Yet another Jon Boat Project

Hello all, I've been reading through some threads here and will continue to do so. I know much of the information I need is there but wanted to post my project question here in order to try and keep some ideas centralized.

I have a 1436 Duracraft purchased from a friend for $100.00. Here's the list of repairs before I can begin considering purchasing motors, anchors, etc.

New transom
New 'flotation' foam

It seems simple enough to do either task, but I have a few questions that maybe you can answer for me.

Transom; My transom has a brace that is riveted to the bottom of the hull and bolted to the transom. It looks like it would require me to cut the top 'lip' off the back of the transom in order to slid the new transom in or remove the brace and then replace it. I would sorta like to avoid removing the brace since I have no experience in replacing these larger rivets on the hull. Removing the top 'lip' seems like a better option for me, but I want to make sure I have all my options considered before I do any cutting.

Foam; the boat was left sitting upside-down in a yard for many years. Ants moved in and packed the interior of the bench seats with dirt and rotted the foam. I've been spraying water in the small openings at the sides and bottom, but I know ultimately I will have to do something to get in there to properly clean it out. The easiest way I can think of is to cut a opening in the front or back side large enough to clean it and insert new foam. I would then cover the opening with a large section of aluminum and either rivet or screw it back in place. My concern is the structural integrity of the seats after cutting a large hole in the side.

So are there other options/ideas I should consider before I begin? Thanks in advance!

(I'll post pictures soon - not at home right now)

I just removed over a hundred solid aluminum rivets so I could remove the bench seats
as well as the transom brace. (1236 flat bottom V-Nose Jon)
I started out using the small pneumatic pistol grip chisel style cutter that made more NOISE than
cut anything and was very slow going. (the automotive jack hammer cutter)
Switched over to the Dewalt 4" angle grinder with a thin cut-off wheel and buzzed right through
a hundred rivets in less than an hour. ALL hardware, seats, braces, etc. removed cleanly.
The transom brace was the toughest as it had 3/8" rivets. Once cut flush, they were easily punched
out with a 1/4" bolt and B.A.H.
On my boat, it would have been impossible to replace the transom board without removing the brace.
I will use 5/16" brass bolts with Thread-Lock when I put it back, not rivets.
Under NO circumstances do you ever want to cut the top lip off to install a new transom board. NEVER.

yeah yeah yeah i know i know,,,, everyone says that you can't cut aluminum (non-ferrous metals)
with a cut-off wheel. Well, small rivets, YOU CAN !!! and the blade does not clog with melted aluminum
as one might think it would. try it for yourself -then, you decide what works best for your application.
I am not talking about a 1/4" thick GRINDING WHEEL - The cut-off blade is only 1/16" thick. (big difference).

I will reset all the holes with new 1/4" x 1/4" solid rivets to plug the 100 holes.
Then, pop rivet new 2" square alum tubing for the cross members on the floor then put in 1/2" plywood floor,
carpet and two pedestal chairs. I will not be putting the bench seats or flotation foam back in.
For now, it will be powered with a 40# trolling motor.

Ok. I think I like the idea of grinding off the transom brace rivets and using brass bolts to remount it. This will be my new plan.

I don't think I plan on removing the seats as you did though.. what are your thoughts on me cutting a access hole in the front of the seats as mentioned in my original post?

IF you do grind off the rivets . . . when you reinstall the brace, I suggest putting
the round head of the bolts on the bottom, seal with your favorite marine glue
that is for underwater use, use thread lock on the nuts, then after it is all tight,
grind off the excess bolt flush to make a nice looking finish.
oh, and grind off QUICKLY to prevent heat build up that may damage your glue stuff
and cool off QUICKLY with a wet rag.

This is my first butcher of a tin boat like this. I have always had a V-Hull with
home made wood seats just for a runabout or big *** fiberglass boats.
Other folks here will have more advice about cutting into a bench seat for storage or live well.
The two photos here show that my seats were only flimsy sheet metal and did not offer a good
solid metal bench for storage or live well. and they are in the way - so out they go.
The hull bottom and sides are very thick metal and the gunwales are also very strong, so I am
not concerned about the boat flexing with a load. The floor, when screwed in, will take care of any flex.
I will build a little cubby hole under the bow platform to store survival stuff like snacks, water, flares, etc.
plus, you can do the search thing here for " bench seats " and see what you come up with.
This particular boat is for my wife. It is hers and hers only. It will only be used around the
grassy shorelines for pan fish, bass and crappie. not out in open water.
My next project will be a 1648 flat bottom that will be our fishing machine.

WELCOME ABOARD !!!!


There is nothing more grand than
to be just simply messing around
in an old boat . . . . POGO, 1960

Ok, I've replaced the transom with no leaks.

I've moved on to repairing some leaking rivets discovered after this when I did the leak test. So far I've used a wire wheel to grind off the paint from both exterior and interior sides of all rivets below the water line. I've reseated most of them with a hammer and anvil as I read about. I have a quart of Gluvit that I'm going to use on all these rivets too. But it's raining now so I'm taking this opportunity to ask a few more questions.

I decided to get some paint stripper to remove all/as much of the paint from the interior and eventually the exterior of the boat as possible. Just some general paint stripper, not the aircraft aluminum stuff. I'm not looking for a showroom finish, just as much of the old dirt/paint as needed to reapply new paint. (I'll apply the gluvit before repainting, and leak testing again as well) I plan on starting with a exterior self etching primer followed by a light colored paint, like white, to cut down on heat retention (summers top 110 degrees where I live). I plan on using a exterior house paint like rustoleum but am wondering about some type of truck bed liner paint as well...

Does it seem like I am going about this ok?

Any Suggestions?

yes, Young Grasshopper, you are doing most well.

when you get to an area that you are not sure of with your own skill set,
STOP - and research it - ask someone - it may prove to be less expensive
and time consuming if you do it right the first time.

I just bought a nice tin 1648 bass boat that is a 1988 with outdated stuff
on the transom - such as - pipit tube for the speedometer, old sonar thing,
and the old FF transducer mounted in the WRONG WRONG WRONG area and position.
plus, a bilge pump set up to pump water into the live well.
ALL those things must be removed and the holes patched some how - some way.
A new Humminbird Helix FF replaces all the electronics and a new 12v pump motor will
handle the live well water.

Good Luck in your project - patience - patience - patience will produce the best results.

The project is moving along. I've stripped almost all of the paint off the inside. While reading that as long as the paint is still adhering to the hull, applying a self etching primer to it will work too, prior to applying the new paint. Thoughts on this? May same some work on the outside of the hull.

My main question is how to best go about replacing the foam without removing the seats as Barefoot_Johnny has. I am considering cutting a hole in the top of the benches (with a 1 inch border) to gain access into the foam. I would actually cut two holes, leaving one 3-4 inch section complete in the center to help with the structural integrity. Replace it and leave some area for storage. And finishing by replacing the top with a hinged wooden seat...

What are any thoughts on this?