New to Me 16' Jon Boat

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ocbinva

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Well I got a new project. It’s a 1978 16’ Jon Boat rated for 55hp. I have fun with craigslist barters and I had a Tandem Kayak my son and I outgrew a couple years ago and we now paddle our own. I offered it up for trade along with the Jet Ski trailer I used to haul it around with and was offered tons of things but I was offered this Jon Boat for straight across trade. The guy said he did not have time to fix it. I wanted it for lakes and brackish water of the York River here in Virginia. In the trade I got a titled boat and trailer, two bilge pumps, a new water proof fuse box, new fuel tank, two new seats, a running Johnson 9.9 and Merc 50 which the guy said it ran when he got it but never used it and it was in storage, bow mounted trolling motor and stock controls with cables for both motors. The boat itself has no dents, looks professionally painted on the sides. All wood is shot but it has aluminum supports built in. Whoever installed them used 1/4 inch solid rivets and would take a grinder to remove. They main floor is a partial sheet of 1/4 aluminum riveted to the supports with pop rivets. There are also 1’ X 2” channels built along each side housing batter cables to the bow storage area and hose to the live well. One bolt put through the Transom is showing corrosion but nothing a aluminum welding stick won’t fix.
I work in an office all day so a project like this is how I keep my sanity. I restore things for fun and I am above average wrench but far from professional. I am mechanically inclined but I am also a firm believer of the KISS rule.

My plan is:

1. Remove anything rotten
2. Pull floor (Grass and leaves under it plus I want to check for leaks and corrosion)
3. Remove anything steel
4. Replace wood and carpet
5. New wiring
6. Maybe ad a hatch or two
7. Install seats and cables
8. Go Fishing

Couple concerns I have are the thickness of the wood. Its all 3/4 inch but most of it I feel can be replaced with 1/2 and 3/8. There is a small deck in the bow and another 4 inches lower. The lower one angles forward. I don’t like how it looks but may be level when It floats? I will play with that because I do not like the space between them because it allows stuff to get into the bow compartment plus somewhere to catch my feet and trip. Maybe convert to one deck but worry about being top heavy? I also want to try and find a place to mount rod holders. The built in live well is homemade. Seems strong but I may rethink its configuration. ALso woulkd like to fit in emergency floation somewhere? I welcome any opinions or insight by those of you more experienced.

Rick
 

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Just looking at the pictures I wood say that is all a factory setup and I would recommend going back with 3/4 marine plywood (not the treated stuff) and seal it with spar varnish before putting the carpet down. Do you have the make and model of this boat?
 
Sorry took so long. It is a 1978 “Terry Bass Boat”. I have found a couple pictures of like boats since my first post and allot of it looks stock. The floor looks added and it’s a 1/4 inch this sheet of aluminum. And the steering console was screwed down onto it with cheapo rusty screws. It was under a tree when I got it so I am going to pull the floor long enough to get out twigs and leafs and see if there is any floatation. I want to add floatation where possible because of the rivers here where I use it are tidal and I want as much safety as possible. The live well looks homemade but it’s watertight and overflow works. There is a small compartment next to the live well under the same lid it’s dry but not sure of its purpose? It has a rounded bottom so not sure what will fit in it right. I have one seeping rivet in the bottom but allot are gooped with something. I might clean them up and either Re-Ping or replace with heavy duty rivet and 5200. Not sure I want to use steelflex but I want it leak free and I want it all done before I add the wood and it’s too heavy to flip. Bow rail has two cracks but they are not into the sheet metal so I will get them welded. Transom wood needs replaced and it looks like a pain. I will have to drill out and re-rivet the transom channel but it’s doable. All I need to figure out is the wiring. I have wired allot of trucks but never a boat. Then new plywood, some CPES and Carpet. I am open to any suggestions or insight.
 

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Today I got back at it because my son was here and ready to work. I finally got the floor up. Between rivets and screws (Steel and Rusted!!), a few drill bits and a few hours we finally got the floor up, steering console out, and live well disconnected. Not sure what I am going to do about the floor. It was made of 1/4 inch aluminum but was 16" short of the entire area and was piece milled over that space with. Debating on putting that back in or going with plywood. I do like the no rot of aluminum but their are a ton of extra holes I will need to fill in and it has some ripples and fill in that 16'. No flotation in the floor so I will add some but the walls panels and stern compartments were full of white Styrofoam and dry. Pulled up the bilge pan and under it was plywood and foam that was soaked and I took the plywood out a handful at a time.

Since the boat is rated for a 60HP it has a reinforced transom. Previous owner added some additional galvanized bolts but they are rusting and corroding the boat. I think he added them since the transom is rotting. To replace transom I will need to remove most the seating the bilge area. I will also need to remove 16 solid 1/4' pressed rivets so I can disconnect it from the back. As I did some inspecting one of these rivets is corroding through the hull. It is white powdery and can be dug out with screwdriver. But it also has a few pits about 2 inches about that corroding but no rivets or screws near by. Any Ideas???? (the green is old paint).
 

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