raised platforms

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I've shot off of both. My boat does not have one. Higher up you can see further, but you are also raising your center of gravity. Because of that you better have a pretty stable boat. Main advantage to not have a raised deck is the weight savings. You'll draft more water wit the extra weight of the raised platform.

I chose not to because of the size of my boat, and the fact that I may use it for things other than bowfishing at some point, although it hasn't happened yet.
 
+1. As much as I'd like to have a raised platform for bowfishing, my 1544 would be too tippy for it. I've seen some platforms that are removable but it's generally a lot of work to do it, and since my boat is for bowfishing, regular fishing, and occasionally hunting, it's just more trouble than I want to put up with.
 
yea i have a 1756 so i dont think it would be tippy i just dont know if i really need it. and i do shoot, fish, hunt and trap out of my boat so it could not be permanent may just stay with my casting deck
 
With a 1756 you won't have any problem with it being tippy. I've been shooting off the casting deck of my boat for about 25 years now and like it just fine.
 
I used to shoot from sitting down in the kayak. Makes it a little wetter. Just put some plywood platforms in my 16 footer. Haven't got one yet this year but I like the deck. It goes all the way to level with the sides of the boat for about 4 feet back from the bow. I was worried about stability since it's a V-bottom but I haven't had any problems yet, even with my 60 pound dog running wherever she feels like.
 
Like most I have shot from both. I prefer elevated but it is too cumbersome for an all around rig. When I live in a perfect world I will build a bowfishing only boat..but until then. Next season I plan to buy a 1652 or slightly larger and I will definetly be building a removeable platform...bow and stern. My bowfishing partner can't hit anything so he'll be on the rear platform poling for me after this seasons wager. Currently I'm just using my casting deck and it fine...but I always want bigger, faster, louder, and stronger...I'm an american, can't help it. The creeks of the snake river were hot on Friday...I probably killed 30 in two hours...missed twice that.
 
1756 is about the minimum I'd use for a raised platform. Especially if it's got any weight to it (the platform). Have used one just like that and while it was somewhat stable, it was also a higher center of gravity and ya had to watch your p's and Q's especially if fighting a bigger fish. The owner sold that boat and went with an 1872 SeaArk. No more instability. That was a heck of a bowfishing boat. He now owns a Diamondback 8x18 airboat with a BBC and while it works well, it also goes through nearly $300 of fuel in a night's tournament. The SeaArk wouldn't use much more than 8-10 gallons total. The truck used more to get to the ramp. But that airboat will get you into places an outboard will not go.

I do like the raised platform though, especially if the lights are mounted below the platform itself. I've run the lights up high on the platform rails and get more glare than down below.
 
I built my platform out of a two man ladder stand and it only weighs 70 some pounds and is removable in about two minutes. I've shot in all situation's and in my opinion elevated is the way to go.
 

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I built this monstrosity on a 2072 F&F. It has a recessed area under the floor for lights and a inside battery storage area for 6 batteries. The pusher fan is powered off a 20 hp honda with remote control steering. It has an 18 inch knee rail for bracing yourself to shoot.
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I have had a gunnel height platform and a raised platform with the lights underneath for night time shooting on a 1640 LOWE jon boat for over 30 years, pushed by a 18 hp Go Devil longtail and everyone who ever shot off the front of my boat prefered the raised platform, hands down. When shooting at night, we found we wanted the lights UNDER our feet/deck and NOT up by our knees because the bugs would drive us crazy being in our faces all night long. I never had a problem with it being tippy. HOWEVER, we only ever took one 55 gallon drum with us at a time because with 3 men, a generator, platform, lights and a barrel full of fish, we were over loaded. The boat was too narrow for carrying that kind of load.

I now have a 1856 Go evil boat with a Mud Buddy HD 4000 and feel much more comfortable hauling extra weight. And the lights are going under the new deck, as soon as hunting season is over and I have time to get it built. Can hardly wait for spring...
 
I've been lurking here for a while and only recently made any posts. I apologize for making so many in only a couple of days. I really don't think I know it all and am relatively green to the whole jet jon thing. I've wrenched on just about everything imaginable, so I have a decent feel for most mechanical stuff. I'm here for ideas and to see how others have solved issues. Some folks here have have done some amazingly skilled work from what I've seen. That said, I came up with a super easy shooting platform that is removable in 15 seconds. I used this for two years w/o issue. My front casting deck starts at the rear of the mid seat and covers everything to the bow with the typical hatch for storage under it. I use a foot controlled trolling motor and a regular casting pedestal. Most of the time I use an adjustable pedestal with just a butt rest when fishing. What I did was cut out a platform that was sized for just enough room to squeeze around it w/o falling in the water. In the center of the platform I mounted a male pedestal mount. I use a normal pedestal to raise the platform and be the real structural piece and then just mounted PVC legs on all the corners with floor flanges for feet. The pedestal is the real load bearing part and the PVC keeps everything stable and keeps the whole thing from rotating on the deck. I have a Velcro pad on the regular deck for the TM foot control and another on the shooting platform. I changed out the motor lift rope for a longer one and it hangs over the front of the PVC cage I built to keep me from falling out so I can lift the motor whenever a rock sneaks up on me. I shoot MUCH better from the platform than on the deck. When it needs to be removed I simply reach up and lift it off the pedestal and it's a fishing boat again. I just haven't been able to think of any other way to make it any simpler to switch back and forth. I hope that makes some kind of sense. It's hard to describe in words sometimes. :?

Charles

P.S. FWIW, since I'm just using a 15' fairly small boat, the cage I built on the platform has saved me from swimming probably 100 times. I shoot mostly below dams and in moving water with very sudden stops on rocks and I've found myself hanging over the edge of the cage many times. This was just thrown together in an hour or so, so it isn't a thing of beauty, but it works. My current build has a bagged carbon/honeycomb deck and platform and the cage will be a carbon tubed space frame design with an entry gate and should be far more robust. I even zip tied a drink holder and a piece of PVC tube to hold my e-cig while fishing :). I'll try to get some pics. Just keep in mind this was a quick and dirty project and isn't something that I'd consider to be an example of what I'd normally even be willing to post pics of. I've found it amazing on jetski forums to see some of the most horrible work I've ever seen posted with pride by guys with no real skills or pride in their work.
 
I managed to drag my shooting stand(about 45-50 lbs)over and take a few pics. As I said earlier, it's NOT any sort of masterpiece. However it did work well. The male pedestal mount on it's underside inserts into a standard casting pedestal which inserts into the female pedestal mount on the casting deck. That's a good strong base and then the PVC legs support the perimeter and keep it from moving. PVC isn't the ideal material for the cage, but it only took a second to throw it together and it's never failed me. The joints are all riveted after gluing. You may be able to see a small slot I cut into the front edge of the cage so the trolling motor pull rope was always where I could grab it in a flash when rocks appeared out of no where. The velcro patch on the platform is for the foot control. There's plenty of cable to lift the foot control off the deck onto the platform, but it always ended up at a funny angle. I put a matching piece on the deck so it's either stuck to the deck or stuck to the platform There are probably far better ways to do this, but this has worked perfect for me for two years. The one I'll be putting in the new boat should be stronger and more user friendly. It's definitely going to have a gate. On the one in the pics you either crawled in or over. Not the end of the world, but awkward while carrying a bow.
 

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