Old Jon boat - 14' - 1970

[maximus34]

So I bought this boat/trailer a few months ago and have been working on it ever since. The boat was so old, that the game and fishing section of Virginia gave it a date of 1970 (it could be older than this). It is aluminum. Here are some pictures of the 1st night I bought it.

 

[maximus34]

Sanding this boat down was a chore! Instead of being an intelligent person and buying the large wire scuff pad, I decided to go with about a 2-3'' head. Afer days of Sanding (inside and out) I have finally got everything done. I then removed the middle bench, popriveted the holes (with 5200M Seal), and allowed it to cure for 7 days. I did a water test on them and everything worked out great.

 

[sixgun86]

:WELCOME: to Tinboats.

What are your plans for the boat?

 

[maximus34]

I literally found myself just standing in my garage... staring at my boat! No wonder this process takes so long! I have to keep telling myself to work without day dreaming about getting her in the water! My plans are to use steelflex for the bottom (Black - ordered it today), a red coat for the top after (outside and inside). I went and bought the primer (self-etching primer) and candy apple red paint from Lowes today. I also bought their grey outdoor carpet. It is extremely nice and exactly what I was looking for. It was only $75.00 for 16'! I grabbed some contact cement and plan on carpeting some time this week.

 

[maximus34]

As far as weight is concerned, this is not a big deep boat, so I must be very aware of what I put into the boat. So, naturally, I decided to cover the whole boat with wood and storage. This is what I have decided to do. I am going to make all parts removable. If I find myself A) to heavy for the water or B) wanting to take others out in the boat I can easily remove some of the wood and make weight room for others.

Secondly, I and trying to keep all the weight in the middle or upfront. I understand that because my boat isn't very wide, I need to keep the center of gravity as low as possible. I will by putting two swivel seats in the boat. The first one will be back by the motor with a 6" lift and the front seat will be in attatched to the bottom in the front deck area. This will give me the ability to control the trolling motor with the extended handle, access storage, and be comfy while I am fishing. I will post more pictures later to show exactly what I will be doing. For now, I have some picturs of my framing, and sealing of the wood.

 

[maximus34]

:WELCOME: to Tinboats.

What are your plans for the boat?

I am going to turn it into a small 2 man fishing boat it will be Red and black, fish finder, hand trolling motor, and two seats. There will be a 7hp outboard on the back. It will have three dry storage areas. Everything will be covered in grey outdoor carpet from Lowes. Hopefully everything works out!

 

[maximus34]

I primed the boat with some self-etching primer. I put two good coats on the places that will be exposed. I chose a red paint to finish with. Hopefully, I will get to this tomorrow.

 

[maximus34]

After paiting on the primer I put the first coat of Paint (safety red) on this afternoon. Tomorrow I will put the second coat on and then I should be ready for the steelflex on the bottom (black). Looking foward to getting it done. During my wait for the steelflex, I plan on carpeting my wood pieces. More pics to come!

 

[maximus34]

After putting a second coat of paint on it, I carpeted all the pieces and placed them in the boat for a ruff fit. The mistake I made was that I didn't account for the carpet when I cut the wood pieces. It worked out, but I had to recut the lids to my dry storage to make them properly fit. Here are some pictures of the process.

 

[maximus34]

So I got the steelflex on. It was fun putting it on! I went ahead and bought the super slick. I know my boat is not worth it, but I wanted to just get it over with in one layer, rather than the doing it twice. I think it turned out nicely. It says it's supposed to cure in four days. During that time, I am getting all the wiring ready for the lights, fish finder, and bilge pump. I can't wait to get it done!

 

[fool4fish1226]

Looks great - you are in the home stretch now- you will be fishing before you know it

 

[maximus34]

Looks great - you are in the home stretch now- you will be fishing before you know it

Thanks man! I can't wait

 

[maximus34]

Well... I finished it. I have a trolling motor, fish finder, marine battery, and 3 LED lights up front, a storage compartment in the middle, and a control panel and a marine battery in the back. I am getting my motor fixed up, but I went ahead and did a full water test on it this weekend. I (220 lbs) and my brother in law (240 lbs) floated great. The trolling motor worked great with us as well. I didn't get to do any fishing (still need to by life jackets and license and a few misc. tasks), but I am looking foward to it!

I just want to give a shout out to this site! Without tinboats.net, I would have been able to do anything of this. Thanks to you all!

 

[ChitownBasser]

=D> Nice work. Looking great.

 

[maximus34]

So I took it out on the water today and everything went great. The trolling motor was MORE than enough power to pull me around the lake. I caught some small blue gill, but that's about it. I did witness, however, a man fishing from the bank pull in a 5.2 Large mouth bass! I was a nice catch.

Considering the over all review of the boat rennovation process I have the following to say:
1. I am glad I didn't build a casting deck. The boat is WAY to narrow for that.
2. I am glad I took a trip without placing the seats in it because now I know what will me most comfortable AND I am changing the seat placement which will save me $$$$.
3. I know that I definitely need decent anchors to hold my position.
4. I should have cut my wood pieces with my carpet width in mind. I had to adjust 1/4'' and 1/2" for lids.
5. I wish I would have just painted everything with steel flex, but it still works out fine.
6. Make sure all your valuables have floating devices attatched. As I was steping into the boat, I dropped my keys and shades into the water. Thankfully it was on a clear lake and only 6ft deep at the boat dock. So, I went swimming!
7. I should have planned for a bigger budget. IF YOU ARE PLANNING A TIN RENNOVATION, PLAN ON SPENDING SOME EXTRA $$$. There were SO many small things that I plan for. From the wiring, to the cutting, to the carpeting, to the trailer... I probably have invested anywhere from $1500-$2000.00 total. I will say that I love my rig and I learned a lot through this process.

Good luck to everyone in their rennovations!

 

[indiana fish]

That's sharp looking man. Very nice.
I checked out the steel flex you used, how much did that run ya?
I think im going to do what you did on the front of your boat.
its actually a blessing you didn't paint the inside of the boat with black steel flex it would be too hot.
Think roofing in July hot. Anyway very nice work.
Where did you put the lights? Im not seeing those

 

[maximus34]

That's sharp looking man. Very nice.
I checked out the steel flex you used, how much did that run ya?
I think im going to do what you did on the front of your boat.
its actually a blessing you didn't paint the inside of the boat with black steel flex it would be too hot.
Think roofing in July hot. Anyway very nice work.
Where did you put the lights? Im not seeing those

Thanks! The steelflex cost me about $60.00 including shipping... but it was worth it. I would actually like to buy some more and use it on my trailer.

I placed a front bow light and then the other two led/red lights I placed on the outer wall, inside the boat, on the front storage compartment. I haven't been on here in forever because I have been out enjoying fishing!

 

[inlovewithsurfin]

how's that "ted williams" 7 horse run?! have you gotten to run it with the boat yet? i had the EXACT same engine but ESKA brand 7hp outboard on my 12ft modified jon boat.... great little motor that would start and run great every time!

 

[maximus34]

how's that "ted williams" 7 horse run?! have you gotten to run it with the boat yet? i had the EXACT same engine but ESKA brand 7hp outboard on my 12ft modified jon boat.... great little motor that would start and run great every time!

Sadly disappointing It ran, but kept leaking gas. We tried a carb. kit, but it still didn't work. I will be trying to sell it for parts when I get a chance.