Pimping my tinny

[trout1105]

I recently bought a 4.2m Quintrex wide body dory with a 2000 vintage 30HP Johson 2 stroke on the back.
The plywood for the deck and at the transom end are pretty crappy due to not being sealed and need to be replaced But otherwise the boat and engine are sound.
This is how it looks at the moment.

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So far on the list
I am planning to replace the plywood on the deck and transom and carpet it.
replace the existing carpet on the thwarts and bow.
fit 2x glove boxes into the thwarts.
fit a couple of swivel seats.
fit an automatic bilge pump
fit some rod holders
fit a set of nav lights/anchor light and deck lighting
Give the engine a full service and add a voltage regulator/rectifier.
replace rollers on the trailer and install new wireing/led lights also replace the wheel bearings.

Let the fun begin[biggrin]

[trout1105]

The deck, thwarts and foredeck have been carpeted.
It was a royal PITA using contact cement.

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[trout1105]

I found a couple of bits of 1/2" PVC sheeting that I have used to replace the rotted boards in the transom area and have also carpeted these[thumbsupbig]
I will attack that crappy door/cover at the bow tomorrow and redesign it so that it is splash proof.
I wonder if the missus will mind if I borrow the vacuum cleaner to use on the boat[bigwhistle]

[Saitch]

In the early 2000s I had a new 4.1 Wide Body, with a 40 Yammie, 4 stroke. Quite a good match of boat and motor. I would shoot over to a few secret spots, off the inside of Moreton, on good days. The Yammie was sooo quite and economical. The hull? Well it was typical for a Quinnie. Not bad, but nothing to write home about.
Having a wider beam does allow a bit more options, floor wise.

The Jayco of the sea, I suppose.[wink11]

[trout1105]

I Love 4 stroke outboards, quiet and very torquey however on a small tinny the extra weight of the 4 stroke can be a problem for me especially with my fat guts down the back of the boat as well.
I have fitted the carpet at the transom and the bilge pump So now I await the boat seats, rod holders, rectifier/voltage regulator, LED trailer lights/wire and plug and glove boxes yet to arrive via snail mail.

I have also removed that nasty rotted door with the steel fittings from the little bow area so that I can come up with something to enclose it properly.

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[trout1105]

I fitted the voltage regulator/rectifier to the outboard today and it puts out 14v at a massive 7A ,Not a massive amount of power But all it has to do is run a piddly little gps/sounder and the bilge pump occasionally.
I do have a 115AH deep cell battery in the boat so even at 7A it should keep that topped up for a while [thumbsupbig]
I ran 6mm dual core to the battery so negligible voltage drop over 2m.

178083

[LRJim]

I fitted the voltage regulator/rectifier to the outboard today and it puts out 14v at a massive 7A ,Not a massive amount of power But all it has to do is run a piddly little gps/sounder and the bilge pump occasionally.
I do have a 115AH deep cell battery in the boat so even at 7A it should keep that topped up for a while [thumbsupbig]
I ran 6mm dual core to the battery so negligible voltage drop over 2m.

178083I've been watching this with interest, my FIL has been telling me to take his old (which is an understatement) hunting tinny home. Rock up home from work today and its sitting near my sheds, It's an 1982 12' stacer with a 15hp 2 stroke on the back not sure what brand I haven't looked that close.
Pretty stoked since it's my first boat, looking at tarting it up and doing similar additions like yours.
Cheers https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20220413/7ed93e0ed8e9bb75360855e60cecdb4a.jpg

[trout1105]

I've been watching this with interest, my FIL has been telling me to take his old (which is an understatement) hunting tinny home. Rock up home from work today and its sitting near my sheds, It's an 1982 12' stacer with a 15hp 2 stroke on the back not sure what brand I haven't looked that close.
Pretty stoked since it's my first boat, looking at tarting it up and doing similar additions like yours

Looks to be pretty sound from that image and the youngun has already fallen in love with it.[thumbsupbig][biggrin]

The biggest job is the initial clean up, Make sure you get all the crap out from under the ribs and get the aluminium nice and clean.
Once it is clean put the bung/bungs back in it and put 6-8 inches of water in the boat to find the holes/cracks and repair these first .
Its hard to tell what the engine is But it could be a 15hp Evenrude, If it is they are a good little donk.and if the compression is OK all it should need is new plugs, a carbly clean/service and change the gear oil in the leg.

Have fun doing it is the most important thing[thumbsupbig]

[trout1105]

I finished closing in the foredeck area.

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[roverrescue]

In all fairness Trout really needs to donate the 30 to LRJim and hunt down a 70cv 3 cylinder yamma-banger for the 4.2

Other than the underpowered situation both rigs look like a lot of fun.

Trout from hazy recollection early 2000s was about the time Quintrex in their ultimate wisdom moved to Chinese ally sheets… older tubs like hopefully yours were far less prone to catching those stress cracks like the later models. Your advice to fillerup is always good practice

S

[trout1105]

In all fairness Trout really needs to donate the 30 to LRJim and hunt down a 70cv 3 cylinder yamma-banger for the 4.2

Other than the underpowered situation both rigs look like a lot of fun.

Trout from hazy recollection early 2000s was about the time Quintrex in their ultimate wisdom moved to Chinese ally sheets… older tubs like hopefully yours were far less prone to catching those stress cracks like the later models. Your advice to fillerup is always good practice

S

15hp on a 12 footer is a good match and anyway most 12 footers arn't rated for anything over 20hp either.
I have had a couple of other 14 foot tinnies with 25hp outboards before and that seemed to work well enough, 30hp will be just fine on this one for my needs[biggrin]

The motor on the Quintrex is a 2000 vintage But I am not sure about the hull But it appears to be in pretty good order as far as cracks/corrosion goes and no leaks from the fill test.
The previous owner seemed to prefer to use steel fixings/fittings instead of stainless/alli/PVC for some odd reason though [bigwhistle]

[roverrescue]

I think power “ratings” are regional and probably a bit personal too!

I can assure that IMO 12 foot stacers perform just about right with a 30 2st . 40hp was a little hard to control but 30 is just right!

a 4.2 for mine will be wanting with a 30 once you’ve got it loaded up - the 70 was a bit tongue in cheek but I ran a rude 50 on a 3.9 for many years and it was powered about right. Many years ago one of the outer island lads won the Prince of Wales challenge in the Torres running a 4.2 quinny and modified merc 90 on the tiller… that thing proper flew.

At least mild steel rusts and leaves the ally mostly ok unlike stainless !!!

[trout1105]

I will only be mucking about in creeks/rivers and inshore and fully loaded is 2 people one tiny dog with 3-4 fishing rods a tackle box and esky.
I am not envisiging doing long runs so speed really isn't an issue for me and the tides here and even in the Pilbara creeks I fish are not an issue either.
Loading up a little 14 foot boat doesn't give me much elbow room and I can't see the point in it.
I am setting this tinny up so that it is uncluttered lightweight, comfortable and importantly economical. So far the "Pimpimg" has only cost me $680 and replacing the outboard will add considerably more to that tally.
The little 30 hp that came with the boat is a good little runner and I have fully serviced it So I think I will stick with it for now[thumbsupbig]

I do enjoy screaming over the water at 30-40kts But in a little tinny even in good weather that sort of speed is bloody uncomfortable and hard on the spine.

[trout1105]

The fitout is pretty much now complete.
I have added a couple of folding swivel seats, a couple of glove boxes in the thwarts and some rod holders.
I will be fitting some LED strips to the gunnals and nav lights at a later stage.

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Now to start on the trailer[bigsad]

[trout1105]

I ran an LED light strip along the inside of the starboard gunnel and inside the bow locker.
Puts out plenty of light so that I can see everything inside the boat and NO direct glare in my eyes from the LED's and it lights up the inside of the bow locker beautifully [thumbsupbig]

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[trout1105]

This is the list of jobs completed so far [bigrolf]

Cleaned all the crap out of the boat.
Filled the hull with water to check for leaks, Found none :)
Degreased outboard and fitted new spark plugs.
Removed old dead battery and replaced it with an ARK 115AH power pack.
Moved boat back on the trailer and replaced, moved added rollers.
Painted the sounder mount.
Replaced and varnished the floorboards.
Replaced perished stern decking with heavy-duty polly decking.
Replaced crappy anchor and rope.
Changed oil in the leg.
Fitted new impeller.
Closed in foredeck and added a door.
Carpeted the deck pieces.
Carpeted both thwarts
Carpeted transom deck pieces.
Carpeted bow area and bow locker.
Cut out hole for second glovebox.
Removed crappy steel fittings.
Fitted automatic bilge pump and wired it up with a manual switch.
Fitted through hull fitting and hose for bilge pump.
Moved battery and secured it.
Fitted voltage regulator and associated wiring installed
Fitted rod holders
Replaced ALL trailer wiring and fitted new LED indicators and numberplate light.
Fitted deck lighting and switch.
Fitted 2x glove boxes.
Fitted 2x swivel seats and mounts.
Fitted old Garmin sounder.

[trout1105]

I took the dinghy out today for sea trials and she does 23kts loaded with 2 people on board[thumbsupbig]
I did however notice the the voltage regulator/ rectifier when running flat out was putting out 16V+ so I disconnected it ASAP before it cooked the battery.

[trout1105]

i had a spare MPPT controller and fitted it between the ouput from the outboard to the battery in an effort to overcome the over voltage drama.
I am now getting 12.8v feed to the battery and have the option of topping up with solar as well [bigrolf][biggrin]

[RANDLOVER]

Forget pimping the tinny now there is an excuse for a bigger boat...
"So we definitely encourage people to choose a bit bigger boat when they're fishing in croc country." DES investigates as Queensland fisher describes 4-metre crocodile jumping into his boat on NYE - ABC News (https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-01-02/north-queensland-fisher-4-metre-crocodile-jumps-into-boat/103279494)

[Tigertuff]

do the fish just jump in now?