Console

jrl5678 · Post by **jrl5678** » 12 Oct 2021, 12:22

SO, Bought a jon boat. It was made by a custom builder around here (Houston, TX.) It is 15'6" long on the paper work and about 60" wide. It has a CC. The bench seat behind the console is not very tall. The console is low to the ground. I am trying to have raise the CC or perhaps replace it but people tell me it can make the boat top heavy. What do you people think? I will try to attach some pictures soon.

I have some posted on here bot no this sub forum.

Jon

jrl5678 · Post by **jrl5678** » 12 Oct 2021, 12:25

Screenshot 2021-09-11 at 10-08-54 Public Surplus Auction #2871710.png

Screenshot 2021-09-11 at 10-09-29 Public Surplus Auction #2871710.png

LDUBS · Post by **LDUBS** » 12 Oct 2021, 12:39

If you are just raising the console to put the wheel in front of you, I can't see why there would be any significant weight/balance issues.

Post by **DaleH** » 12 Oct 2021, 13:10

LDUBS wrote: ↑12 Oct 2021, 12:39If you are just raising the console to put the wheel in front of you, I can't see why there would be any significant weight/balance issues.

I agree, I think you could easily go up 12" to 18" and not notice any adverse balance issues. Heck, create additional storage under where you 'lift' it.

Post by **maintenanceguy** » 12 Oct 2021, 21:18

I think you could raise it 20 feet with almost no impact on balance of the boat.

Think about the boat's center of mass. There is so much more hull, gas tanks, batteries, and other stuff at the bottom that the weight of the console is almost negligible.

I added about 10 inches to mine to get the steering wheel above my knees. The last owner must have been bent over the whole time he was in the boat.

LDUBS · Post by **LDUBS** » 12 Oct 2021, 22:29

Hopefully you have enough slack so you can keep the existing cabling. Cabling -- is that a word?

MrGiggles · Post by **MrGiggles** » 13 Oct 2021, 08:04

I agree with what has been said, balance is no issue.

If it were my boat, I would remove that piece of plywood (or whatever it is) that makes up the middle bench, and leave the "box" underneath it to build a new seat base off of. Then rebuild the console. This will open it up quite a bit, more like a real CC type of boat.

Looking at the bracing along the sides, I don't think that middle bench is structural, shouldn't be a big deal to take it off.

JL8Jeff · Post by **JL8Jeff** » 13 Oct 2021, 10:15

A taller console will not cause balance issues, there's not much weight to it. My Lowe center console is at a great height for me being 5' 6" tall since I prefer to stand while operating the boat. I added the windshield and grabrail which works out perfect.

jrl5678 · Post by **jrl5678** » 14 Oct 2021, 14:44

The Bench seat is all welded in Al. I don't want to cut on that.
I believe the current Console is just lagged in to the wooden floor. The steering cable needs replacing so I will make any console adjustments prior to ordering a new cable. I am not sure the remote controls have a lot of slack but I will figure that out. I am not sure about all the decisions that were made about how high the console is and why it is very low and a little weird to drive all day.

Right now the console hides the gas tank but it is not really useful for storage and not really very nice place to mount any electronics. I am going to shop for CC replacements or plans to make one out of plywood.

Post by **DaleH** » 14 Oct 2021, 14:58

jrl5678 wrote: ↑14 Oct 2021, 14:44Right now the console hides the gas tank but it is not really useful for storage and not really very nice place to mount any electronics. I am going to shop for CC replacements or plans to make one out of plywood.

Looks like you could easily make a plywood base that would move the existing console up 2' or more ...

Post by **Jim** » 14 Oct 2021, 15:38

Great looking boat by the way! The taller console will be a huge plus.

jrl5678 · Post by **jrl5678** » 17 Oct 2021, 19:58

Thanks JIM, it was built buy a guy near Houston who makes custom jon/tin boats. It is heavy all welded not a big box store Jon. I am shopping for a set of pans for a CC or a fiberglass one. I would love to find one in the Houston area to shave shipping and what not if I were buying.

Any ideas?

JL8Jeff · Post by **JL8Jeff** » 18 Oct 2021, 10:19

You might want to check out the console web page at AK McCallum just to get an idea on sizes since they list the dimensions.

https://www.akmccallumco.com/check-out- ... es-storage

My boat has the Lowe center console which is pretty narrow but I really wouldn't want it wider in a 1652 boat. You can see how the console is made from 2 pieces of aluminum. The sides are all from 1 piece that is bent to form each side/front and it has a flange bent in at the bottom to attach to the boat floor or stringers. The top/front is a separate piece that has wood attached to give it strength for the steering wheel to bolt to and then the top/front was welded to the side section. You could probably mock up something from cardboard (from a cereal box) in a smaller scale just to see how to bend it into place. I'm 5'6" tall and the Lowe console is 30" to the top, the front face with the steering wheel sits lower than that. If you're taller, you probably want to go with a taller console but I guess it would depend on arm length as well.

Edit: Here's a guy on Ebay that will make a custom console if you know what size you want. You might want to reach out to him to see what it would cost. https://www.ebay.com/itm/234042459488?h ... SwGotWnO1Z

jrl5678 · Post by **jrl5678** » 30 Dec 2021, 12:24

I have been doing some mock up. Made a taller front made the seat more sit-able. I am wondering if people have a preference to where the wheel is. Flat, straight up and down, angled a little? Also how high to you like the wheel. I found a set of plans for a CC and the center of the wheel was 39" but I feel it is a little high. I am looking at 34" ish. Ill post some picks of my stick built model.

Post by **maintenanceguy** » 30 Dec 2021, 15:34

I''ve been on boats where the wheels were perfectly vertical, perfectly horizontal, and somewhere in between. I don't think it matters at all, at least not the way I boat. I rarely go more than 20 miles from the launch ramp. That's probably 40 minutes of "driving" time. I move the boat around a little once I get to where I'm fishing, crabbing, clamming, or whatevering but I'm not sitting in the seat all day driving. Most boats have the steering wheels 20º -30º from vertical. Mine is that way too but I really don't think it matters much.

New topic: If I was to do it all over again, I would get rid of the console completely. I could build a little box to mount the accessory switches. I could mount the VHS radio into one of the seats - I almost never have a reason to use it, just keep it in case I have an emergency. I could mount the chart plotter/fish finder somewhere else. Then I would install a stick steer along one side of the boat. In my little 1751 jon boat, the console takes up valuable real estate.