tent for a jon boat

[BassNBob]

Has anyone ever built a portable tent for a jon boat that can be used when your staying overnight on the water? I'm making one for my 14' jon and wanted more ideas.

 

[dyeguy1212]

I was actually brain storming this today at work. I'm trying to figure out a way to rig it from the bow to the start of the rear deck, so there's a "downstairs" (cockpit). That way the rear deck could be a patio, where I'll keep the tailgating grill.


Maybe I'm getting a little ahead of myself..

 

[Brine]

Not sure what you mean.

Are you wanting to cover the boat while you camp, or actually sleep in the boat?

 

[bassboy1]

I'd just be using a tarp, two poles, and some light nylon line. Have the edges of the tarp drape over the gunwales, so rainwater doesn't drain into the boat (will get the carpet near the edge wet, which will always soak right towards where you are sleeping - Murphy's law).

 

[huntinfool]

Just remember that if your wanting to saty in the boat on the water you need to be able to see your lights 360 degrees. Otherwise you could get hit if you put a tent on the front deck and can not see the light.

 

[WhiteMoose]

maybe you could use the same frame that some of you use for covering your boat in the winter? Now you've got me thinking about how much fun that would be. =D>

 

[Pruitt1222]

I have camped on a small bass boat befor, I didn't really enjoy it but when your tight you make do. We took out the front and rear seat pedistal and stuck in a piece of 3/4 inch pvc with a tee on the end of it, About 48inchs high or so. Draped a tarp from one to the other and weighted it with water filled two liters and tarp clips. Did it for four nights over spring break my senior year. Here you dont need lights unless underway or in a area where other boat navigate. Just leave your white on and have fun.

 

[bAcKpAiN]

ostpics:

This is something i have to see to believe! Does anyone have any pics of doing this? I need to send it to my wife as agag for our upcoming trip to see her family in Tenn.

 

[SVOMike86]

There was an ad in a recent "In Fisherman" mag (the one talking about small swimbaits) that had a pop up tent made for jons or bass boats to hide a toilet when the number 2's called. Can't remember how big it was, but it looked SWEET and was 99 bucks if I recall correctly. Probably was big enough to sleep in, but I'm not sure of the specifics... I'm sure u could rig up something pretty cheap tho, however, my wife would much rather stay in a real tent rather than a tarp, which is what I thought about using for some time as well... I dig the idea of a "tailgate grill" too, but there aint no room for all that on a lowly 1440.

 

[cyberflexx]

There was an ad in a recent "In Fisherman" mag (the one talking about small swimbaits) that had a pop up tent made for jons or bass boats to hide a toilet when the number 2's called. Can't remember how big it was, but it looked SWEET and was 99 bucks if I recall correctly.

I saw that too, they have one for a larger glass boat as well.... I'd like to see pictures if someone tries to make their own.

 

[BaitCaster]

That sounds like a neat idea. I'm planning to take myJon camping in Frontenac Provincial Park this fall. They have an electic only lake with camp sites that you can only get to by water (or by hiking). I have canoed there in the past. The bass fishing is great, but I hate fishing from a canoe. We're giong to pack the camping gear into the Jon and stay on the lake a couple of nights. Should be a blast! I just hope the battery lasts because I won't have anywhere to charge it.

I seem to recall seeing a tent you can put on a bass boat at Cabelas or BassPro. I think it was designed mainly for going to the bathroon though.

Cheers,
BC

 

[bobberboy]

It's been a while so I thought I'd revive this thread. Anyone have any pics or links to a boat tent? I hadn't thought of this before but since reading this link have been hot to try it. I would like to anchor in some secluded bay to photograph birds in the early morning so I'd be close to shore - and bugs if the air is still. Having something with mosquito netting would be very cool. My partner T is a wiz on the sewing machine. Maybe if I can't find one I'll have to invent...

 

[Quackrstackr]

You guys must be a lot smaller than I am if you can lay down and sleep in a 14' jon boat. :shock:

 

[BassNBob]

Here is what I have made for a boat tent. I beleive this should keep the rain out. The last pic is of my cover for the winter and rain at home.

 

[longjohn119]

I had one rigged up on my old boat that I used as a rain cover and for fishing in the rain. basically I used the shock cord type poles from an old dome tent taking out a couple of sections, I drilled holes in the gunwales (PolarKraft's were rectangular, not sure if this would work in round ones) and inserted some nylon pieces for sliding closet doors with the threads drilled out. That made my main frame of 5 half hoops. Then I took a cheap plastic tarp and added snaps to it and to the side of the boat.

To set it up you put the poles in and snapped the tarp down on one side and starting from the back brought the tarp over and snapped it down to the other side. The front and back were then anchored with some short bungee cords. To fish in the rain you just unsnapped the front third or so and folded it back over the top. It was a lttile tricky to set up on the water but I could do it in under 5 minutes. Now this setup isn't nearly strong enough to use as a cover in the winter, a few of inches of snow would collapse it but I fished out of it a couple of times in the rain, waited out a pop up thunderstorm once in it and used it to keep the boat dry a few times in 1" plus rains while camping over a weekend. Water would puddle up on the front deck a bit in hard rains but you could grab the tarp at the front and pull it to stretch it out so the water would slide off. It would take a good inch of rain before you had to worry about it collapsing in front from the weight of the water so a couple of times I had to go out during a lull and get the water off it but it never did get bad enough to collapse and drain water into the boat.

The drawback of having a fully carpeted boat is it turns into a giant sponge in even a light rain and soaks into your pants anywhere you touched it with your leg. I came up with this solution after sitting one night for 3 or 4 hours in a misty drizzle catching 40 or 50 catfish but ended up complete soaked to the bone from the thighs down from touching the carpeted sides of the boat.

The boat I have now came with a custom fit cover but it's not tall enough to fish or camp under but it also came with a bimini top and I'm sure I'll come up with a cheap, down and dirty way to enclose it so I can fish in the rain or wait out small storms. Some of the best fishing is around those rain fronts especially the ones where the front pushes the rain ahead of it but you have a 1 or 2 hour window of opportunity between when the rain quits and the front goes through and kills the bite. But that 1 hour will give you some of the best Flathead and Walleye fishing you'll ever do. Not too sure how it would do for Bass fishing but the other panfish go crazy too. The rain kicks up the food but the pressure hasn't changed enough to drive them into deep water and off the feeding grounds. In fact it was pursuing this technique that got me to get a wireless internet connection for my laptops so I could get a live radar to monitor the storms so I could time them right and not get myself into trouble if one suddenly turned bad. It's also handy to get us off the water, everything battened down and into the tents before it rained when camping and a storm come through.

 

[WTL]

While nightfishing before, I have gotten grogy and laid down and slept out on the open deck of a tracker before, it wasn't too bad.

Of course camping on the deck of a aluminum boat isn't quite as versatile as the traditional method. I would feel much safer on land in a thunderstorm as opposed to being on a metal boat with poles and such. As long as fair weather is expected, I think its a good idea.