# Jeff's Jon Boat Conversion



## jeffsjonboat (Dec 4, 2009)

Hey Guys,

I'm new to the forum. I just inherited my Uncle's Duck Hunting boat. The measurements of it are: length - 14'1", across the floor is 44" wide and from the top of the walls it measures 62" wide. The front deck measures 39". It has a 25 HP Honda 4 stroke engine on the back. (I know it's huge, but I took the boat to a Honda Marine Shop and they said it is OK as long as we put an extra bolt to secure it better to the transom.) I've been looking at this site for weeks and I'm ready to begin! I want to put a large deck on it, (not as big as tholdah and the 3 man bass boat) but still a large one. And I would like to add a deck on the back of it to cover the gas cans and also to provide a platform for someone else to fish off of. I'm going to strip the paint off next week, and I am going to begin with the frame. I know that a lot of people say aluminum bracing is better because it is so much lighter, but do you think that if I use 2X4's it could be a good thing since the motor in the back is so heavy? The heavier wood could help stabilize the boat. I'm open to any and all ideas you all have. The boat looks ugly now, but I will paint it after I am finished with the decking and wiring. Thanks guys, I look forward to hearing yall's ideas and I thank you in advance for helping me with this project! Here is the boat!


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## njTom (Dec 4, 2009)

:WELCOME: Looking forward to seeing yours mods.


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## lckstckn2smknbrls (Dec 4, 2009)

I have a 25hp mariner 2 stroke on my 1436. I have the battery in the back and I put a 12 gal tank in the front with a small deck to help balance everything out. I use it to duck hunt out of so a big deck with storage wasn't needed.


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## Cheeseball (Dec 4, 2009)

Sweet motor! Boat looks like a nice fixer-upper. Go with aluminum or a combination of aluminum and wood.


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## Doug (Dec 5, 2009)

:WELCOME: It looks like a great project boat, looking forward to the pic's.

Doug


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## jeffsjonboat (Dec 6, 2009)

Hey guys,

I have stripped all the paint off the boat. The parts that will be covered up I just left the old paint on. I'm planning on cutting out most of the middle seat and adding a casting deck. What do you think should be my next move? Thanks guys!


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## Hydrilla (Dec 6, 2009)

Are you sure it doesn't leak anywhere? That would be what I would do next, if you are in a region that doesn't have hard water already.


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## jeffsjonboat (Dec 6, 2009)

Hydrilla said:


> Are you sure it doesn't leak anywhere? That would be what I would do next, if you are in a region that doesn't have hard water already.


I took it out on the water last week and it does not leak. Around all of the rivits my uncle had caulked them and then painted. I plan on putting some caulk over all of them again before I paint. It does not leak at all now but I want to prepare for the future.


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## Hydrilla (Dec 7, 2009)

That's good news. As far as what to do next, every project is different, no one does things the same. Before doing much to the inside, I made sure the trailer was squared away (big project in itself), and then prepped/painted the outside of the boat. That way once it was flipped over and back on the trailer, it was on there for good. Then I could focus on the inside. once I put together a plan, I built the deck support structure, cut out the wood for the decks, treated and carpeted them, prepped and primered the inside of the boat, made a trolling motor mount, made a support for the battery tray in the rear so the battery wouldn't damage the bottom of the boat, mounted and wired my fish finder, and now I've got to wire up the trolling motor, paint the inside of the boat, attach the decks and pedestal seat bases, and wrap up a few other loose ends. That's my project, I'm doing things a little simpler than others, with no compartments or anything at this time. I might add one or two later, and one possible method might be cutting the top off the rear bench. 

I'm sure you've researched the bench seat mods quite a bit by now, and read a lot of the previous project posts, that has been what I've learned the most from. I hope this helps a little bit, I'm no expert, just sharing how I've done things.


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## jeffsjonboat (Dec 21, 2009)

Hey Guys,

I've ran into a roadblock. I'm trying to build the foundation for the deck. I was looking at PBW's boat (https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=964) and was trying to copy what he did. I went to Home Depot to get the Strong Ties rtb22's and I realized that they would not fit the ribs on my boat! The boat ribs are just over 2.5 inches wide and the rtb22's are not wide enough. I can't find another size of the strong ties to hold the 2X2's I bought. So what should I do to lay the foundation? I suppose I can put 2X2's on top of the ribs and that would give me the right dimensions to use the strong ties. But is there another option that I'm not thinking of? I'm attaching pictures from the top of the ribs and from the sides. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks!


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## Rat (Dec 21, 2009)

Does the transom need to be rebuilt? Check that out good as well; if it does you can rebuild it to handle that long shaft motor better. 

When enclosing a fuel tank you will need to make sure and allow for venting of the locker. All composite fuel tanks are permeable, which allows fuel vapors to form in the sealed compartment, which could lead to an explosion. Go by the Coast Guard regulations and you will be safe. The last thing you want is a sealed compartment explosion when you turn on your bilge pump! 

I have never used the brackets, but can you bend them to get them to fit? Maybe you can add a piece of square tubing to the top of your ribs that's the right size and then fasten the brackets to that. 

Looks like a good project, that's about the same size as my hull; she is also a retired duck hunter.


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## jeffsjonboat (Dec 21, 2009)

Good idea, Rat. What type of screws should I use to bolt the braces to the ribs?


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## Rat (Dec 21, 2009)

jeffsjonboat said:


> Good idea, Rat. What type of screws should I use to bolt the braces to the ribs?


 Stainless


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## Ouachita (Dec 22, 2009)

You could use a fastener that will tie directly to the top of the rib. This is a pic of how I attached my 2x2 braces. They went through the floor into the rib. You could also attach them with two simpson L-brackets like I used to attach the top of the 2x2's in the picture to the underside of the deck.


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## jeffsjonboat (Dec 26, 2009)

Hey guys,

Thanks for all of your suggestions. After much consideration, I have decided to use aluminum bracing for the deck. I just cut out the middle bench and have begun to place the angled aluminum on the ribs. The first few ribs were easy, but I'm running into problems when the boat starts to curve upwards towards the bow. The ribs are no longer 180 degrees and flat like the ribs on the bottom of the boat. What's the best way to put the angled aluminum on the ribs when the ribs aren't flat? It's going to be hard to get the deck flush if the foundation angles are off. Has anyone else run into this and how did you fix it?? I'll post some pictures soon!


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## FishingBuds (Dec 26, 2009)

Sent ya a pm jeff


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## jeffsjonboat (Dec 27, 2009)

Made some progress today! Since I plan on adding a rod locker to the deck I had to remove the middle bench seat today. This was a lot harder than I thought to remove since I only had a hack saw, a jigsaw, a chisel, and a wedge. I got the bench out and then washed the whole inside of the boat. (it doesn't look clean but it's a huge improvement from what it was!) Tomorrow morning I will build the deck bracing with the angled aluminum. The deck will be flush with the bow of the boat. Just taking out the bench made the boat look a lot bigger! Here are the progress pics.


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## danmyersmn (Dec 28, 2009)

It looks like your getting a great start


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## jeffsjonboat (Dec 28, 2009)

Today I had to cut out more of the middle bench so I could fit in the livewell and still have room for the rod locker. I finally got to use the rivet gun and secured a few pieces of angle aluminum to the ribs. I wanted to get yalls thoughts on this: I have a few 8 feet pieces of 1/8" angle aluminum. Since I'm planning on decking all the way to the bow, I used C-clamps to hold the aluminum to the top of the boat. I was thinking I could do this around the entire boat (just from a few feet behind the middle bench to the bow) and then the plywood could just lay on top. Does that make sense? That would make the deck perfectly flat. I know the deck would be a little high, but my boat is very wide and I don't plan on taking this out into really rough water. Let me know what yall are thinking. I still would build the regular foundation, this would be in addition to that.


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## FishingBuds (Dec 28, 2009)

Awsome start Jeff, I like the railing Idea, I think it would work fine, only thing would mess it up if it wasn't level with your current flooring, but you seem to be going good there. 

Question: you plan on attaching a railing across the middle (star to port) where the bench seat was just to give a little strength back?

Some have done it and some haven't. Curious where you go with it.


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## jeffsjonboat (Dec 29, 2009)

FishingBuds said:


> Awsome start Jeff, I like the railing Idea, I think it would work fine, only thing would mess it up if it wasn't level with your current flooring, but you seem to be going good there.
> 
> Question: you plan on attaching a railing across the middle (star to port) where the bench seat was just to give a little strength back?
> 
> Some have done it and some haven't. Curious where you go with it.



Hey FishingBuds,

Yes I plan on having bracing star to port. I'll connect those with strips to the rails. What's left of the middle bench will be used to add a little extra strength. There will be supports going perpendicularly across the ribs, vertical angle aluminum from those, and then I will box that in to have different compartments. The bracing around the sides might be a little overkill, but it will add a little more stability and then I can bolt, not rivet, the deck to the railing so every 3-4 years I can take it out to replace the carpet and plywood to keep it looking good. I'll post a sketch of my plans in a couple of days. I need to try to find an aluminum scrap yard somewhere in GA. All this aluminum adds up quickly at HD or Lowes. If anyone knows a good GA supplier or yard let me know! Thanks guys.


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