wlshafor said:
Anyone fly fish or designed there tin craft around fly fishing?
Boy, I can't recall any one specific conversion here but would think it would rely on 3 objectives, like:
- Stability
- Low profile
- Dedicated flyrod storage/access
Stability - Not sure what hull you're thinking of converting, but if standing up to cast, keep the stability in mind. I now run a 16' heavy compartmented & bulkheaded hull, with floor ... and the sheer weight means I can even stand on the side next to the gunnel and the hull doesn't tip enough to throw me overboard. Two of us can flyfish from it as long as we time our casts ... and watch the wind. As those 'Clouser ear rings' hurt! The weight gives it stability, but the trade-off is that one would need a minimum of 40hp (IMHO) for decent performance.
My old boat was a 14' tall-gunnel (topsides) V-skiff with an 18hp OB and I could flycast from it standing up. This was a simple skiff, barest of wood floor, as in just enough to be able to step across each of the 3 seats to move from bow to stern without tripping over ribs. Up forward one had to remain centered in the boat. Towards the stern I could case from either side of the hull and in calm waters could and did stand on the rear seat to cast, but that also just more so helped my sight fishing and with my casting ability ... gave me a little more distance, haha!
I'm not into jon boats, but from everything I've read here, you'd want the widest beam you can get for your target length hull ... to give you more inherent stability.
Profile - Keep vertical and deck/gunnel obstructions to a minimum. In a smaller boat you'd probably want to go for a tiller motor over a console/control model. Flip up cleats are less apt to snag a line and for fender cleats or etc around the hull, on my smaller boats I just use a SS ring bolt, mounted a few inches down below the tops of the gunnel. Simple to use, just pass rode through the ring and tie off a 'figure 8' stopper knot. Keeps the gunnels free from line-snagging objects.
Flyrod Storage/Access - Wow, REALLY depends here on the model/design boat you go with! To me, there are 2 considerations - storage and access.
Storage has to keep those delicate tips safe! When I had bigger saltwater boat, we'd rip PVC tubes into carries and place them down the sides of the gunnels. Like picture shown.
Tip for smaller boats - Use the larger diameter tube for the rear, the part where the top is cut open, then use a step-down joint to the smallest diameter tube (keep as full round tube) to completely house the forward 1/3rd or so of the flyrod length. Works slick! And prevents someone from breaking the rod ... hopefully! NOTE in smaller boats that the front part of the tube will follow the curve of the boat if a V-Hull ... so do NOT store you rod in these holders for days or weeks on end ... or they will take a set :shock: ... ask me how i know? At least I learned that from a good friend's expense, haha :lol: .
For access, I'm partial to these Bluewater design vertical rod holders. Not cheap, but they keep my flyrod ready for use. i have this attached to the side of my control console, but on a simple open boat, I'd attach the vertical bulkhead on maybe the middle seat, so from the driver's position, one could just reach forward and grab it if/when you ran into breaking fish.
Hope these ideas help! Give us more ideas what YOU need and we can be of more help.