# The "Flats Bastard"



## RigaRoo (Aug 14, 2011)

Here is a list of the current mods-
Cut out center bench
Fill seats with expanding foam
Glass all holes in seats from old brackets and rigging
Rebuild Transom (only the skin was there when purchased)
Rebuild drain hole(Brass pipe rotted)
Add in drain pipes through seats and 5200 around.
Front casting deck with custom made flush mount hatch
false floor under casting deck for weather proof storage
round hatch for anchor and rope (Drains under storage to bilge)
False Floor between front and rear seats.
Gunnel supports where middle seat was taken out.
*Currently building rear casting platform over rear seat, will extend 1ft foward with NMZ storage and 1ft behind with open storage for fuel tank... 

I have alot more goodies to come for this thing... I am excited to almost be finished with the bulk of the construction...


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## RigaRoo (Aug 14, 2011)

Lets start the pics... 
Heres the Transom rebuild.. I wasn't to keen on the old set up for the transoms and wanted something that was beefier. The boat is only set up for a 9.9 and I'm placing a 15 on it.. After it was finished I think a 20 would hold... I started by cutting out the 3/4" plywood and wood gluing them together.








Then glassing the entire piece to encapsulate the wood. 








Next is adding the 5200 to the transom and wood block.
















My regular clamps wouldn't work and I didn't want to spend extra money on another one, so I made a large clamp out of threaded rod, wingnuts and some 1x2... It worked and applied pressure evenly...


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## RigaRoo (Aug 14, 2011)

Clamps removed.









Now that it's never moving, it's time for glass.. 









heres a couple shots of the glassing, filling and leveling.


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## RigaRoo (Aug 14, 2011)

Now it's time to sand it down and level out the transom.
























The Aluminum rub rails were too long.. Took out the mini-Hacksaw and went to town.. 








Now that they had their peptalk, they fit flush...


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## RigaRoo (Aug 14, 2011)

The seat drains had no piping.. so any water that would get into the seat area would soak the foam out.. Since I let the skiff sit in the garage for a month without messing with the seats, it dried everything up.. Ran a screwdriver in to test the wetness.. 








Cut to fit 1" PVC SCHED40 pipe with 1" overhang on the insides of the seat.. 








once in position, I 5200'd them in to place to ensure it was fully sealed.


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## RigaRoo (Aug 14, 2011)

Needed to fill the seats with an expanding foam. Since the bottom was sealed up, I figured it shouldn't see any water. Plus it's the exterior grade.. note- it will expand more than you know... 








After the excess was cut off (which is much more than this pic) I sanded everything down and sealed it with glass.. This will be covered later, but I wanted to ensure that it is sealed.


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## CapnK (Jul 6, 2011)

Good list of projects - keep the pics coming!


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## RigaRoo (Aug 14, 2011)

Thanks lowcountry, I had been on this site scouring around looking at all of the old posts and keeping up with the current ones. All of the mild upgrades and major rebuilds helped me out alot... I really want to be able to show the entire build with all of the projects included... I'll post some more tonight...


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## RigaRoo (Aug 14, 2011)

Getting ready to cut out the center bench...


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## RigaRoo (Aug 14, 2011)

First cut, made sure I left about a 1/4 inch lip so the side supports would sit into them... 








Finished the cuts on the center bench.. No turning back now..


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## RigaRoo (Aug 14, 2011)

The center bench cut out.








A side shot of the quarter inch lip left on the side support


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## RigaRoo (Aug 14, 2011)

Overview of the FB with the center box cut out.








Sanding down the sides(Prepping for false floor)


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## RigaRoo (Aug 14, 2011)

False floor cut with beveled edges underneath so it fit with the contour of the existing floor. The bottom of the wood was covered in 1 layer of cloth and resin. Then 5200 down to boat. 








Side supports were glassed and 5200 into place


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## RigaRoo (Aug 14, 2011)

False floor glassed down








Then added bondoglass to fill and level. (Its waterproof and designed for marine use)








Then filled and leveled the cut outs from the center bench.


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## RigaRoo (Aug 14, 2011)

Time to start the front casting deck
Here is the front bulkhead and the false floor for the "weather proof" Storage compartment.


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## RigaRoo (Aug 14, 2011)

Top view of bulkhead glassed in and ready for top deck. I also added a piece of wood glassed into the bow for extra support and a final resting place for the front of the casting deck.


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## RigaRoo (Aug 14, 2011)

Cut the wood to fit the center seat to the bow of the boat. Tried a template but it didn't work to well... So I measured the boat every 6in to ensure the fit was accurate. Then I applied the measurement to the center mark on the sheet of ply. It fits snug as a bug in a rug... 








The following hatch was picked up at Discount Boathouse marine in Jax.. I paid $2.00 it's going infront of the hatch and being utilized to house a small anchor and dock/anchor lines.. This area will drain under the storage and under the false floor to the rear of the boat.







http://www.microskiff.com/yabbfiles/Templates/Forum/default/highlight.gif


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## RigaRoo (Aug 14, 2011)

Now come the front hatch... Flush mount.








The glue that holds the recessed support in place.


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## RigaRoo (Aug 14, 2011)

Puttied under the front hatch and smoothed out.








Wrap it in aluminum foil








Fill in with Bondo Glass so hatch is flush fit...


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## RigaRoo (Aug 14, 2011)

Time to fit the deck








5200 the bench seat, puttied around the entire front hatch.


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## RigaRoo (Aug 14, 2011)

Now it's time to work on the rear casting deck. The seat will remain intact, while the deck will be 1ft forward and 1ft behind the seat. the front will have open storage similar to a NMZ. Behind the seat will be supported by 2 small vertical gunnel supports with an open section underneath.

















This is where we are today... Only need the top piece for the rear deck then glass it down.. Light sanding and she is ready to prime and paint..


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