Hello all, new member here. I have been ready and following some builds for a while. I had a 18' nitro bass boat for years and had to sell. Been itching to get back on the water but with family growing a play boat fit the bill better then another bass boat. Well last year I found a old jon boat that was pretty rough. It was posted for sale for $400 and had a running 3hp Johnson with it. After I got it home I posted the motor for sale and sold it for $300, so now I only have $100 in the boat. Had an older speed boat that motor blew a head gasket and decided to part out and use the trailer for the jon boat.
I plan to add a front and rear deck to make it more "bass boat" styled. I'm not sure material I plan to use for framing and decking yet. And still debating on making the decks easily removable? I also plan to add a live well. I need to decide if I am going to go with a tiller or console drive OB. Will probably be determined by what deal I can find and what Max HP members think I could go with.
I basically have zero info on the make/model/year of this boat. Not that that really matters, but with no HIN I don't know what a max HP rating is for it. I'm used to running 70+ MPH in my bass boat, I know that's not going to happen in this and I don't want to over power it, I want it to last for a while.
The boat is 16' long, 50" wide floor, 60" wide at top, sides are 20" tall and current transom is 19".
Very first thing I need to do is get it in the water and check for leaks. There are several welded patches currently, but they are small and look pretty decent.
So some starter questions:
What is the max HP I should stay under? Don't need a speed demon, but won't enough to get up and on plane with a couple people and gear. My brain is saying 35-50 HP, but I am also thinking I could run a 75-90 HP if I added transom reinforcements. There I go wanting to go fast again :LOL2:
When I redo the transom, should I keep similar height or go taller or shorter? I figure I will need a 25" OB for the HP range I will be in? Might have to wait till I buy an OB to decide?
If I do decide to go with a console, is there a formula for distance to place it at? I might be over thinking it, but I center of mass location would come into play with plane time and ride quality.
Lastly for now, is there anything I should look specifically in the boat or to further inspect? And of course open to any suggestions for this build.
Primary time spend in the boat will be bass fishing, throw in some anchored up river cat fishing.
I plan to add a front and rear deck to make it more "bass boat" styled. I'm not sure material I plan to use for framing and decking yet. And still debating on making the decks easily removable? I also plan to add a live well. I need to decide if I am going to go with a tiller or console drive OB. Will probably be determined by what deal I can find and what Max HP members think I could go with.
I basically have zero info on the make/model/year of this boat. Not that that really matters, but with no HIN I don't know what a max HP rating is for it. I'm used to running 70+ MPH in my bass boat, I know that's not going to happen in this and I don't want to over power it, I want it to last for a while.
The boat is 16' long, 50" wide floor, 60" wide at top, sides are 20" tall and current transom is 19".
Very first thing I need to do is get it in the water and check for leaks. There are several welded patches currently, but they are small and look pretty decent.
So some starter questions:
What is the max HP I should stay under? Don't need a speed demon, but won't enough to get up and on plane with a couple people and gear. My brain is saying 35-50 HP, but I am also thinking I could run a 75-90 HP if I added transom reinforcements. There I go wanting to go fast again :LOL2:
When I redo the transom, should I keep similar height or go taller or shorter? I figure I will need a 25" OB for the HP range I will be in? Might have to wait till I buy an OB to decide?
If I do decide to go with a console, is there a formula for distance to place it at? I might be over thinking it, but I center of mass location would come into play with plane time and ride quality.
Lastly for now, is there anything I should look specifically in the boat or to further inspect? And of course open to any suggestions for this build.
Primary time spend in the boat will be bass fishing, throw in some anchored up river cat fishing.
