Hey all, so this weekend, I purchased my first boat!!! Woot for me! (I've wanted a boat for 15 years +, and at 35, the day is finally here!)
Got a sweet deal (I think) on a 12' Sears 60122 aluminum jonboat + trailer + TM + Battery for $345. here it is in my garage:
The outboard came from a boat garage I ran across on my way home and cost me $250 (tested, it runs great). 5.5 HP. Dunno the brand, all the ID plates are missing.
The boat itself is in all but perfect condition. The bottom is scratchless, I think the guy I bought it from only used it in farm ponds and then only rarely. The only issue is the front bench, which has a tear on either side towards the bow, less than an inch long. And the front seat is reinforced to the front thusly:
(Tear in front bench)
Other than that kind of tear on each side of the front bench, the thing is all but pristine. I think I got a hell of a deal.
NOW, the problem is that neither the trailer, nor the boat are titled. Which means, no boating for me until I get that taken care of (about a month for the trailer, no VIN#, and who knows with the courts for the boat). Which means that I have time to play with the boat before I can really use it....
SO, having found this site the other day (OMG, so very cool, I'm in awe) I decided, HELL YES I WANT ONE JUST LIKE YOURS!!! hehe
SO, here's the basic layout I came up with:
I want the livewell (read cooler with a pump in it) to be able to be easily slid in/out. So a bungie will be in place there.
Rod lockers will open in towards the center of the boat. Yes, that's not ideal, but I'm looking for a big open center, but still have a bench with a purpose there. All my rods break down so 3' or so should do fine. This was done rough and not really measured YET. That's what cardboard is for
The Store bits near the bow are planned to be 2 or 3 "glove boxes" that should hold some plano's or whatever.
I plan on painting the bottom 1/2 in black or grey steelflex and then the top red with blue bump walls (for a splash of color, hehe).
Blue carpet on all the flooring, and grey for the sidewalls.
I just picked up a few dirt cheap ladders from a pawn shop for framing (cause lighter than wood = good). 3/4" plywood for the decking (untreated of course) and some 2x2's for other framing needs.
NOW, here's where I start bugging everyone with questions.
1) How the hell does one attach framing to the boat, especially the bottom? I mean, won't it leak? How do you keep it from doing so?
2) Is marine carpet REALLY better than indoor/outdoor? in/out seems a lot cheaper to me and I am on a budget here. I know about hook issues with in/out, but I'm willing to deal with it to save the cash.
3) Does my design look balanced? Weight wise? I figured, put the fuel tank on the right, and the trolling motor on the left, that will keep most of the weight balanced in that respect.
4) I've read up on most of the projects here, and can't figure out how the compartments you guys are building close and don't just fall in on themselves. Is there some trick to supporting the cover? Just a bracket or something and I'm too blind to see it? Or what?
5) Wiring.... erm... yeah... wut? I'm pretty good with my hands, I can build this, no worries, but electricity and me don't get along. point me...please...
6) Anything else I'm not considering here?
Any and all help/advice is appriciated. I'm planning on starting this up tomorrow or so (removing benches, sanding, etc...)
Got a sweet deal (I think) on a 12' Sears 60122 aluminum jonboat + trailer + TM + Battery for $345. here it is in my garage:
The outboard came from a boat garage I ran across on my way home and cost me $250 (tested, it runs great). 5.5 HP. Dunno the brand, all the ID plates are missing.
The boat itself is in all but perfect condition. The bottom is scratchless, I think the guy I bought it from only used it in farm ponds and then only rarely. The only issue is the front bench, which has a tear on either side towards the bow, less than an inch long. And the front seat is reinforced to the front thusly:
(Tear in front bench)
Other than that kind of tear on each side of the front bench, the thing is all but pristine. I think I got a hell of a deal.
NOW, the problem is that neither the trailer, nor the boat are titled. Which means, no boating for me until I get that taken care of (about a month for the trailer, no VIN#, and who knows with the courts for the boat). Which means that I have time to play with the boat before I can really use it....
SO, having found this site the other day (OMG, so very cool, I'm in awe) I decided, HELL YES I WANT ONE JUST LIKE YOURS!!! hehe
SO, here's the basic layout I came up with:
I want the livewell (read cooler with a pump in it) to be able to be easily slid in/out. So a bungie will be in place there.
Rod lockers will open in towards the center of the boat. Yes, that's not ideal, but I'm looking for a big open center, but still have a bench with a purpose there. All my rods break down so 3' or so should do fine. This was done rough and not really measured YET. That's what cardboard is for
The Store bits near the bow are planned to be 2 or 3 "glove boxes" that should hold some plano's or whatever.
I plan on painting the bottom 1/2 in black or grey steelflex and then the top red with blue bump walls (for a splash of color, hehe).
Blue carpet on all the flooring, and grey for the sidewalls.
I just picked up a few dirt cheap ladders from a pawn shop for framing (cause lighter than wood = good). 3/4" plywood for the decking (untreated of course) and some 2x2's for other framing needs.
NOW, here's where I start bugging everyone with questions.
1) How the hell does one attach framing to the boat, especially the bottom? I mean, won't it leak? How do you keep it from doing so?
2) Is marine carpet REALLY better than indoor/outdoor? in/out seems a lot cheaper to me and I am on a budget here. I know about hook issues with in/out, but I'm willing to deal with it to save the cash.
3) Does my design look balanced? Weight wise? I figured, put the fuel tank on the right, and the trolling motor on the left, that will keep most of the weight balanced in that respect.
4) I've read up on most of the projects here, and can't figure out how the compartments you guys are building close and don't just fall in on themselves. Is there some trick to supporting the cover? Just a bracket or something and I'm too blind to see it? Or what?
5) Wiring.... erm... yeah... wut? I'm pretty good with my hands, I can build this, no worries, but electricity and me don't get along. point me...please...
6) Anything else I'm not considering here?
Any and all help/advice is appriciated. I'm planning on starting this up tomorrow or so (removing benches, sanding, etc...)