V HULL ALUMINUM BOAT MAKEOVER, BEFORE AND AFTER: Aluminum V Hull Bass Boat Duck Boat Conversion!

[@flipmyjonboat4485]

Genius with the trolling motor!

[@thefrugalsportsman]

Hey thanks so much! I hope you enjoyed the video and thanks too for watching! God bless!

[@jacknick429]

Ditto !!! Stealing your idea for the front trolling motor mount t and steering/throttle linkage for my 14’ boat !!! BRAVO !!!

[@Cjdklh]

Came here to say the same thing. Nicely done

[@Bandchasers]

I came for the boat and left with a message !! Thanks for the video brother.

[@thefrugalsportsman]

You are so welcome and thank you so much for watching and sharing and may God bless you richly!

[@swilloughby41]

Excellent modification! Exactly what I want to do! I've got a 12 ft v hull rowboat, 'docked' on a brand new trailer, and currently parked in my garage! Cannot wait to get in on the water. Your presentation, from beginning to end, has been inspirational! Thank you!

[@thefrugalsportsman]

You are so very welcome Scott! I'm glad the video was inspiring and helpful and I hope you got some ideas from it that you can use on your own project. I'm sure it will turn out great when you are done! Thanks for watching and God bless!

[@davidschmidt4519]

Great video!! Your closing comments are a great testimony! God bless!

[@thefrugalsportsman]

Thanks so much David for the encouragement as it mean a whole lot! Thanks too for watching and God bless!

[@nightrider5420]

Back when my dad was alive and before small bass rigs were a thing we use to buy or acquire small boats like V hulls and John boats to rig up and use for a season then we would sell them when the next project came along. My father named the company Rusty Hooks Boats after a nickname me and my buddy gave him after looking in his old tackle box. We had some great times and made a few innovations along the way and now I have started modding boats with my son to pass the creativity along. Nice video and never stop being innovative.

[@thefrugalsportsman]

I think it is so wonderful that you and your dad built such wonderful memories together working together! I too have fond memories of working with my dad that will stay with me the rest of my life! Keep up the great work and may you create lifelong memories with your son the same as was created with you and your father! May God bless you and thanks so much for taking the time to watch and share!

[@kevinallen1244]

Watching tonight from Middletown, Ohio! just got an old 12 ft v hull crestliner aluminum boat! It's a project boat and I'm looking to do something like this for my son and me. Thanks for the video. inspirational! I can't wait to get started! Also from one christian to another, GOD BLESS!

[@thefrugalsportsman]

Thanks so much for the positive comment and thanks too for watching. Have fun with your project and may God bless you richly brother!

[@steveelford97]

That trolling motor extension is amazing! I'm 100% stealing that idea for my build. Cheers!

[@thefrugalsportsman]

Thanks and please feel free to use any of my ideas on your build! Good luck on your project. I'm sure it will turn out great! Thanks so much for watching and may God bless you!

[@kennyanstey44]

Very Nice work on the “John Jon” and even better work conveying Gods Love for Us! Well done indeed. I’ll be looking forward to reading your book.

[@thefrugalsportsman]

Thank you so much for your kind and encouraging words. I really appreciate them and your support! Thanks too for watching and may God bless you richly! PS- I hope you enjoy the books!

[@billbudd99]

Hey Mr. Dave , I just stumbled across your channel while searching for boat makeovers. I’m currently redoing a 1985 14/36 John boat, motor & trailer. Just wanted you to know I really enjoyed your makeover of the VHull before & after video & gave me some great ideas. Loved everything you did! I also especially love your message at the end of your video. God can take our brokenness & fix us because he Loves us ! Hope you & John are doing well & still enjoying your fishing 🎣 & hunting together! God Bless 🙏 I did subscribe to your channel so I’ll be binge watching some of your other content. Thanks again ! Billy from Louisiana.

[@thefrugalsportsman]

Hello Billy! You are so welcome and thank you so much for subscribing and for your encouragement. John and I are still fishing together and hoped to get out this week on the boat, but it didn't pan out. Maybe soon though. I'm so glad that you got some ideas for you own project and that the video was a help to you. I hope it all turns out great for you. Thanks so much for watching. Catch em up and may God bless you richly brother!

[@tdwz1652]

your trolling motor throttle extension is awesome

[@thefrugalsportsman]

Thanks, but I can't take the credit for it. I saw something similar on KZbin and made it to fit my application. Hope the video was a help to you. Thanks so much for watching and may God bless you!

[@robertmikita5745]

Just brought a 16 ft starcraft this vlog gives me a lot of ideas very helpful

[@thefrugalsportsman]

Congrats on your new purchase and so glad the video was a help! Thanks for watching and sharing and God bless you on your project! I hope it turns out great!

[@jaysnider4820]

Take some of the black foam pipe insulation and put it on the edges of the plywood for the floor before you wrap the carpet around it. It protects the aluminum as well as filling in any space where your cuts may be off a little. Also prevents small items such as split shot sinkers from getting under the floor boards.

[@thefrugalsportsman]

That's a great tip! Thanks for sharing it! Thanks too for watching and may God bless you!

[@seniorLu48]

I just picked up a 1962 hewescraft in great condition totaly striped out. Your video really adds to my thinking of how to modify it to my needs, it docent take much to make it look awesome. You certainly gave me some great ideas. Thank you.

[@thefrugalsportsman]

You are so welcome and so glad you found the video such a help! Hewescraft makes and awesome boat and I hope you project turns out great! Thanks so much for watching and may God bless you richly!

[@devinmiller2329]

You did a really nice job on this man! A lot of attention to detail!

[@thefrugalsportsman]

Thanks so much Devin! I appreciate those kind words. I really wanted it to be nice for my friend who gave me the boat and who I fish with, so it really was a labor of love. I hope it gave you some ideas to try out yourself. Thanks for the encouragement and for watching! God Bless!

[@rydersilas6543]

Pro tip : watch movies at flixzone. Been using them for watching loads of movies recently.

[@antoniojudson6474]

@Ryder Silas yea, been using Flixzone for since december myself =)

[@liamchristian2661]

@Ryder Silas definitely, have been using Flixzone for years myself =)

[@thebak4d]

She’s a beaut! Just picked up a 14’ for $50 and this is goals!

[@thefrugalsportsman]

Thanks so much. Sounds like you have a nice project coming up and I hope the video was a help to you! Good luck on the build and may God bless you richly!

[@josephpacheco7508]

Amazing work. Great job. Super simple, classy, humble and functional. Keep up the great work. Keep on rippin lips. God bless.

[@thefrugalsportsman]

Thank you so much for your encouraging words! I really appreciate it! I hope too you found the video a help! Thanks so much for watching and commenting and may God bless you richly!

[@dougroberts3643]

You are a true craftsman. Very knowledgeable in many areas. Love how picky you are with such a high quality of work.... I wrote this before the end of the video. I want to also thank you for the closing comments. What a blessing to have a Brother in Christ getting the Word out. Thank you

[@thefrugalsportsman]

Thank you so much Doug for your kind and encouraging words! I really appreciate the support and thank you too for watching! May God bless you richly!

[@sipowine]

THANK YOU! Special ending I very much enjoyed. God Bless you as well!

[@thefrugalsportsman]

Thank you Todd! I'm glad you enjoyed both the video and the message! Thanks for watching and God bless!

[@GoJimBailey]

Very inspiring. I have a 50's Elgin I think from Sears deep V aluminum 14-foot very very similar to this one and you have given me inspiration and plenty of ideas and I have been looking for that for sometime God bless you have a great day and thank you

[@GoJimBailey]

And I especially enjoyed the spiritual ending and your comments very very much right on spot God bless you sir

[@thefrugalsportsman]

So glad the video was a help to you and gave you some ideas to add to your project! It has been amazing how God has used this channel to touch people at just the right time with his message of hope and that's what it is all about! Thanks so much for watching and your positive comment and may God bless you richly!

[@RM-lk1so]

I did something similar back in 92. A regular 14ft Flatt bottom john boat. In Florida we have Native plants everywhere. So once primed, i gave it a dark coat of green. Then picked assorted plant leaves. And used used them as stencils. Four colors of green. Amd some grey. I used green out door carpeting. I used old (small ) bucket seats from the junk yard. Just put regular "Gree" plywood on the deck with 2×s as a frame as you did. Definitely reinforced the transom. Was freaking great. All for a few hundred bucks. Amd some love

[@thefrugalsportsman]

Sounds like it was a great project and brought back some memories thinking about it! That's what it is all about! Thanks for sharing your story and for watching! Take care and may God bless you richly!

[@rjtrucking2251]

I have a 1964 I'm working on and your set up is perfect

[@thefrugalsportsman]

So glad the video helped you out! Good luck with your project I know it will turn out great! Thanks for watching and God bless!

[@rjtrucking2251]

@@thefrugalsportsman 🙏

[@rayjrdibenedetto867]

Hi. Great video. Thanks! I bought a 1956 Wolverine with a 25 hp Evinrude that hasn’t ran in a long time- i received a 1968 6 hp Johnson and my neighbor and i rebuilt it. New points,condensers,coils,plugs,impeller and rebuilt the carb. Finally took it out last week and it was great to see it in the water and have the motor run well also! Still have some stuff to do to it but was nice seeing what we have done already! Wanted to work on the smaller motor first- it was another neighbor who had passed and the wife gave me the motor for helping her with lawn cutting and snowblowing. I bow fish and the lake i have ben to has restrictions. Thanks again for more ideas! Have a good night

[@thefrugalsportsman]

Ray so glad the video was helpful to you! You seem like a really handy guy and it is so good that you were able to restore some of the old boat and motors and get them back out on the water. What a great feeling of satisfaction to take something that has been setting and putting it to use. Keep up the great work! Thanks too for watching and may God bless you my friend!

[@jerrycarroll1105]

Great job. I am blessed by the encouragement to know God

[@thefrugalsportsman]

Thank you Jerry! I appreciate your encouraging words! May God bless you richly and thank you for watching!

[@BruceBanner-ot2ni]

Love the video. I'm renovating a V-Hull and this was very helpful

[@thefrugalsportsman]

I'm so glad you found it a help and hopefully you got some ideas to build from. Thanks so much for watching and may God bless you!

[@larrytouchet4547]

You really did awesome work on this boat love your videos I’m building one now thank you so much for doing your videos they are very helpful thank you I’m Larry from Louisiana

[@thefrugalsportsman]

Thank you Larry for your kind words. I really appreciate the positive feedback and so glad you find my videos a help. Have fun with you project boat and I hope it turns out great! Thanks too for watching and may God bless you!

[@andyluna2476]

Good word Brother i enjoy when people share the word !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and nice work on that boat

[@thefrugalsportsman]

Thanks so much! I appreciate you kind words! My hope is others might know the power of God's love as well! Thanks too for watching and sharing and may God bless you richly!

[@calebh2642]

I fish small lakes in northern Ontario and have no need for a “big” boat. Been looking ideas for what I can do to my old aluminum instead of buying some super expensive new one and man you have done a hell of a job with this little rig

[@thefrugalsportsman]

Thanks so much for those kind words. I really appreciate that. This boat has been awesome and gotten us into many of the smaller lakes where a big boat can't go. It fishes 3 people comfortably and does all I ask of it. I hope the video gave you some ideas to set yourself up with a similar rig of your own. Thanks so much too for watching and taking the time to share your thoughts and may God bless you richly!

[@thomaseparks5828]

Good work on upgrading your boat. You gave me some ideas for redoing my 14' V-Hull aluminum boat

[@thefrugalsportsman]

Thank you so much! I'm glad the video helps you with some ideas. Good luck with your project, I hope it turns out great! Thanks for watching and God bless!

[@Bikes_N_Adventure]

I absolutely love your external live well idea! Excellent work on your boat!

[@thefrugalsportsman]

Hey thanks so much for the encouraging comment! I really appreciate it! Hope the video helped and thanks for watching. God bless!

[@jeffreyJavs304]

I hate to be a hater, but it really isn’t worth anything until it’s back in the water to see how all those rivets hold back up. I am anxious to see the result of all the hard work!

[@Bikes_N_Adventure]

@@jeffreyJavs304 Small leaks are to be expected on an older riveted boat, you can always seal the interior of the hull or tighten some of the rivets.

[@filmedby_val]

Great job on the boat restoration and thank you for posting this video. I was searching ideas for a simple casting platform on my 14-foot boat, but now I have mission for the spring and summer.

[@thefrugalsportsman]

Thanks you and I'm so glad that the video was helpful to you. I'm sure your project will turn out great and I hope you enjoy the upcoming season on your updated boat! Thanks for watching and God bless!

[@kevinbrooks3913]

Beautiful workmanship...I am going to do the same to my little 12 footer.....God Bless

[@thefrugalsportsman]

Thank you Kevin! I hope you got something out of the video and I'm sure your project boat will turn out great! Thanks too for watching and my God bless you as well!

[@joshb.642]

Just came across your video due to me having just bought a boat similar to the one you restored here. A nice little v Hull starcraft if I'm not mistaken and want to make it look a little like this so thanks for the walk around. This is not the reasoning for my comment tho, your last statement at the end of the video is awesome and God loves you too sir. I subscribed for that reason, not the boat haha. Stay blessed!!

[@thefrugalsportsman]

Thanks so much Josh for you subscription and your encouraging words! I appreciate it! I'm sure your boat remodel will turn out great and I'll glad that hopefully I was able to share some ideas! Thanks again and my God bless you richly!!!

[@edallen5119]

God Bless you Sir. I love the boat and you for your heart

[@thefrugalsportsman]

Thank you so much Ed! Thanks too for watching and may God bless you as well!

[@richardtrowell8812]

Wonderful and practical. Camouflage looks great.

[@thefrugalsportsman]

Thanks so much and glad you liked the video! Thanks too for watching and may God bless you!

[@rclayton80]

That is a clean looking build. Everything you need and nothing you don't. I'm going to be doing a 50s 14ft alumacraft just like this come spring.

[@thefrugalsportsman]

Hey thanks so much for the compliment! I appreciate it! Good luck on your makeover and hopefully I was able to help you with some ideas. Thanks for watching and God bless!

[@theknightcrossing]

I really enjoyed your boat. I was beyond thrilled with your closer message. Blessings, brother!

[@thefrugalsportsman]

Thank you so much for you gracious and encouraging words! I really appreciate it! Thanks so much for watching and may God bless you as well brother!

[@overlandsurvival8821]

Amazing build! Very good work with the front trolling motor!! Genius actually

[@thefrugalsportsman]

Thanks so much for you kind and encouraging words! I really appreciate it! I hope the video was a help to you as well. Thanks so much for watching and commenting and may God bless you richly!

[@bullishbarbert2903]

1952 larson grandson and I are rebuilding. Thank you sir

[@thefrugalsportsman]

You're welcome! Glad to see your grandson is involved. No better way then to share memories like that! Blessings!

[@dominicmarrara7050]

Did a really nice job and I really appreciate your closing comments. God Bless!

[@thefrugalsportsman]

Thanks so much! And thanks too for watching! God bless!

[@bagerton]

Great Restoration. I have a 14 ft Gamefisher Vhull and would love to restore like this. The paint scheme is the best. I have a 15 hp Gamefisher (Mercury) to get back running and the complete trailer rework. Great Video and thanks for sharing

[@thefrugalsportsman]

Thanks so much and you are so welcome! Sounds like you have a neat project boat. I hope your project turns out great and remember to enjoy the journey as you do it! Thanks too for watching and may God bless you richly!

[@michaelmilton4427]

Wow excellent excellent video ! Love the mods. I just made a deal on a similar boat tonight, it's a 12 footer. Can't wait to see the step by step tutorial on how you did it. Icing the cake sharing about Christ. Loved it

[@thefrugalsportsman]

Thanks so much for your encouraging words and may God bless you!

[@hammer9856]

Working on my 14 footer v-bottom currently... Using aluminum framing with plywood decking (resin coated),...Got some great ideas here in your vid...Thanks and God bless you.

[@thefrugalsportsman]

So glad you found the video a help and maybe can glean some ideas! Good luck on your project. I'm sure it will turn out great! Thanks so much for watching and God bless!

[@240zron]

Awesome build, I'm building out a 14' aluminum V-hull at the moment and hopefully it will turn out something like yours, awesome job!

[@thefrugalsportsman]

Thanks so much Ron! Glad the video was a help to you and I'm sure your project boat will turn out great. Just remember to enjoy the journey as that is part of the fun! Thanks too for watching and sharing and may God bless you richly!

[@Ocho-Sinko]

I enjoyed your boat rebuild and specially your words at the end of the video. Salute from your new subscriber.

[@thefrugalsportsman]

Thanks so much for your kind words and subscribing! Welcome aboard and may God bless you richly!

[@kellybrian6495]

Very nice and inspirational work! Your video inspires me to do good work on my 1970s Starcraft! No need to buy a brand new boat when there are old gems eating to be rebuilt!

[@thefrugalsportsman]

Thanks so much for your kind and encouraging words! I really appreciate it! I hope the video was helpful to you. Thanks too for watching and my God bless you and your project build!

[@vindivergilio3482]

I'm currently building out what I think is the same year/model boat. Thank you for the ideas. God bless.

[@thefrugalsportsman]

Awesome! I hope your project turns out great and the video was helpful to you! Thanks for watching and God bless you as well!

[@barryhanamann4453]

Amen brother, enjoyed your video.This spring I am redoing my 12 foot boat.Thankyou for all the tips.

[@thefrugalsportsman]

You are welcome! Glad you liked the video and it was helpful. I'm sure your project will turn out great as well. Thanks for watching and God bless you!

[@JustinTyme1966]

Exceptional job...good message at the end of the video brother. I wish you would have posted the videos of you doing the work on the boat.

[@thefrugalsportsman]

Thank you so much! yeah putting the video together became sort of an overview.I do have plan hopefully this spring sharing how to projects of the build like the fish basket holder, motor extension and more. Thanks again for watching and sharing your kind words. May God bless you richly my brother!

[@JustinTyme1966]

@@thefrugalsportsman God bless

[@Dragnet2]

Came out great….good thinking on the trolling motor steering system

[@thefrugalsportsman]

Thanks so much for your encouraging words! I appreciate it! I hope the video was helpful to you as well! Thanks for watching and God bless!

[@hankimus10]

Amen brother! God is good!

[@thefrugalsportsman]

Thanks so much for your support and for watching and may God bless you richly!

[@jordanz6901]

Great video, ive got an old Montgomery ward 12ft that id love to do this with. Im especially thankful you commented on the pressure treated wood as i would have never known that. Thanks again

[@thefrugalsportsman]

You are more than welcome, and so glad you found the video a help! I wish you all the best with you boat project as well. Thanks so much for watching and may God bless you!

[@TheGoatMumbler]

Nice job Dave!

[@thefrugalsportsman]

Thanks so much and thanks for watching! May God bless you and your day!

[@TheCamaro68rs]

Super restoration! Extremely well thought out.You have a very nice boat.

[@thefrugalsportsman]

Thanks so much for watching and for your kind words! I appreciate it! I hope too that the video was helpful to you! God bless and take care!

[@BenjaminHibbler]

Great job, great ideas. You gave some really good ideas! Thanks

[@jesusfamilyoutdoors1554]

Good work man. That trolling motor hack is awesome! I'll sub for sure. Awesome message 2 brother!

[@thefrugalsportsman]

Thanks so much for your kind words. I really appreciate it! Thanks too for watching and subscribing and may God bless you and all you do!

[@kingtut5923]

No 1 , love that boat . Wanted to do mine like yours.

[@thefrugalsportsman]

Thanks so much! I appreciate the encouragement! Thanks too for watching and subscribing! God bless!

[@timothyclingerman5430]

@@thefrugalsportsman you will just need to extend the seats 12 -16" higher so that you are not cranking your knees to get up and down.

[@thefrugalsportsman]

@@timothyclingerman5430 I sit and drive from the back seat and haven't used a post. I'll have to try your suggestion and see if it makes it more comfortable. Thanks for the suggestion. Blessings!

[@martinbroduer1976]

I love the fish creel mounted in the ore lock! Genius

[@thefrugalsportsman]

Thanks! It comes in really handy and keeps the fish alive all day. Thanks so much for watching and may God bless you!

[@sgtkrazykramer]

I've been trying to decide how I would turn my 14 ft v bottom boat into a bass boat. Your boat video will help! That's for sharing

[@thefrugalsportsman]

You're more than welcome and so glad the video wa a help to you! Good luck on your project! I'm sure it will turn out great! Thanks for watching and my God bless you and your day!

[@michaeldixon3445]

It looks very nice. If the jb weld fails try marine tex its a 2 part epoxy as well but is designed for hull repair and can even be applied under water. I used it to a radiator and it worked great and i also used it on a fuel tank that was leaking gas when applied, the gas didn't hinder the performance of the patch. The tank out lasted the truck. I look forward to your next build or seeing you land some big bass or crappie. God bless and enjoy

[@thefrugalsportsman]

Michael, thanks so much for the encouraging words and the info. I'll keep what you shared in mind. I'm working on posting some new videos and hope you enjoy them. Thanks again for watching and God bless!

[@tomjones7558]

Tom Jones, Great job on the boat. I hope you do not mind me using some of your ideas to redo my boat. Also, Thank you Sir for the wonderful message about our Lord and Savior. Well done.

[@thefrugalsportsman]

You're welcome and thank you Tom. Please feel free to use whatever ideas you might have gotten from the video. That's what they are there for. Thank you too for your encouraging words they are appreciated! Good luck on your project and God bless!

[@storyman34]

Nice rig, making use of all available space. Small boats are the best for fishing hard to get to spots. Love the Camo paint job.

[@thefrugalsportsman]

Thanks so much for your kind thoughts and for sharing! I really appreciate it! Thanks too for watching and God bless!

[@mymessage9]

I have a boat my brother gave me before he died that I want to restore just like yours. I absolutely love the camo color, pattern, and want to get as close as I can to match your look. Any directions for the paint job would be greatly appreciated. This would honor my brother nicely. Thank you for your video and your message. To spending more time with the Creator...

[@thefrugalsportsman]

I'm so sorry to hear about your brother. I'm sure restoring his boat will help serve to trigger some great memories you shared together each time you use it. For the paint job if memory serves me right (it's been a while) I purchased a gallon of flat latex paint in olive green and spray painted the whole boat that color with my spray gun and compressor. Then I bought a few cans of spray paint. For the flat black color I used the 99 cent cans from Home Depot. For the other spray can color I bought Rustoleum 2X paint in Satin finish and Fossil color. I got those on sale at Ace Hardware 2 for $7. For the stencils I went online and Googled free printable stencils and saved the image to my computer. I used a cattail image and two bent marsh grass images. After printing them I took a razor knife and cut out some of the printed ink parts to make the stencils. You will need to make several as they get wet and sag from use if you print them on regular paper. So I would use one for a few feet and then get a new one. I placed the stencil tight against the boat and spayed the paint through it. Overlapping the black and then fossil as you go along give somewhat of a 3D effect. Because I had the green as a base I used mostly black for contrast and the Fossil for highlights. I think I even added some 2X spray paint in Oregano color as well. Before painting though I measured for the length of my boat numbers and taped off a rectangle for a place to stick my numbers so they could be clearly seen. I painted the hull upside down with the stencils upside down as well so the finish product would be right side up. I did that so I could camo the entire boat right to the keel. Then when it was dry I flipped the boat over and did the inside as well. I hope that helps and I didn't forget anything. Good luck with your project! I'm sure it will turn out great and I'm sure your brother would be very, very proud! Thanks so much for watching and sharing and may God bless you richly!

[@mymessage9]

@@thefrugalsportsman Thank you!!!!!!

[@thefrugalsportsman]

@@mymessage9 You're welcome and glad to help!

[@oriond8677]

Love the paint job

[@thefrugalsportsman]

Thanks so much! I think it works great all around whether I'm going to be using the boat fishing or duck hunting and it hides any imperfections in the hull too! Thank so much for watching and God bless!

[@denmar355]

Excellent job! My only long term concern is your leak repairs on the bottom. Maybe it will be ok. But everything else looks like you did an amazing job! Thank you for your inspiring message that God loves us!

[@thefrugalsportsman]

Thanks so much! The boat does take on some water over a the day on the water, but it's not that much that it has been an issue. If is do have a problem down the road I can give the inside of the boat a coat of Glove-It sealer. The product is supposed to work wonderfully sealing even tiny holes. I just didn't want to put the money into it for now as the product isn't cheap. Thanks so much for watching and taking the time to share and may God bless you and your week!

[@zrkn1]

Amen Brother, we need GOD more than ever in these crazy times. The next 9 months will be some trying days for all Americans.

[@thefrugalsportsman]

Thanks for your encouragement brother. I really appreciate it. God is working a lot in people's lives right now. I am blessed to hear about it in the comments often, and no matter what, I think we need to remember two things: first, that is that God is in control of everything and second: that this is not our final home. Those thoughts bring me great comfort and hope they do the same for you as well. You are indeed a very rich man if you know and put your faith in Jesus! God bless brother and thanks so much for sharing!

[@TheTimbalero]

Great job Sir!! Amen!! I agree, there is nothing like the love of God!! His forgiveness and mercy is always available to us!! God bless you my brother! I myself have a 12ft boat just like yours I just acquired and am in the process of restoring and I am going to use some of your ideas. Tha KS again fir the great video! You have an awesome rig!

[@thefrugalsportsman]

Thanks you so much for your kind and encouraging words! I really appreciate it and your support! To God goes all the praise! I hope you gained some ideas from the video and that it a huge help on your project and that it turns out great! Thanks again and may God bless you richly my brother!

[@stevenyoungheim4837]

Love the boat, great job

[@thefrugalsportsman]

Thanks so much and thanks too for watching and may God bless you!

[@craigthimm184]

Good video but the ending got me to subscribe! God bless !

[@thefrugalsportsman]

Thanks so much for subscribing Craig! I really appreciate it. It is my hope and my prayer that the people that can be closest to God by being in creation would get to know the one who created it all personally and have their lives restored back to him. Thanks again for sharing and for watching and ma y God bless you richly!

[@davidfrank2824]

You have really done a fantastic job. I love your use of PVC. A lot of people don't realize there's more use for that than plumbing. I keep different sizes of pipe in the garage that I use for different things. I absolutely love what you did with the trolling motor handle. I honestly was thinking about that myself. I know Minn kota sells a extension and some of their motors do come with the extension. The only bad part it's not very long and it does not have a flexible joint. I never even thought about a flexible joint. That was absolutely genius. I also love how you cut the PVC to fit over the handle. I was thinking of something similar but your way is a hundred times better. I made sure to hit the like button and subscribe button I figure that's at least I could do with all the great ideas that you have given me.

[@thefrugalsportsman]

David thanks so much for your gracious and encouraging words! I'm so glad that the video was helpful to you and you got some ideas that you can use. Thanks too for subscribing and giving the video a thumbs up! I really appreciate it. Good luck on your project and God bless!

[@asclark0970]

Great looking boat.

[@thefrugalsportsman]

Thanks so much for those kind words! Thanks too for watching and may God bless you!

[@ryankemp8230]

This is genius. Awesome job!

[@thefrugalsportsman]

Hey thanks so much for your encouraging words I appreciate it! Thanks for watching and may God bless your day!

[@patrickhawkinson8399]

You could possibly use some kind of slider seat mount in the back too instead of the two separate mounts.

[@thefrugalsportsman]

You could, but I'm not aware of any that are made and rather than try and build one it was simple and easy just to add another seat base. Thanks for watching and the suggestion. God bless!

[@patrickhawkinson8399]

@@thefrugalsportsman They do exist. Rail type mounts. I have one in my boat for a similar reason with the motors. But yeah, your approach is probably just as easy if you have the bench space.

[@thefrugalsportsman]

@@patrickhawkinson8399 Thanks I'll have to look into them as it sounds like a neat concept! Blessings!

[@ladybugbaca386]

Thank you God loves you too

[@thefrugalsportsman]

Thank you so much! Thanks too for watching and sharing and may God bless you richly!

[@becomingminnesotan5288]

Seriously...great video but even a more powerful ending! Thanks for sharing :)

[@thefrugalsportsman]

Thank you so much for the encouraging words! I really appreciate your positive feedback it means a lot! Thanks for watching and God bless!

[@RobertF-cs7fx]

you did a clean job with your platforms. I especially like your bow trolling motor handle. I see your hinges are hidden, please explain how you mounted them?

[@thefrugalsportsman]

Thanks so much for your kind comments. To mount the hinges install the carpet first then lay the plywood door on a flat surface and place and screw the hinges on the edge of the plywood with the hinge pin portion facing up. Do both hinges. Take the door and set it in the opening and mark with a piece of tape where the outside of each hinge ends. Then the door out of the opening and hold the door with the hinges so they dangle on the bottom. With the hinges open lower the hinges in the opening so they rest on the opening support and the outside of the hinge aligns with the tape you marked it with. Then screw them to the edge of the plywood in the opening. The door should close perfectly with the only thing expose being the hinge pins. Hope that helps. Thanks so much for watching and may God bless you!

[@AlexGarcia-ex3lg]

Nice build ! Love the video amen

[@thefrugalsportsman]

Thank you! 🤗 So glad you enjoyed it and thanks so much for your encouraging words! Thanks too for watching and may God bless you richly!

[@peterpauwels4610]

Looks great. Looking forward to more of your videos.

[@thefrugalsportsman]

Thanks so much Peter! I appreciate you kind words. Thanks for watching and God bless!

[@kingtut5923]

Your a hell of a nice guy and helping John.

[@thefrugalsportsman]

Thanks for those kind words King Tut I appreciate it! God bless you and thanks for watching!

[@stevehitchcock7617]

Looks great I Want to do the same to my 12ft v hull

[@thefrugalsportsman]

Thanks! It really is a joy to fish this boat the way it is set up. I wish you the best on your project and sure it will turn out great! Thanks too for watching and may God bless you!

[@FranksDIY]

Nice job. Thank you for sharing some of your ideas

[@thefrugalsportsman]

My pleasure! So glad you found the video a help! Thanks so much for watching, take care and God bless!

[@heartlandrails]

I hv a 12’ Sears rowboat. I need oars. Yours looked like the correct size. Where did you find them and the oarlocks? TY

[@thefrugalsportsman]

Both the oarlocks and the oars came with the boat. They are aluminum and I painted them black for duck hunting. The paddle ends are plastic and curved to catch more water. I wish I could be more help than that. You can probably find a similar set on Amazon, Dick's sporting goods or Bass pro shops. Thanks so much for watching and may God bless you!

[@dankbox4504]

Man you hook it up I love small fishing boats

[@thefrugalsportsman]

Thanks so much. Glad you like the video. Thanks too for watching and may God bless you!

[@wittelarry1]

Nice boat

[@thefrugalsportsman]

Thanks so much! Thanks too for watching and may God bless you!

[@keikan1479]

I've been going through a mountain of videos but all of them required so many alteration to my boat. This is by far the simplest but effective build I've seen so far. I am new to fishing and boating. I got myself an old 1976 14 aluminum boat and I have restored it to the best of my abilities. Now this year, I want to upgrade it and this video just did it for me. Any advice on where to mount the fish finder?, I have a portable all season one that is in a carry case. Should I just leave in the case or hard wire it? and where?. Thanks

[@thefrugalsportsman]

Thanks so much for the compliment. I appreciate it! I'm sure your project will turn out great. Just take your time and don't rush things. Enjoy the journey and make it fun. I have a portable fishfinder as well that I started using on my boat until I upgraded to the Garmin Striker in the video. What is great about the portable is that you can put it anywhere. If you have a front seat like mine you can set it on the floor there and still have the transducer mounted on the back of the boat. I mounted the one on the boat now where I would be fishing most, so being I usually drive the boat from the rear I just mounted it where I could see it best and still have it out of the way. The Striker is hard wired and that is nice because it gives a read out for the battery voltage, but the portable should last you several days of use. Just use the portable to start by moving it around and using it in different spots until you know where it works best for you. I hope that helps and you have a super fishing season. Thanks too for watching and sharing and God bless!

[@timothyclingerman5430]

@@thefrugalsportsman Only issue is the front seat is only 2ft tall, trying to fish from this platform will make for some achey knees.

[@thefrugalsportsman]

@@timothyclingerman5430 I have other size posts I made, but this seems to be the best one for my friend John and that's his seat. I kind of small in stature and it seems to work well for him. Thanks for watching and God bless!

[@greywolfoutdoorshomestead9962]

Thank you for the ideas. Sweet boat build brother

[@thefrugalsportsman]

So glad you found the video helpful and you are more than welcome! I hope you can use some of the ideas on your own boat! Thanks for watching and God bless!

[@derrickwhitehead8894]

Good bless you sir

[@thefrugalsportsman]

Thank you so so much! Thanks so much for watching as well and may God bless you richly my friend!

[@youalone99]

Great video and tips. Very inspirational. I have hopes to build my own now. Thanks for the good message at the end also. I'll won't spoil it for the other listeners. I'm just getting started with moding jon boats. Was your boat a 14 footer? What was the total boat and trailer weight after the mods. I have a CRV, so being very mindful to keep my tow weight down. Do you think a 12 foot is doable for this build. I want take my 2 young boys fishing in the future, but don't want too large of a boat

[@thefrugalsportsman]

My boat is a 14 footer and I was very conscious of weight. I didn't weight it afterward but my gross trailer capacity is only around 1200 lbs. it tracks beautifully with my Nissan Xterra and I am sure the boat and trailer weight is well below gross capacity. The average dry hull weight of a 14' aluminum V hull boat is usually under 200 lbs. As far as added weight, the weight of 1/2" pressure treated plywood is around 60 lbs per sheet and I used 2 sheets. Then there was the 2 x 3 framing with each 2 x 3 weighing just over 1 lb., so figure 10 lbs for that. With seat baseplates and other odds and ends figure another 30 lbs. All in all the additional added weight to the boat was around 160 lbs. give or take. My boat is also a deep v hull and is very stable even with 3 adults in it. I'm not sure what kind of 12 foot boat you have or are considering, but if it is a flat bottom Jon boat it I don't think it would be as stable as a v hull. Also the width of the boat is something else to consider. Some 12 footers are wide and others narrow. The wider the more stable it is and then too you need to take into consideration the boat capacity sticker and never exceed that. For me my 14 footer is perfect and if you haven't purchased a boat yet I'd go with a 14 footer as your boys will be getting older and heavier as time goes on. I'm not an expert or engineer in boat design, but those are my thoughts to help you pursue things further. Hope that helps some! Thanks for watching and sharing and God bless!

[@richl2723]

AMEN, and thanks for the great video and message!!

[@thefrugalsportsman]

You are so welcome and thank you for both those kind words and for watching and may God bless you richly!

[@scotts6723]

awesome build

[@thefrugalsportsman]

Thanks so much. I hope you found the video a help. Thanks too for watching and may God bless you!

[@Gbrl.dvs96]

I liked the video until the end… then I loved it. Much appreciated video sir. Jesus saves

[@thefrugalsportsman]

Thank you so much for your encouraging words. They were so appreciated! Thanks too for watching and may God bless you richly!

[@MyBigAzzPimple]

I have the exact same boat and I need to build it like this.. It’ll be great if he show how he actually rebuild it

[@thefrugalsportsman]

Sorry I didn't go into the details you were looking for, but if you scroll through the comments you will see where I share the steps with others in just how to did the build and you can also take note of the photos I have in the video showing the framing. Hope that helps. Thanks for watching and may God bless you!

[@JeffCrook2284]

Awesome video. Wish you had individual videos of how you did the frame from the start

[@thefrugalsportsman]

Thanks so much for the encouraging words. Sorry not having videos of the frame build. Hopefully the picture insets help. If you look further down in the comments I've also laid out the build and how I attach things in more detail for others that might be helpful to you. If you need some more details on something specific or have a question just send me a comment and I'll do all I can to help.Thanks for watching and God bless!

[@JeffCrook2284]

@@thefrugalsportsman I’ve used your video as a guideline for my boat and thanks for all the info. If you have a video of how you made the front seat pedestal I’d love to see it. You explained it well but I’m a visual learner lol. Thanks again for all the vids

[@thefrugalsportsman]

@@JeffCrook2284 Yeah, I really need to do some additional videos on how to make some of the accessories for the boat as it would probably be more helpful for people. Hope your project turns out great! Thanks again and God bless!

[@NigelRedding]

Really wanting to do something to my jon boat as well!! Thanks for the great video brother!!

[@thefrugalsportsman]

Glad you liked the video and I hope it gave you some ideas as well! Thanks for watching and God bless!

[@FishinOnaMission]

That's awesome, I'm trading my kayak for a 12 ft Vhull aluminum boat today..

[@thefrugalsportsman]

Thanks so much and hope you found the video a help! Good luck with your new boat! Thanks too for watching and may God bless you!

[@Joel19560]

Looks great

[@thefrugalsportsman]

Thanks! I appreciate that! Thanks too for watching and God bless you!

[@Bj-vi3tq]

Great video and very informative. I'm considering doing a project like this. How stable is the boat when fishing from the deck?

[@thefrugalsportsman]

My friend John rides seated up on the front pedestal and I ride in the back and we never had an issue with stability although I don't recommend fishing while standing. You just have to watch your weight and don't exceed the manufactures boat capacity listed on the boat. I think is helps a lot too that the boat is a "V" hull as well. Thanks for watching and may God bless you!

[@thomaseparks5828]

I know this video is a few years old, do you have a video how you constructed the decking to what the boat looks like now

[@thefrugalsportsman]

Sorry I didn't do a step by step build, but in this video you can see the framing in some of the before photos throughout the video, and because several people wanted more details I've talked about the step by step process in the comments to walk people through exactly how I did the build. Hope that helps. Thanks so much for watching and may God bless!

[@thomaseparks5828]

@@thefrugalsportsman Thank you for the reply. I will read your replies to other people's questions. Thank you

[@thefrugalsportsman]

You are so welcome!

[@jeremiahwright6413]

Nice job

[@thefrugalsportsman]

Thank you! Thanks too for watching and may God bless you!

[@michaelfrench343]

Awesome video and info I like all the tips and how to info.

[@thefrugalsportsman]

Thanks so much. I appreciate your encouraging words! Thanks too for watching and God bless!

[@marshillthrill5965]

Yes Jesus! Amen! Go brother!

[@thefrugalsportsman]

Thanks so much for the encouragement! Thanks for watching and sharing! God bless!

[@timothyclingerman5430]

@@thefrugalsportsman once again, the lord helps those that help themselves. Be joyous in life, for it is all so short. God bless you all.