jon boat overhaul

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Ouachita

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 17, 2008
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Location
Rockwall, Tx
Hello everyone, I stumbled on this site when I was doing research for my jon boat overhaul. I have been checking in getting ideas and am finally ready to start the project so I thought I would post as I went to get input and advice. This is my boat.
boat1.jpg

This is a 16 ft. 1971 model jon. The floor beam is 48" and it is a really solid boat. My father-in-law and I spent last night rebucking every rivet on the hull to get everything tightened up. I also had some welding done to fix a crack in the top of the transom and some cracked ribs. I am in the process of bracing the repaired ribs by pop riveting 1" aluminum strips to either side. The setup on this boat is a little weird as the rear bench seat is 3.5 feet from the transom. I have to sit on a tool box step stool in order to run the motor. That has to change.
boat4.jpg

I am planning on putting a wood on the floors, raising the forward bench 4 " and extending forward 20" for battery storage. Also, I will raise the rear bench 4" and build on either side of the boat from the rear bench to the transom. This will allow me to add a seat on the side to run the motor. The bow has a factory deck that is about 3.5 feet so I don't think I'll add any more large deck area. It just needs to be reinforced to the ribs to hold a pedestal.
boat3.jpg

I'll be posting updates soon so please give all the input you can. Thanks guys. I really enjoy the site.
 
Hi and welcome to the site. I found this site the same way. I'm in the middle of doing mine right now. Make sure to take plenty of pics as you go. I'm about ready to post more pics on my progress soon.
 
Hi Ouachita,
Thanks for joining and showing your boat project to us. I look forward to seeing the progress being made, your boat seems like a sweet candidate for some cool upgrades and mods. It will be cool to see a complete build on the rear where the motor will be!

Jim
 
Ouachita said:
please give all the input you can.
The only concern I have is the idea of riding up on top of a pedestal seat to operate the outboard. It has never felt like the safest thing to do, even though I see it done a lot.
 
The seat I will have for operating the motor will not be a pedestal and will be for steering only. The fishing seat will be centered on what is now the rear bench. I run a 30hp tiller steer on this boat. I agree with you on steering from a pedestal. If i took off from a pedestal I would end up in the lake. The rear area I am envisioning will be horseshoe shaped with the floor open for foot space. Years ago I had a bomber-style bass boat that you ran from the front pedestal seat mounted on the floor. It was the stick steering type with the stick on the left and the outboard controls on the right. I always felt like I would be ejected with every turn.
 
Well, I've made some progress on my boat. I have the three sections of floor installed and have the framing completed for the front seat section. The front seat area is where my batteries will be stored.


2-23-2008255.jpg


2-23-2008256.jpg


I will also have 3-1/2" storage areas on top of the bench seats. After adding the height to the bench seats I will still have 5" to the top of the rail. This will make seating more comfortable for us big guys so our knees aren't in our chest.

I left the original carpet on the bench seat. It was in ok shape and will serve as a nice bottom for the storage areas, insulate the aluminum from the galvanized strong-tie braces and most important I didn't have to scrape carpet glue.

2-23-2008257.jpg


I am going to tackle the framing for the rear bench next before I add decking.
 
yes, the port side will have two separate lids. One for the battery compartment and the other for storage. The starboard side will have one large lid that will access battery and storage for less used items. My motor is electric start so I will locate the starting battery up front and at least one deep cycle for TM, lights and bilge.
 
I've gotten most of the rear framing done. I thought I would take a break and snap some pictures.

boat2-23-2008001.jpg


I am going to leave the area under the side benches open to be able to slide bins or tackle boxes under. I will put a seat base on the starboard side for motor operation. I'm going to have to mess around with seat placement before I put in the cross bracing.

boat2-23-2008002.jpg
 
Well, I've finally got all the decking installed. It all had at least one coat of marine varnish before being screwed in so it was a time consuming process. I am going to try to post some pictures this evening. I bought the carpet from Lowe's last night. We are in the middle of a cold snap in the Dallas area(40's and rainy) so I will have to wait until next weekend to get back to temps suitable for the carpet glue (no garage heater).
 
Thanks Jim. I'm a little intimidated by the upcoming carpet installation. I also can't decide whether to carpet the floor or put down an epoxy no-slip paint that I found at BPS.
 

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