First tin project!

Hello all,

I’m a long time lurker and I have really enjoyed some of the builds on this site. There are a lot of really creative and innovative people here with a wealth of knowledge. With that being said, I was hoping that some of you could steer me in the right direction.

I have been given a light and narrow 10’ Jon boat. It is in pretty decent shape, with the exception of a hole in the transom where a handle broke.


Other than that I have not come across any leaks in the few times I have taken it out. Currently it is being stored on a fence on the side of the house. That will change once I start working on it. I like it because it is extremely light and easy to get in and out of my truck by myself.

So basically I would like to know what ideas some of you would have to make this into a little baby bass boat! It’s got a 28” beam. I’ve stood and fished in it from all of the benches and I’m comfortable. I’m not worried about it being tippy and I would like to put a small deck with some storage. Brother in law is a welder so I have access to someone who can help in that aspect.

My main concern is that I have never done anything like this. Here are some more pics of the front and back of the boat. It is pretty shallow as well with the sides only being about a foot high. Again I’m not worried about it being tippy or anything like that. I just want to hear some ideas to get the juices flowing. It was free and I’m more or less treating this like a learning project so in the future when I get a bigger one I know exactly what I’m going to do.

Congrats on starting your own build! I specifically try and keep all my builds light as well. I'll just hit quickly on some questions you have and my opinion.

The hole in the transom I would just back with a small aluminum plate+epoxy from Lowes or w/e. Probably sand/wire brush for better adhesion. I wouldn't suggest even a professional welder to try and hit this thing or most older aluminum boats. They have oxidized over the years and the metal is thin and will burn right through.

Given its so small and you want to keep the weight down I wouldn't suggest building a deck. However, if you do I would use angle aluminum and just pop rivet it between the seats and the hull/gunwhales.

I've used skateboard grip tape on my floors and its been amazing and holes up for years. For the decking/seat tops I used self adhering foam you can find online. Its great for your feet, knees and stays cool while being very light.

Depending on your trolling motor if your trying to go light lithium ion deep cycles are insanely light... and expensive but alot of them now have 11yr warranties and arent nearly as temperamental as a heavy lead acid battery.

Good luck on the build and i'll plan on keeping on eye on it!

I was much younger and more agile when I had my 10ft jon.

BE worried about stability, please.

Be weight conscious, please; those gunnels want to dip under the surface when a little 3 hp johnnyrude, a refill can of fuel, and my (at the time) trim little bottom perched on the rear bench.

If you haven't been out when either weather conditions or other watercraft create wakes, you have yet to enjoy the full existential potential of that size and design of a hull.

Enjoy it if you keep it. In my experience, it would be best used in a still, small, pond, or perhaps, leaning up against the fence.

Be safe.

Aqua,

That’s a good idea about the aluminum plate backing. I think I will Prbly go that route to fix the hole and reattach the handle. I do have to reinforce the transom a bit if I want to have the trolling motor back there. I haven’t decided whether it’s more useful to me up front or not. I already have a deep cycle battery but I’m okay with it as it helps counter balance my weight when I’m towards the front (I keep it in the back). Thanks for the ideas!

Kismet,

I only say I’m not worried about stability because where I plan on taking it is electric only so there isn’t much wake and if the weather is bad I don’t bother going. I do appreciate the concern and I am pretty agile still so hopefully it lasts until I move into a bigger boat. I’ve been out on a windy day with a battery, trolling motor, and another person in the boat and we both stood and fished most of the day. I’m very conscious of my weight distribution while in the boat and I’m not too stubborn to sit if it gets to that point. I would never put my safety in jeopardy but I do very much appreciate the sentiment.

I think a small front deck for storage might be the plan for now and adding more to the build as I see fit. I’m thinking about taking out the bench on the bow and extending that area out to just before the middle bench seat to maximize my storage area. I do like the idea of using aluminum angle for the decking support. What do you think would be the best to support about 200 lbs if I were to want to stand on it sometimes. And the self adhesive foam does make sense. The Florida sun tends to be brutal in the summer so anything to keep it as cool as possible is a definite must.

I built a casting deck on my 12.6ft Valco and it supports my 220lbs. So I assume it would work in your case. If you build a deck at each end you and your buddy could play “who’s a better karate kid”! Jk heh

The bow on my boat is a deep V so I used wood and sealed it. But here’s some photos to give you some idea of what I did. I also decided with the price/weight of marine grade plywood... I went with 3/8in pvc sheeting. Stuff is amazing and cuts like butter. Hope it helps!

Every time I try to add the photos in order they end up random. Sorry.

Aqua,

That’d alright I can figure out the process I’m sure. Pics look great! Do you ever experience any flex at all in your decks?

I've fished out of a small jon boat the same size as this once. You may want to start looking into sponsoons to add to it. If u set the hook hard or get a little off center, you gonna be taking on water. But again that's just my opinion

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I’m sure there might be some flex but nothing I or anyone else have noticed or mentioned. The casting deck also gets more use than any other part since we beach it a lot. PVC is heavier duty though so for your build aluminum angle and thin plywood painted with garage floor paint would likely be lighter and cheaper? And would last 4-5yrs at least.

450,

I’ll look into some sponsons for stability. Seems like it couldn’t hurt.

Aqua,

The plywood seems like it would work fine but pvc might be the plan if I come across any deals

The sponsoons is just my opinion. You might get it out on the water and feel perfectly comfortable with it how it is! There's alot of YouTube videos of guys making them.

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450,

Yea I’ll definitely look into it. I’d rather know enough about it and how to do it if needed rather than hope for the best if I decide to go that route. Thanks for the info!