Justin's 14' Catfish and Greenhead Slayer

[Schube4]

Started working to fix up and modify/upgrade my Jon Boat that's been handed down from my grandpa and dad. Really don't know how old this boat is, probably about as old as I am (30), but I do know it has sat outside pretty much all of its life. Hey it's a Jon Boat, nothing fancy, but gets the job done. Now that the weather is starting to get a little nicer here in Central Oklahoma, and after checking out all of the sweet conversions and modifications on the board, I figured I'd give it a go and give it some upgrades, like some fine women need to add "plus 2's", if you get my drift! No offense ladies, just sayin' upgrades are good every once in a while. Haha. Anyway, I plan on mainly using this boat for catfishing and duck hunting, so my mods are going to cater to those needs mainly.

I've started the sanding and painting process. Went to Lowe's and had them color match their camouflage spray paint and mix up a gallon of the primer + paint. I've knocked out the outside and have started on the inside. As you can see the color is very similar to a military green, which i think looks great on the boat thus far, compared to the olive green that my dad put on it years ago. Here are a few pictures to start.

Next, I'm going to top the bench seats with 1/2" plywood covered in black marine carpet. This is a must as that aluminum heats up pretty good in the summer sun. Then, going to run 2x4's down each side and screw them down to the benches so I'll have a rail or rest to screw down rod holders or double as a place to set shotgun shells when duck hunting. Once all that is installed I'm going to install the high back seats I bought at BassPro to the removable seat clamp and swivel I ordered through Cabela's (on sale for only $17/each compared to the normal $28 I might add). Last but not least I plan on buying a fish finder. Not looking for anything too fancy or too expensive, just one that'll get the job done for finding catfish and the occasional crappie. After looking at them at BassPro, I'm definitely a fan of the Lowrance's over the Hummingbirds. The associate told me for the type of fishing I'll be doing, that the Lowrance Elite-4x is the ticket, for the price and features, coming in at a very reasonable $170. Looking for any help I can get with the fish finders as I've never had one and haven't been around them that much.

Let me know what you think, as I'm always open to constructive criticism, a second opinion, and better ideas.

 

[Ictalurus]

First :WELCOME:

Let me know what you think, as I'm always open to constructive criticism, a second opinion, and better ideas.

Boat looks great and I love the new paint. I'd shy away from the black carpet, it will get just as hot as the aluminum. Try a light grey or tan, they hide blood and guts and won't get as hot. For the side rails, run your boards (2x4 or whatever) between your benches as oposed to on top of them, makes a smooth surface. Also, you may also want to think about the pin style seat posts as opposed to the clamp ons.

 

[Schube4]

Thanks for the welcome Ictalurus. I appreciate it. After reading your thoughts, I wish I would have waited on the black carpeting and gone with a grey or tan, which won't heat up like the black will. I've already cut it up and have it all glued onto the plywood, just waiting for the painting to be completed. Next time I'll remember that little bit of info.

I plan on having the inside fully painted this evening and will post more pics before I proceed any further. I looked at the pin style posts, but my concern with them was at what height you'd be at with the seat installed on them and being a narrow boat, the stability might come into play. I checked out your mods though and see you managed to seat it pretty low to the bench on your PolarKraft mod, which looks awesome I might add and the detail you put into it is stunning. Really wish I would have seen this mod prior to getting the wood and carpeting, especially regarding the info about staining and sealing up the wood. I might scrap the wood and carpet I’ve already managed to put together and start over on those and do it right. Crazy all the things you don’t think of and then boom find this forum and tons of great info.

I’m debating on whether or not to deck the front quarter of the boat between the middle bench and the very front, much like you did on the Polar mod, but drop it back a little further to the support beam on the bottom of the boat. A trolling motor would be cool to throw on and I’d definitely have to deck it then, I imagine, but by flooring it I’ll lose much needed space to haul decoys, plus I don’t see myself putting a seat up there, as it would be mainly used for storage if I did so. Not to mention my compadre (brother-in-law) who I’ll mainly be going with me stands about 6’4” and I want to make sure he has plenty of room. Any thoughts are much appreciated?

 

[Schube4]

Got after it a little bit this weekend. I decided to stay with the black marine carpet over a grey or tan in keeping with my camouflage strategy. All-in-all, i'm very impressed at how a few minor improvements can turn a rather old and basic boat into a great looking boat that's ready to hit the water and be proud of.

I finished the painting on the inside during the week, in the evenings, and ran two coats over it. Installed planks for the benches using plywood and the marine carpet. Next, I added side rails between both benches using 2x4's and carpeted them as well. Plan on screwing down rod holders to these rails and then when we take it duck hunting, it'll act as a shotgun shell holder or something to set things on. Lastly, picked up two of the high-back seats in Max-4 camo and screwed them into adjustable seat clamps for easy on and off.

Next up I plan on installing a removable floor to fit into the bottom for a flat surface using sealed plywood. However, I'm wondering with this added weight how much lower the boat will sit down in the water?

Anyone have some other good ideas to throw my way please don't hesitate. Either way I can't wait to get it out on the lake.

 

[DuckChaser]

Nice work on the boat. Your paint job looks pretty good. What type of motor if any are you going to put on it?

 

[Ictalurus]

Looks great man! Black isn't that big of deal. X2 on the pain job.

 

[Schube4]

Thanks DuckChaser! I have a Yamaha 15 sitting in the garage that's primed and ready to go. My dad has had the motor for about 25 years and has kept it sheltered and out of the elements the entire time. Needless to say, it runs like a champ and fires up on the first or second pull every time. The last time I used it was 4th of July took it out to a large farm pond to catch some catfish and it gets up and goes when you turn the throttle. We used to take it to larger lakes when I was younger and we'd zip around all over the place with no problem. Although it got a little scary once all of the other boaters got out there.

 

[DuckChaser]

Thanks DuckChaser! I have a Yamaha 15 sitting in the garage that's primed and ready to go. My dad has had the motor for about 25 years and has kept it sheltered and out of the elements the entire time. Needless to say, it runs like a champ and fires up on the first or second pull every time. The last time I used it was 4th of July took it out to a large farm pond to catch some catfish and it gets up and goes when you turn the throttle. We used to take it to larger lakes when I was younger and we'd zip around all over the place with no problem. Although it got a little scary once all of the other boaters got out there.

That sounds like it will work out great. The reason I was asking is because you mentioned putting a trolling motor on. I am not sure where you duck hunt, but a trolling motor comes in handy sometimes when putting out/picking up deks. I know some people who will not put them on their duck boats, but I kinda like having one. Just something for you to keep in mind.

 

[Schube4]

Thanks for the info. The last few years I've mainly done most of my duck hunting on the Cimarron River here in Oklahoma. During duck season the water isn't too deep and most of the places we setup are no more than a couple feet deep and a good pair of waders do the trick. I was thinking that it would be handy if I decided to go to a larger reservoir and hunt around some islands or in some back water. The great thing about the trolling motors is the quietness. Usually when fishing I just pull up to my spot, cut the motor, and anchor off. The trolling motor would be fun to troll around shorelines though.

 

[RiverBottomOutdoors]

Like a brand new boat! That black carpet won't be too bad. Carpet does not conduct heat like metal does. It will get warm but it won't scorch you.

 

[TheMaestro]

I like the black carpet, looks very sharp! Man would it ever look cool with a matte black outboard.. Ive never seen that done, but your carpet made me think about it.. I dont think the carpet will burn your skin.. Lotsa cars have black material seats or carpet andits usually the vinyl or leather trim on them that burns.. Good job, looking forward to more!

 

[smackdaddy53]

Nice! It will be great

 

[TimRich]

Very nice! The paint job turned out great!

 

[TxTightLiner]

Looking good!
I like those seats.
That'll get the deeks to the honey hole.

 

[Schube4]

Thanks everyone. Glad you all like it. Hope to do some more work on the boat and/or the trailer over the weekend and get some more pics up soon.

 

[theyyounggun]

I know your in Oklahoma but I'm pretty sure it's illegal here in arkansas to hunt from your boat while your being "powered" just wanted to give you a heads up.

It lookes like a brand new boat!

 

[jvanhees]

Looks good, put the same seats in mine!

 

[steadyt]

Looks good man!

 

[Schube4]

It's been a couple weeks since I've checked in, with all the rain we've been having lately, but I was finally able to get to work this past Saturday fixing up the trailer a bit. Checked out a mod that RiverBottom had done on his trailer, and I'm sure others are deserving of credit as well, but picked up a ladder stabilizer at Lowe's along with a 10' long x 2" diameter PVC and cut it into two 4' pieces. Bolted the stabilizer onto the bed of the trailer, then cut out a little square section out of each skid on the trailer so that the skids fit right over the stabilizer for added support and stability, then screwed them back down. Bolted the PVC booms onto the stabilizer and added some reflective tape and boom, it was ready to roll for Sunday morning. I was very happy with the results, even though we only caught one fish on Sunday morning. But hey, didn't get skunked and saw a beautiful Oklahoma sunrise.