be bouncing around in choppy seas(the bow, not the tank it will be secured) and that air might be sucked into the line causing the engine to stall.


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## yobata (Jul 14, 2015)

Plumas said:


> Sorry, let me try to clarify about "taking up air". I have a worry that by putting my gas tank up front that it will be bouncing around in choppy seas(the bow, not the tank it will be secured) and that air might be sucked into the line causing the engine to stall.


I don't have that problem - my portable gas tank has the siphon on the bottom of the tank, and it hasn't been an issue even when I'm close to empty...


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## Plumas (Jun 2, 2018)

I started cutting the panels out of the MDO Plywood I picked up. You can start to see the design I am going for. I plan to cut all pieces ahead of time then keep my glass work down to a few condensed days, as I will have access to a garage, but not unlimited time. Currently, all my work is being done under a 10x10' tent.





  








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I am sure there are a lot of people who are going to say I am nuts for using MDO. I will explain the reasons I chose them.

I thought the price was going to be a big factor, but in the end, MDO is only about $7 per sheet cheaper where I am than Marine Plywood.

The main consideration was weight. Each 1/2" sheet is roughly 13-15lbs lighter than marine depending on what source I found. I figured this would save me at least 50-60 lbs on my final weight.

After a lot of research, I found that MDO is practically indestructible as it was originally made for exterior signs and uses waterproof glue, and the paper side has some sort of heat-activated adhesive that is waterproof as well as smooth. The one thing I will have to do is seal the edges. I am planning on coating each component in epoxy and or cloth depending on its final use, before installing on the boat. Once all components are installed it will get another coat of cloth and epoxy. So I am not too concerned about exposed edges.

People have talked about the reduced quality of this type of plywood in recent years, however, when inspecting the edges before purchase I saw zero voids, and have not found a single one while cutting.


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## Plumas (Jun 2, 2018)

So I got all my panels cut out, there still needs to be some final tweaking and cutting to get everything fitting exactly how I want it, but i am happy with what I got done today

I am actually liking the center bench. I had intended to take it out once I had enough bracing added back, but I think I am going to leave it for a while. My final design is to do a small side or center console, but until I make up my mind the bench is going to stay.

As you can tell I am going very simple. All storage will be open. The only latch will be to the most forward compartment that will house the anchor and some random stuff. This will have scuppers to the outside. I have heard that almost all aftermarket hatches leak a little because it is an anchor locker I am not too worried.

Here is the bow storage without the top on, as you can see, The most forward compartment will have to have a hatch to access. The back compartment on the bow will be an open bulkhead. I am going to add sides that will have PVC tubes connected going to the bow to store the fly rods.




  








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Jun 24, 2018







View media item 2998
Here it is with the casting platform




  








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Jun 24, 2018








Here is the whole boat layout. I am deciding to go with gunnels to hopefully protect the fly rods.




  








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Jun 24, 2018


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## FlyGuySteve (Oct 22, 2021)

Plumas said:


> So I got all my panels cut out, there still needs to be some final tweaking and cutting to get everything fitting exactly how I want it, but i am happy with what I got done today
> 
> I am actually liking the center bench. I had intended to take it out once I had enough bracing added back, but I think I am going to leave it for a while. My final design is to do a small side or center console, but until I make up my mind the bench is going to stay.
> 
> ...



Any pics of the final product? Looking at one of these skiffs now priced at $1800 loved the design you were going for. Worth my time?


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