Travlin_Man

I have fished with George on two occasions. He is a first class guy and knows the lake as he has fished there in all kinds of conditions. You will be a better fisherman after having spent a day with him.

What a great idea, simple is good

Sorry I can't help as I am on the west coast. We raised a bro. last night , travlin from west to east.

Sorry , missed the brand. With the boat out of the water and the motor off and key off put the motor in gear and see if there is a lot of play in the prop shaft by twisting it back and forth. Then put the shift in nuetral and spin the prop with your hand and see if you notice any woble.

A little more info would help, what brand of motor , horsepower age, type of boat etc.

Try to find a Gheenoe as they are many times more stable than a canoe.

Delco Voyager , my last one only lasted 8 1/2 years.

I would say BS is right. I have had a M K for 8 1/2 yrs. and it is run wide open most of the time as it is the only power on my boat.

The man that invented the Gheenoe did so because he was tired of trying to fish out of a tipy canoe.

A 13 ft. Gheenoe should not be a problem to handle. I have a 15' 6" Gheenoe that I bought new in 1980. I stored it upside down on a rack and just walked under it , put it on my shoulders and carried it to my truck and slid on top of the topper. I am certainly not built like Hercules although I must admit a few years ago I finally bought a trailer for the boat as I am now entering my sixth decade. They are very stable boats and stand up fishing is not at all a cause for concern. I use only electric power so the long narrow shape is a lot easier to push than the square flat end of a jon.

You don't say if the motor you plan to use will be electric or gas. If you are going with an electric the long narrow hull of a canoe type boat will give you more speed and battery life. Have you considered a 13 ft. Gheenoe? They are very stable and give the advantages of a long narrow hull without the tip over factor.

Have you tried Walsigham Park in Largo ? It is 100 acre lake strictly catch and release for bass and lots of places to bank fish and an electric motor only lake so no jet skis etc.

" Outdrive has new skag welded on" Sounds like this boat has been a river runner, rocks etc. Personally I would stay away from an I.O. At least with an outboard boat you can replace the motor a lot easier.

Do you have hydraulic presses and dies to form the hull or will you be building a rectangular floating box? Don't get me wrong , I think that you and your friend have a great amount of creative spirit to even consider the idea, however I think that there may be a lot more involved than most of us realize when we see a nice looking aluminum boat.

Have you checked the price of aluminum? Are you going to use welds on the boat or rivets? You may find that it will cost you a lot more time and $$$ than you originally estimated.