12' Fiberglass Tri-hull Columbian Conversion

So after having very little luck finding a good aluminum boat for my project, i decided to go with the next best thing i could find and that was this 12' fiberglass columbian. Its much heavier than an aluminum jon boat, but it is VERY stable in the water, much more stable than the 1236 jon i had. Anyway, i'll post some pics now and ill keep posting as the project progresses.

Here is when i first brought it home.




Start the painting process. (Masked off the side molding with playing cards, ive used playing cards to mask a lot of my past projects, mainly wheels.)






Interior paint finished. (I used a heavy duty floor surface paint, similar to bed liner paint.)




I was going to use this cooler as a livewell, but as u can see, it was a little too big...ok it was WAY too big.




Building the framing for the deck. (I used 2x3's...not quite as heavy as 2x4's, but not as flimsy as 2x2's)














The reason why i decided to frame it the way i did was because i didnt want to bolt anything to the boat and i wanted everything to be easily removable.


Thats all the pics i have for now. Keep checking in for updates.

Looks like a good start.

Battery box fits perfect


Started the actual decking




Might use this 23gal recycling box for the livewell

I just purchased my first aluminum boat. But I have fished for many years from a 13ft fiberglass boat and it treated me very well. It was very stable especially after I decked it, the extra weight worked as a ballast. And and I never had to worry about leaks like I do now. But the weight is the major reason I switched. I like having outboards I can work on so getting into 40+ hp motors isn't my thing at this point. What motor are you going to put on that rig. It looks like it will be a great platform for a couple guys and even though its heavier I bet you will still be able to sneak into some pretty shallow water with that hull. Being as heavy as a car never stopped me from stirring up some muck There is a fiberglass section on here with some modded boats I linked mine but there is one called bumble bee or something like that which is kinda like your boat..

https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=6457

New pics, almost done with the interior.









Starting carpet















Finished carpet

Ugh, stupid photobucket. Anybody know of a better photo hosting website?

This is the one I use.
Hasn't caused me any trouble.
https://www.myhostedpics.com/

pictures are back up and running!

Looks great so far... Was that your livingston I saw on Craigslist a bit ago? Nice to see someone else representing the northwest!

wow im so proud for you! mod looks great hey i live in spokane im reppin the northwest also.

Very nice. Lots of compartments.

Recycled recycle bin! :mrgreen:

Looks awesome man, gonna be a sweet ride. i know you are going all electric, but what is the HP capacity of that hull?

Man props! That's some great work. You'll have to post pics from the water.

mtnwkr said:

Looks great so far... Was that your livingston I saw on Craigslist a bit ago? Nice to see someone else representing the northwest!

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Yah that was my livingston...Still got it, ive had lots of interest, and a lot of people e-mailing telling me how cool it is, but no serious buyers yet. That livingston is SO much fun, people dont know what theyre missing.

aluminumboatlover said:

wow im so proud for you! mod looks great hey i live in spokane im reppin the northwest also.

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Right on! Thanks man!

Ictalurus said:

Looks awesome man, gonna be a sweet ride. i know you are going all electric, but what is the HP capacity of that hull?

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I believe it rated for 15hp, but its been reenforced so who knows? I'm probably gonna be looking for a 7-10 horse for it. All electric worked alright last year, but i need something thats gonna get me across the lake without wasting too much daylight.

raven174us said:

Man props! That's some great work. You'll have to post pics from the water.

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Oh yah! count on it!

PartsMan said:

Very nice. Lots of compartments.

Recycled recycle bin! :mrgreen:

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Havent decided if im actually going to be using that recycle bin, i keep going back and forth. I like it becuase its 22 gallons, it fits in that space and its got a lid that has a smaller opening in the front...The things i dont like about it are; its taller than the decking, and its not strong enough to stand on...and no built drink holders. Ugh i dunno, the whole livewell situation is frustrating to me.

Hi Dave,

Nice build! - good to see another Washingtonian on the site.

If you ever fish the NW portion of the state, drop me a line.
You may also bee interested in a new electric only bass club that started up this year. https://www.pondjumperz.com . The focus is on tournament bass fishing for us lower budget guys. :LOL2:

SkagBass said:

Hi Dave,

Nice build! - good to see another Washingtonian on the site.

If you ever fish the NW portion of the state, drop me a line.
You may also bee interested in a new electric only bass club that started up this year. https://www.pondjumperz.com . The focus is on tournament bass fishing for us lower budget guys. :LOL2:

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I live in tacoma area, so the NW lakes and ponds are my expertise! I'm gonna check out the club for sure, sounds like its right up my alley. Thanks!

What are your favorite lakes to fish here? if u want to keep that secret i understand, i dont normally like to tell people my honey holes either. But my favorite lakes in my area are American Lake, Lake Louise, Waghop, Chambers Lake, Saint Clair and Ohop.