# gheenoe classic with front deck and open back layout



## david_kohler (Jun 29, 2009)

got more of the supports bonded in. Getting ready to grind the rest of the gel coat off of the center box lid so I can build it up to it's final thickness and shape. I will be changing it a little.


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## david_kohler (Jun 29, 2009)

Worked today and some of friday afternoon into night because tomorrow I'm taking a break with the familly and hitting the beach. Hope there is a wave for at least a long board tomorrow. I got the back boxes all cut out and routed a nice bevel on the edges. I am getting to the point where I be slowed down by mounting renforcement. I will tape all up rights at the corners up and along the bottem. I am thinking that I will actually mount everything and do all the prep. When I go to prime and paint I think I'll put a tiny piece of tape over the hole and remove them before It dries. Any better ideas are welcome when it come to this. I have the gas tank able to sit sideways and platform sitting over the two boxes and my cooler has plently of room now. It is kind of like my old set up with the platform. It's a nice seating/pole/cast platform. It's nice to see it like it is when it's finished.





In the front I got all the side supports to where the deck will end. I have the panels shaped from old decking and will be adding cloth to both sides of the panels. 

I sanded the rest of the gel coat off of the center box lid and found lots of fractured glass. This is kind of what a lot of the bottem looked like and that's why I but a 6oz cloth on the whole inside bottem. I grinded it all away and it is pretty thin now. It's basicly just a mold. Not much of the old lid will remain once I sand the gell coat off of the under side. The gel coat of the bottem is all cracked. Most of my fishing budies are under 180, but I've a few 220 guys in the boat and heard the lid "crying" when they steped up on it. I'm not sure how many layers of cloth it will take to make it strong, but I will find out.

I need to get the lid finished before I can start doing the deck supports around the center box. I am going to angle the sides suport/chanel (for the lid sides) to drain from front to back on the sides. In the back I might angle the channel to the middle, glass in a tube and drain it under the box and false floor. I am going to be using polyester resin to build up the lid and the two other side pannels and I can't stink up the house at night, so I'm not sure when I can get it done. Can't wait to cut out the deck, can't do that till all the supports are done. Hopefully by next week.


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## david_kohler (Jun 29, 2009)

I built the lid back up and got some most supports in.


I want to get the center box lid dialed in before I set the deck height around it.  I started by making a wood template of the deck and used a router to make the hinges sit flush.  I also built up the hatch to have the hindges sit flat and snug to it.
Once I got the hinges mounted on the wood I clamped it in place and made sure the lid was sitting where I wanted it to.  I drilled a hole thru one of the holes and went all the way thru the lid and the box, on purpose.  I tested the action of the lid with just one bolt in the lid of each latch.  I was happy with it so I drill thru the lid and box of the two other holes in each hinge.  This gave me the area I needed to make room for the screws in the bottom of the lid.  I bonded two pieces of coosa on the inside of the box and once set, I ground thru the box and into the coosa.  I was able to screw it all together and it works perfect.  






I got my pole light offset ready and drilled.  I couldn't find a base I liked with a 10 degree offset.  I also got the holes drilled for the platform eye bolts, but haven't filled them up yet.


I also got the back drain started.  Here it is mocked up.  It's boned now and I will probably get  the chanel around the whole box done by the weekend. The next step will be doing the deck support and then finishing the face plates on either side of the box.  You can see the old hole for the airator and the new location.  I am going to feed it under the false floor and up to the fitting. I think this will really clean up the cockpit with out having the hose running along the side in the cockpit like it does from the factory.



I took this pics with a real camera.  My cell pics haven't been too good so here is a where I'm at now with the deck fitting good.


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## david_kohler (Jun 29, 2009)

Vacation started! Made the plunge with the deck hatches, with a router that is. I found a straight bit that was thick enough to made each side of the cut a finished edge minus the corner round.



Here is were I'm at with the build so far. It's all finishing details now minus the nose cap.





I am very pleased and am working wake to sleep as there is no kids and wife around for a good part of the day. I still have one more construction project to make. I'm going to build this like I did with the center box lid and in the end all of the old fiberglass will be ground out leaving new. I wish I could build the whole thing out of coosa, but I don't have enough left. There was no way I could do water tite front hatches with what I have left, not to mention I'm tired of working on it. 

I use the boat at night almost more than the day time so I have to figure a way out to light it and the front deck height makes it tough to get lights underneath the rails. I will be able to do some over the deck around the middle area and that will be fine. For the front I have came up with this “off shoot”, which I will mount leds underneath it and will light up the front section just fine. It will also give me more of a solid strucure to mount the trolling motor plug and other things.





In the cabin I have made a slight over hang to protect the electrical a little better. I need to suport the side and create a finishing piece for the channel drain. I will also take another piece of ½” and make the lip 1” thick and round the bottom corner as well. I will be leaving a space to put some leds. I need to buy and can't decide of what color I want to get. I have had red for five years and don't know if I like it. I need reading glasses to see when tieing. I really want to go blue, but have never seen one to gauge yet. I'll go green most likely before red again. Input is welcome on this (PLEASE!)

Right now I'm planning to buy a 300 light spool of waterproof led lights. I'm thinking of running all the power to the front nose piece and put it into another switch. I will go from the switch to a selector switch with three settings. I want to wire it so that I can light just one, two or three of the leds at any given time. I have the redundant switch so if I leave the switch on in the front I can turn it on and off from up front as well as the back.





On the other side I still have to make a rod holder and the mount for the sissy stick. I will be picking up aluminum for just the holder and for the trolling motor mount. The stick might have to wait and I'm sure I can find something to work if I even use it. This time I'm making a left hand steer. The location might make cast gigging and shrimping, but casting along banks and docks will always win out. Heck I might even start thinking about how to make it reversible. I am also going to be painting the whole boat in the end. The color will be in the lighter side of tan in the camo color pallet. I have the truck liner extened to above the water line and I will be able to use a topside paint. I'm not after a perfect paint job, I want something I can touch up easier after use that always happens when you "use" it.


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## david_kohler (Jun 29, 2009)

the vacation push got me this far. laying cloth on underside of deck tonight.


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## david_kohler (Jun 29, 2009)

Starting to rig it up under the front deck. Figured I'd just install as much as a can and cover it with plastic till I'm done. Still waiting on the foam block. I went ahead and sealed the back box with out it, but I hope I can wait to bond the front deck till I get it. I know it will be a major PIA to cram the foam in under the deck thru the hatch. Got the acess hatches screwed in. I'm actually kind of digging the raw look, hey at least I wont have the weight of the paint as well. I've scuffed the bottom where I will bond the matt, but leaving the epoxy shinny where I'm not. I finally got to mock up the battery placement. I am using the poor man's sea deck from harbor freight on most of the boat. It lasted four years and still had life in it when I had to start this build. I just can't see spending a ton of money on sea deck with the kind of the kind of things I do to the boat and it was very comfortable and quiet to walk around. I will bond it like I did before with 3M 4200. I'm putting it under the deck to keep things quiet and from bouncing around and damaging things. I'm going to put two pieces down in the bottom section of the boat. I cut them so that water can find a way to the back of the boat.



Then I put down sections across the whole boat so that a battery will sit flat sideways. I haven't tried finding tie downs yet but I will.



I will mostly be just using one battery in this location, but when shrimping or gigging I will have one just in front of it. The height is perfect even for my bigger group 27 battery.



I still have two more drip to fix that I didn't or was too tired to see at 2am. This weekend I will add two pieces of coosa under the deck for the hatch latch to rest against and keep it closed. I'm also going to start to do as much wiring as I can. I might have to prep some areas if I need to secure any wiring with screws and plastic clips. Again, I want to do as much as I can with the deck off. My back is still hurting some times and don't want to make it worse till I'm all better. I want to be able to use it when I'm done. :lol:


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## david_kohler (Jun 29, 2009)

I might be at the halfway point of wiring everything and prepping screw holes. I'm not going to connect anything other than the speakers in the back or anything in the nose until it's painted. I have always said I couldn't be part of the less is more club and no more so than ever. I got a deal on a radio and speakers so I had cut in three more holes. I mounted the radio inside the dry storage box so it would be out of the way, but not sure about placement. I might change it not sure yet. I still haven't had time to get something for the wiring board. When I get it I'll just clamp and transfer all the holes. 

Right now all the wire will be tinned except for the speaker wires. I used two runs of the #12 black landscape lighting wire that I'm using for speaker wire. I do have two more runs of this wire in the pictures that will be replaced with tinned wire. I reused all of the tinned wire that I had in the boat and bought some more, but ran short. At least this way I'll know exactly how much I need. Right now I have all the stereo all wire up with wire nuts just to make sure it works and it will suite my needs well. Where the back of the stero and all the other things is looks reel messy now. I am going to give myself enough slack to unscrew the stereo and switch panel and pull them out side to service things. Still tinkering with many things, but here it what I got now. 

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[URL=http://s671.photobucket.com/user/lukesteravery/media/DSCF1548_zpse061427b.jpg.html]



Here is how the the boat will looked wired when I'm just fishing with one battery




Here is how it will work when gigging as of now, but it too may change. I will use two wire quick connects to connect the lights to another section of wire that will clip or bolt to the battery. I'm going to move the fuses at the end were it will hook up to the second battery. I will have the same set up for the shrimping lights. I was going to put this set up in the floor, but I've come up with a way to make them come out of the front panel. I've been toying with the idea of using trolling motor hook- ups as well. Still thinking about it as I go.


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## david_kohler (Jun 29, 2009)

Getting soooooo close to bonding the deck on. There”s just so many little things to do and “oh I should do this too”. I have basically mounted everything that doesn't go on the deck with screws and all. Since these pics I've taken everything off so I can clean it one last time before I use 4200 to glue down the mat under the deck. I got all the right screws I needed for everything and have bagged them with what they are securing. I have been a lot of big zip locks to keep track of things and to keep all the dust off of them. I finished the rod tube, which can hold a 10 ½' rod, I had the room so I just made it as long as I could. I took one of the coosa cut outs of the access hatches and made it into a wedge that tilts the stereo so I can see it now. I ran the new wire and added one more chase as I still have to run the depth finder underneath the deck and thru the rail. The cheap heat gun from harbor freight has earned it's $8 keep with all the chases. I also got the front miscellaneous wire chase lids cut and bent to fit. The improvised light pole holders will be mounted to the switch panel and it slides in the chase pipes nicely. Here is what electronics are going to be mounted. I want to weight the wire I have in my boat, I bet it's at least 12-15 lbs. 

1. 1100 bilge pump
2. aerator pump
3. anchor light
4. bow running lights, haven't decided on shark eyes yet. It's a money thing right now.
5. 3 acc 12v plug ins. Front face plate, center box dry storage and back box by driver seat
6. stereo
7. depth finder. I use it at new places, fresh water and day time shrimping. 
8. Led lights. Still not sure how I will end up doing it. Right now it's a dimmer on the whole rail and separate circuit for lights under the hatches. May do three front deck on one, hatches on another and cabin and back rails on the third circuit. I will be looking for push buttons that I saw on another build. I thought about doing push buttons for the hatches instead of trying to find a home for one more switch. 
9. I'm sure I'll end up with a small front spot mounted on the nose cap somewhere with a switch at the bow panel
10. 2 miscellaneous connection for a second battery. Will use for shrimping and gigging and who knows what else I can come up with. 

This is why, to me MORE is MORE. I got the underneath of the deck almost finish beside four more screw holes to make for hatch led lights(an after thought again). I really do night fish a lot and enjoy it. I need to buy a cable to be able to plug my iPod to the radio and fab someway to have the wire come into the middle box. I found the material I will be using to help me raise the sides. I also pieced in the deck up by the nose with scrap pieces and I will be able to fill all the gaps around the chase pipe with no problem. I had to use pieces as my deck it almost 9' long, which brings me to my next awaited purchase, a cot tent. This deck will have more than enough room to hold the double cot tent and sleep on the boat if the bugs are to bad on shore.

I also straightened out all the wiring on the side of the center box. I laid all the wire out with enough slack to have an easy job wiring it up and tapped it neatly. It warp up much neater than the old pics. I also made a new electrical mounting board out of some thin ply wood and have sealed it with epoxy. Hopefully by the end of the day tomorrow I will be ready to bond the deck. I thinking about setting set it up so I can have a friend come over and help me so I can bond and laminate the deck in one layup with out having to wash and sand in between, but not sure yet. Work has been tough and I didn't have any time to work on it last week. All this work was done after 5 on Friday and I need some sleep. 

Wrote the above last night. Worked on the boat all day today. I'm ready to bond the deck, but not sure when it will happen yet. Still planning plan of attack with the least amount of washing after cures. Tomorrow I'll takes the bricks off of the matting, vac it. I also want to nail down the led lighting before I bond it up. I was thinking about floating it soon, but I still have to re wire the hole trailer. I rebuilt the trailer and painted it, but I haven't done the wiring yet. I'm going to start to work on the hatch lid for the batteries. I'm going to route out the underneath to allow me to use one layer of ¾ matt and 17 oz roven and other combinations to fill the void and really stiffen the thin hatch up. I'm also going to try and finish the nose piece. I took the hole wiring harness out and taped it up going to the back. This doesn't include the led rail lights and the transducer for the depth finder. Right now I've left the wires going to the front and back very long so it won't be that much when I'm done. After I get the bricks out and the mat cures I’ll set up the wiring to pull to the back and cover the underneath with plastic.


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## david_kohler (Jun 29, 2009)

looking at the pic it almost looks like the rail, that I laid down for scale, is a big piece of wire as well. You can see I left the front and the back way long. I'm sure I'll cut at least 2-5 feet off of most of the wires. But it is still a lot and I'm adding some more tonight. Just some small runs of wiring on the underside of the deck and making brackets for toggle switches, which will control the leds lights I've mounted under the deck at each hatch. I also mounted two brackets on the side wall, up close to where the deck will be for the anchor light storage. It will keep the back of the boat cleaner and out of the way under deck. I got the toggle switches, but found them to be the wrong kind when I got home. So I just used some old pull switches from the switch panel the boat came with to mock it up for now. Need to buy more screws and washers for the small wire clamps. By the time I wire this up I will also either put new blue lights like in the pic or use some the come with the rail lights I'm getting. I've made the wire paths and prepped more screw holes for everything and I'm sure I can make something work one I figure out how I want to do it.







I've also been thinking about how I'm going to raise the rail. This is how high I want to raise the rail. This is 4” rail tape which I think will work good sandwiched between two 6oz layers one on the outside and one on the inside.


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## david_kohler (Jun 29, 2009)

Rails have come out nice, but are going to require more layers than I thought. Two more will do it, one on the inside when I lay down the deck cloth and one on the outside. I also got the two hatches in the deck glassed in. Doing all the fillets for the deck all at once and glassing everything properly all at once would be tough, so I'm just taking my time and getting all the corners just right. Then it won't take as much time to glass the whole deck. I want to double the thickness of the glass around the hatch opening. I'm also going to have to order another gallon of epoxy, but with that gallon I will be sure to have enough to do all that I want to do.


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## david_kohler (Jun 29, 2009)

Here are some pics of the front panel stop (as I call it). I drilled each hole with two different bits, one to fit nut and the smaller one for the screw. I laid the piece on some glass and filled the holes to where it almost filled up the whole thing. I drilled it out and set the nylon nut in it. I screwed in the screws and used some washers to hold the nuts true. I also put car wax inside the nuts to ensure no resin would get in. I cleaned it up and bonded it in place. I wanted something that went all the way across the deck to somewhat stop water getting up there in case I got ALOT of water on the deck.






I only have one more thing to do before paint and that is to level out the hinges. I did end up routing out the underside of the large deck hatch enough to fit two layers of mat and used poly resin to wet out. I faired and covered it with 10oz cloth and it has no flex what so ever now. Very happy with the results.


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## david_kohler (Jun 29, 2009)

Almost done fairing and shaping all I feel like doing on the inside. Not too much time to work with soccer practice on M,T,TH and dance on Monday as well and oh ya, 5th grade math homework. Thankfully I'm still smarter than my 5th grader :lol: Hopefully putting the final coat of epoxy on this week end and primer next weekend. I'm not worrying about every little thing underneath places the mat is going. I got everything mounted on the bow cap and I'm almost done with the trolling motor mount. I bought some aluminum and I have some teak I got from my dad and I've made the same TM mount I had before except I switched it the a left hand steer. It will be so much easier for night time dock fishing being able to cast and steer at the same time as well as set the hook with the normal arm. I cut a piece of teak that will fit into the aluminum for strength and made an upright to clamp the TM to it. Did some more sanding and routing on the teak and it's looking good. The other thing I did was extend the bar on the right side of the boat a little so I can put some kind of stick it pin holder. I may cut it off after I experiment on the water a few times. The old TM mount I left it on the boat I was using along with led bow light, bilge and a other things as payment for letting me use it / make it safe to take his kid out in it. I've mounted everything and tore it apart putting the screws inside zip locks with the part. My OCD will make it rigging after painting very quick.


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## david_kohler (Jun 29, 2009)

Just thought I would update how close I'm getting. Should have primer on it in a couple of weeks. Got my led lights in yesterday and only a few bolts left to buy. It's going to be a camo paint job so I've started trying out different techniques. Thanks for all the bragging posts, they really have helped with my build.


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## Gramps (Nov 1, 2007)

holy cow that's a bunch of work man! Sick gheenoe you've got there.


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## makin moves (Mar 20, 2010)

Man you have put some time and thought in to this, nice job


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## david_kohler (Jun 29, 2009)

> Man you have put some time and thought in to this, nice job


Thanks guys! July 2012 I started to cut open the front low deck to patch a little idy bitty crack in the bottom and it's turned into this. [smiley=1-crazy-eyes.gif] [smiley=1-crazy-eyes.gif]
I have put too much thought into it because I keep adding stuff that is delaying my completion.


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## BayStYat (Sep 12, 2012)

Bonkers!

Just gonna go ahead and sink mine.


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## Recidivists (May 9, 2011)

Where's the little red button for the pop-up machine guns?

[smiley=z-respect.gif]


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## david_kohler (Jun 29, 2009)

> Bonkers!
> 
> Just gonna go ahead and sink mine.


Thanks! I actually really like your build because it's so clean. I went way overboard with do dads, but it's set up for how I will use it and I guess that is what counts.


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## david_kohler (Jun 29, 2009)

> Where's the little red button for the pop-up machine guns?
> 
> [smiley=z-respect.gif]


Thanks and I know it's a go go gadget boat, but I promise I will use all of it. lol I'm just a beginner (3yrs exp boats 25 surfboards) but the people and the posts on this site have made this possible! [smiley=cheers.gif]


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## Recidivists (May 9, 2011)

I see everything on that boat as fully usable and well thought out. You are producing one hell of a boat.


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## TC (Feb 15, 2011)

Very impressive!


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## manatiburon (Aug 6, 2013)

Keep it up!!!! I am following this build since it was on CG, and it by far one of the cleanest and most intricate builds in a Noe Classic hull [smiley=1-thumbsup1.gif] [smiley=bravo.gif]


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## david_kohler (Jun 29, 2009)

Thanks guys! I can't say it enough times I owe it all to the people who spent time letting me ask tons of question on the phone and all the build posts.


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## jdpber1 (Aug 21, 2013)

goodness you are adding a ton of deck space.. i am interested to see it float after all the additions


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## david_kohler (Jun 29, 2009)

> goodness you are adding a ton of deck space.. i am interested to see it float after all the additions


I think the boat is lighter than it was new. It's amazing how heay the back fiberglass bench and side box combo as well as the low front deck was very thick and heavy. I also stripped all the gelcoat out and I bet I took out at least 10 pounds of dust. I weighted the whole front coosa deck, which was laminated with 6oz on the bottom and 10oz on the top, it weighed 28 pounds. I went really light on the deck because I am putting a matting down to cover the whole deck and don't really need too much impact strenght on it. I was more worried about the decks having flex.

Did the last coats of epoxy this weekend on the inside, just a lot of prep sanding to do. One more coat of epoxy on the outside and she is ready for primer. Can't Wait!


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## jdpber1 (Aug 21, 2013)

not bad.. core cell board is super light.. just looking at the pics it looks as you added much more than 30# visually


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## david_kohler (Jun 29, 2009)

I did forget that when I weighted the deck it had no cloth on the top, only 6 oz on the bottom. 


Got rid of the optical illusion and seeing just white on the inside. First coat of primer down on the inside and the last coat of epoxy on the outside. I used the aluminum powder additive to wrap a couple inches over the rails coming from the bottom to protect from docks and other things. I still have the bottom to do, but I will do it in stages and not have to worry about flipping the boat. It feels good to have paint going down! I hope to wash the epoxy and do the next section tomorrow. The epoxy on the sides will need to really cure before I paint, hopefully before next weekend it will be painted the base camo color.


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## david_kohler (Jun 29, 2009)

Sanded the primer and epoxy today and it's turning out better than I expected. I'm going to let the 1st coat cure for another day and baking the primer and the epoxy in the sun to speed up the curing.


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## Shalla Wata Rider (Aug 14, 2013)

AMAZING!!! You have really done a Incredible job... Where would I have to live to get a firsthand look at that Monument ? [smiley=y-10.gif]


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## NoeSmyrnaBch (Aug 19, 2013)

oooooh man its gettin' serious now! lol

Looks awesome!!!


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## david_kohler (Jun 29, 2009)

> AMAZING!!! You have really done a Incredible job... Where would I have to live to get a firsthand look at that Monument ? [smiley=y-10.gif]


Thanks, I am not going to block sand it, but it's turning out better than I'd hoped for.  My skills don't touch yours!  I've been loving your build too.  I live about 20 min west of Mosquito Lagoon and you would be more than welcome to check it out.


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## david_kohler (Jun 29, 2009)

> oooooh man its gettin' serious now! lol
> 
> Looks awesome!!!


I can see the slime now! Looks like i'll be launching in NSB soon if the goon isn't open.


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## Shalla Wata Rider (Aug 14, 2013)

Cool ... Don't under estimate yourself ,You are ROCKIN 'the Noe...I know the coosa sent you to bed itching a few times. I call it Black Death!!! [smiley=hammer.gif] You know you did this in your sleep ;D (been lookin for a chance to use that)
Can't wait to see a couple door matts on that fordeck.


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## david_kohler (Jun 29, 2009)

> Cool ... Don't under estimate yourself ,You are ROCKIN 'the Noe...I know the coosa sent you to bed itching a few times. I call it Black Death!!! [smiley=hammer.gif] You know you did this in your sleep ;D (been lookin for a chance to use that)
> Can't wait to see a couple door matts on that fordeck.


LOL! Black death is a good name! I was doing the happy dance the day all the coosa was sealed with epoxy! I will not miss thoes microscopic splinters! Have to say it felt good to be sanding paint this weekend.


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## david_kohler (Jun 29, 2009)

Got the color on! I think I might just leave it this color and go fish until I can get a camo pattern worked out.


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## DuckNut (Apr 3, 2009)

great job.

For camo, I buy poster boards and cut out different patterns on each one. Then I can lay them on the boat and spray the various patterns.

Here is the best part - after the paint dries on the stencil, flip it over and you have a different pattern.


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## eratanun (Sep 16, 2013)

> Got the color on!  I think I might just leave it this color and go fish until I can get a camo pattern worked out.


May I suggest MultiCam on it? One of the sickest camo patterns around, in my opinion!


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## matt_baker_designs (Nov 27, 2012)

Wow, lots of detailed work. Great stuff!!! This is one nice G-new!


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## david_kohler (Jun 29, 2009)

Thanks guys and I'm working with cardboard templates now! We'll see what I come up and I will google that design. I got all my matt cut and couldn't resist doing a few mock up shots! It won't be long. I still have to go and get the boat and trailer tags renewed and spend about a half a day working and the trailer. I think next weekend will be one of the last sunny weekends spent working on the boat and the following weekend will be a splash.


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## DuckNut (Apr 3, 2009)

Pretty ingenious poling platform.

Excellent job Shallow.

For my stencils I cut out something that looked like a palm frond, some skinny grass blades, leaves, sticks, etc and just randomly apply.


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## david_kohler (Jun 29, 2009)

Thanks Ducknut. This is where I turn from following the boat building bible to my true self, a red neck enginieer. If I had the money to buy sea deck I wouldn't put it in this boat because this matt held up well for 3-4 years before I started this rebuild. I would ruin it after the first gigging trip. I also think having the matt very tight around the hatches will help the water just sheet flowing into the cockpit and not go under the front deck. Any water will that does make it in there will flow under the center box and flase floor to the back. If I had the money to buy front and back platforms I would do it in a heart beat, but I've sunk all I have into building this thing. My first purchace once I recover $ wise will be a front platform. I have one that I used for long time that will also go back on the boat, but it is way more red neck than this one ;D I hurt my back and I really need a seat that is around bar stool height to make it comfortable for me to be on the boat for a long time. The front platform will be higher than it was on the old configeration because the deck is at least 6-8" higher than it was. I fish by myself a lot and I usually pole from the front because it levels out the boat nicely and floats much shallower. The back platform is a scafold later bought from lowes and I shortened the width to fit the boat. It is four years old and is made of alunimum with some galvinised brackets, I osmocoated the metal and gave it a matching paint job. I am really leaning towards not doing the camo for a while and just going fishing. I kind of like it the way it is, reminds me of a tank or military boat. The guy I going duck hunting with says it will work with the gilly cover he has. It's just been too long without fishing and I am a realistic artist that has a hard time not having it look as perfect as I can get it.


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## manatiburon (Aug 6, 2013)

Simply put, Excellent job SB! Now go get that beauty wet and shoot some birds! BTW, love the color, I used to have an old 'bath tub' style, tri hull bass boat that I put a similar color, and it works wonders hiding any stains from its time in the backwaters...


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## jdpber1 (Aug 21, 2013)

digging the direction things are going


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## david_kohler (Jun 29, 2009)

> Simply put, Excellent job SB! Now go get that beauty wet and shoot some birds! BTW, love the color, I used to have an old 'bath tub' style, tri hull bass boat that I put a similar color, and it works wonders hiding any stains from its time in the backwaters...


Thanks a lot! I'm working on the trailer tomorrow and finishing the boat over the week. I will be on the water nov 3rd with my son somewhere in mosquito lagoon, even if the water is still dirty. I too, just got the registration re-newed on the boat and trailer today as well as my fishing license. At least all the work were doing now doesn't involve a lot of DUST!


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## david_kohler (Jun 29, 2009)

> digging the direction things are going


Thank you. It's really growing on me, I think of it like a nicely built utility boat that will do well on the flats too.


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## manatiburon (Aug 6, 2013)

> Thanks a lot!  I'm working on the trailer tomorrow and finishing the boat over the week.  I will be on the water nov 3rd with my son somewhere in mosquito lagoon, even if the water is still dirty.  I too, just got the registration re-newed on the boat and trailer today as well as my fishing license.  At least all the work were doing now doesn't involve a lot of DUST!


Yeah, DMV could sometimes be a hassle, so having papers/tags ready is a big plus, I'm glad you're done with that as well. As you said, I could not be happier that the dusting/major sanding sessions are done now, now my neighbors could rest  Mosquito Lagoon, I still have to visit the are, I heard snook fishing is pretty good there. Please, post an action shot of that beauty soon [smiley=1-thumbsup2.gif]


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## david_kohler (Jun 29, 2009)

Didn't get to work on the trailer, but I got so close to finishing the boat this weekend. Just have the bow cap and trolling motor mount left to install and a few things I'm not going to let keep me off of the water for. Got the RBG led lights installed and with a few late weekday nights I will be on the water next weekend.


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## DuckNut (Apr 3, 2009)

What is your non-skid made from?


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## david_kohler (Jun 29, 2009)

It's the cheap matt that has the puzzle shape cut into it so it locks together. I've been using it for about 5-6 years and it's held up very well. With the 40% off coupons from harbour freight I have under $30 in the hole boat. When I bring the first muck covered flounder into the boat with a rusty, sharp gig, I won't even flinch ;D You can also get it at Lowes. I attached them with 4200. I did it before I started this build and I had it on plywood decks with polyester resin. When I realized the decks needed to be replaced I did the whole boat again. It was fairly easy to remove from the fiberglass and I think it will be even easier to get it off these smooth decks.


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## Gramps (Nov 1, 2007)

That non-skid is great stuff! Used on a homemade platform on an old gheenoe, never an issue.

Lowe's had it over by the floor coverings, marketed as child's play flooring. HD has it in pink zebra there DuckNut


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## DuckNut (Apr 3, 2009)

> HD has it in pink zebra there DuckNut


Figures HD would carry pink - might have to go me me some.  Thanks for the heads up.


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## NoeSmyrnaBch (Aug 19, 2013)

Looks awesome with the lights. I will tell you, if they are the ebay lights with the remote control, make SURE you have them sealed and in the driest place you can find. We have them in our other boat and they worked well for about a year then took a crap. You might do more fresh water so maybe they'll last a little longer. 

Either way, looks great!


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## manatiburon (Aug 6, 2013)

SB, I really dig that nose cap. I may end up stealing your design for mine


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## david_kohler (Jun 29, 2009)

Thanks Tarpon! -  The nose cap idea came from raising the deck so much that there would be very little room to mount all the stuff I wanted up there.  I am also going to mount led's under the lip of the cap and having it higher off of the deck will let the light travel farther.  Here is the panel with everything added and I left room for other things too just in case.  Again I'm banded from saying do more with less ;D

Noesymnra- I maybe put the boat in fresh water 1-2 times a year for pleasure cruises with the kids from highland park fish camp to De Leon Springs, but that's about it. I did seal up the controllers very well and 90% of the time it's these that fail. I found the controllers for under $5 and I bought six, so when they do fail, and they will, I'll be ready


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## david_kohler (Jun 29, 2009)

Got it finished! Not really in time to hit the water, but I decided to add a layer of epoxy and graphite to the bottom of the boat on top of the two tin coats of aluminum and epoxy. The trailer was the biggest reason for the delay. I just reworked the trailer about six months ago( grinded and painted with POR15), but with no weight on the bunks one of them was very warped. I decided to change the trailer up like I had saw someone else on here and mount a center bunk all the way down the middle of the trailer. It is mounted with ½” spacers right to the frame of the trailer and the boat is mainly supported by the center board. I moved the other two bunks further out to the rail and it's fits the next flat area. The overflow out the bottom of the live well used to sit on top of the bunk causing me to think that sometime damage would occur. It's all ready to hit the water, but probally not till Friday night for some night fishing or gigging. I haven't rigged all my light gear to work with the new plugs I put on the boat, so that and building a front casting platform and a tiller extension are my next projects.

The thing I don't like it the bildge set up. I thought I was going to be able to use regular size pipe to plumb this, but the pump I have has a 1 1/8th” od and the only thing I can find to use is the cheap and bright WHITE hose in the pics. I'll use it like this till I can figure something out.









I started saving the plastic cups to mix resin and the stack is about 8' tall. I would have the same of the small paper cups I was using mostly. LOL


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## jdpber1 (Aug 21, 2013)

you do realize that once the resin is dry you can squeeze the quart container and pop the hard resin skin out and reUse them.. i only have 4 that i use and i simply pop out the dry and wipe clean with a paper towel and it is good to use again.. probably mixed dozens in each over the past years.. saves you lots of $$$...


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## david_kohler (Jun 29, 2009)

> you do realize that once the resin is dry you can squeeze the quart container and pop the hard resin skin out and reUse them.. i only have 4 that i use and i simply pop out the dry and wipe clean with a paper towel and it is good to use again.. probably mixed dozens in each over the past years.. saves you lots of $$$...


I know :-[. I did use quite a few of them several times, but once some of the bonding putty and other putties got stuck to the lip, it hit the pile. If there was a lot of resin it pulled clean, but if there was just a little left in the cup, it was a PIA to get all the little flakes of resin out of it. It really boiled down to how much time I had.


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## david_kohler (Jun 29, 2009)

Finally splashed her and I am very pleased with how she floated. With the old set up like this out of plywood I could get about 20 solo when the motor was new.



















But on Friday she was floating much higher in the water







I got a sold 24 and hit 25. The prop that is on it now has seen better days, so I can wait to see what it will do with a new prop. 

I took my daughter fishing for a couple of hours today and hid from the wind around the islands in edgewater. My daughter with her barbie pole was the first to christen the boat with slime, a dam pin fish, at least it was a big one. I followed it up with a rat red and a small trout. More site-seeing than fishing trip. Hitting the lagoon tomorrow for a real fishing trip with my son. Also met up with Noesymnra at the ramp and saw his rig and it looked very nice in person! Thanks for the pic of me and my daughter on the water!

Oh this was not planned to inhance the size of the fish. It was the closest she would let the fish get to her. LOL



The second fish got a little closer.





This is was the first sign how much lighter the boat was, no water in the live well with the plug out. I went to put my keys in dry storage and had to get out of the boat and look at how she sat in the water.


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## manatiburon (Aug 6, 2013)

That classic floats better than factory! Glad that you had a great time, I am splashing mine Tomorrow, so I cannot wait to see how she handles...


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## DuckNut (Apr 3, 2009)

You did a great job shallow...no pun intended!


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## david_kohler (Jun 29, 2009)

> That classic floats better than factory! Glad that you had a great time, I am splashing mine Tomorrow, so I cannot wait to see how she handles...


Thanks for all your help Ducknut!

Thanks!  I was wondering what happened to your build, haven't seen an update in a while.  Good luck on the splash and post some pics!

I took her out last night for the first night fishing trip.  Non stop blues, jacks and dink trout keeping the 10 yr old busy and happy.  The  Led set up made me very happy.  Tons of double ups and I could see good enough with the old eyes to keep the tangles that go along with a 10 yr old away.


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## mark_gardner (Mar 18, 2009)

man that's a nice noe you have now, congrats on a great job


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## Dadvocate (Jun 26, 2011)

Are those SMD 3528 or SMD 5050 Led's? I was getting ready to buy some and did not want to have to dim them. I made some shrimplights with the 5050's and they are really bright.


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## david_kohler (Jun 29, 2009)

> Are those SMD 3528 or SMD 5050 Led's? I was getting ready to buy some and did not want to have to dim them. I made some shrimplights with the 5050's and they are really bright.


Those are the 5050's. It does come with a controller and mine are pretty pretty bright. It's just about the right amount of light for where there mounted.


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## manatiburon (Aug 6, 2013)

> Thanks!  I was wondering what happened to your build, haven't seen an update in a while.  Good luck on the splash and post some pics!


No time to post, as I have been working on the boat late nights, but will post pictures of her first splash today!


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## david_kohler (Jun 29, 2009)

Thought I'd show a pic of my gig light set up. I set it up two different ways depending on what I want to do. If I go with my friends I have it set up with four lights down the side. I pull the motor out of the water and we pole from the front and back sideways, perpendicular to the shore line. It will cut a 30' strip of bottom on clear water nights. If I take my 10 yr old son I take the light on the back and move it to the middle on the other side. Then I can use the trolling motor and a pole.


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## zlenart1 (May 26, 2013)

That looks awesome! what kind of paint did you use for it? I have a classic that I also want to duck hunt and fish out of


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## david_kohler (Jun 29, 2009)

> That looks awesome! what kind of paint did you use for it? I have a classic that I also want to duck hunt and fish out of


I painted it with the krylon camo paint in a can and it came out better than I'd hoped for. I already scratched it up gigging and was able to make it look new again in 5 minutes. I think I would have started to cry if it was a nice paint job, when I heard the scratching noises as I pushed it through the mangroves to get to my holes.


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## Wolfscout (Dec 27, 2013)

super job. I don't think paint stays very well on a Gheenoe. I have used mine so much since '86 that it's been painted about 5 or 6 times. "rainbow camoflage" ;D


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