Jon Boat Repair - NOOBIE Here!

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square1

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I'm sure this has been answered 1001 times, but here goes. I inherited a 14' jon boat
in -dire- need of repair. We've used it a few time at the hunting camp. but it leaks like a
sieve.

I got it home the other day, hosed it down for close inspection. Here's what I have found:
2 loose rivets.
several places of fiberglass repair.
numerous pin holes in the hull.
In dire need of a new transom.
Doesn't have a drain plug.
BTW, this boat is at least 28 years old as I saw an '83 registration decal.

About the only time it will be used will be at the camp, and then only with a trolling motor. I don't
want (or for that matter need) to throw hundreds of dollars to get it sea worthy.

With all of this said, I have little metal working experience. Tons of woodworking, but not metal.
Any words of wisdom for this noobie????? If I could figure out how to upload photo's I've got a couple.
 
Square 1

I'd try to re-buck the loose rivets. For the other holes, cover one side with tape and fill them with JB Weld, let it dry and put another coat of JB Weld on both sides and sand as needed to desired smoothness. I'd also JB Weld the rivets after you re-buck them. Replace the transom if you can (that's up to you though) and buy a new drain plug.
 
Ictalurus-
IT doesn't currently have a drain plug. I am hesitant
to put yet another hole in it! :LOL2: :LOL2:
 
Sorry man, I thought you were missing the plug, not the hole :LOL2: My old 12' Sea King didn't have one either and I just left it alone.

Also, I'm not much of a fiberglass expert, or even a novice, so whatever you decide to do with that would probably be better that anything I can offer.
 
square1 said:
Ictalurus-
IT doesn't currently have a drain plug. I am hesitant
to put yet another hole in it! :LOL2: :LOL2:

Without a drain plug and being hesitant to drill one....you can add a sump pump instead. They don't cost much, and you've already said that you're going to have a trolling motor....so you will need a battery. Taking on water a little......use the sump pump to get rid of it.

Oh...and welcome to TinBoats! Happy to have you on board! It also doesn't matter if the question has been asked. If you can't find it by using the "search" function in the top right of the page....then ask away. Nearly 99.9% of the people on this site will be happy to answer anything they can.

Be careful of Popeye and Ahab though....neither can be trusted. :LOL2:
 
fender66 said:
Be careful of Popeye and Ahab though....neither can be trusted. :LOL2:

=D>

Oh...so true...so true. Especially if they offer you a "personal pic" of them wearing plaid! :shock: -----JUST SAY NO! [-X



Another thing that you can do to make your craft watertight is seal the seams with marine caulk. My uncle used some specialty stuff on his '62 Mirrorcraft and it worked like a charm. I'll send him an email and post the name of it.

Welcome aboard, and good luck with your tin.
 
Thanks everyone!
This little 13'6" was free. I found it behind a delapadated
Shed behind a house I bought to rehab. Free is good!
 
here are a few pix of the needy one......
 

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My first impression is it looks pretty good. It should clean up well and serve you for a long time.

I'd drill out the old rivets and apply a dab of sealant like 3M 5100 before installing any new ones. I'd grind out the nastiness around that hole and use JB Weld to repair/patch it. All you want is make the hole watertight, you not going to be entering it in a beauty contest.

To do the transom, remove the cap that sits on top of the transom and sides (just drill out the rivets). Remove the frame bolts inside and completely remove what's left of the old transom. (Save as much as you can to use as a template.) Buy the same thickness plywood (any grade will do), cut it to size and then coat it real well with fiberglass resin. Do all areas of the plywood (especially the edges). It's really easy to do and it will last forever. I bought a resin kit at Home Depot for about $15.00. Use stainless steel bolts or screws to reassemble and use sealant on any hardware that goes through the hull.

After that it's all cosmetics. Some paint, racing stripes, Steelers logos, etc. A sump or small bilge pump will work fine - but you may not even need it after you fill the holes. No need for a drain plug hole when it's so light. Just dump it on its side when you get back to shore.

All the best on your project.
 
MANY THANKS Bhockins ! Just what I am looking for. Any advice on
riveting 101 or where t0 find info?
 
Bhockins said:
After that it's all cosmetics. Some paint, racing stripes, Steelers logos, etc.
Dont take this guys advise unless you want to get laughed at on the lake. :mrgreen: I gues I cant say much, I'm a Bengals fan!!
 
Bhockins said:

2x for the 3M stuff!!

My uncle refurbished is '62 MirroCraft using 3M 5200.

That said, I have NO IDEA what the difference is between the 5100 & 5200. Here's the info that I got from my uncle when I questioned him about his choice of sealant:

"I like 3M 5200 for a permanent solution. You can get it at Ace hardware in a small toothpaste like tube for about $10 or a caulking tube for about $17. Once you open the tube it is hard to keep it from setting up so don't buy the big one and expect to use some of it later. It cures faster with higher humidity, so in the summer I will use a spray bottle of water to mist it a lot. I don't know of anything like it, great stuff."

https://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal...E3E02LECIE20S4K7_nid=GS77R8JLT2beQH8HT14PGTgl
 

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