DIY Boat Building with Mike Lopez

Show Notes:

Mike Lopez is an artist and a YouTuber who’s made his business out of building and modifying small bass boats. His channel is called Tiny Boat Nation and definitely check it out if you’re a DIY guy or gal. He’s currently working on a welding cart and gearing up to work on a pontoon boat next. He says it’s going to be business in the front and party in the back, and he wants to call it the mullet! Mike’s been working on boats and running his YouTube channel since 2015. He eventually took his online success full time and left his day job behind after the pandemic took his channel to a new level.

Mike and I start our conversation with a chat about airboats and their pros and cons. Mike also built me a boat, and we talk about how he made it and all the great features.  A lot of guys out there want to take on a project or improve their boats, but they have some reservations since a project like this can be costly and time consuming. Mike offers some suggestions on how you can get started and insights into how he plans out his builds. Unlike an engineer who does a ton of upfront planning, Mike likes to work as he goes and tries to solve as many problems as possible.

We chat about different motors and rigs and how to incorporate them into a build. We also talk about the best kinds of boats for bow fishing and how to choose one based on your needs and budget. If you’re thinking about your own build, it helps to start with what you want the boat to accomplish and back into it. Mike also suggests going with a custom layout over a standard manufactured model to really make it your own. If you’re interested in buying a kit, check out Mike’s Tiny Boat Nation store through the link below.

What’s Inside:

• How Mike left his day job to run Tiny Boat Nation full time.

Mentioned in this episode

Days In The Wild Podcast

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Howl for Wildlife: https://www.howlforwildlife.org/

Tiny Boat Nation on YouTube

Tiny Boat Nation – Website & Store

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big game hunting, hunting tips, hunting guide, buck hunting, hunting stories, bass boats, tiny boat nation, bow fishing, custom boats