Anyone done a jon boat conversion?

[felts_jf]

I've been looking and studying jon boats for a couple of months now and thinking about buying one here in a few months. I'm looking at a 14 footer and probably 36 inches wide or more if I can afford and find one. I am wanting to put a front and rear fishing deck and add a livewell and some storage compartments with a bow mount foot controlled trolling motor. Is this possible on a boat this size? Would a flat or V bottom be better for this. Any Ideas were to get decent priced jon boats? There will be no more than 2 people fishing out of it at any time.

Jason

[kzoo]

I did something similar back in the day. It was the same size boat, jon boat 14' with a 36" beam. I mounted a foot control bow mount trolling motor. I put marine plywood and carpet on the floor, you don't want to raise it to a deck, your center of gravity for jon boat might be too much. I put some swivel seats on the bench, we stood while fishing and sat while cruising. I think I spent under 1000 bucks for the whole set up. I did not have anything on the transom, I was fishing a smaller lake with no outboards allowed at the time, caught a lot of bass with this set up. I don't recommend this set up on larger lakes with outboards, you might be able to get away with it using a v-bottom.

Keep your eye on craigs list for Jon boats, they always pop up.

[Mossy]

I've been hitting the searching pretty heavy for the past month, had a price range in mind of $3000 but could never find a setup with a motor. I priced craigslist with white elephant here in spokane and could get a better deal brand new. If you look on boattraderonline or ewnickels you will find a 16ft lowe big jon(real wide and deep) with a side steering console for $1999(elephant). It says galvanized trailer to fit that is $599. So essentially, for $2600 you have a great package without motor brand new. Looking on craigslist, everyone wants $2400+ for a basic jon boat(not motor, no console, not as deep). I guess if what I'm trying to say is if you "need" one now look new(they have 10-20ft) but if you can wait pick up a used one when the summer months are over with(cheaper). D*#n I sound like a salesman, trust me I'm not.

Airdale to Airdale
P.S. A 12-18ft big jon, you won't have any problems with "center of gravity." <--By the way that makes no sense.

[kzoo]

Airdale to Airdale
P.S. A 12-18ft big jon, you won't have any problems with "center of gravity." <--By the way that makes no sense.

The center of gravity is the average location of the weight of an object or where all the weight is concentrated at. This is based on the dimensions of an object and obviously the weight. If you install an elevated deck in the boat it'll increase the center of gravity causing the boat to become less stable.

I converted a jon boat with the exact dimensions felts was asking about. I don't recommend installing raised deck unless you get one of those wider jon boats or you can just pay $2600 for a brand new boat without a motor. I guess it's what you can afford. When I converted my jon boat , I couldn't afford much, but it did the trick.

[Mossy]

I gotcha

[T Dot]

my buddies and i have a jon boat

:king:

we use it for bass fishing, and they always get updated to meet our current needs. just call it a work in progress

[danielt]

you may be able to get some pic ideas from these guys

http://www.thejbfc.com/

and here something I found when I wanted to do mine

http://www.myjonboat.com/

Get a use boat from craigslist or even sportsmans has them for a decent price

[T Dot]

...I don't recommend installing raised deck unless you get one of those wider jon boats.

actually i beg to differ

:king:

my buddies and i have fish out of a few boats, some have been really small. we have always stood up in them, and have yet to fall into the water. its really how much balance you have. with the smaller boats, you must communicate with your partner when you make sudden moves, as a little jolt can throw them into the water. that being said, we have fish out of a 12ft aluminum vhull, a 10ft jon, a 10ft columbian.

if you do get a boat, my suggestion is get the biggest and widest boat you can afford. the biggest mistake most people make is getting a boat that is too small for their needs. for bass heads, most people state that the widest boat in your budget should be purchased.

same hold true for your trolling motor

[A9]

I've seen plenty of Jon boats under $1000 on craigslist, some even with good trailers and motors.... If your into getting a boat off craigslist, check it as often as possible. Several times a day. The good deals go darn quick, so you gotta spot the good ones first....We sold our boat off craigslist. 3 hours after putting the boat on craigslist, we had the cash in hand and the boat was already trailered out of the driveway, not to mention the other half dozen emails I recieved and 10 other callers...

[cavdad45]

I love my Tracker jon boat!! It's 14ft and plenty stable for a big man like me. Look them up on-line. Skip the forward platform however, too much weight. The boat is flat which makes it fine for standing all day. You can easily make a small base in the front for a bowmount trolling motor. I would recommend MinnKota 40PD or 55PD for that type on application because it requires a small foot print which is easy to build a platform for and it has a very long cable going to the foot control which you can use anywhere in the boat.

As far as a livewell is concerned, my tracker has a built in one without aeration. More of a fishbox actually, but it can be rigged with a pump for aeration quite easily. I haven't done that yet because I don't use it so much for a livewell as I do a cooler for my water bottles and soda pop.

[Gisteppo]

I just saw this thread. Sorry for the late post

Building a jonboat from scratch is about as easy as it is to convert one, and less expensive at that! Conversely, if it scares you, I have build a few boats for people, and am currently working on one of my own. I have a tough time getting to every thread on the forum, so if you are interested, shoot me a pm or email.

E

[felts_jf]

I have started my conversion on my boat. It is a 12ft partial V-bottom boat. I am starting by putting a trated plywood floor in the back and mid section. In the front it is going to have a raised deck with a pedestal seat mounted up there. Considering I only fish small lakes I am going to have a 55lbs thrust minn kota in the back and a 35lbs thrust foot control up front. Storage shelves on the sides in the middle section and a live well in the back. we will see how it goes, little by little.

J

[kzoo]

Sounds like a plan. With the V-hull you can take it to larger lakes, think about putting a small outboard on it.

[kzoo]

...I don't recommend installing raised deck unless you get one of those wider jon boats.

actually i beg to differ

:king:

my buddies and i have fish out of a few boats, some have been really small. we have always stood up in them, and have yet to fall into the water. its really how much balance you have. with the smaller boats, you must communicate with your partner when you make sudden moves, as a little jolt can throw them into the water. that being said, we have fish out of a 12ft aluminum vhull, a 10ft jon, a 10ft columbian.

if you do get a boat, my suggestion is get the biggest and widest boat you can afford. the biggest mistake most people make is getting a boat that is too small for their needs. for bass heads, most people state that the widest boat in your budget should be purchased.

same hold true for your trolling motor

I grew up on small boats and canoe. Totally agree about the balance thing, although there were some close calls with me and my buddy. Raising the deck will increase your chance of disaster, especially in a jon boat with a short beam.

[Tom Pinckney]

Hello: I just found your site recently and although I do not live near you, find your site a great sourch of information for Tiger Muskellunge fishing. I have a website (the first of its kind) dedicated to Tiger Muskellunge. There is also a forum there. Here's some info for boat conversions for you which can be adapted to whatever you puchase: <a href="http://p219.ezboard.com/ftigertipsfrm141">Jonboat Conversions</a>