# Grumman Sport Boat Mod's



## jmmcgarr (Oct 14, 2013)

We just found a Grumman Sport Boat to add to our fleet and I am looking for some input. The boat is bone stock, OD green, a single set of oarlocks, foam under the bow and gunwales. I believe these things mean the boat falls into the second generation of sport boats.
Here is what I would like to do:
1. Remove the shear plate and foam from the bow to gain some additional storage space.
2. Cut the bottom 2-4" off the downstanding flange of the rear seat to allow oars to pass through + added storage.
3. Run our 6.5hp long tail on the boat.
4. Add a stand-up/grab handle to the starboard side.
5. Add a winch mount, Shi Kid has posted some good pics for reference. 
6. Add runners to the bottom, Shi Kid again
7. Add a drain plug to get the Shi Muck out of the boat 
Anybody have any suggestions, lessons learned, or opinions?
Thanks


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## Shiawassee_Kid (Nov 28, 2000)

sounds about right. here's old pic when i did mine.


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## moose1 (Dec 31, 2013)

i added a eye bolt in the front that to help keep the boat on the trailer. I use a 9.9 outboard on it and its about 75 lbs it rides bow high with that much weight on the back, you may want to check the weight of your long tail before putting it on or at least try it out before putting the grab bar on it. I had butch put a winch and rails on mine and its pretty sweet. Was this the boat that they guy was selling on here in saginaw township?


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## jmmcgarr (Oct 14, 2013)

No it was actually a guy down the lake that has had it sitting upside down on the beach for years. We finally just asked if he wanted to sell it


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## Shiawassee_Kid (Nov 28, 2000)

i've seen one running a long tail but it was bigger version of the boat. there's 2 styles...an newer broader...more arched version and a older narrow and less arched version. I don't know exact dates on the differences. with mud motor you just can't go real big.


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## wannabapro (Feb 26, 2003)

Shiawassee_Kid said:


> sounds about right. here's old pic when i did mine.


Looks like you shot your dog with the rivet gun! :yikes:


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## aknative (Jan 4, 2017)

Hello from Alaska!  I joined this forum just for the Grumman sport boat modifications. 

jmmcgar, how did your modifications pan out?

Shiawassee, how is your boat holding up? How difficult would it be to put new UHMW strips on those particular runners?

Mine is stock right now other than Gator Glide on the bottom, with a small kit from Swamp Runner mated with a 212 Predator. Been a sweet rig, not as fast as my 1432 flat bottom but tougher and better for hauling loads. 

















I mostly love the boat once it's on the water. The rear bench is about useless as I don't sit that far back but it's handy for keeping contents from moving forward and is sometimes a handy place to put things down. But the center bench could potentially get in the way when trying to put long cargo in the bottom. Would it be detrimental to the structure of the boat to remove the center and maybe forward benches?

Transporting the boat with the motor on can be annoying. I don't have a boat trailer dedicated to my small rigs and just use a utility trailer. I'm wary of just setting it down on that T bulb keel and strapping it down, so I've put 4 inch thick styrofoam down and strapped the boat down on top of that. Worked fine, but man some runners like Shiawassee's to keep the boat from rocking on the keel so I could just strap the boat down on the wood deck with some of the load in it would be great.

Before stumbling across Shiawassee's runners, my thought was using aluminum channel with UHMW fit tight in the channel but also protruding from it, and bolting them to the bottom of the boat with the UHMW facing down and the bolts countersunk in the UHMW. My thoughts for using the channel are that it would help keep the boat rigid but also provide a better surface for calking around the bolt holes then UHMW. Any thoughts on this?

Be safe out there!


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## Far Beyond Driven (Jan 23, 2006)

Add a drain plug to get the Shi Muck out of the boat 

Good luck with that. The stuff around the parking lots is some of the stickiest gumbo I've ever seen.


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## old professor (Oct 26, 2008)

One of the first things that I did when I bought my Sport boat was to install a drain plug in the stern. That would still be my first modification. Because of several restless companions (two legged and four legged) I wanted more stability from possibly tipping over. I got on the internet and found a clamp on sponsons. Really work great, easy on/off and give me confidence to cross wide stretches of wind blown, deep water. The source, as I recall was a company called Spring Creek Outfitters.


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## aknative (Jan 4, 2017)

I haven't been too bothered by having to bail now and then, and with the long tiller on my motor I'm not sure how practical it would be to try to deal with a plug very often in the narrow stern of the boat. 

The sponsons though I am going to take a closer look at. Without a bunch of weight in the bottom the boat is pretty tender.


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## Rbingham (Nov 10, 2014)

Gator glide is on my list. How well did it work? Below is a pic of mine. The boat actually runs about 13 mph loaded to hunt.


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## aknative (Jan 4, 2017)

13's pretty good! What motor is that?

Gator glide helps it slide over smooth rocks, logs, sand, but isn't very puncture resistant. Tore three holes in he bottom of my 18 foot through Gator Glide. It's thin material, if you want protection against can openers you need thicker metal and/or UHMW.


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