Sears Jon Boats

[crannman]

The aft seat on my 12’ jon boat is too close to the transom and as many have mentioned before, the tiller for the outboard or trolling motor is too close to the seat.
I chose to install a slider bracket with 5/16” rivenuts and ss bolts at the forward edge of the bench seat to move the seat forward and now have about a 21” clearance from the transom to the back of the Millennium Marine seat. Also installed a swivel bracket for the seat.
I installed the slider bracket upside down from what was pictured on the packaging. Functionality seems to be the same. The mounting holes in the “I” shaped bracket aligned with the swivel bracket for mounting the seat better than the plate. Needed the plate side down for the support needed to move the seat forward.
Supported the front on the bracket with a piece of 2x6 and cross bracing brackets. I installed one bracket and in the process of fabricating and installing the second. The 2x6 is just sitting on top of the EVA foam on the deck. Using cross bracing from the bracket to the bench seat to hold it in place but expect it will move some but hopefully not too bad!
Waiting until Spring to try it out and hope it helps to make it easier to handle the tiller on either the outboard or trolling motor.

 

[LDUBS]

The aft seat on my 12’ jon boat is too close to the transom and as many have mentioned before, the tiller for the outboard or trolling motor is too close to the seat.
I chose to install a slider bracket with 5/16” rivenuts and ss bolts at the forward edge of the bench seat to move the seat forward and now have about a 21” clearance from the transom to the back of the Millennium Marine seat. Also installed a swivel bracket for the seat.
I installed the slider bracket upside down from what was pictured on the packaging. Functionality seems to be the same. The mounting holes in the “I” shaped bracket aligned with the swivel bracket for mounting the seat better than the plate. Needed the plate side down for the support needed to move the seat forward.
Supported the front on the bracket with a piece of 2x6 and cross bracing brackets. I installed one bracket and in the process of fabricating and installing the second. The 2x6 is just sitting on top of the EVA foam on the deck. Using cross bracing from the bracket to the bench seat to hold it in place but expect it will move some but hopefully not too bad!
Waiting until Spring to try it out and hope it helps to make it easier to handle the tiller on either the outboard or trolling motor.

That is one of those "why didn't I think of that" ideas. Pretty slick.

 

[crannman]

Thank you! Seems solid, hope to prove it out on the water in the spring!

 

[crannman]

New addition to my fleet! A gift from my my sister and brother in law. 1966 Sears 11’6” x 48”Gamefisher. Fixing old patches, banging out some dents, epoxy paint the bottom and replacing the wood on the transom. Retiring it to a nice easy life on a pond using an electric trolling motor.

 

[crannman]

Product: Necmetu Kayak Anchor Trolley Kit - 316 Stainless Steel Heavy Duty Deluxe Anchor Trolley System
Source: Amazon
Price: $25.00

Installed an anchor trolly for my 12’ jon boat to help control its positioning when anchored.
I like that the carabiners, eye pads, pulleys and anchor ring are all metal. The rope is thicker that offered in most anchor trolly kits. I decided not to use the bungee cords that act as shock absorbers but can always add them later. This kit comes with a nice variety of mounting hardware.
I mounted the trolly cleat lock back to back with an Atwood cleat lock I purchased separately to secure the anchor rope inside the boat. I like having both cleats aligned with each other so that I can easily locate the cleat that locks the trolly rope. Secured the end of the anchor rope to an eye pad on a bulkhead and found a small bucket that fits my mushroom anchor to collect water and dirt from the anchor. Smooth traversing action and a solid set up.

 

[crannman]

Product: Bass Release Ruler Decal
Source: https://releaseruler.com
Price: $10.00

Installed this ruler decal that measures the length of a bass and provides an estimated weight. I’ve compared the weight with a digital scale and it’s been pretty accurate!
These rulers are available for different species of fish.
It’s a handy deal for a picture but tricky to do by yourself with one hand,lol!

 

[crannman]

Transporting Outboard Motor:Going to give this a try. Reverse mounted outboard on transom with transport side of motor turned to face up as required by the OEM. Installed two hold down brackets to use with a cam lock strap and a foam block to support the lower unit.

 

[TheGrandestPoobah]

Not sure if you still check this, but how has the fasco held up on the bottom? I'm considering using it on my new (to me) 12 footer

 

[crannman]

It has held up really well. No peeling anywhere and it’s bonded really nice. I worked hard on the prep to etch and clean the aluminum. The only area that could be touched up is the bottom edge of the transom but that’s from me dragging it on rocks or asphalt onto my pickup. I plan to touch that part up then be more careful loading it up.
So, yes, I’m very happy with the FASCO product and it’s holding up very nicely!

 

[crannman]

Jon Boat Fishing Rod Carrier

Really satisfied with fabricating my Jon boat fishing rod carriers.

Almost broke a couple of rod tips off last year with just laying them in the boat.

I like being able to close the bed cover when transporting. Should help to protect the rods in transit.

Used adel clamps to clip them on the side and rod hold down straps with Velcro and bungee cords to hold it in place.

Easy to remove and place back when at home and the boat launch.

Parts list if interested:
• Horizontal Rod Rack (triangle shape, 2 sets) CAIKE Store, AMAZON ASIN:B07G95QM4G $18.99
• Adel Clamp (4 each, size DG-16) (had material on hand)
• Bracket Hold Down: 1/4” bungee with 4 clips. CL10 Store, AMAZON ASIN: B08CS88D47, $9.89
• Bracket Eyelet for Bungee: (4, had material on hand. Riveted to bracket with 1/8” x 1/4” pop rivet).
• Rod Hold Down Straps: Rod Belt Ties by Piscifun (4 pieces) P/N X000QJVEJH. Had material on hand.
• Zip tie used above screw, washer and nut around rod hold down strap and bracket to help relieve stress of strap on top of screw. Had material on hand.
• Velcro soft side self adhesive. Used on bracket to secure Rod Hold Down Strap. Had material on hand.
• Green EVA Foam: Cut to fit and applied inside each rod holder to protect rods. Had material on hand.
• Pool Noodle: Used to shim and support brackets. Attached with tie wraps.

 

[airshot]

About 12 years back I stumbled across a 12 Jon boat buried in weeds being an old barn. Owner didn't even know it was there, walked away with it for 50 bucks. Leaked like a drive so had to do some serious work on it. After watching this article, I realize mine is a twin to yours !! Had no idea of the make or model, but think I do now !! Thanks for the article !!

 

[crannman]

About 12 years back I stumbled across a 12 Jon boat buried in weeds being an old barn. Owner didn't even know it was there, walked away with it for 50 bucks. Leaked like a drive so had to do some serious work on it. After watching this article, I realize mine is a twin to yours !! Had no idea of the make or model, but think I do now !! Thanks for the article !!

Oh, excellent! I’m glad the article was helpful! I’ve enjoyed restoring mine and thinking of ways to make it more useful! Than you airshot!