New To Me 1232 Jon Mods

I just bought a 1232 flatbottom from my Agri teacher at school for a whole 50 bucks 8) and am planning on doing some small mods to it. Pics soon. Here's what I'm planning:

-LOW (2-3" high) front deck between the bow and middle seat
-Install plywood on top of benches
-Carpet the LOW front deck and each bench
https://www.lowes.com/pd_291490-373...utdoor+carpet&Ns=p_product_price|0&facetInfo=
-Add a burgundy butt seat on a custom pedestal on the LOW front deck
https://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product__10151_-1_10051_10205166
-Add a gray/gurgundy low-back seat to the back bench on a low swivel
https://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product__10151_-1_10051_10205158

What do you guys think? Any suggestions?

I think a butt seat on a 1232 will be a lot like riding a skateboard.

jigngrub said:

I think a butt seat on a 1232 will be a lot like riding a skateboard.

Click to expand...

Do you think it would be that bad on a low deck just barely above floor level? The only purpose of the deck is to have a piece to mount the pedestal to.

I suggest you install the front deck and take the boat out on the water and just stand on the front deck and cast so you can check the stability before you buy the pedestal and butt seat... you may want to opt for a sit down seat instead.

Here's a pic of the layout I want to do. I decided against the butt seat and went for 2 regular padded seats. The two hatches in the middle seat are for storage and will hold 6 3600 Plano boxes each, and the black lines on the right side are rod savers that will hold 5 rods. That's an ice chest in between the middle and rear bench. The front seat is mounted to the low front deck, and the back one is mounted on top of the rear bench.

And here's what I want to paint the outside like, just for giggles.

You might want to put it on the water and do some stability tests, before adding the decks. A 1232 is typically not that stable, and you might end up with your butt glued to the seat. Also, be careful for putting in too much decking and weight. Check the capacity on the CG plate to see how much leeway you have. Not hard to overload a small boat, especially when fishing with two people. Unstable + over-loaded = swimming.

It should be alright. The decks are just going to sit on top of the ribs and will be 1/2" plywood. The front seat will only be as tall as the bench and the rear one will be on a bench. It shouldn't be much different than fishing out of it without swivel seats and decks.

Are those hatches for storage in the front bench? If so, that means you be removing valuable floatation foam... and without it your boat will probably sink if swamped or caught in a heavy rain. If you remove floatation, replace it by adding it in other areas.

How do you plan to fasten the decking to the ribs, and how do you plan to fasten the pedestal base to the decking?

Very cool for $50 bucks!

You should call it a Nitro A9, A for alumacraft, or L9 for Lowe, what ever type boat it is. hehe

carrothead said:

It should be alright. The decks are just going to sit on top of the ribs and will be 1/2" plywood. The front seat will only be as tall as the bench and the rear one will be on a bench. It shouldn't be much different than fishing out of it without swivel seats and decks.

Click to expand...

You would probably want to water test it for other things, including leaking rivits, so doing the standing test should be a no brainer. Even just how stable it is to move around your planned seats. You want to understand how the boat handles before you make the changes.

jigngrub said:

Are those hatches for storage in the front bench? If so, that means you be removing valuable floatation foam... and without it your boat will probably sink if swamped or caught in a heavy rain. If you remove floatation, replace it by adding it in other areas.

How do you plan to fasten the decking to the ribs, and how do you plan to fasten the pedestal base to the decking?

Click to expand...

The hatches are for storage, yes, and I'm not going to be fishing in heavy rain or be taking it on big enough water to actually get swamped. This is just for riding around in the river, in electric only or small engine only lakes, and getting to the side of ponds that are covered in trees on one side that I can't get to on the bank. I've tested the boat for stability in the water and it sits nice actually, allowing you to move around decently. I'm not going to need to add foam, because if it gets full of water, it will sink either way. I'm not worried about that. The middle deck will be attached to the ribs with probably some self-tapping screws, if it's even necessary. It might be seated well enough without any attachment.

FuzzyGrub said:

carrothead said:

It should be alright. The decks are just going to sit on top of the ribs and will be 1/2" plywood. The front seat will only be as tall as the bench and the rear one will be on a bench. It shouldn't be much different than fishing out of it without swivel seats and decks.

Click to expand...

You would probably want to water test it for other things, including leaking rivits, so doing the standing test should be a no brainer. Even just how stable it is to move around your planned seats. You want to understand how the boat handles before you make the changes.

Click to expand...

I already tested for leaks and fixed what needed it. It's stable enough for what I'll be doing with it.