There, i said it. i figured saying Excel is like saying the "N" word on a podium intended for al sharpton at a NAACP rally... by me. lol

Anyway, i bought the boat not really knowing too much about all the other awesome custom boat builders out there... (uncle j, prodigy, EMF.... you get the picture) so that is probably my first mistake. in my defense i don't think i could have gotten/ bought one within driving distance with a pregnant wife nor within my price range. So now i'm shooting myself in the foot, so to speak. Luckily, i'm a machinist with lots of freinds who weld, and i'm in a very large gang, actually the worlds largest gang called the "Navy"... you have to say it real slow (Naaayveeee). haha.

The reason i'm popping my "Post a new topic" cherry is cause i've over used the enter button on my key board in the search thingy on here and i still haven't seen what i'm looking for. I'm asking for those guys on here who may own an Excel to show face and if they've done any mods (welding and fabricating) to their boats to make them better, or for any of you guys who've had the chance to shine the turds that they are and make them be better more sturdier turds.

I know i've got a couple things to do when i get off of deployment, first of all, fix the damn support from the transom to the false transom, the weld on the false transom has been completely ripped out, maybe from the previous owner or Hampton roads VA shitty ass roads, and my awesome driving skills. haha. i'm also thinking of making a hide or flush style blind for it, the damn angled down false transom is cool but it's just a pain in the ass to have to step over a blind support bar, that is if you don't have to. Anyway, I'm still on deployment for another couple/ lotta months so none of this is going to be starting soon. Just trying to figure some stuff out and get some plans on paper before i get home.

BTW, selling it and buying my dream hull is out of the question, i wish it wasn't but it is. FML.

oh and if i do all these mods i'm going to keep it and like it.... i think.


I'm sure i'm going to get ripped into for this so.... what are you waiting for. i got nothin but time out here in the middle of Goat fucker gulf. hahahaha

First off, I'd like to use CB's famous words.

What you're doing is "Putting a Band-Aid on a bullet wound"
The boat is shit, obviously, cause your welds are breaking.
Anyway, if you find a good welder, surely he can fab up anything you are wanting to do.
Just think of the shit you wish you had in the boat, and have him do it.

Or, do like you said you couldn't do, and get rid of that POS and get a better boat.

I used CB's famous words yesterday at quarters for the boat we are on right now out here in goat fucker gulf. it was definitely cause of MMT. haha.

Yeah, i have a guy on board with me who can weld really well. i guess my main reason for starting the thread was looking for ideas on getting foam out and whatever else people have done to the boat (specificly excel). My Idea is since i have to weld on the rear hunt deck, i might as well trly and figure out a way to get all the old foam out before i do any welding, and while i'm at removing foam to go ahead and remove all of it. If my ideas go as planned, i could have a half way decent turd rig to use. luckily my chances of running in a stumpy area are slim to none and if you don't know where all the sunkin blind pilings are at in the bay, you will need much more than a boat with 3/16's bottom, you'll need an inflatable body bag.

thanks for the reply

Nobody?
Nobody has an excel f4 that they've had to fix somthing on, have modified to fit their needs better, or taken the foam out of the rear deck?



shoot.

Dont have an excel, but take as much foam out as you can


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Yep, read nothing but horror stories about the foam in the rear deck. i'm just curious on how the hell i will tackle that. I looked at it and rinsed my boat out on a steep incline and let it drain out for 3 days so i could do my best to get all the mud/ grime and salt out of it before i came on deployment. the one thing i noticed was that it's all sealed up on the inside of that, not even watertight, rear deck. not sure if i should just cut giant ass holes in the top of the hunt deck, remove all the foam, do some serious welding on the inside, add some spud pole brackets and then seal her back up tighter than a frogs ass, set on fire then repait.... just kidding on the fire thing, still gonna do my best to hunt this thing next season... if i get any damn time off. haha

thanks for the reply as well.

I want to say most of the foam back there is in the seat. I would leave the foam in the bow as its wasted space anyways, you could use a little weight up there and it might allow you to recover the boat if the worst happens.

I have an Excel as well. Almost more of a hassle to cut the floor out, remove the wet foam, and weld back together, then just roll with it. I still run 28-30 consistent. I just know it doesn't perform like a true mud hull does, and when I can afford to switch I will

Mudxxed,
what do you mean by not performing like a mud hull? Just curious, ive only had mine through mud a handful of times. most of the places i run are just very shallow. i get great speeds, last time i checked i was on super deep water with about 2' of chop, i did 23-24mph with a ass load of gear me and another guy, we both are 215 plus, and we were going into the wind. it was about a 7-8 mile haul across the bay. i was happy with those speeds. i guess now im wondering if im being happy cause i know no better or because thats actually pretty good. Im thinking the latter of the two.

Another thing Mudxxed, did you rip your floors out or just leave em. I was talking to my buddy whos a welder and he said he figured we could probably pull it out and reweld a new floor, .100 instead of the flemsy shit. Do you have any pictures of your tear out? (if thats what you did)

thanks for your reply

i definitely was not crushing waves with my bow, that is not how you drive in rough water with a small or flat bottom boat. but yeah they were 1.5 - 2 foot all day. back bay gets nasty fun. I was running them at an angle, thats just how i was taught to drive a boat. i'm not super experienced by any means but i can get to my spots. barely. lol. Point is, i fealt like we were moving fairly decent with a mud motor and on deep water.

Nope I didn't rip the floor out and remove the foam. I know deadbird8 did on his old hull and there's a thread on here about it. I have a modv excel not a flat bottom. Luckily it's not a very deep v. I can't jump on plane like I could with true flat bottom but it's honestly not bad for what it is. I just know I'd enjoy a boat that was actually built to hang a mm on rather then an OB

Best mod for that excel hull is a for sale sign

Good one, ya got me. Shoulda got a prodigyemfunclewc custom whatever. Thing is i didn't, now i'm just asking for some help here besides sell it or the dumb "X2" answers. honestly that was a funny reply though.

Other then taking foam out, adding spud pole collars, and modding your motor not much you can do. Just enjoy your rig and quit stressing

No stressing. just ready to get home and do what i plan on doing to it.
Everyone buys new custom boats with what they want, i'm just going to live with my mistake til i can order my dream rig or buy material and build my own, til then... gonna do my best to make it fit my needs a little better. Just fishing for ideas from people who own the same boat who've done stuff themselves. that's all.

Look at that, I'm Internet famous....

In all seriousness. I'm no stranger to working with what ya got. If you're wanting to set the boat up where it's better for you for the short term then there's nothing anybody on an Internet forum can tell you that will probably help much. They aren't you, they aren't using your boat. Everyone's boats are setup differently for a reason. Nothing wrong with running what you have, if you see something that can be improved upon, then get after it.

SETx longtail, it was good enough for a credited quote in my books. haha