Old Jon boat refurb/upgrade

[Gut Shot]

I picked up an old flat bottom boat a few years ago that needed some TLC.

First a little background. I grew up fishing, my parents had a cabin/fishing shack on a local lake and we always had a boat. Everyone we knew had a boat too. I've fished out of canoes, jon boats, bass boats, pontoons, v-hulls, runabouts and bigger open water boats. I got away from it all in my mid twenties and now that I have kids, who were tired of catching bluegills off the bank, I decided it was time for a new boat.

My initial requirements for a boat were:
1. It had to be aluminum.
2. It had to be a flat bottom.
3. It had to be cheap enough that it could sink to the bottom of the lake and I could just walk/swim away from it.

I watched craigslist for a couple of months and missed a couple of deals. One day I saw a 16' with motor and trailer (and the titles for both, important in Illinois) for $1200. It was more or less what I was looking for and after guessing how much I would need for repairs I offered $800 for everything. The offer was accepted and this is what I brought home, much to my wife's dismay.

This is a 16' Monark made in 1976. The motor is a 1990-91 Mercury Mariner 40Hp.

The first thing I did was tear everything off of the boat and get started fixing things that were done half-assed. Things like this.

These pics show the motor support strut to the transom. The motor (which weighs over 150lbs?) was tilted up on the transom during trailering without any support under it and cracked the bottom of the boat and gunwales. That isn't the end of the world but when you patch it with a couple of inches of body putty, fiberglass and epoxy it makes life hell. Those things don't go well with aluminum so I began chipping them off. After cleaning everything up I had it welded and reinforced. I also hit it with the pressure washer to knock off loose paint and repainted the whole thing with Duralux aluminum boat paint.

Just a note, Duralux makes a cheap line of paint and an expensive line of paint. Use the expensive stuff, it works very well.

I also redid the trailer bunks, cleaned up the motor, installed new plugs and replaced the lower unit lube. The motor ran well but the throttle control broke late in the season. The trolling motor was in bad shape but worked and we pulled a lot of crappie out of a small lake that is electric-motor-only. That was the first year I had it, now on to year 2.

 

[Gut Shot]

Year two I upgraded the trolling motor to a used Minkota Powerdrive 55lb with I-drive remote control. Also installed a Humminbird fishfinder. I also replaced the throttle control with a new quicksilver and got the motor running reliably. I didn't trust that the motor would run well when I bought the boat and didn't really include it in the price of the boat. Big surprise, this motor was made by Yamaha for Mariner and it runs like a raped ape on bath salts.

I also replaced the carpet on the front bunks with teflon slides. These make it a lot easier to unload the boat on shallow ramps.

I added two Tempest boat hatches to the seats and turned them into battery compartments with extra stowage. The hatches are really well built and I haven't had any issues with them though I have heard of complaints with the hinges breaking. I also added a dedicated starting battery for the motor. and added work lights. An led light like you would put on a truck works great, I added a piece of red film over the light so it isn't so bright and won't kill you night vision.

That was about it for year two, it was now a fully functioning fishing boat, but there were issues. It needed rewired and with three or four people on board it needed more stowage. On to year three.

 

[sluggo6850]

Looks like quite a project! Any pics of it after the paint job and refurb.?!!

 

[Gut Shot]

So this year I tore the aluminum front deck off and framed it out in aluminum. I also added a carpeted deck and plenty of compartments. Here is a pic of work in progress.

Everything is riveted together and styrofoam is stuffed in, under and around everything for buoyancy. The stowage compartments are Tuff box storage totes framed by aluminum. These aren't "dry storage" if it rains or you get a wave over the bow it's going to get into the compartments. I did install drains but not a lip that would channel water away from the boxes. I won't be storing this boat outside or taking it out in weather rough enough to worry about diving through waves.

I also re-wired everything and added a fuse box and new switch panel. Instead of using "marine grade" wiring I bought wire designed for outdoor speakers. It is a lot cheaper, still graded for outdoor use and has two 18ga wires inside of insulation. I tried to use sealed connectors where possible, so far so good.

These switch panels are cheap and easy to install, they also look good.

I added a pedestal seat to the casting deck, added horizontal rod holders up front, installed led lights to the compartments, installed a bilge pump, new running lights, new motor control cables, new inpeller on the motor, recessed foot pedal compartment, and new lights on the trailer. This is what it looks like now.

In the last pic you can see the rod holders. It's just 1.5"pvc, capped and slid into the deck. Behind the deck a hose clamp is installed on the pipe to keep it from sliding out.

 

[kansasdad]

Lots of sweat equity in your beautiful "new" boat.

Has the added weight changed the riding, anchored characteristics for better or worse?

 

[Gut Shot]

Just a couple of notes. Next year I'll touch up the paint and paint the rivets. I'm also planning on adding a better fish finder. I will replace one of the wheel hubs as well. Only one hub because I had to replace the other one this year. I was going out to a place about 1.5 hours south of me. I stopped at a friends house and was loading his stuff in the boat when I smelled something burning. The dust cover had come off the hub and spun out all of the grease shreading bearings and seals. Luckily I made it to his house and discovered it in all of it's smoldering glory. We picked up and installed another one and were about an hour late getting to our fishing spot.

I picked a flat bottom based on my needs and past experience. My part of the world doesn't have much in the way of big water. The Mississippi river is as big as it gets and I rarely fish the river (if i did fish the river a lot I would look for a V-bottom or something with some freeboard), mostly it is smaller lakes and a lot of swamps, sloughs and backwater. Without the motor on the back the boat will run in less than four inches of water. I can bounce it off of rocks and logs and it doesn't really bother me that I put a few scratches and dinks in it. It is light enough that I can get out and drag it across obstacles and shallows, something we did a lot of as kids. Of all those different boats that my family and friends owned the plain old Jon boat brought in just as many fish as any of them and could go places where a lot of other boats couldn't go. And there is a bit of nostalgia to it as well, listening to the waves lap at the front of the boat reminds me of my childhood fishing with my dad.

I'll be happy to answer any questions you all have.

 

[Gut Shot]

Lots of sweat equity in your beautiful "new" boat.

Has the added weight changed the riding, anchored characteristics for better or worse?

I haven't added much weight to it, Well under 100lbs. The aluminum framing weighs almost nothing and I forgot to mention that I tore out a large piece of aluminum tread plate that was used for a front deck and the aluminum seat underneath it. I can't say that I've noticed any difference in the way it rides.

 

[Sytes]

Very nice rework! Looking great! I'm in a, "work in progress" status with an old bass boat as well. Should have it half ready to slide into the frozen lake, drill a hole and drop a line... Haha!

 

[JTHOMP]

I would say Break Out Another Thousand, but looks like you pass that mark years ago. That is a fine looking boat you have now though. Hope you and the kids make a lot of memories out of it!

 

[Gut Shot]

Very nice rework! Looking great! I'm in a, "work in progress" status with an old bass boat as well. Should have it half ready to slide into the frozen lake, drill a hole and drop a line... Haha!

That was one of the requirements for this boat, it had to be ready to fish. I could have dropped it in the water immediately, if it wasn't march and freezing cold out. My kids don't have enough patience to wait for me to rebuild a whole boat. I did this one a little at a time and did all the major work in the spring so we could be on the water all summer. I've been following your post and am looking forward to the finished product.

I have less than $3000 in the whole project paid out over 3.5 years.

 

[Straight Arrow]

Nicely done! Enjoy!

 

[ShootsManyBullets]

Das Boat!
Awesome

 

[Sytes]

I have less than $3000 in the whole project paid out over 3.5 years.

I must hide this portion from my wife... Haha! How do you get the steering wheel off?

Edit, I tried propping off the plastic label and the surrounding top piece though didn't want to pry too hard as it didn't feel as though it was going to pry free... Though maybe it takes a bit more finesse...

 

[D4570]

Now all you need is surface drive motor nd away you go....

 

[Gut Shot]

I must hide this portion from my wife... Haha! How do you get the steering wheel off?

Edit, I tried propping off the plastic label and the surrounding top piece though didn't want to pry too hard as it didn't feel as though it was going to pry free... Though maybe it takes a bit more finesse...

I didn't remove the steering wheel on mine, just taped it and painted around it. I would guess the center panel is removed and there is a bolt underneath.

 

[JohnCushman]

That's awesome!! Good job!

 

[sluggo6850]

So this year I tore the aluminum front deck off and framed it out in aluminum. I also added a carpeted deck and plenty of compartments. Here is a pic of work in progress.

Everything is riveted together and styrofoam is stuffed in, under and around everything for buoyancy. The stowage compartments are Tuff box storage totes framed by aluminum. These aren't "dry storage" if it rains or you get a wave over the bow it's going to get into the compartments. I did install drains but not a lip that would channel water away from the boxes. I won't be storing this boat outside or taking it out in weather rough enough to worry about diving through waves.

I also re-wired everything and added a fuse box and new switch panel. Instead of using "marine grade" wiring I bought wire designed for outdoor speakers. It is a lot cheaper, still graded for outdoor use and has two 18ga wires inside of insulation. I tried to use sealed connectors where possible, so far so good.

These switch panels are cheap and easy to install, they also look good.

I added a pedestal seat to the casting deck, added horizontal rod holders up front, installed led lights to the compartments, installed a bilge pump, new running lights, new motor control cables, new inpeller on the motor, recessed foot pedal compartment, and new lights on the trailer. This is what it looks like now.

In the last pic you can see the rod holders. It's just 1.5"pvc, capped and slid into the deck. Behind the deck a hose clamp is installed on the pipe to keep it from sliding out.

Thanks for the pics,it looks pretty sweet!

 

[Don Fischer]

That is a fishing boat! I got one this year that's similar. 15' flat bottom w/2014 20hp Honda on it, $3k. had a pedastill seat up front and I removed it and put a box in to mount the seat on, more storage area. Well storage I haven't used so far! I think most people, when talking about a fishing boat see a $20k bass boat or a ski boat for double duty. You have a beautiful fishing boat, nice job!

 

[Gut Shot]

Thanks guys. I've had a couple of guys at the loading ramps say "Wow, who did you have do your deck?".

I have a hard time with the idea of buying a new boat. A new 16' flat bottom is $3500-4000, trailer is around $1000-1500, a 20hp motor $3000-3500. You are over $7000 without any of the other stuff you will want. All for a hobby that, for me anyway, I only get to play with six months out of the year and once a week if I'm lucky. And some of the flashy fiberglass bass boats...I'd have those things beat to hell and cracked in no time. Like I said before, fish come over the gunwales the same way in any boat.

You can pull a skier with a flat bottom too.

 

[JosephSlater]

Really great job done! I recently bought an old Jon boat from a friend of mine and want to start upgrading it. I don't even know where to start yet...This will be my first experience. First of all, I want to buy a new electric trolling motor. I've already found some great options at an affordable price on this site. However, I still can't decide which electric motor is more suitable for me. Most likely, I will have to create a separate thread, because I have a lot of questions related to my situation.