Mirrocraft Predator MV 860

[mntackle]

I am new hear but not new to jon boats or modifications. I just picked this up for cheap from craigslist and plan on using it for a river fishing rig on the upper Mississippi. I have a few issues I need to work out and was hoping for some feedback for all the experienced people on this site.
1) The rod storage lockers on both sides are only 7 ft and my some of my bass and catfish rods won't even come close to fitting. Any ideas on how to make one of them bigger?
2) The small storage area under the front deck seems kind of useless. Any ideas on how to utilize that?
3) I need a place for a large net and I hate vertical rod/net holders in my boat because they always seem to get in the way of casting, branches, etc....
4) I see lots of these mods and guys are cutting out tons of the floatation foam. Isn't that a safety concern? If I could do that would be able to have much for storage space to work with.

Here are some pictures the day I pulled it in the driveway.

 

[Driftingrz]

what size boat is that? looks nice and comfy. do the rod lockers extend under the front deck? if so how far?

 

[mntackle]

Its 18 1/2 ft long with an 86" beam. The rod lockers end where the front platform begins. If I cut through the end of the rod locker there is a bunch of foam in there. Not sure if I should cut that out or not. Any ideas?

 

[bigwave]

Wow nice looking Mirrorcraft, cut some holes forward and use these grommets, you should be able to get a couple more feet for longer rods......good luck with the build......

 

[mntackle]

Thanks for the grommet idea. However, far end of the rod locker is too far back to be able to make sure the rod tips get through the small hole. I am thinking I will have to cut out the end of the rod locker and then cut out the foam that's on the other side. I have lots to figure out. If anyone has ideas on layout good ways to use the space that is there let me know. thanks!

 

[mntackle]

Here is another picture or two.

 

[RivRunR]

Looks like cutting out the ends of the rod lockers is your best (only) bet. Can you reach from inside far enough to do that? If so, then most of your below-deck space on the bow is going to be used by the newly extended rod lockers, and there wouldn't be much point in a hatch.

Removing foam is a hotly contested issue on here :lol: but for what little you'd have to remove for the rods I wouldn't think it would be critical. You might be able to "replace" some of the lost volume with some flat sheets of closed cell inside the locker extension.

Can't offer much help on the net problem...if no one will be using the back deck much, you might be able to lay it there with a couple of anchor light clips?

 

[Driftingrz]

Id just use a holesaw and clear out enough foam for the rod tips