Grumman Mod - my first aluminum

[sdavis]

Hi, all,

I spent hours on the site and I used a lot of my favourite mod ideas to modify my first aluminum boat. I also used some of the ideas on my fiberglass bass boat.

my 10ft grumman is a mid-1980's jon. I have paired it with a 1976 4hp evinrude with built-in gas tank and 38lbs thrust electric trolling motor (reversed head so it can used similar to a bow-mount style but on the transom). The idea being used to easily throw in the back of the pick-up and access more remote areas then with my bass boat, and also for trolling for muskies.

Therefore I did not want to add any weight at all to the boat, and my mods reflect this. I will add more photos as the mod progresses. Enjoy.

 

[sdavis]

I'm from New Brunswick, Canada.

I used desk wire grommets , and hole-saw drilled on an angle to create rod holders that are 'weightless' and do not clutter. Because the bench seats are filled with styrofoam, I used a clear coat to 'seal' the foam so that water will not penetrate it... yes water will now sit in there if it's raining while i'm out, but I store the boat upside down, so after every use it will drain.

I also added recessed cup holders for drink, and for light storage of pliers, etc.

Using over the door hooks, this will be my rod storage (when not trolling with recessed rod holders). I have yet to paint them. Again, same idea as the rod holders, I sealed the holes at the bottom of the cup holders meant to drain them, since I don't want to styrofoam getting saturated when it rains.

 

[sdavis]

I wanted to use the same sonar/GPS unit on my bass boat, so I purchased a new powercord/transducer, and unit mount. This way I can unclip from my bass boat, and clip onto my jon quickly and easily and have all my saved waypoints, etc. on both boats.I used a car caddy to keep a small lawn tractor battery to power the unit and using velcro can easily place the battery and unit on the bench across from where I am sitting. I used a clamp from an old nav lights unit, attaching to a PVC pipe to attach the transducer on an off the boat easily.

 

[sdavis]

On my Bass Boat, I made a rod holder out of 4" PVC pipe inspired by some ideas I saw on this forum, but with a slight improvement on the design which keeps the rod from slipping out, and ads strength. Most I have seen on here have an 'open' section to the pipe, but it is really not needed, so I left it a closed loop, but simply cutting out what was needed to hold a rod.

On opening day, I usually take my accountant out trolling for landlock salmon and it is usually quite windy and choppy, so holding the boat in position, at the right speed, while holding a rod was quite difficult. Now I have this rod holder next to my console so I can control the boat while the rod is being held in position.

This is before paint, I painted it black.

 

[sdavis]

inspired by some ideas on this site, I found this $10 organizer that is meant to be stuck into your car's cupholder and it gives you a bit more storage space... it also still allows you to use as a cup holder. So using a scrap piece of plastic cutting board I had laying around from another project, I attached this 'console/cupholder' to the piece of cutting board, drilled a hole the same size as my seat post, and voila! I have a cup holder and storage for lures / hooks, etc. on my pedestal seat. This is before paint, I painted the white plastic black to match the console/cupholder.

 

[sdavis]

Had the boat out Sunday for the first time, and the setup worked great!

 

[amateurhour]

I love it! Can you go into a little more detail about how you made the mounts for the fish finder and transducer? What parts did you have to buy?

I've got a 14' setup and I don't want to drill a lot of holes in it and I really like the way that looks.

 

[sdavis]

The main caddy is a windshield washer fluid caddy meant for keeping your stored gallon jugs from tipping in your trunk. The clips on the side meant to hold the transducer bracket are dollar store over the door plastic hangers, but cutting off the over the door part, and painting black to match. I held the battery in place by jamming some strips of rubber I had lying around between the battery and the inside of the caddy. Adhesive velcro on the boat and under the caddy help keep it in place while boating without drilling holes.

The actual mount for the sonar/gps unit mounting are a couple of unused plastic clips meant for clipping to a boat trailer frame to create attaching points for tarping, but I'm sure any straight plastic or SS, Aluminum or galvanized bars would do the trick. But I used these because they had a bend at the top that allowed me to wind and organize the transducer and power cords. Mounting of hooks and sonar/gps mount are made with self-tapping screws.

I hope to add a carrying strap at some point as well to make it a bit easier to carry around.

See picture below for a better side view. I hope this helps!