Texas Native 14ft Flatbottom Project

[Texas_Camo]

Hey guys, Im new here. I found this site about two weeks ago. I've looked at a lot of people's projects and mods and I gotta say, eveything I've seen is absolutely awesome!! I have a 14ft flatbottom jon that I am going to attempt to modify. This is my first boat and my first modification so any tips or advice would be great!! Some things I plan on doing are paint, deck, and wiring. I do have a couple of questions right off the bat lol, I see that a lot of people carpet their decks and then install them. I never see screws, so my question is how are the decks installed onto the framing and carpeted without screws showing? Also, my boat doesn't have a trolling motor or fish/depth finder. How useful are trolling motors and fish/depth finders? Any answers would be greatly appreciated!! Here are some pics of my boat:

 

[huntinfool]

First off Welcome and congrats on the new tin. As for the trolling motor they are pretty important if your going to move around and fish. If your just going to anchor up and fish then they are not that necessary, but very helpful, especially around the docks.

As for the decks I personally don't like carpet. Carpet holds water, sand and fish guts/slime, and hooks. I personally like a product called Skid no more. It basically is latex paint with ground up rubber in it. It gives a non skid texture to the deck. I did mine and my fathers that way (see signature area for my dad's boat.)

As for how to get the screws to not show in the carpet is to tighten them into the wood. Because the deck is wood the screw will pull down into the wood and the carpet will hide the head.

Forgot to mention the depth finder. For fishing I think they are pretty important. Knowing what depth your at is vital to catching fish , sometimes. Other times you can catch them with out knowing the dpeth. But also knowing the dpeth of water on a new area that you have never been in before is important so you don't run aground.