PAH | Fri Jun-04-04 10:00 AM |
Charter member
69 posts
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#2807, "Small boat to bass boat questions"
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I've got a bunch of questions regarding small boats that are suitable for converting into a mini bass boat.
I've currently got a 12'3" welded aluminum boat - almost flat, 48" bottom width in the back, and a pretty deep V in the front. It seems like building a bow casting deck would have two undesriable features - instability with a buddy moving around in the boat, and pretty cramped due to the pointy bow.
So, I've started looking into buying a jon boat to modify. My space for storing the boat is pretty tight and fits a 12' boat perfectly. I might be able to force a 14'er into the space, but would prefer to stick to something closer to 12' long. I store the boat on the side of my house, and a 14'er would stick out to the edge of my front lawn, significantly increasing the redneck factor - I a computer geek, so redneck factor is not a plus in my book ;-)
Anyway, I heard somewhere that Jon boats can flip easily with two people moving around in them. I suspect this only applies to the skinny ones (e.g. 36" bottom width). Anybody have any comments on this?
Searching the web, the only wide 12' jon I could find was the Klammath "12' Jac W." It's 12'6" long and has a 54" bottom width. Other than that, it looks like I'd have to go to a 14'er and most of those are around 48" bottom width. The Klammath has a traditional Jon bow (blunt nose, no V), while many of the 14'ers have the modified V bow.
How wide is plenty wide for a Jon boat with two guys moving around?
Would a 54" bottom really be a lot more stable than a 48" bottom?
What are the pros and cons of a modified V bow?
Which would you prefer a 54" bottom, traditional bow or a 48" bottom modified V bow?
Also, I saw a couple plastic molded "mini bass boats." The most intriguing one was the Pelican Predator 114 (http://www.pedalboat.com/index.php/mn=menu4.inc/pg=plc/fb/predator.inc). It's a bit short at 11'4", but is pretty wide. The seat would be better mounted a bit closer to the ends, and it would be a pain to make mods, add wiring, etc., but it's fairly full featured. Has anyone actually seen one of these? Are they junk?
Thanks,
Pete
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Phil | Sun Jun-06-04 08:48 AM |
Charter member
1347 posts
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#2811, "RE: Small boat to bass boat questions"
In response to Reply # 3
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>At the back edge of the front deck, there is a sunken "step" >in the middle. I presume this is where the middle bench is.
Yes, that is the middle bench. It also contains the livewell and supports the deck.
>Why did you maintain the full deck height at the sides over >the middle bench?
Because the higher you are the better right? :)
>I suspect you have some storage, livewell, or something under >the deck. Do you have any photos showing this?
Yes, I put hinges on the deck about 3/4's of the way back for storage underneath. The way the boat looks in the picture is usually the way it looks while i'm fishing. Clutter free. Just my rods in the back and the net on the front deck with me. Everything else is under the deck.
>When you take a friend out, and you're going to go flying down >the lake with the gas engine, where does your buddy sit?
Where ever I tell him to :) Actually, he'll just sit on the middle bench. If I wanted, I could face the rods the other way and he could sit next to me, but that would look... um well, nevermind.
Hope this helps. I never took any step by step photos, so it would be hard to show excactly the way I built it. You live around here right? If you want, I could show you the boat one of these days and maybe give you some ideas.
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