1982 16 Ft build

First build. My wife and I moved from Iowa to Florida about 1.5 years ago. Right after moving in a neighbor took us for a boat ride on the gulf and to the different islands and sand bars around here and we got hooked. We bought a Key West 239 the next month and I have become an off shore fishing junkie. My new job allows me to get out on the water throughout the week for a quick fishing run; however, my Key West takes too much time and energy to go for quick trip.

So I bought this:
1982 flat bottom Jon Boat with a Mercury 15 Hp. Only concern I have is weight. Not sure how the 15 HP is even going to move it. We'll see.

I have a 17’ roughneck with 40hp, anything more than 3 people + gear and the boat starts to dig. 15hp will work just fine if the main priory is fishing close by however reaching spots too far from the ramp/marina will take quite a bit of time and can be frustrating, I have experienced this on my first boat, 12’ with 6hp. Looks like it will be a great rig for sight fishing


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Yes, it will be mainly for canal fishing and getting into skinnier water than my offshore can do. Haven't been working on it much the past week, but plan on finishing the wiring this week. I got these neat led lights for bow navigation and then a couple LED floods for low light situations. After wiring I have to plan out how I am going to pole anchor it. I really want the flexibility of the poles but I have to think of a cheaper way than a power-pole. I think I have a few.

Where did you get the mat to cover the plywood? And how do you like it. Nice build!

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I got it from amazon. It's called BlackTip JetSports. I am not sure how it will hold up but the reviews were good, the company helped me out when I had a small issues, and I have been in and out of the boat as I am building it and it hasn't done anything too it. I put some on the garage floor to see the wear and so far so good. It's about $72 a sheet.