# Newbie w/ 12' Jon Boat project HELP!



## WaltonsMountain (Aug 8, 2009)

Hello, 

Great site you have here! I just recently purchased my first boat. It's an 12x32(bottom) flatbottom Jon boat. I picked this up along w/ the trailer, trolling motor, battery, and a couple of old bass pro cushioned swivel seats for $250! She's a 1974 Appleby w/ a clear title. Solid boat w/ no leaks and was thinking of doing some modifications to it since this is the only boat i'll have for a long time. I was wondering if some of you vets could help me out w/ what I could do to her? These are just a few things I'd like to do:

New paint job
Cargo area
Rod holders
Live well
Floor (w/ new deck possibly?)

It this boat too small for any of these modifications? Here are some pics...


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## CarlF (Aug 8, 2009)

I would just put in a floor and give her a paint job. You may want to check out BUffords mod for the front seat/deck, that is pretty cool.
Little small for a livewell, where would you put it?
I use a 5 glln pail & battery aerator for bait, 48 qt cooler for fish.


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## WaltonsMountain (Aug 8, 2009)

yeah, you're right about the livewell. Guess I was just thinking big. No reason I couldn't use my 5 gal igloo and bubblebox.  Would definitely like to have the floor w/ some kind of cargo area installed so I could put my battery away and stow away some other odds n ends. Just dont know how to go about doing this sort of thing. If i'm framing do I want to use wood or aluminum?


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## RBuffordTJ (Aug 8, 2009)

Man that is one great deal. I just started my mods yesterday and here is a link to mine if you want to check it out. My boat is a 12' with 36" bottom.

https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=9912

I am going to be putting in a low floor, and I am itiching to figure out a live well too so keep watching and I will see what I can come up with for one too. 

Rick in Orlando aka "Bufford"


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## WaltonsMountain (Aug 8, 2009)

RBuffordTJ said:


> Man that is one great deal. I just started my mods yesterday and here is a link to mine if you want to check it out. My boat is a 12' with 36" bottom.
> 
> https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=9912
> 
> ...



Hey thanks alot Rick! About 45secs to a minute later a gentlemen came up to the boat and said "i'll take it!" unfortunately for him it had already been sold to me! Guess luck was on my side today! Will definitely be watching your thread to get some ideas....this is pretty exciting stuff!


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## RBuffordTJ (Aug 8, 2009)

WaltonsMountain said:


> RBuffordTJ said:
> 
> 
> > Hey thanks alot Rick! About 45secs to a minute later a gentlemen came up to the boat and said "i'll take it!" unfortunately for him it had already been sold to me! Guess luck was on my side today! Will definitely be watching your thread to get some ideas....this is pretty exciting stuff!



Cool man, I love getting a last second deal and hate being beat out of one too...LOL. I'll be watching this one too, lets see what we can do with these 'little' boats.

RIck


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## WaltonsMountain (Aug 16, 2009)

Well here's some closer pics of the inside of the boat. As you can see the seats are no longer there found some rotting wood inside them so decided to toss. Was able to salvage the mounts though. This brings me to my first question. Is it okay to have the seats mounted directly to the benches? I see alot of people usually put plywood on top instead of directly on the bench. They seem very stable...is this going to be an issue? 

Also, my first step is giving her a paint job. But first I have to get rid of the old stuff. I grabbed some paint/epoxy chemical stripper from ace hardware to remove the old layers. I was told that it does a great job at removing the old paint. What's better....chemical or using a sander to get the job done? 

Finally, I've been told that this 12x32 is too narrow for a deck but would love to put a floor in. How do I go about doing this though? Any detailed instructions out there?


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## grizzly (Aug 17, 2009)

nice boat. i'd say a low floor and agree with using buffords seat cutout idea, it's great. and with the floor you could make it level to the cutout, no tripping.
a raised deck would be too much for that boat probably. but for storage you could put a hatch even with the back seat to the transom. it's what i did, (link below), and gives you room for gas tank, battery, anchor, bilge pump, maybe more. good luck!


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## WaltonsMountain (Aug 17, 2009)

yea but how do i go about making a floor like that? What materials do I need.... do I build a frame?


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## RBuffordTJ (Aug 17, 2009)

WaltonsMountain said:


> yea but how do i go about making a floor like that? What materials do I need.... do I build a frame?



Go back and check out the pictures on my post and see if you can see the braces we made, how we left part of the original seat on the sides for supports, and we used 1/2 plywood for ours. It is very stable. If you can't tell by the pics let me know and I will help you as I can, maybe send larger versions via email or something.

Bufford


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## RBuffordTJ (Aug 17, 2009)

What we did was decided now far to come up off the floor for our deck. We used a small line level on string, placed it on the front of the seat and then stretched the string to where we wanted the floor to go to (ours sat on top of a support rib). Level the string out to the seat and mark. Ours was like 9 inches or so from the floor of the boat, so we marked how much of the seat to cut out. We left 8" of the old seat at the top on each side and cut straight down to our line from the level we used. (confused yet?)

By leaving the metal from the original seat on the sides and bottom you have something to screw the wood to and you keep the boat from trying to fold in from the sides under pressure. Remember the seat is a major structural brace.

Don't hesitate to ask any questions I will try to help you any way I can.

Bufford


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## Loggerhead Mike (Aug 17, 2009)

looks good brother keep er comin'


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## WaltonsMountain (Aug 17, 2009)

Thanks Bufford for the direct reply. Here's what I know I want to do to the boat: 

Carpeted floor. 
Steelflex on the underneath of the hull (similar to what you have just done). 
New paint job. (i have some chemical paint stripper to remove the old paint)


Which order do I do these in?


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## RBuffordTJ (Aug 17, 2009)

WaltonsMountain said:


> Thanks Bufford for the direct reply. Here's what I know I want to do to the boat:
> 
> Carpeted floor.
> Steelflex on the underneath of the hull (similar to what you have just done).
> ...



*Phase 1*
What I am doing is the structural changes first, decking and stuff. (done)

*Phase 2*
Next I took it all out and flipped it over to do the bottom with Steelflex. (done)

*Phase 3*
Flip it back over, paint the upper portion of the outside, apply the Durabak to the new dekcing and inside walls, reinstall the decks (I want both sides coated or I would put them in first). (underway)

*Phase 4*
Figure out my live well. (coming up)

That is as far as I have figured it out.
Bufford


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## WaltonsMountain (Aug 17, 2009)

Okay well I definitely want to put a low floor in the middle between the 2 benches. I think this will be my first objective. Do you just lay the plywood on top of the supporting ribs or is it screwed down to something? Also, I keep hearing you want to use marine grade plywood for floors... is that what I need or can there be a substitue?...my budget is pretty low. Just want to make sure they have this at Menards....


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## Loggerhead Mike (Aug 17, 2009)

you dont have to have marine grade especially if your on a budget. white wood with a good sealer (thompsons) will last a long time


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## ober51 (Aug 17, 2009)

Loggerhead Mike said:


> you dont have to have marine grade especially if your on a budget. white wood with a good sealer (thompsons) will last a long time



x2. I also bought Cabot's marine varnish and put several coats, should last a long time (but will add some weight). Dont have to secure if you want to keep it removable, which is nice for smaller boats.


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## WaltonsMountain (Aug 25, 2009)

Hey guys, just bought some 3/4'' NON pressure treated plywood at Menards. Also, got some Thompson's water seal as recommended. Plan on doing some work tommorow. Do you think 3/4'' is too thick for a floor?


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## russ010 (Aug 25, 2009)

3/4" will work just fine, especially since it will be laying directly on top of the ribs. I really wouldn't worry with putting any bracing underneath it. In my 1232 at my parents, I just put a carpeted floor in that covered the middle section. I attached it to the ribs with self tapping lag screws. It won't take but 4 on each side, don't worry about the middle, there should be another brace running there too (I can't see pics of it since I'm at work - they block images a lot here).

Just be sure to put a few coats of exterior paint or wood sealer (I like deck paint better than sealer, but that's just me). Then put your carpet on and attach it to the ribs... then go fishing and show us what you catch!


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## WaltonsMountain (Sep 14, 2009)

Hey guys, thought I would give ya an update. Been working off and on for the past month or so on her whenever I could. I want to give a special thanks to the members on the board who recommended both the 3M 5200 sealant, as well as Bufford who told me all about the wonders of Flasco's Steelflex Super Slick product. 

These first couple pictures show the old bolts which were rusted over and had to be replaced. 





As you can see, some were pretty bad...





I ended up stripping the hull and sides down to bare aluminum and replacing the old bolts, nuts, and washers w/ Stainless Steel and 3M 5200 sealant. Worked very well and sealed her up tight. Here's the results...





Lots of time but worth it...





I just finished putting on the Steelflex today and again a big thanks to Bufford for all his help and answering every question I had. I ended up ruffing it up w/ some 60grit paper and then washing her down and then drying. I then proceeded to put two coats on and had about 1/2 gallon unmixed left for my next project...





















I was real happy with the result and definitely recommend it to anyone looking to seal up the hull like a drum as well as providing a slippery coating for those rocks and limbs you may end up going over. Definitely worth the $$$ and like I said I still have 1/2 of it left. 

Next step is painting the upper sides burgundy and either going w/ a bedliner or carpet for the interior (still undecided). Thanks again guys! :mrgreen:


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## huntinfool (Sep 14, 2009)

Lookin' good!


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## RBuffordTJ (Sep 14, 2009)

=D> Man that turned out great! I love it, looks like mine from the bottom. I am glad you went with the SteelFlex, I ended up with about half mine unused too, but the half that was did a FANTASTIC job on both our boats.

Keep the pics coming. I did put the Durabak on mine and will post pics very soon to show you how it turned out over on my thread. 

Bufford =D>


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## WaltonsMountain (Sep 15, 2009)

Thanks, yea... still not sure about what I want to do with the interior. I may go w/ the bedliner material due to the fact that its easier to clean. Definitely want to see how your Durabak turned out. Get those pics up! Did you brush, roll, or spray it on? :mrgreen:


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## RBuffordTJ (Sep 16, 2009)

I rolled it. I will try to do pics tonight man.


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## WaltonsMountain (Sep 27, 2009)

Got the boards cut today. Nothing is screwed down yet...the pics were just for placement purposes. Next will be to cut some holes in the rear panel for storage use and then putting some Thompsons on to seal her up. Then I will get to the carpeting. I plan on priming and then repainting the inside before starting on the carpeting. 

Having a little trouble with the front floor board. I think I might have cut it too narrow because there's about an inch of space on both sides. I just wanted to make room for the carpet, but I fear I made too much. Both floor pieces will be removable. The front is a little harder because the hull bows upwards. Im guessing im going to have to put some 2x2 bracing underneath. Any tips or ideas?

Also, what color do you guys think I should go with? The carpet will be gray, was thinking about two-toning it with a different shade of gray for the interior paint job. I'm definitely learning alot on these forums!


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## jasper60103 (Sep 28, 2009)

Nice cuts. I see you took your time.
Regarding the need for bracing. I think you should
be able to stand on it and see if the boards flex?
Especially the area where the deck butts-up to bench. No support underneath, right?

I must warn you though. I'm newbie too and never done a mod before
in my life.


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## Rat (Sep 28, 2009)

If you want to level the front sole you can add some support underneath; but if you are just looking to keep it from flexing when you walk on it you can screw it to the ribs underneath. It will have the same shape as the hull bottom (not level), but it will not flex. I would put some 4200 on the ribs and screw it down with stainless screws every 4 inches or so. Using the 4200 will make it semi-permanent, IOW not easily removed, and the screw heads will be on top of the carpet unless you leave enough space to tuck the carper around the edges and then finish it off with some trim or something (since it sounds like you need to cover a gap anyway).

I would also put a few screws in the rear sole just to keep it from blowing out while towing. I don't know if it will or not, but I would constantly be worrying about it. :? 

As far as color, I would go with Burnt Orange and White... :mrgreen:


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## Rat (Sep 28, 2009)

Okay, I went back and looked at your first images...

It looks like you only have one rib in the bow section of floor, that's not much to screw to. You will proly need to add a piece of Alum. angle to the front of the front seat frame, down low to screw the ply to, otherwise it will flex when you step close to the front seat. It is going to take good measuring and patience to hit that small, round rib also. You could also build some small "stringers" from the front seat frame to level out the sole and give something better to support the weight of the sole, then fasten it to the seat frame with a piece of Alum. It would be easily removable as well this way. There's just not much structure to work with in the front of that boat without adding a lot of holes on the hull sides or bottom. 

Also, I noticed the ribs do not extend up the sides of the hull. I would be extremely careful if I were going to cut out the midseat like Bufford did. ALL of the side panel structure comes from the seats on your hull; if you do cut it out beef it up very well.


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## River Rider (Sep 28, 2009)

I had a similar jon before my new 16'. The hull of those boats are weak near the rivets unless you find a way to really support a floor. Like mentioned above the seat are the strength in these boats. Be sure to reinforce where you removed the seat or you will have plenty of flex in the sides in rough water. Otherwise it is looking good.


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## RBuffordTJ (Sep 28, 2009)

They are right, cutting the seats will kill your boat if you don't do some type of structure, which is why mine has the braces that replace the seat support.

As to the front deck, make it flat man, it feels SOOOOO much better than standing up hill to fish.

Bufford


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## WaltonsMountain (Sep 28, 2009)

Yeah, ive nixed bufford's front seat mod....just won't work on this puppy. I also dont want to screw anything down as far as the floor boards go. I want those completely removable. Only reason I didn't make it completely flat in the front was because I thought the floor might be too high up for my narrow 32''er. I might just have to take Bufford's recommendation and do it anyway for stabliity purposes. Ofcourse this is going to make the gap on the sides even wider. May end up cutting a brand new front piece. Who knows.... 

thanks for the feedback so far. Any other color recommendations? (I'm a Husker fan :wink: ) Like I said, carpet is going to be gray....


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## RBuffordTJ (Sep 28, 2009)

Do what you feel is best for your boat and your needs. If you like the floor that way then I say keep it. Some think I was crazy to cut my boat the way I did but I love it and it is functional for me.

As for the gaps, might be good for drainage to get into the channels it needs to in the floor. I almost got swamped in a huge surprise thunderstorm this weekend and was glad the water could move back and forth with the rocking and rolling instead of pooling too hard in bad places.


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## forced2workborn2fish (Sep 29, 2009)

I have a 10' that is pretty much the same boat, I'm putting a floor and some seats in it and some rod holders and calling it good. 8)


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## WaltonsMountain (Jun 30, 2012)

Hey guys I know its been a couple years but I wanted to show you the end results of the Jon Boat restoration. It was nothing elaborate like I originally planned, but I liked the end result. It took me a couple of years to finish (mainly due to some personal issues I was dealing with), but unlike most boat owners I made it a point to finish it. Here's the steps that I never got to post but have been steadily working on the last 2 years. I've finally been able to take it out and enjoy it on the lakes after all the hard work... I think that's the best part! 

After priming... (spring '11)





1st coat inside shot... (july '11)



1st coat outside shot



final coat inside shot... (july '11)



final coat front shot...



final coat inside (also added slip resistance to inside of boat)



Brand new seats installed and wood backing (including stain and water resistance)... (spring '12)



Rear shot of new wood backing...



Licensed and loaded for the lake! (summer '12)



Ain't nothing better! Finally at home on the water where she belongs...



Like I said....nothing really fancy, but it does the job. I'm pretty proud of it because I finished it. It is 100% sealed and solid (thanks to those stainless steel bolts, marine adhesive, and steelflex) so i'm happy. Now after 2 years I can actually go after some big cats with it. 

Thanks for all the help and hope you guys enjoy the pics. Thanks for looking!


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## RBuffordTJ (Jul 15, 2012)

Way to go man, it looks great!


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