wingsnhammers
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That floor looks cool! I think I may have to try that stuff with my next boat. I like that it muffles sound too.
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1248 Weldbilt Project
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hotshotinn
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HELLO out there.I really like you boat and what you doing toit.I looked at weldbilts on the web but never see one in person but want to.Is quality and workmanship up to snuff compaired to others you seen?
Great idea. I was leaning towards a rubber type mat like I have here at my work but it is more expensive and heavier than this product you used. I will have to entertain this idea when I begin work on my boat.
typed by ben
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whoa... being aboard that boat will definitely require shoes at all times!
Hotshotinn.... regarding the workmanship, well its unpainted so every weld and scrape shows up. I would say the quality in terms of strength and ability to hold up is excellent, but in terms of beuty and craftsmanship, i would say no. Again, this may not be true for painted versions. Its no boat to enter into a beuty contest for workmanship....
Ben,,,
I hope your wrong..... my big concern is that grey rubber will get hot hot hot! Others who have used says it doesnt, but they may be just saying that cause they want to feel good about it. I will let everyone know next summer.... if its too hot, i will jerk it out next fall and go with the EVA Foam mats... a lighter grey, or lighter color for sure..
I hope your wrong..... my big concern is that grey rubber will get hot hot hot! Others who have used says it doesnt, but they may be just saying that cause they want to feel good about it. I will let everyone know next summer.... if its too hot, i will jerk it out next fall and go with the EVA Foam mats... a lighter grey, or lighter color for sure..
Lil'Skeeter
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=D> Great looking floor. Thanks for all the tips. I'm about ready to strip the floor out of mine and will look at the mat for a replacement.
hotshotinn
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Hello out there.Thanks for the insite on you boat.I allways wonder about them.Maybee befor I get new boat i can see a weldbilt in person.I allso am wanting to see a Blazer Jet boat but none of them up here either.To bad they not make that rubber mat in light gray,That wood be the ticket then. =D>
LilSkeeter
If you concerned about the dark color of the mat, i would seriously consider those 2x2 EVA mats.... they are cheap... you could always buy them, lay them out and see what you think. I am certain, if this mat is too hot, next fall i will go the 2x2 EVA mat route... i can get them thicker say 1/2 inch, any color say light grey, and i think they will be much easier to lay beings they are in 2x2 sections..... also, you could buy the thinner 1/4 inch mats for the sides or rod boxes etc.
Based on the seem in my floor, i would have not concern that the seams on the 2x2 EVA mats would be an issue... that contact cement holds that EVA down great....
If you concerned about the dark color of the mat, i would seriously consider those 2x2 EVA mats.... they are cheap... you could always buy them, lay them out and see what you think. I am certain, if this mat is too hot, next fall i will go the 2x2 EVA mat route... i can get them thicker say 1/2 inch, any color say light grey, and i think they will be much easier to lay beings they are in 2x2 sections..... also, you could buy the thinner 1/4 inch mats for the sides or rod boxes etc.
Based on the seem in my floor, i would have not concern that the seams on the 2x2 EVA mats would be an issue... that contact cement holds that EVA down great....
Next on my list was to create some storage... initially I was going to cut a hatch into the front side of the front deck, but it seems my front deck is half between a normal deck and lowered deck.... there is about 7 inches from the deck to the top of the boat...and the from he deck to the floor is only 10 1/2 inches. Im not complaining, I actually love the height, but a 10 inch clearance is too small for a hatch...so I was decided on maybe mounting on top of the deck to store life vests etc
So I cut my first hold in the passenger side back bench, and to my surprise the thing was full of floatation... originally I didn't think it had any but it did.... given this, I decided against installing one in the front deck, as I would have to remove most of the floatation up there to make room for storage... so I simply installed two hatches in the back bench on each side. The hatch on the passenger side is where the batteries will go (the gas tank will be on the passenger side as well but in the very back..(try to keep weight to that side).
I was thinking of making my own latches out of wood (but I hate wood in boat - too heavy).... I jumped on ebay and found some 11 x17 grey hatches from Empress..... you can buy them new for $50 to $60 I found... I got these shipped to my door for $80 for the pair
Installing was a breeze... I just hope I can get some life vests to fit under the drivers side!
So I cut my first hold in the passenger side back bench, and to my surprise the thing was full of floatation... originally I didn't think it had any but it did.... given this, I decided against installing one in the front deck, as I would have to remove most of the floatation up there to make room for storage... so I simply installed two hatches in the back bench on each side. The hatch on the passenger side is where the batteries will go (the gas tank will be on the passenger side as well but in the very back..(try to keep weight to that side).
I was thinking of making my own latches out of wood (but I hate wood in boat - too heavy).... I jumped on ebay and found some 11 x17 grey hatches from Empress..... you can buy them new for $50 to $60 I found... I got these shipped to my door for $80 for the pair
Installing was a breeze... I just hope I can get some life vests to fit under the drivers side!
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And finally..... the part I am so excited about..... Side console steering on a 12 foot jon boat! You heard me...My plan all along was to build a small, wide boat with steering wheel. I googled, searched forums and never could find where someone has done this (I am sure they have, its just that I never seen it to see if it would work).
The inspiration for adding steering to a small 12 footer, is the Boston Whaler dinghy.... Boston Whaler has a little 110 sport that is 11.5 feet long and 5.5 feet wide and is used in oceans!!! Folks put 25hp mercs on those things and fly. Here is a link to their website
https://www.bostonwhaler.com/Page.aspx/pageId/29594/pmid/323851/110-Sport.aspx
And below are a few pics of the Whaler
The inspiration for adding steering to a small 12 footer, is the Boston Whaler dinghy.... Boston Whaler has a little 110 sport that is 11.5 feet long and 5.5 feet wide and is used in oceans!!! Folks put 25hp mercs on those things and fly. Here is a link to their website
https://www.bostonwhaler.com/Page.aspx/pageId/29594/pmid/323851/110-Sport.aspx
And below are a few pics of the Whaler
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Yes I know.... that little whaler is a tri hull and a flat bottom will in no way perform like a tri hull when your flying down the lake.... but if you google for pics or videos of the 110 sport, you will see they have 4 of 5 people on those things all the time... an 11 foot boat!!! I also found their blueprint on their website which helped with my choice of the wide 1248 weldbilt and where I placed the steering console, etc
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Details details details,
So first, my Tohatsu motor doesn't have a steering tube..grrr so I was stuck with a third party mount that would mount to the transom to hold the steering tube in the cable. BUT.. when I got the boat however, I was thrilled because the transom brace on the weldbilt was HUGE... it went from the floor to the very top of the 20 inch transom ... as you can see my problem was solved... I inquired with an boat guy I know and he said it would be no problem, so I drilled a 1 inch hold through the transom brace, installed a aluminum threaded 1 inch tube, bolted it down, ran the steering cable through it and it worked like a charm. I did have to purchase the tube and metal arm that connects tot he motor... ebay $29 for the arm, $10 for the tube.
Now the really nice thing about this mount (better than having the steering tube built into the motor which are located by the mounts), is that with the 20 inch transom, my steering cable is nice and hidden about 8 inces below the top of the transom... had the motor had a steering tube built in, that steering tube would have stuck up above the transom -- would look goofy and be more exposed to getting snagged up or stepped on.
So first, my Tohatsu motor doesn't have a steering tube..grrr so I was stuck with a third party mount that would mount to the transom to hold the steering tube in the cable. BUT.. when I got the boat however, I was thrilled because the transom brace on the weldbilt was HUGE... it went from the floor to the very top of the 20 inch transom ... as you can see my problem was solved... I inquired with an boat guy I know and he said it would be no problem, so I drilled a 1 inch hold through the transom brace, installed a aluminum threaded 1 inch tube, bolted it down, ran the steering cable through it and it worked like a charm. I did have to purchase the tube and metal arm that connects tot he motor... ebay $29 for the arm, $10 for the tube.
Now the really nice thing about this mount (better than having the steering tube built into the motor which are located by the mounts), is that with the 20 inch transom, my steering cable is nice and hidden about 8 inces below the top of the transom... had the motor had a steering tube built in, that steering tube would have stuck up above the transom -- would look goofy and be more exposed to getting snagged up or stepped on.
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More details....
11 Foot Teleflex Rotary Steering cable - $91
Bezel and mount - $14
Steering Wheel (I splurged... a plastic steering wheel on a 12 foot jon...come on!) $40...its a chrome racer!
Side Console - shipped with the boat directly from Weldbilt -- $100 is all they charge - cheaper than after market ones
Control Mounts - came with the side console from Weldbilt - $0 free I guess
It took 4 hours to install.... not easy but not impossible... hardest part is getting the transom mount and the steering bar adjusted so the motor would turn all the way in both directions
11 Foot Teleflex Rotary Steering cable - $91
Bezel and mount - $14
Steering Wheel (I splurged... a plastic steering wheel on a 12 foot jon...come on!) $40...its a chrome racer!
Side Console - shipped with the boat directly from Weldbilt -- $100 is all they charge - cheaper than after market ones
Control Mounts - came with the side console from Weldbilt - $0 free I guess
It took 4 hours to install.... not easy but not impossible... hardest part is getting the transom mount and the steering bar adjusted so the motor would turn all the way in both directions
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So how much room did it take up right? that was the 64k question I was wondering ... so here you go
1. I mounted the console 10 inches behind the front deck. Originally I was going to go back even further like 18 to 24 inches from the front deck so I could fit a cooler up there... but, that would have put the driver too close to the back bench, shifting too much weight to the back and the drivers seat would have probably got in the way of the person fishing in the back bench seat.... but with 10 inches, a person could still sit on the deck and fit their legs there or put tackle box etc
1. I mounted the console 10 inches behind the front deck. Originally I was going to go back even further like 18 to 24 inches from the front deck so I could fit a cooler up there... but, that would have put the driver too close to the back bench, shifting too much weight to the back and the drivers seat would have probably got in the way of the person fishing in the back bench seat.... but with 10 inches, a person could still sit on the deck and fit their legs there or put tackle box etc
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More specs
1. There is 30 inches from the side of the console to the passender side of the boat. PLENTY of room for a coolor, bait box or to walk between to get from the back to the front deck
2. There is 3 1/2 feet from the steering console to the back bench... leaving plenty of room for a drivers seat (which will be a little cooler project I will post next week). Actually, there will be about a 1 to 1 1/2 feet from the drivers seat to the rear bench... a person fishing from the drivers seat will in no way interfere with a person in the back bench or the front deck... so this thing will easily fish 3
1. There is 30 inches from the side of the console to the passender side of the boat. PLENTY of room for a coolor, bait box or to walk between to get from the back to the front deck
2. There is 3 1/2 feet from the steering console to the back bench... leaving plenty of room for a drivers seat (which will be a little cooler project I will post next week). Actually, there will be about a 1 to 1 1/2 feet from the drivers seat to the rear bench... a person fishing from the drivers seat will in no way interfere with a person in the back bench or the front deck... so this thing will easily fish 3
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strander100
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Outstanding!
Nice! I entertained this idea back when I was thinking of getting an open floor plan like yours but thought it would never work because like you said there just wasn't any info out there about it. My thinking was mounting it further back so that I could use the back bench as a seat. Your making me regret this livewell option I got now!
