# jon boat updated



## bluegillfisher (May 1, 2010)

Hello,
I got my lowes big(1448)jon four summers ago. I found this site in spring of '08 and have worked on my boat as long as it didn't keep me from putting it in the water. My boat is from the mid '80's and the evinrude 25 is a '89. 
Here's a picture from the second summer.





I put new bunks on the trailer that spring and had the motor worked on so she was running fine. The P.O. had installed the front light and the beautiful astro turf. 
This last fall I stepped through part of the floor in the back and I knew it was time to replace the 15 to 25 year old plywood.
I am not looking for a fancy boat. I like to fly fish and the third year I added a rear deck to stand on. My 45 lb minn-kota goes on the back and I re-wired the switches for lights and the bilge pump I started using the year before. 
A picture before the deck.




I made the rear deck(and plan to make the front) from a plywood sign that the local library had put up when they were building a new building. 




The rear deck locks. And I have to remove the seat to fully access the storage.
Of course, I need to clean the mildew off and repaint(again).
I am a "big" woman and I used 2x4 and filled the sides in with shaped cypress. The hinge is a piano stainless steel one that I got at an estate sale. The front of the deck over laps on the seat and I put a piece of pine on seat so I could screw seat base on to it. These pictures are this spring and I had been using this for 2 years now.
Picture of rear deck closed:




The outside of the boat is butt ugly. And I have to paint the numbers this spring, cause you can't really read them anymore. But the plan is to get this thing in the water. 
I started calling my local recycle yard and today I went and picked up my new floors.




This panel is over 48" wide and longer that 96" It has tubing welded every 12" or so. I will fill the boat ribs with pink foam I have and pop rivet the panels to the ribs. Angle will be added as needed. I am priming the alum and painting with Cabela's non-slip paint. 
The front of the boat is getting the most changes. I tried to "draw" on photo what I want to do.


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## bluegillfisher (May 1, 2010)

I want to cut the top of the front seat off and put two batteries in there. I also have a two bank charger to keep them charged I will put pine on top of seat. I want to cut out most of the front deck and drop the new one(plywood) to the level of the seats. I will rewire the front light and mount it in the middle of the bow. I want to have one hatch that I can put in the deck and put PFD's and anchor rope in there. 
The plywood front deck will be carpeted with outdoor carpeting and I am framing it with square alum tubing. I will paint the inside white to make finding things easier.
I want to have boat in water before Memorial Day and don't want to make too many mistakes. I have picked up a lot of great ideas from this site and I hope everything comes together. Please let me know if you think I'm heading down the wrong path. 

Thanks,
Marion


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## huntinfool (May 1, 2010)

Looks good. You might want to take the boat out one time with the batteries up front in it and make sure she will run like you want it to. You may end up with too much weight up front. 

Also it looks like you might have trouble getting to the tiller handle if you have a full rear deck. Can you hold on to the tiller handle while in the boat seat your talking about adding? I know I have to be down at the deck level to really use my outboard (40hp yamaha).

Post up some more pics.


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## bluegillfisher (May 1, 2010)

The rear seat and tiller handle is no problem. I've only covered rear seat not extended it. I use a typical jon boat seat. Plastic folding one. The trolling motor is harder to reach it is on the far side of the motor from seat. I have thought about adding another base right in the middle of the rear bench seat but for the past two years it hasn't bugged me enough to do it.

My setup when I fish is the livewell(cooler) is on the left side in back section. I have my fishfinder mounted on milk crate that opens and I keep a boat knife, air horn, and little bits of fishing junk it in. It sits right in front of me where I can see it. I have a large cooler that sits right behind the seat for drinks, and food. 

I have a fishing partner in the front of the boat. And I regularly fish with three boys (12,8, and 5). The boys and the dogs(two) and said fishing partner sit and fish from the front of the boat. I am looking at an 18 foot lowe crappie boat, but the $20,000 needed hasn't dropped into my lap yet. 

In the mean time I want to fish from my 14 foot and fix it up for resell.

Thanks
Marion


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## bluegillfisher (May 18, 2010)

Been working hard, but unfortunately not a lot of time on project. I put boat in garage so I wouldn't have to work in the rain.
I cut out front deck. But first I had to remove bow light.




I am putting a piece of cypress on the front of boat. The light will be attached to this piece. 
Picture with deck gone and my piece of cypress being marked to cut.




I also cut the middle seat to make a storage locker. I am putting foam under floors and under the piece of cypress, so I should end up with more foam in boat than what it had.
Picture of new locker looking back.




After everything was cut, I power washed boat. I started the rear floor. 
I filled the ribs with foam and made a template to notch the deck to the ribs. 




New deck has ribs welded on it so I put them at a 90 to the boat ribs. Rear deck laying in boat. I still have to clean up edges and screw down to ribs.




The front deck in front of the seat has the aluminum cut, but I will have to add to the edge to trim out the ribs as I decided to go with bigger floor in of seat and a slightly smaller front deck. The front of the boat is going to be carpeted. I was planning to paint the rear floor or put in vinyl dot flooring.
I am putting electric back in tomorrow.

Thanks for looking.


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## bobberboy (May 19, 2010)

After everything was cut, I power washed boat. I started the rear floor. 
I filled the ribs with foam and made a template to notch the deck to the ribs. 





Can you tell me how much the foam was above the ribs? I didn't think of doing it that way. My ribs were 1-1/2" deep so that's the thickness of the foam I put in. I just assumed the foam needed to be flush with the top of the ribs. I guess though if you're careful not to drive the screws through the flooring you could use thicker foam. The foam shouldn't compress under the weight of the floor and people on it and should make a good sound platform to lay the floor on. I would still be a little worried about pulling the screws through the floor. Did you have any problems with that?


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## huntinfool (May 19, 2010)

You could use a stainless finish washer to keep from pulling the screw head through the aluminum floor. I would think that over time as the foam compressed that the screws would not make contact with the floor. But depending on the thickness of the aluminum it might pull it down a bit.


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## bluegillfisher (May 19, 2010)

I cut channels in the foam to match the ribs on aluminum deck. The new deck is resting on the ribs of the boat. I had been thinking of countersinking the screws into the aluminum. Maybe I'll use finish washers and see how that is. If I had an bought foam, I would have bought 1 1/2". The foam was from a project a few years ago. I am trying to re-use as much as I can. 

Thanks


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## Rat (May 19, 2010)

Looks like the build is going great. I also like the bargain hunting, this from the library sign, that from an estate sale, the other from the scrapyard; good stuff there!


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## bluegillfisher (May 31, 2010)

I haven't updated boat although I have been working hard on it. I was up against a dead line. I had planned a fishing trip. I wanted to take the boat, but there was so much to do!
I re-did the electrical as I got a "new" motor and it had electric start on it. I bought a double bank charger and had to install it. Here's a picture of the new setup. The little box is my buss bar and the big box has the fuses and switches in it. The key and electric choke are mounted next to them. I trimmed the cracked wires on the key switch and refit new ends. The "light" is really a cover for the key.




I will tidy up the wiring and still need to work out a few bugs.
The front of the boat needed new deck. I supported deck in front with a piece of "I-beam" from piece of aluminum panel.




I made template and cut the piece. I pop-rivitted it in place. 
I built the frame work out of u-channel that I picked up in the trash and made template for front deck.




The inspector dropped in one evening to check my progress. 





Does any one know what kind it is? Yes, I have few mice in garage. :? 
I cut the piece of cypress and rabbeted out the edge so it would sit lower on the front. I mounted a bow light that you can take off and store.




I reused hinges from the old front deck. Hatch open:




I will recut hatch when I carpet. I will also seal the edges with fiberglass stuff. I did this on the plywood on the back of the boat.

I sanded rear deck.




I painted with non slip from Cabela's but only got one coat on.




I built the seat for middle seat and got the carpet on it. I also put a small shelf from middle seat to rear seat. There was way to much to do everything. The day I left I checked the bearings and found I had to replace them. I am continuing to work on boat but the best part of it all was this:




Thanks for looking.

Marion


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## bluegillfisher (Jul 16, 2012)

I haven't done anything to boat since 2010, but I'm planning to work on a few things. The boat as she sits waiting to fish:




I have fished out of her since I bought her. Due to a family tragedy I didn't get her put in till late July last year. 
I upgraded to a 1974 electric start Johnson. It was "camo", meaning the guy had sprayed different colors with no pattern. I returned the cover to the theme(not exact decals)of 1974, and added guide ons that I could see.




I also removed the bunks and replaced with pressure treated 2x4's topped with a cutting board that I ripped into strips and attached with S.S. screws. Boat guides right on them.




The front stop I replaced and carpeted it.
I got the seat and front floor carpeted(still haven't done the front deck). The cooler is my live well. 
I added a shelf along the right side.




I made a fire extinguisher holder out of sch. 40. The gas can fits under the rear hatch, with batteries and charger.




The electrical fits inside the water tite boxes.




Switches and fuses for bilge pump, live well pump, and lights.
The other is the electric choke and key.
When I fish I use a milk crate to hold; fish finder, horn, boat knife, everything I haven't taken out from other trips, like clean t.p., sunscreen, bug spray, first aid kit and battery pack for fish finder. I pack this box with fish finder into truck and don't worry that my neighbor's kid will walk off with it. 




I have more junk in bench seat.





I am going to finish the front deck carpeting. And I'm thinking of moving batteries to bench seat to move weight of boat forward. I have a hard time bringing her up on plane and was thinking weight shift might help. I guess I would have to add little vents. I am also thinking of adding another seat on the bench and get rid of live well--thinking a smaller cooler with ice will keep fish fresher. If I finish up this fall I may try to paint her next spring. But don't guess i'll ever be done.


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