john boat

[playmaker47]

I have a 10 ft aluminum john boat that i use  a 36 lb thrust trolling motor with. does anyone have any tips that can help have places to store my gear and keep it organized. Thanks!

[Nick_Barr]

I have a 12 footer, lay you rods down the side keep you tackle in the back of the boat near the battery and fish in the middle if it is a transom mount motor and the front if it is a bow mount

[SavannahFisher]

You can cheak out www.myjonboat.com    They have some pretty good ideas with storage and platforms.

[robe0531]

i just did my jon boat like the one on the site

i took it out once for a test run before every thing iced up but it went very well i was very happy with it cant wait to get out there when all the ice is gone

[srv1990]

i just did my jon boat like the one on the site

i took it out once for a test run before every thing iced up but it went very well i was very happy with it cant wait to get out there when all the ice is gone

Would love to see some pics of it, if possible.  My brother in law and I have been thinking of doing this, as well.  If you don't mind me asking, approximately how much did you put into it, start to finish?

[Low_Budget_Hooker]

The problem you face is that your boat is 10'.

That is a very "tippy canoe" size for jon boats.  Any weight you add will have a significant difference.  This is an old ('64) 12.  Use this for some ideas.  Any questions feel free to PM me.

http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1119359773/32#32

[srv1990]

Just curious, what would you guys recommend as the MINIMUM size jon boat, if wanting to eventually get it on some bigger bodies of whater, say Table Rock or Mark Twain in MO?  That is, after transforming it into a bass boat.

Thanks, TC

[Grey Wolf]

14 -16 foot . The bigger the better.

[srv1990]

14 -16 foot . The bigger the better.

Cool, that's sort of what I thought.  But I would like to get a 17' or 18'... are these very common for a jon boat, or will I have a difficult time finding this length?  Thanks!

[KU_Bassmaster.]

I had been looking at Jon's for about 4 months before I finally bought MO_Tick's boat from this site.(14 ft.)  It will be hard to find a 16 ft Jon, but it can be done.  I think you will have a REAL hard time finding a 17 or 18.

[Triton_Mike]

You definitely need something bigger than 10ft.  I would say 10ft is good for small ponds or very small lakes at best.  My best advice I can give you is think WIDE.  Width is pretty much what gives you the stability in a boat.  I have a 16ft boat with a 48 inch bottom that I am working into an all electric bass boat with front decks and stuff.  Maybe this will give you some ideas

www.tritonmike.com/boat.html

Mike

[srv1990]

Great pics, T_Mike... they look familiar, like I've seen them posted on another thread?  Anyway, I'll keep the length and width in mind as I search for a good/used/inexpensive  : jon boat to work on.

[basspro48]

Mike, that is a beautiful finished boat right there. I'm planning on doing the same thing to my jon boat come spring.

[bassnleo]

You definitely need something bigger than 10ft. I would say 10ft is good for small ponds or very small lakes at best. My best advice I can give you is think WIDE. Width is pretty much what gives you the stability in a boat. I have a 16ft boat with a 48 inch bottom that I am working into an all electric bass boat with front decks and stuff. Maybe this will give you some ideas

www.tritonmike.com/boat.html

Mike

Mike that is an awesome job, great pics. I have the same boat, I'm extending the front deck this year. Your pics gave me some ideas.

Curious, how much weight do you think your additions added to the boat?

[Triton_Mike]

bassnleo,  To be honest I don't know how much extra weight I put in it.  It's an all electric boat and it's not going to get on plane anyway .  I have 246lbs of thrust to push it ~~  I need more power

I am almost finished wiring it up.  I'm waiting for a trollign motor receptacle to get in stock then i can finish up the front deck.  

T Mike

[j-bass]

The best thing I can say is: for a 10' jon, take as little stuff as possible.  I own a 14' and with two people, tackle boxes, rods, anchor, net, motor, & battery there isn't much room for anything else.  Also, if your going to take a net beware.  You bring a fish in the boat, and while you're trying to get the hooks out you wind up catching the net as well. A big pain in the *ss if you ask me, but its for a good cause.

[bassnleo]

bassnleo, To be honest I don't know how much extra weight I put in it. It's an all electric boat and it's not going to get on plane anyway . I have 246lbs of thrust to push it ~~ I need more power

I am almost finished wiring it up. I'm waiting for a trollign motor receptacle to get in stock then i can finish up the front deck.

T Mike

I'm thinking I will probably use aluminum for the whole extension. I have a 18hp on mine, it runs like crazy!! Weight is a consideration for me and based on my calculations, the aluminum will weigh less than treated wood.

LOL, 246 lbs of thrust?? That's cool!!!

MORE POWER SCOTTY!!!

[Triton_Mike]

bassnleo,  I was going to go Aluminum as well until I saw the price of aluminum LMAO!!  I could have easily spent $800.00 for aluminum.  Instead I spent $120.00 total for wood.

T Mike

[stimpy17]

I have a 12' jon from BassPro(Topper series) What I like is the I can load and unload out of the back of my PU truck(empty the stuff out of it first, remove boat, then fill it again) and I want to keep it that way. It has a max cap. of 440 lbs total so this where I am at this point;

3.5 HP merc. on the back, I can also swap it out with a 55 lbs MinnKota for our electric only lakes. The 55 as the main motor and the 35 lbs bow mount to quietly get around.

35 lbs MinnKota bow mount w/the wires running back to the battery in the stern for trim reasons. I'll find a place for it this season, I need to see how the rig floats first.

Ped. seat in bow sitting on a framework of some sort, most likely an "H" pattern.

OK, so add the weight- 2 people+ 2 motors+1 or 2 battreies+rods tackle boxes and add it all up to................!!!!! So I plan on fishing alone alot.

But eveything I do is with weight in mind. I'd like to do some raised decks and add this and that but at the end of the day I still have to pick the boat up and put it in the back of my truck. Trailer? No. No parking room at home.

What gets me is the frist thing some guys do is to remove the seats where the floataion is and as far as I can see, never replace it. I've been in a capsize and we all hung on to the boat which was full of water but still floated. Also, here in PA. you remove floatie, you get tickie!!! And they will get you for being overloaded.

I'm going slow and I keep the total finshed weight in mind. Good luck!!!!!!!!!!

[bassnleo]

bassnleo, I was going to go Aluminum as well until I saw the price of aluminum LMAO!! I could have easily spent $800.00 for aluminum. Instead I spent $120.00 total for wood.

T Mike

No doubt, aluminum prices are outrageous, fourtunately for me I have a friend in the metal bizz  

Still a great lookin boat, no matter how you did it!

Please post the pics when you get it done!

[mgmoore7]

I fish out of a 10' jon boat very often.  The lodge at our lake as a few as well as canoe's.  Anyway, I load up my truck with trolling motor, seats (with portable clamps) RF10 fishfinder, etc. and a wagon to carry it down to the lake.   I actually use the battery in the back to balance the weight from left to right by sliding it one one way or the other.  It is a little small and definatley only designed to sitting.  Standing is barely better than a canoe.  That being said, I catch the fish, not the boat.

The one real difficulty with this boat even for my small lake (40 acres) is that it is difficult to impossible to flip and pitch since I cannot stand up.  That really limits my fishing abilities since so much of the lake is prime for pitching and flipping.

[Low_Budget_Hooker]

Aluminum straps can be had cheap at local scrap metal yard.  Take a walk aroung (bring the sawz-all with a fine tooth blade)

SRV, go to a "lake neighborhood and look in peoples yards.  This is how I found my boat, I left a note on every door that had a 12ft jon in the yard and when you start looking, you'll be amazed how many are out there.

I have found that many boats , and you can tell visually, have been left in yards to rot.  Either by sons who have since moved out or whatever.  The point is, someone may view your note as a blessing to get that thing out of their yard!  Offer a couple hundred bucks and EVERYONE is happy!  JUst a suggestion, worked for me.  I got maybe 30 call backs from about 40 notes.