Alright Gentlemen! Seems like this thread has developed quite a following!! Thanks again to all of you for tuning in!! With work all last week and weekend I could only alocate a few hours of work on the boat.
Finally got my Walmart run done and procured some additional supplies!
All purpose Automotive Carpet (Black): 3 rolls 28.00
2 Seat Pedestals: 46.00
Battery Strap: 3.00
Misc Hardware: 10.00
Total Spent: 414.00 + 87.00 = 501.00 (Inc. Boat, Paint, Deck Material, Carpet, Hardware, pretty much most of what Im gonna need to finish save accessories!)
For starters I did all the final trimming on the front deck, this includes rounding any corners and rounding over the top and bottom of the deck plywood. I do this to stop the carpet from tearing on any sharp edges when I upholster it, also stops it from fraying along the edges from guys stepping on it. I do this with a router but even hand sanding will do, do not leave sharp edges, it will tear your carpet eventually!!!
I also checked the operation of the removable deck to ensure clearances to the livewell and such. Nothing would be worse than to build and carpet this whole thing, then go to remove or install it and discover it hangs up on something and needs to be trimmed!! There goes your carpet job!! As you have all noticed by now I do ALL of my fabrication and basically build the entire boat to completetion, sans carpet. This allows me to make any adjustments or mods before I do all my finish work, building with this method takes longer, but you can avoid ugly and costly mistakes by doing your entire mockup first!! (At a later time I will get into how to build this boat in a "modular" format, allowing it to evolve as you own it, for those of us with even shallower pockets!!)
I also made up the battery tray mount behind the center seat, although the box will be mounted, the lid will be held on with a strap and the battery removed for transport. Again I had to ensure the removable deck will still operate with this all in place.
I also began the rear deck layout and hopefully will have some time to put in on it tomorrow!!
Dont worry guys, there is gonna be carpet on it sooner than later!!! (I will explain my choice of carpeting in the coming upholstery postings)
Finally got my Walmart run done and procured some additional supplies!
All purpose Automotive Carpet (Black): 3 rolls 28.00
2 Seat Pedestals: 46.00
Battery Strap: 3.00
Misc Hardware: 10.00
Total Spent: 414.00 + 87.00 = 501.00 (Inc. Boat, Paint, Deck Material, Carpet, Hardware, pretty much most of what Im gonna need to finish save accessories!)
For starters I did all the final trimming on the front deck, this includes rounding any corners and rounding over the top and bottom of the deck plywood. I do this to stop the carpet from tearing on any sharp edges when I upholster it, also stops it from fraying along the edges from guys stepping on it. I do this with a router but even hand sanding will do, do not leave sharp edges, it will tear your carpet eventually!!!
I also checked the operation of the removable deck to ensure clearances to the livewell and such. Nothing would be worse than to build and carpet this whole thing, then go to remove or install it and discover it hangs up on something and needs to be trimmed!! There goes your carpet job!! As you have all noticed by now I do ALL of my fabrication and basically build the entire boat to completetion, sans carpet. This allows me to make any adjustments or mods before I do all my finish work, building with this method takes longer, but you can avoid ugly and costly mistakes by doing your entire mockup first!! (At a later time I will get into how to build this boat in a "modular" format, allowing it to evolve as you own it, for those of us with even shallower pockets!!)
I also made up the battery tray mount behind the center seat, although the box will be mounted, the lid will be held on with a strap and the battery removed for transport. Again I had to ensure the removable deck will still operate with this all in place.
I also began the rear deck layout and hopefully will have some time to put in on it tomorrow!!
Dont worry guys, there is gonna be carpet on it sooner than later!!! (I will explain my choice of carpeting in the coming upholstery postings)
i was just thinking - by adding the top deck u move the center of gravity pretty high up in the full loaded boat
are you going to add counter weight balast at the very bottom ?
Although I know we touched upon stability in these modded jons in an earlier post figured I'd do a quick followup to your question.
As for ballast or extra weight, I have never personally added any extra weight to try and increase stability. The whole purpose of the construction of this boat is to increase its "fishablility" while not significantly impacting its portability. Any extra weight, even for stabilities sake cuts down on its ease of transport.
In terms of making the center of gravity higher in the fully loaded boat you may want to think that question through again. The reality is the "load" of the boat, ie all your gear, battery, etc, is still in the same positions they would be without the deck. The only thing you've really raised is your own center of gravity. Hence why I build all my decks below the gunnale, your center of gravity ends up no different than if you add a swivel seat post directly to the seat, a common practice in most jons.
Now I will say this, the real "cheat" here is to spend time with your boat BEFORE you do any conversions!! As I said, I got this boat and did the first round of repair/mods in fall, I ended up taking the boat out 7-8 times before deciding on the deck and layout, plus I wanted to make sure it would catch fish....
.
During 2 of these trips I brought along a 2 x 12 that I laid across the seats from bow to stern and 7-8 cinder blocks. Then I spent the first hour or so shifting weight and seat post positions around the boat to help determine the best layout and positions for weight. This also allowed me to determine how the craft would behave dependant on where I positioned the seat post, battery, gas tank, etc. A little time spent on layout and weight balance lends to a much more stabil craft.
This all being said, you have to be realistic about what your gonna use the boat for and be understanding of the limitations of that particular size boat. I have done decks on all size jons, and it is possible to put them on the 10 to 12' jons as long as you realize
that your probably not gonna use much more than a 12" seat post, the option of a "leaning" style post is much harder to get away with unless youve got good balance. And you need to be wary of just how much gear you stow aboard. I personally prefer to mod jons over 12' with the 14' being my favorite with a good balance of size to weight. (I believe Stratos would agree with me on that!! I do hate that tracker deleted the livewells on the 14' for the newer model years thou...)
Like I said never considered adding weight or ballast as I'm a firm believer that you can use the existing weight you have to balance the boat.
Ohh and for those of you that have now said, "what about the weight of the deck?" Bear in mind that the entire deck assembly weighs in at under 40lbs. and we are dealing with an object that measures approx 32" by 44" or 1408"sq this translates to roughly 9.7sqft of deck surface area, soooo the 40lbs that it weighs is distributed at a rate of 4.12lb per sqft and this is EVENLY distributed at a height that is no taller than the existing seat height!! How's that for weight distribution!!!!
Ok guys after a rough weekend of being sick thanks to my daughter I was able to squeeze in a few hours today on the front deck assemblies. And yes its what you've all been waiting for.... carpet!!!
I put 3 coats of the paint I bought on all the decks and inside any screw holes to seal them completely. I also drilled the holes for the front nav light and purchased a 3pin connector from... you guessed it Walmart for 10.00. Because I'm done with fabrication save for pulling a few wires on the front deck, I touched up all the olive green paint and painted the bottom of the hull with rubberized undercoating to provide a non-slip surface when the deck is out and deaden sound.
Total 501.00 + 10.00 = 511.00
Now for carpeting on this boat I with standard auto carpet from Walmart at 9.00 a roll. This rig will need 3 like I said, there are several reasons why I use it. The first is its cheap, 27.00 for the whole boat less adhesive, to completely do the boat and lids would have run me over 100.00 at BPS for marine carpet. Secondly it actually works and lasts for a good long time.... if you take care of your BOAT!! Hope Im not "preaching to the choir" here but buy a boat cover and cover it all the time!! And lastly this was available in a 3' x 6' roll, because of how I planned the deck layout I knew the carpet seam would fall under the seat post and be totally inconspicous. I will be carpeting the lids later after I mortise out the flush handle pulls and install the locks... yes you can lock your lids with this design!!!
Hope you guys enjoy, feel free to ask any questions, upholstery is gonna be the hardest part of the boat believe it or not. Make sure to have a can of thinner handy to keep cleaning your hands and tools so you aren't transfering the adhesive everywhere you dont want it!! I could write a 2 page post on how to do it so any questions feel free!!
I put 3 coats of the paint I bought on all the decks and inside any screw holes to seal them completely. I also drilled the holes for the front nav light and purchased a 3pin connector from... you guessed it Walmart for 10.00. Because I'm done with fabrication save for pulling a few wires on the front deck, I touched up all the olive green paint and painted the bottom of the hull with rubberized undercoating to provide a non-slip surface when the deck is out and deaden sound.
Total 501.00 + 10.00 = 511.00
Now for carpeting on this boat I with standard auto carpet from Walmart at 9.00 a roll. This rig will need 3 like I said, there are several reasons why I use it. The first is its cheap, 27.00 for the whole boat less adhesive, to completely do the boat and lids would have run me over 100.00 at BPS for marine carpet. Secondly it actually works and lasts for a good long time.... if you take care of your BOAT!! Hope Im not "preaching to the choir" here but buy a boat cover and cover it all the time!! And lastly this was available in a 3' x 6' roll, because of how I planned the deck layout I knew the carpet seam would fall under the seat post and be totally inconspicous. I will be carpeting the lids later after I mortise out the flush handle pulls and install the locks... yes you can lock your lids with this design!!!
Hope you guys enjoy, feel free to ask any questions, upholstery is gonna be the hardest part of the boat believe it or not. Make sure to have a can of thinner handy to keep cleaning your hands and tools so you aren't transfering the adhesive everywhere you dont want it!! I could write a 2 page post on how to do it so any questions feel free!!
Awesome work man, I mean really really good stuff. Question is this boat going to be trailered. It looks like it is getting heavy for a car topper. I put in basic front, middle and rear decks in my 14' Jon and its is too heavy to cartop. I mean it can be but it is a struggle. Doing it solo SUCKS!!
Awesome work man, I mean really really good stuff. Question is this boat going to be trailered. It looks like it is getting heavy for a car topper. I put in basic front, middle and rear decks in my 14' Jon and its is too heavy to cartop. I mean it can be but it is a struggle. Doing it solo SUCKS!!
Thanks, I appreciate the complement. Although the friend I'm building this boat for is ultimately going to buy a trailer, it is being built for a cartopper boat as well. As I retain "builder rights"
Dan and I will be bringing this boat to several of the "true" cartopper tourneys on the roof of my van. Because of the construction method the boat weighs in with the front deck, lids, and hardware in place at roughly 125-130# or so pounds, easily manuverable by two guys. If I take the deck off, about 5 min and 10 bolts with wing nuts, I drop almost 40#, making it even easier to move around. Obviously we will be carrying all of our support gear, battery, tackle, etc in the van and load it after setting the deck in place and launching the boat.
I will agree that the length and weight of the larger boats can make move them difficult solo, which is were a trailer is definitely handy, but if you build your boat smartly and effectively, with your fishing partners help you can have the best of both worlds!! Use your trailer for solo runs, chuck it on the roof or in the bed for the tourneys.
Ohhh and as for a true solo rig, I've got a line on aquiring the next two boats Ill be adding to the stable. One of them is a 10' I intend on turning into a full length/removable platform/all electric pond rig for those days I'm by myself! The other is a 12', haven't decided what to do with that one yet!
It's like you are reading my mind. I want to get my hands on a 10' Jon myself. Those things are PERFECT for solo fishing. If I remember right The tracker 10' topper weighs like 80lbs.
Can't wait to see the finished product!
Check marineusa.com....I'm ALMOST sure the 2012's listed at 68lbs...believe it or not...of course that was the brand new 2012's maybe from 2011 back they were exaclty 80lbs...check it out I really think is was 68lbz...