# Sears 1436 Build



## Drothgeb (Sep 4, 2019)

I’ve been working on my boat for a while, just thought I’d post a few pics. It’s my dad’s 50 yr old Sears jon boat I’m setting up with a platform, stick steering, sponsons and etc. 

The sponsons give me an additional 150lb of bouyancy/flotation in addition to 9” more width for more stability. I’m also adding more foam for added flotation. I also added some extra bracing and beefed up the transom for a bigger motor.


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## thedude (Sep 4, 2019)

Love a good stick steer on a small boat. Did you fab the sponsons yourself? Those turned out great!

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## Drothgeb (Sep 4, 2019)

Yeah, I already had a box/pan brake. So I used sheets of .063 aluminum, formed them in 3 foot sections and tig welded them together.


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## TMO8853 (Sep 5, 2019)

This is a cool build and great fab skills. Keep us updated as you progress. I’m also fishing out of a 50 yearold 1436 that I’ve completely redone and really curious how your sponsons are going to turn out on the water as far as adding stability.


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## WINGO-LINGO (Sep 5, 2019)

Partner, I have this exact boat. Same drain plug arrangement/cover, and the Sears tag hanging on by one rivet.

I registered to be a member here, when I saw your' project. I bought the boat in the 70's when I was fifteen. I'm 55 now.

Long story shorter, you have inspired me to rebuild it, starting with transom. What materials did you use on transom?

You got it going good. Keep up the good work!


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## Drothgeb (Sep 9, 2019)

I used layers of 1/2” pressure treated plywood for the transom (I let the plywood dry out for about 6 months before using it). The plywood and the boat aluminum were coated with epoxy primer before installing it. Three layers fit where the original piece of wood was, then I sandwiched another layer on the outside. To keep the weight down, I cut out some of the center layer of plywood and replaced it with 1/2” foam. The finished transom ended up weighing just over 20lbs.


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## Drothgeb (Sep 13, 2019)

I got more done on boat this week. Bought batteries and a battery charger, then got started on wiring. Two group 29 batteries for power. Running 2 60a circuits for a front and rear trolling motor, and a 30a circuit to a small breaker panel for misc elec. Also worked on a bow mount for the trolling motor and anchor roller.


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## Elkins45 (Sep 23, 2019)

I have the same boat from 1967. It hasn't been on the water in 20 years but I still pay the property tax on it every year. The transom needs to be replaced on mine as well. I love the mods you have done and look forward to seeing some photos when you have it finished. I'm fascinated to find out how the sponsons perform on the water.


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## Pector55 (Sep 23, 2019)

This is fantastic. I love seeing the way you set up all your storage and decking. I'm in the process of doing mine as well. Did you etch yours out on paper first? napkin? computer software? or just wing it?


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## Drothgeb (Sep 26, 2019)

I’m just designing as I go.

This week I set pvc pipe for wire and cable chases, and started pouring foam. Filled the sponsons and some of the cavities in the boat, 8 cu ft in all. Poured most of it with 2 part foam, then topped it off with spray foam.


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## WINGO-LINGO (Oct 4, 2019)

Very interesting. Those sponsoons blew my mind. We have bayou type conditions here. Thought it was some kind of hydrofoil at first. I commented earlier about having the exact same boat, Sears, 1969 model with the hole in bottom instead of lower rear. Mine has no HIN# because it was fabricated before they were required. Got a warning at the boat ramp a couple weekends ago.

What do the sponsoons do ?


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## LDUBS (Oct 4, 2019)

Drothgeb said:


> I’m just designing as I go.
> 
> This week I set pvc pipe for wire and cable chases, and started pouring foam. Filled the sponsons and some of the cavities in the boat, 8 cu ft in all. Poured most of it with 2 part foam, then topped it off with spray foam.



I'm really looking forward to hearing how the boat rides with those sponsons. I see that you filled them with foam. Are they water tight?


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## Drothgeb (Oct 5, 2019)

WINGO-LINGO said:


> Very interesting. Those sponsoons blew my mind. We have bayou type conditions here. Thought it was some kind of hydrofoil at first. I commented earlier about having the exact same boat, Sears, 1969 model with the hole in bottom instead of lower rear. Mine has no HIN# because it was fabricated before they were required. Got a warning at the boat ramp a couple weekends ago.
> 
> What do the sponsoons do ?



I’ve added about 150lbs to the boat, the sponsons add 150lbs of buoyancy to somewhat compensate. They also add 9” of width to the boat for better stability. I plan on flyfishing from the bow, so I wanted as much stability as I could get.

They look like hydrofoils due to some of the lakes around requiring 18” gunwales. Mine were only 15 1/2”, so I extended down far enough to meet the minimum. Most of my use will be on electric only lakes, so they won’t have much of an effect at 3 mph. But I do have a 25 hp outboard for trips on the river. Not sure if that’s enough to get some hydrofoil action or not.


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## Drothgeb (Oct 5, 2019)

LDUBS said:


> Drothgeb said:
> 
> 
> > I’m just designing as I go.
> ...



They should be watertight. I was on the fence about filling them with foam. But the river has lots of rocks, and I have knocked a couple of holes in boat over the years. Finally decided if I knocked a hole in one of the sponsons and it filled with water on the river, it would be bad.


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## WINGO-LINGO (Oct 6, 2019)

Okay, makes sense now. Got that same 15-1/2" measure on my Sears. I use a short foot Mercury 9.9 in water about 1.5 - 5ft depending on lake level.


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## Drothgeb (Oct 30, 2019)

I’ve been really busy lately, but finally got a chance to apply the final coats of “Monstaliner” to hull. Monstaliner is a truck bedliner material that stays pretty flexible after it hardens. I did it for scuff resistance, to ensure there’s no leaks around the rivets, and it looks cool too. 

I sandblasted the surfaces, then acid etched, then a couple of coats of DTM epoxy primer. After that, I rolled on a few coats of Monstaliner, then used a undercoating gun to splatter on a couple of final coats. Ended up with a nice rugged texture. On the bottom of the boat, after rolling on the Monstaliner, I applied a number of coats of “Gator Glide”. It’s a slick coating meant for air boats. It will help with sliding the boat over lily pads and vegetation in the lake and, it makes it easier to unload and load the boat on the trailer. Might even pick up a mph or two at wot.


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## Drothgeb (Nov 2, 2019)

This morning I decided my front trolling motor mount was a little heavy, so I made another one out .090” aluminum. Much lighter, and seems to be plenty strong for a trolling motor and anchor roller. Only a few more things to do, and I’ll be ready to install the decking.


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## WINGO-LINGO (Nov 3, 2019)

All good. Still have my Sears 1436, 1967 or 69. Your work is inspiring.


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## Drothgeb (Nov 15, 2019)

I got started on the carpet over the weekend. Just using the cheap stuff from Home Depot for now. Hoping to switch it out with vinyl later on. Still have to complete the control and steering cables for the gas engine, but it’s now ready use with the electric motors on the local lakes. Considering the drop in temps lately, I gonna wait til it warms a little before I get it wet.


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## Ebug (Nov 17, 2019)

Fantastic build.

Curious to hear how it handles and performs.

You have effectively build a tunnel hull boat. With enough power that thing has the potential to really fly...but that does come with additional risk once that tunnel fills up with air.

Would love to see some side shots at speed.

Find you a Tohatsu Mega25 motor and this will be a common site when you are headed to your fishing spot.


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## LDUBS (Nov 17, 2019)

Where do you mount the rod holders and down riggers?


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## Drothgeb (Dec 1, 2019)

I managed to get the boat on the water a few days ago. This was on a local electric only lake, so there’s not really that much to report. I was a little concerned about the weight that I’ve added but, the extra buoyancy from the sponsons made up for it, and the waterline is more of less where it was before the mods. On the plus side, the extra weight and sponsons made the boat much more stable than before. I was easily able walk around the perimeter of the platform (I’m about 170lbs). Definitely worth the work performed.

With both trolling motors wide open, I was able to reach a blistering 4.5 mph. Not bad, but not quite enough to get any hydrofoil effects. At this point, it will probably be early next year before I can get it on the river with the gas engine, and really see how it performs. I’ll check back then, hopefully with some video.


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## LDUBS (Dec 1, 2019)

*I was able to reach a blistering 4.5 mph. Not bad, 
*

Not bad at all, Haha. 

Glad to hear that the sponsons really paid off with improved stability. I look forward to hear how the hull performs when you get it out with the big motor.


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## 1960 yellowboat (Dec 1, 2019)

It's certainly hard to believe that is only a 14/36.
It looks much bigger in the pictures.
I wish I had your skills. The boat and decking looks REALLY nice!
With that 25, it should do somewhat better than 4.5 mph! LOL


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## maintenanceguy (Dec 1, 2019)

Drothgeb said:


> I managed to get the boat on the water a few days ago. This was on a local electric only lake, so there’s not really that much to report. I was a little concerned about the weight that I’ve added but, the extra buoyancy from the sponsons made up for it, and the waterline is more of less where it was before the mods. On the plus side, the extra weight and sponsons made the boat much more stable than before. I was easily able walk around the perimeter of the platform (I’m about 170lbs). Definitely worth the work performed.
> 
> With both trolling motors wide open, I was able to reach a blistering 4.5 mph. Not bad, but not quite enough to get any hydrofoil effects. At this point, it will probably be early next year before I can get it on the river with the gas engine, and really see how it performs. I’ll check back then, hopefully with some video.



Nice job with the sponsons. I think, if you had 10 trolling motors, you would still not get over 5mph. The prop pitch on trolling motors aren't made for speed. If someone made a replacement trolling motor prop with a higher pitch, you would get more speed - but I've never seen such a thing.


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## WINGO-LINGO (May 11, 2021)

Great job. I have a Sears 1436, pre HIN(hull identification nunmber) days.


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## DM1975 (May 21, 2021)

Awesome build!


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## Drothgeb (Jul 1, 2021)

maintenanceguy said:


> Nice job with the sponsons. I think, if you had 10 trolling motors, you would still not get over 5mph. The prop pitch on trolling motors aren't made for speed. If someone made a replacement trolling motor prop with a higher pitch, you would get more speed - but I've never seen such a thing.



I currently have a 112 lb thrust trolling motor with a high speed Kipawa prop currently mounted on the boat, it does 4.9 mph. Adding the 55 lb mounted on the transom gets me to 5.1-5.2 mph.


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## VTCrestliner (Aug 29, 2021)

Have you run it since with the Johnson 25?


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## Drothgeb (Oct 23, 2021)

VTCrestliner said:


> Have you run it since with the Johnson 25?



Yes I have. With just me in it, it will do 25 mph. With a second person, it’s more like 22-23 mph. It does ride on the sponsons at top speed. But, they also act as a fixed rudder, so it’s not the best turning high speeds. All in all, I’m very happy with it, except…. when I use it on the Potomac. Just too rocky in the areas I want to use it. 

Finally got tired of beating it up, and had a boat built locally to my specs, especially to handle the rocks. It’s a 21’ center console, .190” hull with 1/2” UHMW, 250hp inboard jet, 112 Ulterra with 36v lithium battery. It’s awesome on the river, and big enough to use on the Chesapeake Bay when the Rockfish are around.


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## Jim (Oct 27, 2021)

Sick boat! Love it!


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