12 Foot Panther Aerocraft Jon Boat

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kelbym232

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Hello everyone. I finally got my first boat and I am so excited to start modifications on it during the off-season. It is a 12' Panther Aerocraft that I got for free from my wife's grandparents. It has been in their family a long time so it has some wear and tear that I'll have to take care of.

I've been fishing on it all summer and dealing with the two leaks that it has. The two leaks are where the transom meets the boat. (Pictures below). I would like to stick weld the leaks shut so it is a permanent fix. The only bad thing is that I have never welded before. Would a 1/8 diameter aluminum rod be enough to weld the leaky spot shut? I'll also take any other suggestions to fix these leaks as well.

Thanks for all the help and once I start working on my boat I'll post more follow-ups to this thread.







 
Just from talking to people who weld for a living, or have welded a lot, aluminum is not easy to weld and requires specific set-ups. If you are not an experienced welder, I would not recommend it. Although getting the leaks welded is the best fix, I would let someone else do it.

Nice little boat and should be a fun project for you. Good luck and post pics along the way. :mrgreen:
 
Welding thin aluminum is very difficult.. You will most likely blow a hole through it..

-Set the boat up on some saw horses, then fill it with an inch or two of water.

-Take a sharpie and mark where water is seeping through..

-I'd clean it up by removing any debris or old gasket around trouble spots.

-Tighten up any rivets that have come loose..

-Then go buy some 3M 5200 and apply it generously to areas of concern

No more Leaks. :mrgreen:
 
Thank you for the replies.

Turns out welding aluminum is hard. It actually worked on the very small hole but I don't think it'll hold.

For the second crack on the outside I couldn't get it to work. I gave up. I'll get an experienced welder to help. I did melt some duck tape along the crack until I got in touch with an experienced welder. It actually worked. First time my feet were dry when I was out on the lake tonight. I caught 1 bass.





 
Finally resurrecting this thread.

I have the rough layout of my boat. I just need to finally put it all together.

Here is what I'm thinking:
3WIYOo3.png


I'll also add a second chair to the front that will be removeable. This will give my dad and I spot to fish when it is us, and when I remove it, a spot for the wife to tan when it is she and I.

All the parts I pulled from a junk boat I got for the trailer:
5dun4cJ.png


I'm junking the boat tomorrow since I pulled everything out of it that I want. I greased the bearings and removed a leaf spring from the trailer as well. It is a 16 foot trailer (overkill but it was free) so I'll probably move the whole stop and winch assembly back a few feet.

I ended up getting the bilge pump, 4 cleats, 2 metal handles, 2 speakers, radio, amp and lights. I'm not sure if they all work yet though. Most of the wires have been cut as well. Hopefully you guys will have some ideas for me on how to fix the electronics/test to see if they are working.

I also have a question about the captains chair in the back. It doesn't swivel and I would really like to get it to swivel. How can I accomplish that?

More to come soon! The ice almost all gone from the lakes.
 
Pull that windshield and any other parts you can sell. The only thing you should be junking is fiberglass hull itself.
Once you have your boat on the trailer your probable going to need to move the axle to get the proper tongue weight.
 
Agree with the above poster on selling stuff off of it. Boat season is on us and everyone is resurrecting their builds :mrgreen:
 
So I finally pulled the windshield off the old boat like you guys said. I got everything else out as well. It is completely gutted and ready to be dropped off at a landfill.

I saved the speakers, front and back lights, radio, amp, and the bilge pump. Unfortunately, all of the wires have been cut. Any idea of how I can test them to see if they even work?

I also made some progress on my jon boat. Pictures below:

Bf3UV8Y.png

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Here is what I have planned for the next few weekends:
xzs5hNl.png

Red - Seats
Brown - Hatches
Yellow - Speakers/Radio
Grey - Rod Holders
Blue - Front and back lights

Would love any feedback. Good or constructive. Thanks guys!
 
Looking good! Selling that other stuff will hopefully fund some more of this project.
 
Thank you!

Finally got rid of the old junk boat at a local landfill. More good news, the 500 gph bilge pump and front/back lights work as well.

I finally got the boat out on the water to see how it would handle with the new deck. It is a little tipy left and right. Not too bad though.

The deck works! And it floats!
FLjvSEn.png

Can't wait to get my trolling motor on. I'm done with paddling!
M4wDY8I.png

Making sure the wife will be able to lay down and tan.
HRrwsEB.png


And here it is on the trailer:
uGBIMbm.png


I still need to do some work on the bow stop and add some guides to the on the left and right side of the trailer for when I load it back on.
 
I was thinking it would look like a toy boat on a huge trailer but it doesn't look too bad. The rear of your truck looks like it's squatting a bit, what's the tongue weight? I'm pretty sure your going to need to move the axle forward.
 
lckstckn2smknbrls said:
I was thinking it would look like a toy boat on a huge trailer but it doesn't look too bad. The rear of your truck looks like it's squatting a bit, what's the tongue weight? I'm pretty sure your going to need to move the axle forward.


I'm not sure of the tongue weight. I stupidly lifted the front of my truck a little bit to level it with the back a few months ago. A week or two ago I found out I lifted it too much so now I am going to lower it again to where it was. I think I will move the axle forward like you said. To do that, I just have to jack the trailer up, loosen a few bolts and use a hammer to tap each side forward right?
 
Yes loosen the U-bolts, move the axle take measurements so the axle is as close to straight as you can get it then tighten the U-bolts . Do you know what the boat and trailer weigh? You want around 10% of the total weight on the tongue.
 
lckstckn2smknbrls said:
Yes loosen the U-bolts, move the axle take measurements so the axle is as close to straight as you can get it then tighten the U-bolts . Do you know what the boat and trailer weigh? You want around 10% of the total weight on the tongue.


When I dropped the 16 foot sea ray off at the landfill, the empty trailer and boat weighed 6000 pounds with two 200 pound adults in it. I did a Google search and my truck's gross weight is 5300 pounds. The empty trailer weighs 300 pounds and I would guess the boat would weigh 100 or 200 pounds. I would estimate the boat/trailer weighs around 450 pounds. I hope my math is correct and I hope this answers the question. Thank you very much for the help.
 
What did it weigh going in to the land fill? Any idea what the trailer is rated for? You may have to remove some of the leaf springs if the trailer rides too ruff. You don't want to beat the boat up just going to the lake.
 
Well I didn't get any work done on the trailer this week but I did get a lot of work done on my boat.

I managed to cut out the hatches for the front deck, carpet the front deck and the hatches, attach the hinges for the hatch doors and run electrical cable.



GWw19WK.png


The one thing in worried about is the front 7inch pedastool for the seat. My whole plan for the front deck is to be able to remove the seat so the wife can tan while I fish. I also want to be able to have a seat up there for when I take my dad fishing. With the pedastool I got, I don't see how I can remove it unless I unscrew it from the deck each time. Anyone have any ideas on how I can do this? I want a base plate that will be flush with the deck and a pole that will sit about 7 inches high for the seat to sit on. It also has to be removable.

On the seat topic, how have you guys been attaching the seats to the boat. If I use self tapping screws through the 3/4" plywood and through the aluminum bench, will it hold and hold for years?

My plans for the next time I work on the boat are to at least carpet the floor in the back, the plywood under the backseat and attach the seats.

Stay posted! I want to be out fishing this month!!
 

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