Tiny Tinny

I'm getting a 10 ft johnboat free.
I want to make it into a hand launchable lil boat for secluded water.
I want to mount wheels on the back so I can wheel it down to the water using kayak launch sites.
Don't care for canoes or kayaks so the little john sounds about right.
It's going to be a one person row boat kind of thing.
I was thinking of using aluminum angle iron bolted to the back, hanging down far enough for the wheels to clear.
It has some holes that need to be patched and I was thinking of using aluminum flashing material to cover them.
Question;
Should I rivet the patch on or use epoxy?
I've used the West Marine epoxy before and had good results but a lot of guys claim 3M 5200 is the way to go.
Anybody, have advice on this?
I'm going to put either pool noodles or foam pipe insulation over the gunnels for a little extra safety.
The seats have the factory flotation in them. I weigh 175 lbs. so I should be ok weight wise.
Any help would be appreciated

I am thinking about doing the same idea for the wheels on a 12' semi v. Something like I have seen on a tbn vid on youtube. There are some bodies of water around me that only allow hand launched craft. I wonder if I can still launch at normal launch ramps with these diy wheels i have seen on this video

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=yPxoPVVuU3w

As far as the holes. My boat had a few holes when I got it. I got some aluminum brazing rods from harbor freight and a blue gas torch and it seemed to patch them up. I also did an epoxy coating to seal all rivets and fill in any pin hole leaks. No leaks on the recent test! For my boat in going to use insulation foam. I can get a 4 x 8 sheet at lows for less then 10. I have seen many youtubers using the pool noodles as well as the insulation foam. I am leaning to the insulation foam under a sub floor to also sound dampen the boat while on the water!

I am liking the direction your free jon boat is going! Sounds like it will be far superior to any kayak!

I'm going to put re tractable wheels on mine. I have 2 $4 wheels from Harbor that I'm going to use. Going to Home Depot and getting two 3 ft. pcs of aluminum angle iron for the supports. Mounting them on the stern with the vertical flat sides facing each other 1 and 1/2 inches apart. I have some scrap one inch bimini top aluminum that I will make the wheel holders. I'l put a hole in each side about midway and use it for a pivot point with two more holes top and bottom for pins to hold the tubing in place. That way, I can have the wheels down to launch and up while underway.
You can use 2x2 wood for your supports too, just make the angle iron a bit wider. Using scrap materials I have on hand, this whole project won't cost more than $20.

I posted this here somewhere before but I built a wheeled dolly for my 1232 jon boat. A ratchet strap attaches the wheeled dolly to the boat. The wheels can be attached anywhere along the bottom but I like the wheels right in the center of the boat. The boat is then balanced and is zero weight for the person pushing if the wheels are in the middle. I used larger wheels and built this to give me some clearance if I'm going over rough ground. My son's boy scout troop pushes the boat 1/4 mile through the woods from their campsite to the lake with the boat full of the regular fishing and boating gear.

mountainhawk said:

I wonder if I can still launch at normal launch ramps with these diy wheels i have seen on this video

Click to expand...

I don't know why not. Every ramp i've been to would allow kayaks to be launched. Don't see a difference.