Fixing up my boat

Fish On · 10-13-05, 10:10 AM

I have a little 12 foot jon boat and I am going to fix it up before I tournaments start again. I am first going to make a deck and carpet it. Next I will add pidistil seats. Under the deck there will be storage and livewell. I will also be buying a trolling motor. We usually car top but we are getting a trailer. Now are there any tips on these? easier ways to install? etc?

Mac1 · 10-13-05, 11:27 AM

Lowe's and others sell a Marine Carpet......sounds like it would be water proof, but it lets the water through and drains well. Not to be used on bare wood. If you need to, fiberglass the wood deck before using Marine Carpet...

WTL · 10-13-05, 03:49 PM

Don't overdo it. In fact, leave the livewell exposed (say use a cooler). It will be easier to clean, and you will be able to fit it in better. On such a small boat you don't want too much dead weight and an expansive deck will cause that - it will also screw up the center of gravity and the way the boat planes. SO, give yourself maybe 3 feet - just enough deck to stand on and maybe shift your weight.

Fish On · 10-13-05, 05:26 PM

I was thinking about just using the front as deck

Rebbasser · 10-13-05, 06:18 PM

Take a look here:

http://www.myjonboat.com/

And here:

http://www.bassresource.com/fishing/bass_boat.html

That ought to point you in the right direction. Good luck and keep us posted!

WTL · 10-13-05, 09:32 PM

Yes, but just the front, if you mean the front half of the boat, might as I said be too much weight. A 12 foot jon boat is about as small a boats as I've ever heard of for someone building a deck, so less is more. A boat that big isn't normally very wide either, hence as stable - so you want the deck mounted lower. IMO.

Fish On · 10-13-05, 09:40 PM

The boat is divided into 3 parts. I may just do 3/4 of front so I can put other stuff under the deck

Rebbasser · 10-13-05, 09:46 PM

If you do a front deck like WTL said, don't get too heavy. A buddy of mine converted a ski boat with a walk-through windshield into a bass boat-put a deck where people used to sit. Worked OK, but real nose heavy-speared more than one wave. The added weight threw off the center of gravity.

RatLTrap · 10-16-05, 06:36 AM

Listen to WTL sounds like he knows what he's talking about... I converted a 15 foot jon boat into what your talking about and it sorta messed it up... + you gonna have to get a trailer if your putting decks and stuff... gets heavy

zooker · 10-16-05, 11:41 AM

a full sheet of 3/4 " ply wood is 28 pounds pressure treated 34 pounds divide by half this is the weight you will get screwed down with carpet.. 3/4" pin bases weigh 6 pounds-roughly- pedastal and seat you are looking at 30 more pounds. that is roughly 50 pounds of weight added to the nose of a boat.on a 12 foot jon boat -most are 32"beam-it will sit 2 +" lower in the water. as wtl said this boat will be very unstable when you are sitting in the pedstale seat.to balance out the boat you will have to add your weight plus 50 pounds to the back end of the boat. a 30 pound eletric moter will help a 60 pound battery will also but it will push your boat 4" lower in the water.here is were the problem rears it's ugly head. most small jon boats float empty in 4" of water most have 12"-14" sides. take 12" for example takes 4" to float it add this weight making it 8" leaving you with 4 " of sides out of the water. add your weight and it MIGHT have 1" of sides sticking out of the water. which aint good. most wake waves are 10"-18" high..need i say more ... best thing to do is forget the deck idea. add low rise seat swivels to the aluminum seat bench put on a seat add the troller -i have extended cables on my boat putting the battery at mid boat- but what do i know i anit got but 2 jon boats,a stratos bass boat,and a creek boat...

zooker

lizardsrule · 10-16-05, 08:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zooker

a full sheet of 3/4 " ply wood is 28 pounds pressure treated 34 pounds divide by half this is the weight you will get screwed down with carpet.. 3/4" pin bases weigh 6 pounds-roughly- pedastal and seat you are looking at 30 more pounds. that is roughly 50 pounds of weight added to the nose of a boat.on a 12 foot jon boat -most are 32"beam-it will sit 2 +" lower in the water. as wtl said this boat will be very unstable when you are sitting in the pedstale seat.to balance out the boat you will have to add your weight plus 50 pounds to the back end of the boat. a 30 pound eletric moter will help a 60 pound battery will also but it will push your boat 4" lower in the water.here is were the problem rears it's ugly head. most small jon boats float empty in 4" of water most have 12"-14" sides. take 12" for example takes 4" to float it add this weight making it 8" leaving you with 4 " of sides out of the water. add your weight and it MIGHT have 1" of sides sticking out of the water. which aint good. most wake waves are 10"-18" high..need i say more ... best thing to do is forget the deck idea. add low rise seat swivels to the aluminum seat bench put on a seat add the troller -i have extended cables on my boat putting the battery at mid boat- but what do i know i anit got but 2 jon boats,a stratos bass boat,and a creek boat...

zooker

That hurt my HEAD just reading all that

Lizards

zooker · 10-17-05, 05:51 PM

don't get me started or i can make your eyes roll in to the back of your head or bug out -ask laser- think you are having a migraine now? haaaa.. remember i have to think DOWN TO THIS LEVEL..

zooker

Rodman_Rob · 10-18-05, 10:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rebbasser

Take a look here:

http://www.myjonboat.com/

And here:

http://www.bassresource.com/fishing/bass_boat.html

That ought to point you in the right direction. Good luck and keep us posted!

man, I really shouldn't have looked at that. Its got my mind in "project" mode. Unfortunately my 9 footer is really too small to be doing that kind of stuff. I'd like to add a 12" pedestal to my seats but afraid it will put me up to high making me more prone to tip. Also, since I don't have a trailer, I need to place it on top of the jeep, and considering the trails I have to drive on to get to the lakes I go to, I really can't afford 12 more inches going to some of those lakes.......I seem to pick the hardest ones to get to......I wonder why?

KH. · 10-18-05, 10:21 PM

me too,i have jon boat small.one 10 foot,with a two hp motor,comes in handy now,i fishing a lake that is 6 feet down and you cant run anything in it,all the fish are surrounding this hump,never saw before,i have to find a way to get a life well in the seats though????

Rodman_Rob · 10-18-05, 10:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lizardsrule

That hurt my HEAD just reading all that

Lizards

we all know lizards have small heads, lol, j/k

zooker · 10-19-05, 04:49 AM

ohhh dammmm that is cold rob..

zooker

1FASTLASER · 10-19-05, 07:22 AM

Talk about kicking a person's arse. LOL Man that was a low blow. Ok lizards GETEM. LOL

I have built several boats for people and have found if you take a small enough peice of ply and screw it to the ribs runningacross the bottom of the boat you can mount a seat IF you have enough room for the pedastal base. Just raise it high enough so you can do this. But dont forget that you have to have room for the trolling motor control if you using a foor controlled. Doing it this way the center of bravity stays low and you can keep your arse DRY. LOL

WTL · 10-20-05, 01:03 AM

Thinking on it a bit more, here is what you should do Fish On....

Forget a deck - forget making it like a bass boat, its not. Instead, add a plywood floor - the difference is you mount it in the bottom of the boat far down. Use 1/2 inch plywood, but first use some of that "foam in a can" insulator in the bottom to both dampen the sound, help give the plywood a little support in the middle (since you are using the lighter 1/2 inch) and also, the more foam in a boat, the better for bouyancy's sake should you get swamped.

I think you can still get by with a seat, but if you have the option go with a butt seat or one of those low profile plastic seats they get at walmart. You don't need a lazyboy up there anyway, its a jon boat. Livewell, cooler, and battery should all be in the back or middle of the boat. If it all balances like I think it should, you will probably be able to stand up and do some fishing - you can't run around and do jumpingjacks on the deck - nor can I on my deck (which is on a bigger boat), but you can stand up with a reasonable amount of stability.

lizardsrule · 10-21-05, 11:02 AM

Dang man, should've kept my mouth shut LMAO

Of course that's the not the first or last time my words have gotten into trouble

Good one Rob

To give a little input here(see I can't shut up LOL), the seat for Rodman shouldn't be a problem, just get a removable pedastal seat, then it will only add a few inches.

Quit trying to make a 9' boat into a "Bass" boat. It's a great fishing boat, but in that small of a boat, storage, stability, power retrictions and on and on won't allow you to make it into much without horribly affecting the floatability, and stabilty of the boat. Keep it like it is, but spend the money on a newer bigger boat where you can do some things if you want to build it up. Don't get me wrong, working on your fishing boat has lots of enjoyment for me, but you just can't do much with a 9' boat. So instead of spending money on it, for things that it really can't do, save it up to buy a bigger jon boat, something around 16'. And then go to work on it. By the way you can find 16' jon boats anywhere for about nothing, just gotta look. Go to lakes, find ones that have been sitting for awhile. Heck most guys I see end up giving the away eventually anyway. But if you try to do a lot of modifications to that boat it will ruin it IMO. I would do things like add rods holders along the sides, and a portable Livewell, seats. But that's about it, anything else just starts adding to much weight in a 9' boat. This is all just my opinion of course, it's your boat do as you want with it.

Lizards

10-13-05, 10:10 AM	#1
Fish On BassFishin.Com Active Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Hauppauge, NY Posts: 368	Fixing up my boat I have a little 12 foot jon boat and I am going to fix it up before I tournaments start again. I am first going to make a deck and carpet it. Next I will add pidistil seats. Under the deck there will be storage and livewell. I will also be buying a trolling motor. We usually car top but we are getting a trailer. Now are there any tips on these? easier ways to install? etc? __________________ David Scott

10-13-05, 03:49 PM	#3
WTL BassFishin.Com Premier Elite Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Huntsville, Al Posts: 7,466	Don't overdo it. In fact, leave the livewell exposed (say use a cooler). It will be easier to clean, and you will be able to fit it in better. On such a small boat you don't want too much dead weight and an expansive deck will cause that - it will also screw up the center of gravity and the way the boat planes. SO, give yourself maybe 3 feet - just enough deck to stand on and maybe shift your weight. __________________ Selling live waterdogs for less since 2005.

10-13-05, 05:26 PM	#4
Fish On BassFishin.Com Active Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Hauppauge, NY Posts: 368	I was thinking about just using the front as deck __________________ David Scott

10-13-05, 06:18 PM	#5
Rebbasser BassFishin.Com Premier Elite Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: San Antonio, TX Posts: 10,141	Take a look here: http://www.myjonboat.com/ And here: http://www.bassresource.com/fishing/bass_boat.html That ought to point you in the right direction. Good luck and keep us posted! __________________ It's happened to the best of them: John 21:3

10-13-05, 09:32 PM	#6
WTL BassFishin.Com Premier Elite Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Huntsville, Al Posts: 7,466	Yes, but just the front, if you mean the front half of the boat, might as I said be too much weight. A 12 foot jon boat is about as small a boats as I've ever heard of for someone building a deck, so less is more. A boat that big isn't normally very wide either, hence as stable - so you want the deck mounted lower. IMO. __________________ Selling live waterdogs for less since 2005.

10-13-05, 11:27 AM	#2
Mac1 BassFishin.Com Active Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Posts: 183	Lowe's and others sell a Marine Carpet......sounds like it would be water proof, but it lets the water through and drains well. Not to be used on bare wood. If you need to, fiberglass the wood deck before using Marine Carpet...

10-13-05, 09:40 PM	#7
Fish On BassFishin.Com Active Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Hauppauge, NY Posts: 368	The boat is divided into 3 parts. I may just do 3/4 of front so I can put other stuff under the deck __________________ David Scott

10-13-05, 09:46 PM	#8
Rebbasser BassFishin.Com Premier Elite Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: San Antonio, TX Posts: 10,141	If you do a front deck like WTL said, don't get too heavy. A buddy of mine converted a ski boat with a walk-through windshield into a bass boat-put a deck where people used to sit. Worked OK, but real nose heavy-speared more than one wave. The added weight threw off the center of gravity. __________________ It's happened to the best of them: John 21:3

10-16-05, 06:36 AM	#9
RatLTrap BassFishin.Com Super Veteran Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Illinois Posts: 2,059	Listen to WTL sounds like he knows what he's talking about... I converted a 15 foot jon boat into what your talking about and it sorta messed it up... + you gonna have to get a trailer if your putting decks and stuff... gets heavy __________________ Roodhouse, Illinois

10-16-05, 11:41 AM	#10
zooker BassFishin.Com Premier Elite Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: denton nc Posts: 13,441	a full sheet of 3/4 " ply wood is 28 pounds pressure treated 34 pounds divide by half this is the weight you will get screwed down with carpet.. 3/4" pin bases weigh 6 pounds-roughly- pedastal and seat you are looking at 30 more pounds. that is roughly 50 pounds of weight added to the nose of a boat.on a 12 foot jon boat -most are 32"beam-it will sit 2 +" lower in the water. as wtl said this boat will be very unstable when you are sitting in the pedstale seat.to balance out the boat you will have to add your weight plus 50 pounds to the back end of the boat. a 30 pound eletric moter will help a 60 pound battery will also but it will push your boat 4" lower in the water.here is were the problem rears it's ugly head. most small jon boats float empty in 4" of water most have 12"-14" sides. take 12" for example takes 4" to float it add this weight making it 8" leaving you with 4 " of sides out of the water. add your weight and it MIGHT have 1" of sides sticking out of the water. which aint good. most wake waves are 10"-18" high..need i say more ... best thing to do is forget the deck idea. add low rise seat swivels to the aluminum seat bench put on a seat add the troller -i have extended cables on my boat putting the battery at mid boat- but what do i know i anit got but 2 jon boats,a stratos bass boat,and a creek boat... zooker __________________ the godfather.. aml in remission since 7-20-09

10-17-05, 05:51 PM	#12
zooker BassFishin.Com Premier Elite Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: denton nc Posts: 13,441	don't get me started or i can make your eyes roll in to the back of your head or bug out -ask laser- think you are having a migraine now? haaaa.. remember i have to think DOWN TO THIS LEVEL.. zooker __________________ the godfather.. aml in remission since 7-20-09

10-18-05, 10:21 PM	#14
KH. BassFishin.Com Super Veteran Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 1,316	me too,i have jon boat small.one 10 foot,with a two hp motor,comes in handy now,i fishing a lake that is 6 feet down and you cant run anything in it,all the fish are surrounding this hump,never saw before,i have to find a way to get a life well in the seats though???? __________________ and god said let there be bass, and there was bass

10-19-05, 04:49 AM	#16
zooker BassFishin.Com Premier Elite Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: denton nc Posts: 13,441	ohhh dammmm that is cold rob.. zooker __________________ the godfather.. aml in remission since 7-20-09

10-19-05, 07:22 AM	#17
1FASTLASER BassFishin.Com Super Veteran Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: crossett,arkansas Posts: 2,777	Talk about kicking a person's arse. LOL Man that was a low blow. Ok lizards GETEM. LOL I have built several boats for people and have found if you take a small enough peice of ply and screw it to the ribs runningacross the bottom of the boat you can mount a seat IF you have enough room for the pedastal base. Just raise it high enough so you can do this. But dont forget that you have to have room for the trolling motor control if you using a foor controlled. Doing it this way the center of bravity stays low and you can keep your arse DRY. LOL

10-20-05, 01:03 AM	#18
WTL BassFishin.Com Premier Elite Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Huntsville, Al Posts: 7,466	Thinking on it a bit more, here is what you should do Fish On.... Forget a deck - forget making it like a bass boat, its not. Instead, add a plywood floor - the difference is you mount it in the bottom of the boat far down. Use 1/2 inch plywood, but first use some of that "foam in a can" insulator in the bottom to both dampen the sound, help give the plywood a little support in the middle (since you are using the lighter 1/2 inch) and also, the more foam in a boat, the better for bouyancy's sake should you get swamped. I think you can still get by with a seat, but if you have the option go with a butt seat or one of those low profile plastic seats they get at walmart. You don't need a lazyboy up there anyway, its a jon boat. Livewell, cooler, and battery should all be in the back or middle of the boat. If it all balances like I think it should, you will probably be able to stand up and do some fishing - you can't run around and do jumpingjacks on the deck - nor can I on my deck (which is on a bigger boat), but you can stand up with a reasonable amount of stability. __________________ Selling live waterdogs for less since 2005.

10-21-05, 11:02 AM	#19
lizardsrule BassFishin.Com Premier Elite Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Saint Augustine, FL Posts: 7,374	Dang man, should've kept my mouth shut LMAO Of course that's the not the first or last time my words have gotten into trouble Good one Rob To give a little input here(see I can't shut up LOL), the seat for Rodman shouldn't be a problem, just get a removable pedastal seat, then it will only add a few inches. Quit trying to make a 9' boat into a "Bass" boat. It's a great fishing boat, but in that small of a boat, storage, stability, power retrictions and on and on won't allow you to make it into much without horribly affecting the floatability, and stabilty of the boat. Keep it like it is, but spend the money on a newer bigger boat where you can do some things if you want to build it up. Don't get me wrong, working on your fishing boat has lots of enjoyment for me, but you just can't do much with a 9' boat. So instead of spending money on it, for things that it really can't do, save it up to buy a bigger jon boat, something around 16'. And then go to work on it. By the way you can find 16' jon boats anywhere for about nothing, just gotta look. Go to lakes, find ones that have been sitting for awhile. Heck most guys I see end up giving the away eventually anyway. But if you try to do a lot of modifications to that boat it will ruin it IMO. I would do things like add rods holders along the sides, and a portable Livewell, seats. But that's about it, anything else just starts adding to much weight in a 9' boat. This is all just my opinion of course, it's your boat do as you want with it. Lizards __________________ There are three types of Snakes I hate 1. Live Snakes 2. Dead Snakes 3. Sticks that look like Snakes. And Gators too!

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