super thin jon boat

[bassNbricks]

hi folks im new here. im some what new to boating. ive owned kayaks before. two different ones. i also for the last two years ran an inflatable intex excursion 5, that i modded out with a wood floor and trolling motor. i recently destroyed the inflatable. i live up north, in Conncticut. i attempted to use the inflatable this winter and put 3 holes that i patched. the 4th hole was on a seem.

so my buddy sold me a jon boat for a hundred Bucks. i was told it was a 12ft, yet when i picked it up it was a 10 ft. it seems in decent shape. there is one rivet that blew out. its one thats on the cross member/Hull i plan to put a new rivet. (just gotta figure out what size rivets) also the wood on the transom needs to be replaced. which i am planning on doing
the one thing im not certain about is the gauge of aluminum. this boat seems paper thin. when the boat is on the ground i stepped in it and it felt like it was denting it or close to it. is that because its not on water? is this normal? do all these boats feel/seem so thin?
also the boat had no HIN tag, no weight tag, no tag for anything at all. i have no idea how old the boat is, who the maker of the boat is nor what kind it is. could any of you identify this thing?
lastly is there anything i can do to make the boat more solid or durable? truck bed liner, or epoxy, or fiberglass

i plan to put a 1/4 inch plywood floor between the rear and middle seat. making a casting deck from the middle seat to the front and throwing a trolling motor on the back. i weigh 220 lbs and will be the only person on the boat. but im so unsure about this thing because how thin it seems, as i stated tho i dont know much about jon boats in general

 

[Stand Up]

That's a bit like my jon. I used RaceDeck garage flooring on the floor of my boat. Mine is flimsy as well and the RaceDeck helps a lot. It's easy to install and looks OK. Just cut and assemble the pieces between the ribs.
The flimsy tin floor is better on the water.
racedeck.com You can look for used stuff or leftovers and probably get a good deal. Look for a local dealer as well for left overs.

 

[overboard]

I have been on small Jon boats that seem flimsy like you are describing, never had a problem with them. We were fishing calm lakes, don't know how well they would hold up in current and hitting rocks, I consider them to be pond boats.

 

[thill]

Light is good for a small boat. Will float high.
How wide is it? You probably don't want to build out a 10' boat too much. Make it too heavy and it won't float or run well.

No HIN in the back right corner? Might be a pre-1970.

 

[bassNbricks]

Light is good for a small boat. Will float high.
How wide is it? You probably don't want to build out a 10' boat too much. Make it too heavy and it won't float or run well.

No HIN in the back right corner? Might be a pre-1970.

its 44" wide. i took it out on the water. its sketchy as ****, thought the back trasnsom was gonna split in half. in the boats defense the wood on the transom needs to be replaced. ive decided im not gonna deck this boat out just make it a projct and learn with it

 

[poorthang]

i would leave it as is. clean it, repair cracks /leaks, paint it and call it what it is....a pond boat. you will alsways have a good pond boat and when you get a better boat for your needs, you will have two good boats!

 

[Jonathan]

hi folks im new here. im some what new to boating. ive owned kayaks before. two different ones. i also for the last two years ran an inflatable intex excursion 5, that i modded out with a wood floor and trolling motor. i recently destroyed the inflatable. i live up north, in Conncticut. i attempted to use the inflatable this winter and put 3 holes that i patched. the 4th hole was on a seem.

so my buddy sold me a jon boat for a hundred Bucks. i was told it was a 12ft, yet when i picked it up it was a 10 ft. it seems in decent shape. there is one rivet that blew out. its one thats on the cross member/Hull i plan to put a new rivet. (just gotta figure out what size rivets) also the wood on the transom needs to be replaced. which i am planning on doing
the one thing im not certain about is the gauge of aluminum. this boat seems paper thin. when the boat is on the ground i stepped in it and it felt like it was denting it or close to it. is that because its not on water? is this normal? do all these boats feel/seem so thin?
also the boat had no HIN tag, no weight tag, no tag for anything at all. i have no idea how old the boat is, who the maker of the boat is nor what kind it is. could any of you identify this thing?
lastly is there anything i can do to make the boat more solid or durable? truck bed liner, or epoxy, or fiberglass

i plan to put a 1/4 inch plywood floor between the rear and middle seat. making a casting deck from the middle seat to the front and throwing a trolling motor on the back. i weigh 220 lbs and will be the only person on the boat. but im so unsure about this thing because how thin it seems, as i stated tho i dont know much about jon boats in general

Looks like my Sears. 11 something. Narrow.

 

[bassNbricks]

Looks like my Sears. 11 something. Narrow.

Yeah it does how this is yours? My seat don't go all the way to the floor

 

[bassNbricks]

i would leave it as is. clean it, repair cracks /leaks, paint it and call it what it is....a pond boat. you will alsways have a good pond boat and when you get a better boat for your needs, you will have two good boats!

That's the plan. I bought a rivet gun and some rivets to just try and fix the small leaks and get some practice for when I get a boat that matters

 

[SNJBassin]

I fished out of that exact same boat my entire childhood into my teens. I would scratch the entire casting deck idea, its just entirely too narrow. The bottom width is prob somewhere between 30" and 32" and the side walls are not very deep. If you weighed 140 lbs you could maybe give it a shot, but at 220 on a casting deck in that boat if you lean too heavy to one side, it won't be good. I wouldnt waste my money, time, or energy trying to make that thing any better. Throw a couple of those cheap cup holder caddies on there and call it day. Use it until you save up enough to go out and find yourself a decent 1236.

 

[poorthang]

I fished out of that exact same boat my entire childhood into my teens. I would scratch the entire casting deck idea, its just entirely too narrow. The bottom width is prob somewhere between 30" and 32" and the side walls are not very deep. If you weighed 140 lbs you could maybe give it a shot, but at 220 on a casting deck in that boat if you lean too heavy to one side, it won't be good. I wouldnt waste my money, time, or energy trying to make that thing any better. Throw a couple of those cheap cup holder caddies on there and call it day. Use it until you save up enough to go out and find yourself a decent 1236.

skip the 12. go up to 16 or find yourself here again and again. im a big boy too. have been since i was born. and i have fished with folks bigger than me out of a 10 ft boat, but its what we had and knew we would get wet.

 

[airshot]

You little jon boat is not deep enough to need a casting deck, you would only be 8" or so higher up, not enough to make a difference. Now if you had a deep V and could gain 18" to two feet then a good reason for a casting deck. I have a 12' jon, no way would I put a casting deck on it, not enough gain to be worth the trouble. If you have small leaks, but a xan of " leak stopper" clear roof sealer and paint it on after a thorough cleaning, that stuff is awesome, availiablevthru tractor supply and home depot. That iscwhat is on my jon boat and after 5 years, still is bone dry.

 

[HOOTER]

I have a 1960 Sears 14’ I just got that is the same way. Very thin. I am also trying to figure out the thickness to get the right rivets to replace some. Best I can measure it, it is 1/16”. The boat it so light I can pick it up over my head. Does this thickness seem right to y’all?

 

[Tom Shafer]

Google "Sheet metal guage size" to learn what's what !
( Its too much to type ;> )