# 1436 Landau/Jon boat to bass boat



## trophybass13 (Feb 25, 2011)

Hi,
I've been lurking this site for months, and finally decided to start mods to my own boat. Last summer i picked this 1985 landau 1436 jon boat up on craigslist. since it was mid july, i did to it only what was neccesary to get myself out on the water for the rest of the summer. patched some leaks, re wired the trailer lights, etc. since spring is now on the way, i finally decided to get going on my modifications. I have come to find out that its a good seaworthy little boat after a summer of use, and still has many fishing trips left in it. but as you can see, it is about as dull and average as a jon boat gets. NOT AFTER TODAY. I have HUGE plans for this boat. I will Put a carpeted floor down, build a front casting deck, add pedestal seats, and of course, build some storage. I started today, and well, heres where im at:


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## trophybass13 (Feb 26, 2011)

DAY 2 SO FAR: I'm pretty happy with the progress we've made so far, and whats good is we have yet to run into one of those "UH OH'S".
the pictures from todays progress are posted. like i said i have to give RBuffordTJ the credit for this idea. Except i changed it just a little bit to suit my own needs. I have Cut the bench out, added wood to the sides to keep the structure of the boat strong, ran all of the wire for my lights, and added storage underneath the cut out bench.


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## Decatur (Feb 26, 2011)

Great start! Do you have any plans drawn up that you could post? It always helps me visualize what is happening in any pics posted. Good luck with it!


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## lckstckn2smknbrls (Feb 26, 2011)

That looks real good. Are you going to replace the wood in the transom with a full size piece? That might have been part of the reason you had some cracking of the aluminum back there.


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## trophybass13 (Feb 27, 2011)

what i'm going to do is re-inforce the transom by putting a piece of steel on the top lip of the transom, and screwing it down so the crack disappears. i'm also going to put another piece of wood on the outside of the transom as well, to cushin the transom metal between the two peices of wood, so that the motor doesn't squeeze into the aluminum, and do anymore damage to the transom. i'll be working on the boat more today, and i'll take some pictures of the transom, and have them posted by tonight. i also do have somewhat of a plan, but it keeps getting re-adjusted a little everytime we run into something. i'll try to take a picture of my original plan, and have that posted up here tonight as well.


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## trophybass13 (Feb 27, 2011)

day 3 complete. today, i cut out, and put down the foam underneath my floor, i also cut the floor out from plywood and got it layed down. the floor is not fastened yet, because i want to make sure that i got everything i wanted unerneath there, before i just start mindlessly screwing boards down. extremely happy with my progress in only 3 days. i'm now starting to see everything in the boat come together. i can now really get a mental image of how its all going to look when im done, and i can't wait!


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## trophybass13 (Feb 27, 2011)

More pictures of todays work.


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## trophybass13 (Mar 6, 2011)

I was really planning on getting some work done to the boat this weekend. UNTIL I woke up yesterday morning to find a giant puddle in the basement coming from my water heater. it's busted. spent the entire weekend messin around with that. no progress until further notice.


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## trophybass13 (Mar 20, 2011)

Finally got some more progress done in the last couple weeks. i am extatic about the way this build is coming along. right now i am almost done with all the wood and ready for carpet. I can see it all now, and it's Lookin GOOD!


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## trophybass13 (Mar 20, 2011)

More Pictures of The Past couple weeks Progress.


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## dc3232 (Mar 21, 2011)

I have a question for you. Where did you get that 1" foam from? The thickest I can find at my local lowes is half inch and my foam needs to be atleast an inch and a half thick.


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## trophybass13 (Mar 21, 2011)

dc3232: I picked the 1" foam up at my menards for $10 or $11 a sheet. I'm pretty sure I saw inch and a half there as well. It only took one sheet of foam to do my entire boat, and i still had some left over. if you can't find anything inch and a half, maybe try layering the half inch foam to make it one and a half inch. Hope this helps!


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## Froggy (Mar 21, 2011)

Very nice work, looking forward to your progress


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## dc3232 (Mar 21, 2011)

Yea thats what I had in mind, except it would take like 3 or 4 sheets to do it, & the price of the sheets are about 10 bucks as well. Where did you say you got yours?


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## trophybass13 (Mar 21, 2011)

Froggy: me too. im close to bieng done with all the woodwork, and almost ready to start carpeting.


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## trophybass13 (Mar 21, 2011)

dc3232: you do make a good point. I'd rather be able to do the entire boat for $10 than have to get 3 sheets for $30. I got the one inch from menards. i'm 95% sure they had inch and a half there too. it was a long time ago, so i don't exactly remember.


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## Brine (Mar 21, 2011)

dc3232 said:


> I have a question for you. Where did you get that 1" foam from? The thickest I can find at my local lowes is half inch and my foam needs to be atleast an inch and a half thick.



dc,

I found 1.5 thick stuff in Atlanta at a builder supply. I have some extra if you want it. I'll have to dig around to remember who I got it from. Pretty sure it was somewhere near Atlantic Station.


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## dc3232 (Mar 22, 2011)

Brine,

That would help out alot. Thanks.


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## trophybass13 (Apr 23, 2011)

Updates to boat are: 90% carpeted. new pics up soon. next im ready for door hinges, handles, lights, rod holers, and seat mounting hardware. then it's on to the trailer. a whole nother project.


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## trophybass13 (May 15, 2011)

it's been a while since ive posted, been extremely busy but ive gotten so much done in these new pictures since my last post, it's looking like a completely different boat. i don't even recognize my old tin can. it's like a bass boat now. next are seatsa, and rod holders. then i'm not really sure what's next.


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## trophybass13 (May 15, 2011)

more pictures:


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## trophybass13 (May 15, 2011)

even more pictures:


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## mrbillsfan311 (May 15, 2011)

Great boat! I'm moding a 1457 which is basically the same thing as a 1436. I love the switch box set up. I do have one suggestion on your pole light in the back. If you can find one for a good price that's 3 or 4ft tall, buy it and put it in, it will keep the bugs up high and out of your face. I had a shorty and changed quickly after an evening of a million bugs bites!


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## trophybass13 (May 24, 2011)

Just got the seats put in this weekend! all thats left are rod holders, and i can consider it a job well done. especially it bieng my first build. and i had never layed carpet anywhere before this project. i got a story though. on sunday i'm at my local gander mountain looking for seats, and mounting hardware. they have tons of seats to choose from, and i'm standing there trying to ask myself whats on sale? which would add a real nice touch to the boat? so i spot 3 matching camoflauge seats low back priced at $39.99 i think to myself "that's a pretty good deal" seeing as $39.99 is the average price of any fishing boat seat, and the camo seats are usually a bit more expensive. so i get them in the cart, and proceed to the checkout. as i'm watching the scanner when the woman is ringing everything up, the seats all come up at $59.99 so i tell the woman at the register that they were priced at $39.99 a seat. and she double checks the computer and says "nope, they are priced at $59.99" so i said "here, follow me back to the aisle, and we can take a look at what the price tag says". when we get there i show her the tag, and she checks the scanner again this time she explains that the seats are $49.99 a piece. as she tells me that, i look up higher and happen to notice 3 camoflauge high back boat seats that are also priced at $49.99 so i said "well, if they are both $49.99 then I am going to buy these, because these are nicer seats, with higher backs, and made with better quality". so I ended up buying those seats instead. and as i walk out the door of gander mountain i am trying to figure out why they would price the high back camo seats at the same price as the low back camo seats, and that bieng the case who would be dumb enough to buy the low back seats? not to mention that they tried to scam me in the very beginning of all this when the low back seats wrang up $59.99 . well, long story short, after some messing around, I bought 3 really nice high back camoflauge seats for $49.99 each, and got them mounted on sunday. I also bought a nice jon boat cover that was also $49.99
heres the build as of sunday:


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## Froggy (May 25, 2011)

Thats looking real good man


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## etindoll (May 25, 2011)

Nice job looks great. Very good carpet job. Do the marker lights do a good job at night? =D>


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## trophybass13 (May 25, 2011)

thanks for all the comments. 
the marker lights do pretty well for the purpose that they serve which is giving me some interior light for night fishing. just to be able to see if i need to tie a hook, or work on a pole because if you don't have light available when that kind of stuff happens, your night of fishing may as well be called off. i also wanted the orange markers as opposed to car dome lights, or anything white because bugs are not as attracted to the shade of orange that they are white.


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## truckhuntfish (May 25, 2011)

looks good , 1 suggestion for you though , the orange lights you have inside , you might want to look into L.E.D. lights. check out an area truckstop for them , thats what i have and i can run the trolling motor and have them on the whole time and not worry about battery going dead from the lights anyway. 10 LED lights draw the same amount of power as 1 incadescent bulb.


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## FLminnow (May 26, 2011)

Man nice job. I'm not gonna lie, I may have to use a similar design for my front deck 8) Have you had that carpet color in the sun??? just wondering if it will get too hot for bare feet in direct sunlight? also, is the plywood marine grade and did you seal it?? One last thing, did the foam panel stay below the height of the stringers so the floor could be anchored to them??

Thanks


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## FFDOZIER (May 26, 2011)

Boat is looking awesome Brother


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## trophybass13 (May 26, 2011)

@ FLminnow:

thanks guys! I didn't really buy any special grade carpet for this boat. i decided to go with the menards generic outdoor carpet. I haven't had the chance yet to get it out on a nice day, so unsure if it gets very hot or not. the plywood is pressure treated, and i didn't seal it myself. i know what you're thinking "red flag" but i don't plan on owning this boat for more than a couple of years so it shouldn't hurt the aluminum hull much. and yes, the foam panels are sitting about 1/8" below the stringers, so i could screw the wood floor down to them. and by all means, that is what these threads are intended for. to help others, and give them ideas for their own mods. hell, i picked up on a few things here and there, reading these threads before modding my boat. it really does help, and if someone else out there were to use any of my ideas, I would take it as a compliment.


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## trophybass13 (Jul 21, 2011)

hey all, the boat has been finished for a while, ive been working on the trailer for 2 months now, and finally got it all finished. i completely re painted the trailer, re did the bunks, the old ones were rotten with cheap carpet, i upgraded to new wood, and ez slide pads. i put on new hubs, bearings, and tires. i built a set of guide ons, and made a new bow stop as well. its basically a brand new trailer, the only thing i didnt do is put on new lights, because i did those last summer, and they are still working well. takin her out for her maiden voyage this weekend. can't wait!
pictures of that should be up by some time next week.


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## Dragonman (Jul 21, 2011)

Very nice man!! Love the hatch pulls, simple and efficent. No banged knees or ripped jeans on knobs and handles.


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## trophybass13 (Jul 25, 2011)

latest pictures of the finished product.


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## trophybass13 (Jul 25, 2011)

got home, and discovered this: does anyone know how to fix or replace this?


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## weezer71 (Jul 25, 2011)

trophybass13 said:


> got home, and discovered this: does anyone know how to fix or replace this?



This should be an easy fix. You can get those kind of handles at any hardware store. Just be sure to use a sealant around the screws when replacing. 8)


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## weezer71 (Jul 25, 2011)

trophybass13 said:


> got home, and discovered this: does anyone know how to fix or replace this?


 Just noticed that if you move the bow roller BACK on your trailer so that the front of the boat can rest on it, it SHOULD give the boat a little more lift so that it doesn't hit the bow handle when you wratchet the boat on the trailer. Just a suggestion.....AND it should make the front of the boat more secure when trailering too.


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