my 1432 sears boat project finally completed

hi guys
i am new here and have left a few replies and i just finished up a 14 foot sears jon boat, it is not as extravagant as some of the projects i have seen on here but mine turned out very well and i am so happy with it. Mine will be used as a catfishing boat on the local rivers here in south western Ohio where i mainly target large flatheads and those superfighters....big ole CARP!!!!!. i wanted to load it with just the essentials that i will need like rod holders, fish finder,12 volt power outlet, bildge pump,bow and stern lights and a plywood floor so i am not tripping on the floor braces while fishing at night. I also added a few nice little led push lights,i also cut down a 36 inch shaft minnkota 40 lb thrust riptide saltwater series trolling motor down to 27 inches which i purchased for 100 dollars and then i came across a super nice 1983 8 hp mariner that runs perfect for 300 dollars, i have a total of 800 dollars in the whole setup, now all i have to get is a trailer and i will be set, i have alot of pics so i will have to add them slowly....Mike
300 dollars and it starts on the first pull

here she sits all complete with all the essentials

the control center, everything is within reach

battery tray, 12 volt outlet,bow light and anchor doohickie....lol

it's me again....lol, here are some more pics of her

i like my little push lights......4 dollars at wally world

nice Job man =D>
clean lookin sears! nice touch on keeping the sears logo

good luck on the trailer hunt, you planning on looken for one or have one built?

Very nice. Did you paint the plywood floor with exterior paint? What kind of plywood and thickness did you use? I like to fish barefoot sometimes, so that plywood would be too hot for me. Are those black things on the gunwales rod holders?

Nice work, with great open deck space, and the push-lights are a neat idea! 8)

wat kind of wood r those floors? does it get slippery? and did u just screw them to the ribs of the boat?

thanks guys for the props
i plan on just buying a trailer i think i have found one for a 150 dollars, and for the sears logo on the tags, i just cleaned them real good and spray painted them white and took a black sharpie and traced over the logo for a nice clean appearance. the plywood floor is 1/2 inch exterior grade (the cheap stuff) and i used exterior oil based smoke gray paint, and i secured it to the boat by screwing it to the ribs and i also placed 1 inch by 3 inch braces every 12 inches to prevent sag and to also relieve pressure on the rivets in the ribs, when i first bought this little boat it was going to be just threw in the back of my truck and drug out at the river bank at night by me and my son, so that is the main reason i used 1/2 inch plywood to keep it as light as possible and i was only planning on using a trolling motor, but as it kept progressing i then started thinking about a trailer, but the 1/2 inch plywood is very sturdy. the 4 black things on the gunwales are rod holder mounts, they were extra's from a previous project,i have the actual rod holders in my bass boat and i will take them out of it and use them on both boats( seeing i can't use both boats at once....lol.
as far as the floors being slippery when they get wet i could not tell you i have not used it yet but if they do get slippery i will just put another coat of paint on it and put sand on the next coat and no more slippery....lol......and you could use plywood and go barefoot if you painted it white, this boat is going to be mainly used for night time catfishing, and the main reason for the plywood floors with the exception of safety was quietness, stealth, catfish are afraid of noise and vibration walking around on a tin boat above their heads will spook them and with the plywood it will help deaden the sounds made in a boat, like dropping a sinker on the floor or chasing a nice big bluegill that jumped out of your hand and flopping on the floor because he knows he in on the menu, any more question just ask guys...............Mike

Nice job Mike. That is a good looking boat.

Sweet boat man! Love the open floor plan! Lights are killer too! :beer:

Do those lights mount with suction or screws?

Nice rig. The lights stick on right? I think I've seen those...
What a deal.

~LCA.

the lights screw on and they put out just enough light to see to rebait .......Mike

Nice looking boat. I love the clean look of it. =D> =D>

Mike, Real nice job! For $800 you did very well. Thanks for sharing.

loving the boat,, i had one question i see you have a "bildge pump",, what is that exactly for, :?: ,maybe a dumb question,, but hey at least im admitting that i dont know what that is,,
thanks, i know its out of the subject in this thread,
thanks

kemical said:

loving the boat,, i had one question i see you have a "bildge pump",, what is that exactly for, :?: ,maybe a dumb question,, but hey at least im admitting that i dont know what that is,,
thanks, i know its out of the subject in this thread,
thanks

Click to expand...

Winds blowing north, your heading south right into some slop and chop and you'll be AMAZED how much water the boat will take on. It's nice to just be able to flip a switch to bail out the boat.

the bilge pump is for in case **** happens like i knock a hole in the boat or in choppy water and the boat takes on water i can flip a switch and automatically pump out the water, it is a safety feature just for my peace of mind.............Mike

by the way i took it out for the first time monday evening and the boat worked perfect, with the exception of the 8 hp mariner, it got a little hot so i shut it off and used the trolling motor to get back to the ramp, the motor need a impeller and a thermostat which are both on the way at this time, i was very please with the performance of the mariner and the boat, and to answer the question are the floors slippery when wet?.....nope not at all............................Mike

Are you going to do the impeller change yourself?

probably not....why do you ask Jim? i have no clue on how to work on these outboards, if i had a exploded view of the lower unit i might try, but i don't.....you have one? and how hard is it to replace the impeller?...............Mike

It is not hard to replace the impeller at all