Jon boat conversion

So this summer I'm going to be in the market for a tournament jon boat. Wish I could find one for sale, but I have thought about doing it myself. How hard is it to do? I won't put in a live well, but will leave a spot for a cooler to go if I ever decide to fish jon boat tournaments. This should cut out on some of the work. I'm an average handyman so that has some concern as well. Thanks for the help!

do it yourself !!

I just finished a Jon boat and it came out better than anything you could buy or even ever try to find for sale.
( lottsa Junk out there)
Even the wife said it was HOT !!!!

started out with a new Bass pro 14' LW. and Trailer.
and went from there.
added decks , carpet, hatches, motors, rod holders and all the doo-dads you could want in an electric boat.
It would rival anything they could sell at Bass Pro.
and you couldnt even find one like it.
It fits like a glove, handles fantastic and just everything about it fits like a glove, Because I built it for me.
As you should build one for you.

I put a total of about $ 3,500.00 in it including the hull and trailor. Cheap, when you consider the price of a new boat already rigged or even a decent used boat aint much cheaper.
You could do it for allot less if you wanted too, I got a little carried away.
(Just a little )
There's allot of great sales out there right now on all kinds of parts that could save a ton on a complete build.
I saved a bunch on sales.

You dont need to be a master craftsmen either, just take your time and use quality parts. best thing is an on board charging system ( Must Have ) Believe me.
You can get alot of ideas just by Googling Jon boat projects.

So get going...... The season will be in full swing real soon.

It is not bad to do yourself.

Find a new hull that will work for you. The newer ones are more open and they dont curve in the front making it easier to build a front deck. The wiring took the longest. (I went overboard and have courtesy lights everywhere) Take your time and you will make it just the way you want it.

This is one that I built off of a 1448 mod V> I have about 3k in everything.

you could buy this one if he hasn't sold it

http://forum.gon.com/showthread.php?t=160876&highlight=electric

I like that rig Pimo!

I've looked at different rigs all over the internet trying to figure out how I want mine. I even drew a diagram of how I want the storage compartments and how I would brace everything. We'll just have to see how everything works out.

P.S. Thanks for the help guys!

Thanks

bow_hunter125 said:

I like that rig Pimo!

I've looked at different rigs all over the internet trying to figure out how I want mine. I even drew a diagram of how I want the storage compartments and how I would brace everything. We'll just have to see how everything works out.

Click to expand...

We took awhile to plan everything exactly how I wanted it. The front deck is actually 1 piece of 3/4" that is floating between the small front deck and the middle "seat" without any braces. I cant believe how sturdy it is.

Here is a link to mine I did last year. http://forum.gon.com/showthread.php?t=104965&highlight=jon+boat+project

conversion

Here is my boat I am converting right now. I hope to finish it this weekend.http://www.forum.gon.com/showthread.php?t=180130

Here are some pics of mine - I have posted them before on other Jon threads but I thought they may help. Materials cost about $200 when I did it.
2 sheets of 3/4 plywood, carpet from Lowes or Home Depot, couple of pieces of scrap PT 2x4, piece of scrap 2x6 for trolling motor base, couple of sticks of aluminum angle, pop rivets, and screws.

Front deck is solid as a rock and gives me a place to store stuff underneath it. I made the cooler live well because I don't use one much and it gives me more room. I can always put it in the back of the truck. Middle floor and rear deck just lift out for cleaning or if I want to lighten the load up.

Pedestal, base, and seat pin came together as a package( cheaper that way) for about $30 each and then I just bought and extra base for the front bench - BPS.

Hope this helps

I'm thinking about getting a brand new 14 ft. boat this summer then decking it from the front bench to the bow with storage underneath, putting a removable floor(like Confederate Jay's) in the middle, then decking the rear starting just before the rear bench to the transom. It will be a on going project doing a little at a time as I can afford it. Probably put a 50 lb trust bow mounted trolling motor and two 50 lb thrust trolling motors on the transom.

If I ever decide to start fishing jon boat tournaments, I'll do the cooler live well.

I didn't deck mine all the way to the first bench so that if I was fishing with someone else and we decided to make a long run with the gas motor, they could just pop the seat off the deck pedestal and put on on the front bench and ride there.

It's going to be a boat for electric only lakes, so my runs won't be very far or very fast. I'm really looking forward to doing this now! Thanks guys for your help and I'm sure there will be more questions later on!