Am I alucinating ?

[Raul]

I want to turn this:

Into something like this:

But without sacrificing the cartopability of the tub.

Reasons why I own a tub:

1.- Cheap

2.- Light

3.- Cartopable

4.- No need for a trailer

5.- Don 't have room to store a bass boat

6.- Most lakes I fish don 't have a ramp

7.- Most lakes I fish can 't maneuver a truck with a trailer attached to it

8.- Most lakes I fish have extremely steep banks

9.- Don 't need a huge outboard

10.- Most lakes I fish don 't require a huge outboard

11.- I 'm in no hurry to get anywhere

12.- I don 't jump from one spot to another spot 300 miles away

But I would love to have all the comfort a bass boat has. Watching a japanese video I saw Jun Shodi ( a japanese pro ) fishing from regular 14 ft V hull modified pretty much like that Megabass boat, the space between the second seat all the way to the bow transformed into a fishing deck with lots of compartments to store stuff, the space between the first seat and the outboard transformed into a mini deck.

What you guys think ? I 'm open to suggestions.

[fourbizz]

The only obstacle I can really see, is cartopping it. Between the structural reinforcements required and the decking itself, you are probably looking at another one hundred pounds, depending on plywood thickness.

[Low_Budget_Hooker]

I was going to suggest making the decks removable but w/ a bow mount T/m, that can't happen.

If that's a 12, having the decks "on top" of the bench seats will make it very tippy. 14, no problem.

A 14 modified v will be a battle to get on a roof empty.  Keeping it there won't be easy either.

[BASSMAN1301599783]

Anything is possible. Weight would be my main cocern. I would suggest making the deck out of aluminum to keep the weight down though. It would only be one and a half maybe two sheets of plywood at the most but that marine grade stuff is not exactly light

[Raul]

No bow mount TM LBH, there 's an adaptor that slides in the existing front handle found in the boat, it 's made from really tough plastic and it 's sort of "L" shaped, I 've seen it at the BPS catalog.

Why no bow mount TM LBH ? beacuse it would open when you flip the boat ? there 's a TM tie for that:

The idea is to create a "box" with compartments for the tboxes, battery, etc, the upper part would be the deck, when you 're done just empty the compartments, flip the boat and up the truck you go, we are used to load all the stuff everytime we go ( closet-truck-boat-truck-closet ).

No seat on the deck, just the deck to stand up and fish from it, after all, we stand up on the seats. If you are tired of standing up........ well you can sit your rear en on the deck and rest the behind.

[Low_Budget_Hooker]

I brought up the T/M because even with the tie down, it adds another 30-40 lbs. Lifting an empty 14 onto a car is a bad idea,...one loaded is even worse.

Let me put it this way, I wouldn't even think of trying to get my 12 on the roof of a car. It's not even really secure in the bed of my buddies pick up.

The last 12 I had, a light duty (72 lbs) was no problem, I bought a thule rack system and just used the bars w/ o attachments on my corrolla wagon. This 12 is a whole nuther story. This one is built w/ the heavier gauge aluminum like a 14 and the weight reflects

Before you continue, I would go to the boat place and ask if you could put an empty 14 on your car to see if it's too much hassle. Take it from there.

As for a seat or leaning post, those can be removed in 2 secs and thrown in the back seat.

[fishbear]

I hope you have a strong back,, and like hernia surgeries, if you are gonna try and lift a boat like that.... wow, could not even imagine trying to put my 14 up in a truck or on top of a car or van.....  makes my back hurt just thinking about it............  why not find a trailer?????????????  you can find jon boats with trailers fairly cheap if you look around some...........  I hate to see someone ruin thier back or worse, just trying to lift up a boat..  Now if it is lifting a fish, that is a diff. story.... ;D

[HPBB]

sounds like a great idea, But look for a trailer. It will be much less problems with a boat on a trailer that putting it on top of a car. First off its faster, when you get to your fishing spot you can get the boat in the water in 5 mins or so. when its on the car it will take you forever to get it ready. Its less wear and tare on your car ,than on its roof. I know backing atrailer can be tough, but learn how, it will be much easier that roof topping. also you can go by yourself and have no problems. you don't have to lift anything. A boat the size is to heavy to lift , but is light enough for almost any car to pull. Back in high school I used to pull my 12 starcarft with a 9.9 and a TM with my Chevette. Used to car top it, then bought a used trailer for a few $100 and it was the best money I spent. it  made going fishing way easier and enjoyable. Also you can keep all you stuff in the boat so if you have a few hours after work its easy to hook up the trailer and go. By the time you get to your local fishing spot you would still be putting the boat on top of the car.

[Grey Wolf]

Too much weight  with what you want to do.

[Daniel My Brother]

Raul,

I agree, getting a 14 foot jon on top of a car would be a chore, but maybe if you installed rollers to the top of your vehicle, you'd only have to lift half the weight of the boat at a time.

I think any deck would have to be removable. Here's the deck I built for my 14 foot jon, and it pops right out. It might not be exactly what you're looking for, but it might work. Good luck!

[Low_Budget_Hooker]

Also Raul, remember that you don't need a boat ramp to use a trailer.  I pull up to where we launch and the trailer is parallel w/ the shore.  Dragging it 5-10 ft is much better than trying to get it on the roof.  

I also made a roller system to help as our launch is on an incline and can be tough to get out if you're alone.  Rollers help a ton.  saves the bottom of the boat also.

[Raul]

The problem with the trailer is that I don 't have room to store the trailer, if I had room to store the boat with a trailer I would not have purchased the tub, my garage is only for 1 vehicle and I store the boat in a small aisle ( 1 mt wide ) between the house and the wall that surrounds my property. I flip it sideways and it rests on one side ( have to remove the seats and store them appart because the aisle is not wide enough to store the boat with the seats on ). I think I 'm going to need pictures to show you how I store my boat.

The boat is 12 ft and weights 145 pounds.

[timmyswetarded]

you can solve the TM problem by getting a Quick release TM bracket so you can just take off the TM and put it in the back and not have to worry about the extra weight on your back.....i have a bracket but i dont need it...if you end up needing or wanting one give me a shout cause its brand new, i didnt want to use it cause my boats on a trailer and weight doesnt matter to me

[New 2 Bass]

Accessories are a weight KILLER.  If you find a way to trim weight on the fluff, you have a great idea.   I love it.  A mini aircraft carrier/bass stalker.

You know he's gonna need a FLIR unit on that  ;D

later

[Guest avid]

What are you using now and how are you transporting it?

[Raul]

What are you using now and how are you transporting it?

'93 Ram Charger SUV ( Da Feechin Machina )

To transport the boat I have a Car-go removable rack on top of the SUV.

[Guest whittler]

Raul

If you want an easy to handle, one man fishing craft the you might want to look into a kick-boat (pontoon).

Some will take a small outboard and almost all can use a front mounted trolling motor, they are great for the type of terrain your describing.

[Guest avid]

Raul.

I found myself in a similar dilemna to yours when I moved into a private community in Florida with lots of rules. One of which is no boats or trailers parked anywhere but in your garage.

Soooooooooooooo. I had to figure out somethig. There was no way a trailered boat of any size would fit in the available space. I had a pickup and wanted something I lift into the bed.

I ended up with an old towne 14" osprey that I added extendable side stabilizers to. This gives a 7' beam. virtually untippable platform for standing and casting.

It's powered by a MK 55lb. vector3x trolling motor and trojan group 27 battery.

I side mounted the motor with added supports to the bracket, had the TM power cable lengthened so the battery can rest in the nose giving excellent trim.

For traction in the canoe I laid indoor/outdoor carpet.

For transport I remove the motor and battery. The canoe weighs 64lbs but with carpenting etc. probably a tad over 70. No biggie for loading.

Then at the ramp I put it into the water next to the ramp (no sense scarring up the bottom) add my TM, battery, rods, tackle, etc. and I'm off in less than 10 minutes.

I have fished this very stable rig in all kinds of weather. It is fast, handles waves well and is very safe (I use a pfd as a seat cushion)

Keep in mind I don't fish this in huge lakes where speedboaters and powerboat bassers could ruin my afternoon, but it is perfect for my needs.

Good luck with your project.

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