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  1. #1
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    Outfitting a John Boat

    Hey ya'll, my buddy and I are thinking about purchasing a 14 ft. aluminum jon boat for small lakes and rivers around my house. I need some advice on fixing it up, and how to go about buying and outfitting it with the right supplies! I already have a great battery, a decent transom mount motor, and a 9.9 johnson outboard. What else would make it a great boat (seats, bottom covering, ect...)along with maximum efficiency in water that's only 2 ft. deep? Keep in my mind that I am in college so the amount of spending can't be way up there.

    Thanks

    Rob

  2. #2
    JBehr Guest

    RE: Outfitting a John Boat

    Use some 3/4" CDX plywood for a bottom and cover with some exterior carpet from Home Depot or Lowes. Fasten the carpet to the wood with glue, staples or screws. I usually roll the carpet under the edges of the plywood and use screws/staples. Mount a seat base in the front half of the boat and one in the rear that is close enough to reach your motors on the transom.
    Another option is to move the rear seat base forward enough to sit on the bench seat to operate the motors. That will allow you to be closer as well as having a lower center of gravity when motoring. You can put a pad on the bench for comfort on the long runs. Those square seat cushions that double as throwable life savers work great. It you will be out after dark, either buy detachable running lights (Wal-Mart usually has) or run some wiring and attach light sockets (also at Wally World). All of this should run $200 or less and can be done in a day if you have all the tools. Measuring and cutting the plywood to as close a fit as possible is time-consuming but worth the effort. Take the time to measure and plan before you start, it may save you grief in the long run. You may have to put 2x4 chocks under the plywood to support it out near the middle if there is a large gap between the floor and boat bottom. One word of caution...the flooring will add a lot of weight to the boat. It won't affect the depth the boat runs very much, but it will make it harder to load/unload by hand. Obviously, if you have a trailer, it is not an issue. Good luck.

    Joe

  3. #3
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    RE: Outfitting a John Boat

    cheap, easy and small is the way to go. running lights from walmart come in red yellow and blue. lamp cord, splices,wall switches and outlets from menards. pole holders(think placement!!!!!).anchor mates, no rope laying everywhere. mushroom anchors. the plastic bb filled tubes with the flanges don't work well in rivers. blacklights from the auto parts store. they light line out to about 10' and they are under 20 bucks. bilge pump(got drain plug?). also it fills and aerates livewells and bait buckets. my boat already had the floor and seats put in and they guy built a box by the back seat for the battery and it had room to hold all the small stuff like sun screen, off, and other junk. i don't use any pole storage devices because they were a bother. even with the wood floor and all the junk my 16' boat with a 15hp johnson will get up to around 35mph. also it will go through 1 foot of water with the motor down. and the best thing is when it finally dies, i'll recycle it and have enough to buy another piece of junk that will last a few years.

  4. #4
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    RE: Outfitting a John Boat

    Try this website for ideas.

    http://www.highvoltagebassanglers.co...johnboatsa.htm


    Larry

  5. #5
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    RE: Outfitting a John Boat

    Here's another site.......Myjohnboat.com



    I typed johnboats into google search and found many many more..Give it a shot. Plenty of articles out there to give you plenty of ideas.....all on a budget....Some of these finished boats are very nice looking.


    Larry

  6. #6
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    RE: Outfitting a John Boat

    Rob,

    I am not sure whether you intend to buy a new boat, or find a project boat.

    I would recommend something like a Lowe Roughneck welded jon boat. This is for stability. If you are going to put seats in it, you are going to need stability. Tracker makes the model Grizzly, they are nice starter boats too.

    These Roughnecks are fully ready to customize, and even the 14ft model can handle up to a 30hp motor.

    To start with, all you need is the boat, motor, and pedestal seats. If you cannot spend a lot of money right away, you could do just a little every year.

    Try and get the biggest boat that you can afford, when you start putting on equipment, you will see that a 14ft boat gets full pretty quick.

    topwater

  7. #7
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    RE: Outfitting a John Boat

    Hey ya'll, thanks for all the help. I'll be sure to let you know how everything comes out!

    Rob

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Dec 1969
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    Go to KentuckyAngling.com- Good Article How To!

    Go to www.KentuckyAngling.com
    then enter this address:
    http://p207.ezboard.com/fkentuckyang...opicID=4.topic

    This is a great article in converting a flat jon boat into a nice bassboat by Tim Irwin.

    Bassky

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