fish box

[awthacker]

I was looking inside this hole in the floor of my '82 and thought that if I could insulate and glass it, it would make a nice fish box. Has anyone seen any similar modifications that I could use as reference or have any suggestions on the process of doing this

[lumberslinger178]

I have a hinged one in the floor of my 87 dually and I have used it several times for fish / cooler ...Ive put a couple bags of ice and it stay for a couple days so that tells me it must be insulated ...mines rite behind the fuel tank most of the time its full of rope and junk.

[Skools Out]

must have round corners and best if light blue in color if you use as live well ever. insulate with 1 1/2" to 2 " house foam and glass up easy weekend project.

[Blue_Runner]

I have a hinged one in the floor of my 87 dually and I have used it several times for fish / cooler ...Ive put a couple bags of ice and it stay for a couple days so that tells me it must be insulated ...mines rite behind the fuel tank most of the time its full of rope and junk.

Rope & "junk".......junk = cleaning supplies. :haha:

[Wolf]

I have a '78 V20 that I converted the storage box into a fish cooler or "catch all" works great, keeps ice for days..

[awthacker]

That's exactly what I'm looking to do. So... just fill it full with "Great Stuff", carve it out to form, then glass & paint? That should be manageable. Nice work on yours.

[Wolf]

That's all you do. I put a thru hull drain and a light in as well. I also put in a rubber mat that I got fom Home Depot to protect the fiberglass, Good luck.

[captpete13]

I had the same opening on my boat that I turned into a fishbox. I used a plastic fish pond insert that I foamed into place. here is the link.
http://www.wellcraftv20.com/community/showthread.php?t=13214

[garagenc]

Fish Tip:

Just to let guys know something I found out. If you use cubed/crushed ice and pour it in the floor of the box instead of leaving it in bags, when you put fish in there the fish will only flop maybe 1 time and then lay quietly.

When I have laid bags or blocks the fish will flop around bloody themselves, making all kinds of noise scaring fish away.

[awthacker]

Most of the time they stop flopping after I run my spear through them, lol. Good icing definitely keeps them fresher and better tasting, though.

[awthacker]

I had the same opening on my boat that I turned into a fishbox. I used a plastic fish pond insert that I foamed into place. here is the link.
http://www.wellcraftv20.com/community/showthread.php?t=13214

I'm reluctant to cut out the floors in mine, but your project may give me the courage I need. The floor is pretty soft under the captain's chair. It is pretty solid other than that, though. Any way to strengthen a small area without removing the entire floor?

[captpete13]

If your good with a saw I would say cut the soft area out. Just cut the top layer of fiberglass, pry out the rotten wood. Then epoxy the new wood to the inner layer of fiberglass. Then epoxy the outter layer of fiberglass back on that you first cut out. Next grind about 2-3 inches on either side all around the seem of your cut and apply a few layers of fiberglass. Then sand and fair as needed with filler then paint it.

[awthacker]

Pete... Following your instructions and it's going good so far. Unfortunately I didn't cut a big enough area out the first time, but it'll work. I'll give it a few days to dry out, then fill it back in.

[awthacker]

Underneath the topskin, I resined in random shape/size squares and rectangles. Two layers of 1/4 inch ply and cloth with an offset pattern on each layer of wood. Should have taken a picture of it during those steps. Here's where I'm leaving off for the day.

[BuilderFL]

Good Job :clap:

[garagenc]

Youre coming right along. Taking pics will allow someone else to do the same to theirs, they can go back to your documentation. Then you'll be a proud grandfather.:clap:

[awthacker]

Youre coming right along. Taking pics will allow someone else to do the same to theirs, they can go back to your documentation. Then you'll be a proud grandfather.:clap:
Yeah, but the "grandkids" will have be able to figure out that a thread titled "fish box" evolves into a floor repair documentation. Here's where I'm at after glassing over the repair. I think I shortcut the glasswork a little by only going with two layers of cloth. The first layer was about 1" wide strips... the second layer strips were about 2" wide.

I'm holding off on the fish box modification for now just to keep the amount of work manageable. I think over the next few years, I'll cut the entire floor out and do exactly what Capt Pete did.

[awthacker]

I used Interlux Brightside paint for the floor. In retrospect, I should've used the two-part like I did on the rest of the deck. It's way harder and more durable. Anyway, it turned out good. I used a no-slip additive, too.

[RWilson2526]

WOW.....looking really sweet.

[captpete13]

looks great! I'm glad it worked out for you.