Do I really "need" a casting deck?

[Fishesfromtupperware]

Hello All,
New to the forum and new to boats with motors on them. Well, new to owning a boat with a motor on it (I fish in a kayak) Just bought an 1236 Alumacraft with a Tohasu 4-stroke 6. Perfectly kept by my brother-in-law in brand new condition. Not a scratch on it* and the motor just finished up its break-in time.
Really nice boat ready for me to go ham on it. Following y'all's lead I was ready to start building a live well, nav lights, anchor light, gigging lights, fish finder (from my kayak), bilge pump, remote trolling motor, pedestal mounted folding seats, full electrical system, and a raised deck over everything but a little cockpit in front of the rear bench... plus anything else I'd see that would help to sink it.
As luck would have it, Walmart started me down the dark path with a clearance on its boat accessories the day I brought it home. I left with a couple bench swivel seat bases, two seat pedestals, and some miscellaneous fishing gear and rigging all for less than $30. Went back later and got a couple of folding stadium seats @ $20 each.
All temp kinda stuff...till I got the better quality gear for the "real" mods.
So I started measuring, planning, and drawing... then decided to just take the boat out and make sure it floats. It was getting dark so I taped on some running lights, put the seats in, and dropped it in the water. Ran like a clock. I almost sneered at the 13 mph it got according to my phone. Then realized that was about 3 times my best paddling speed.. and with just a flick of the wrist.
I'm hooked.
All that said, I was driveway fishing sitting on the front swivel seat and wondered "why do I want a raised deck?" For me, that center bench position on the swivel 'seems' optimal. Its well balanced, I can standup, throw a cast-net with a low center of gravity, then have someplace to dump it without the little buggers hopping over the edge.
So what are some advantages to having a flush deck? I can see height above the water and less stuff for your fly line to catch, but what else?
Don't get me wrong, this is not any criticism of anybody's boat. I'm pretty sure I'll still build one. But I think its getting relegated to the roundtuit category while I see if that forward position is as good as I think it is.



*okay, there are a couple of scratches. But loves eyes make them all go away.

 

[Ray Clark]

Regarding a front deck on a flat-bottomed jon boat...stability could be an issue, particularly in a smaller boat. I haven't really fished a jon boat, so I can't say for certain. That's something I would want to investigate.

I have a 14' Lund V-hull with a casting deck up front. I also have decks between benches aft of that casting deck. There are a couple of issues here, both worth mentioning.

Flat decks: I find that a full day of fishing is much more enjoyable when the deck of the boat is flat with no unevenness for my feet to deal with. I'm much more sure-footed during the course of the day and it's a lot less fatiguing.

Casting deck: I like have the casting deck upfront because it allows me to fish nearly 360 degrees without having to be concerned about stepping over a bench. I have a pedestal seat up there, and I can swivel all the way around, be it to look at the fish finder or see what's going on. I can cast in any direction and I have more freedom of movement. If my boat hadn't had a casting deck when I bought it, I would have built one.

Fly fishing: I do fly fish from boats. I hate fly casting from the rear of the boat. There are simply too many things to get the line hung up on. Further, if I'm casting heavier flies, I like having my feet farther apart in a stance to provide support for my casting action. Even the front deck can be challenging, but it's much easier up there than at the back of the boat.

 

[Still Afloat]

Ray has some good points. Also, keep stability in mind since a 1236 is fairly short and narrow. If you do any kind of deck, keep it as low as possible.

I had a 1240 Jon a couple of years ago. Cut some notches in a piece of plywood, added some closed cell foam between the ribs and it worked pretty good for a quick deck.

 

[Billy H]

You do not NEED a casting deck. I used a 14 foot Jon for years with nothing but a seat on a short swivel mounted to the rear bench. I caught many hundreds of fish from it sitting on that seat. I just got done setting up a 1542 alumacraft the exact same way. These is something to said about casting decks. My Crestliner storm has decks but it is a very stable platform compared to a small Jon.
My 1542 I consider finished. No need for decks.

 

[FuzzyGrub]

Fishing, standing on the floor or even sitting on the bench of a 1236, will feel like a luxury compared to sitting in a kayak. Farther casting, better hooksets, and easier landing. It is a small and narrow boat, so recommend carefully standing on your bench seat to see how stable you feel, before adding a casting deck.

 

[LDUBS]

If it doesn't have one I would be all about installing a lightweight floor in the bottom of the boat to keep from tripping over ribs/braces. I would not be inclined to put in a raised deck for the reasons already given. You will still have a great fishing platform without one. Just my two cents.

 

[overboard]

I would also just want a floor on the bottom of a boat that size.
I have a 1654 FB GRIZZLY that looks almost identical to what Billy H did, that boat is really stable, and I also saw no reason to put a deck on it. I also caught many many fish out of a 14' Mirrocraft deep V sitting on a seat, and many many fish out of my friends 14' deep V while sitting in the front seat or standing on the floor to cast.
Your boat, your choice!

 

[Makaw]

Speaking as a guy who did decide to do quite a few mods - get to know your boat before you do anything. Take it out several times, heck, take the whole summer to fish with it. This will really cement which projects you think are worth doing. Diving into this forum can spark a lot of good and creative ideas, but ultimately it's personal preference. Don't be lured into time-consuming, expensive mods "just because" someone else did it and it looks cool. I took the time to learn my boat and critically evaluate the changes that were worth doing. That's my advice. Good luck! And if you do decide to make change, definitely start a build thread and post your updates!

 

[Ray Clark]

Speaking as a guy who did decide to do quite a few mods - get to know your boat before you do anything. Take it out several times, heck, take the whole summer to fish with it. This will really cement which projects you think are worth doing. Diving into this forum can spark a lot of good and creative ideas, but ultimately it's personal preference. Don't be lured into time-consuming, expensive mods "just because" someone else did it and it looks cool. I took the time to learn my boat and critically evaluate the changes that were worth doing. That's my advice. Good luck! And if you do decide to make change, definitely start a build thread and post your updates!

A lot of wisdom in this post.

 

[wmk0002]

The best thing a casting deck offers is that in building it you generate more storage. A small jon boat gets cluttered REAL fast and storage really makes fishing more enjoyable. Not a big deal if you are solo but add in another person and it gets annoying quick. Now with a 1236 that casting deck will be pretty unstable. If you dont care about foam in the boat, you could open up the bench seats and remove the foam and you have instant storage and can keep the layout as is for stability. If you want to keep foam, you could do that to just the middle bench and then build a short deck just in front of it that you could fill with new foam to offset the bench foam you removed. Use the bench as storage and then have a relatively stable lower deck up front to fish from.

 

[wmk0002]

Speaking as a guy who did decide to do quite a few mods - get to know your boat before you do anything. Take it out several times, heck, take the whole summer to fish with it. This will really cement which projects you think are worth doing. Diving into this forum can spark a lot of good and creative ideas, but ultimately it's personal preference. Don't be lured into time-consuming, expensive mods "just because" someone else did it and it looks cool. I took the time to learn my boat and critically evaluate the changes that were worth doing. That's my advice. Good luck! And if you do decide to make change, definitely start a build thread and post your updates!

Great advice. I was going to add something similar and forgot. What I was going to say is that if you have some spare wood material and some time, build a temporary deck and go try it out. And make sure to use it a bunch as is too. After a half dozen real fishing trips it will be pretty obvious to you which route you want to go. And no matter what you choose, you will be making compromises. Just the nature of the best with little boats like these.

 

[Buster]

I've got a 1966 14' Lund. When I fish alone, I can stand on my low bow floor (about 3" off the natural V) and cast comfortably but even stepping over seats is an iffy proposition for this reasonably agile 60yo. There is no way two people could both stand comfortably. Even the shift caused by a short flip of a plug is enough to throw a second standing person off balance. I'd guess your jon would feel similar, so consider how much you fish alone vs with someone else.
Love the idea of cheap temporary plywood decks. I actually used layers of pink insulation foam to try different heights in the bow. With 4, 1" thick pieces cut to fit I could try multiple heights in one trip.

 

[LDUBS]

In all my years of being around boats I've never been in a bass boat style boat. Consequently, I don't appreciate the benefits of standing at gunnel height, especially on a small boat where stability is more of an issue.

 

[FuzzyGrub]

In all my years of being around boats I've never been in a bass boat style boat. Consequently, I don't appreciate the benefits of standing at gunnel height, especially on a small boat where stability is more of an issue.

That’s because you are a troller and not a caster!

 

[LDUBS]

That’s because you are a troller and not a caster!

True. About the only time I go up on the bow is to put out or pull up the trolling motor. When I chug past a guy working a point, we wave at each other. After all, we got to keep it civil.

 

[LaqueRatt]

I vote no, but guess it depends on what your idea of fishing is and maybe what waters you fish. For me it would be useless I think.

 

[jlake1958]

Speaking as a guy who did decide to do quite a few mods - get to know your boat before you do anything. Take it out several times, heck, take the whole summer to fish with it. This will really cement which projects you think are worth doing. Diving into this forum can spark a lot of good and creative ideas, but ultimately it's personal preference. Don't be lured into time-consuming, expensive mods "just because" someone else did it and it looks cool. I took the time to learn my boat and critically evaluate the changes that were worth doing. That's my advice. Good luck! And if you do decide to make change, definitely start a build thread and post your updates!

like you, i am an inveterate modder. I am doing a complete refit on a 93 Lund Tyee 1850 and time has been my friend. The extra time thinking about maintenance, usability, and durability have led to several modifications that will make the boat more enjoyable. The knee jerk to a completely decked boat with all the associated mods isn't always the best advice depending on intended use. I am adding a larger front casting platform and welding a rear casting platform just above the splashwell in my full refit but I have experience with these boats so am aware of their shortcomings. Having said this, I also get just wanting a project for the winter :>)

 

[Tin Ark]

Speaking as a guy who did decide to do quite a few mods - get to know your boat before you do anything. Take it out several times, heck, take the whole summer to fish with it. This will really cement which projects you think are worth doing. Diving into this forum can spark a lot of good and creative ideas, but ultimately it's personal preference. Don't be lured into time-consuming, expensive mods "just because" someone else did it and it looks cool. I took the time to learn my boat and critically evaluate the changes that were worth doing. That's my advice. Good luck! And if you do decide to make change, definitely start a build thread and post your updates!

Really solid info. I’m building a deck for my 1648 Lowe that will give me storage underneath and more. Plan your project carefully!

 

[airshot]

That’s because you are a troller and not a caster!

Not really, I spend months castig for walleye, much rather feel the support of the gunwale on my thighs in a 2-3 ft chop than doing a balancing act on my casting deck.

 

[FuzzyGrub]

Not really, I spend months castig for walleye, much rather feel the support of the gunwale on my thighs in a 2-3 ft chop than doing a balancing act on my casting deck.

That was a tongue in cheek comment. In 2-3 ft of chop, I won’t be on the deck either. I’ll be casting from the cockpit, maybe with my butt planted on a rear deck chair.