My 14' PolarKraft Jon Boat log

dixie_boysles · #1 10-09-2009, 06:15 AM

Pics finally:

Finally posting pics of the jon boat i got. Its not pretty, but its NICE. its a 14' 40" (wider than most) Polar Craft Flat Bottom Jon boAt on a 16' Cox Breakaway (it can hinge to load off of hilly ramps). The trailer has new tires and wheels on it. sorry for the night time pics, maybe i can get some daytime pics today.

It has a welded spot on the front on the bottom. looks like a big puddle of weld. im going to have a 5" x 5" square cut out of it there and replace. Me and the fiance took it out last Sat. and it leaked right there out of a TINY pin hole. we just took bubble gumj and plugged it (We didnt have anything else and i wasnt about to load it back up and call it quits for the day). we fished for three hours without a drop of water coming in right there. i have to say i bought a NICE boat. It doesnt have any problems with it anywhere else ! its a good heavy duty thick guage aluminum jon boat!

when im finished with it it wont evel look like the same boat! im going to paint it with black epoxy primer and then coat it in flat black paint (tractor supply has some for like $30 for a gallon). ill prep it right and spray it at my body man's paint booth. then im putting a floor board in it with tan carpet, a small front deck with storage in it. Im removing the middle bench and replacing it with a tall swivel stand with a cushioned foldable seat on it. Mounting my fishfinder on it, and puttinf rod holders on the side for when i travel down the raod with it, keeps them organized on the sides. I have a 50lbs thriust minn kota for it.

on to the pics, like i said it aint purdee, but is nice:

Bear with me, this project will be slow:

blueovelboy · #2 10-09-2009, 06:22 AM

why is it called a jon boat and not a bill boat? it looks more like a ducks bill in front than a jon but hay i dint name it. looks in good shape whats the plans for it?

dixie_boysles · #3 10-09-2009, 06:39 AM

a "bill" boat, never heard of it....we call it jon boat and so doea the soes the stores here in NC. hmmm...differences in demographics i guess i guess.

blueovelboy · #4 10-09-2009, 01:58 PM

Na i was just playing its a Jon boat here to. guess i had one to Meany when i wrote that

Clem · #5 10-12-2009, 07:59 PM

Good looking jon.
I did a job for a fellow I knew up north on hi jon, very similar to yours. I put a center steering tower in it, with the steering wheel, engine controls, and gauges. (no tach)
Plus decked the entire bottom and put a cuddy in the front under the bow deck for storage.
It came out pretty nice had 2 4'x8' sheets of 3/16" aluminum, and 1 20' bar of 1 1/2"x1 1/2"x3/16" angle.
Now go catch some fish, we'll all be there for dinner. haha

Ray

dixie_boysles · #6 10-21-2009, 05:53 AM

Im wanting to paint it to make it look nice. Ive heard Rustoleum will stick to anything. so my idea is to clean and sand the boat good and rough up the surface. Then prime it with Rustoleum Primer in a Rattlecan. Then Tractor Supply has Enamel Tractor Paint for like $30 a gallon. I could paint it in their low-gloss black or their gray enamel paint. I have access to a spray for this paint.

Do you think i would have trouble with the paint/primer sticking? The boat does have paint on it now so its not like its bare aluminum... If so, any suggestions? i would like to paint this boat for relatively cheap. i could brobably get away with painting for around $50 this way. (30 for paint, 20 for the primer). ALso, id probably have enough paint left over to paint my trailer as well!

any suggestions/tips would be greatly appreciated.

surfer03133 · #7 10-21-2009, 07:56 AM

since its freshwater usage mostly i think youd be ok with the rustoleum, if your gonna coat the entire boat in black, put carpet on the floor or wood, and maybe some rubber along the rails, that boat will bake in the sun if its all black, not too much fun to sit on a boat reaching 150+ degrees, ive tried it

dixie_boysles · #8 10-21-2009, 08:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by surfer03133

since its freshwater usage mostly i think youd be ok with the rustoleum, if your gonna coat the entire boat in black, put carpet on the floor or wood, and maybe some rubber along the rails, that boat will bake in the sun if its all black, not too much fun to sit on a boat reaching 150+ degrees, ive tried it

they have a gray enamel, would this be better.

surfer03133 · #9 10-21-2009, 08:30 AM

ya, black just absorbs all the sunlight and bakes. black would be ok if you were to put wood or carpet on the floor and benchs, then you could sit on it without feeling the metal

surfer03133 · #10 11-04-2009, 03:32 PM

any updates on this boat?!

dixie_boysles · #11 11-04-2009, 05:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by surfer03133

any updates on this boat?!

Nah not yet... Funds are not that great right now especially befor christmas. Plus I'm getting tires after that. Then I gotta save for wedding and house. I'm paining the sides very soon though since thatll be cheap. I really have to take and have that spot in the floor welded though. Jut keep looking, ill paint soon!

surfer03133 · #12 11-04-2009, 05:55 PM

lol k

RavensRanger · #13 11-12-2009, 01:00 AM

Good Gods man you stole my boat! I got one that looks Almost the same Well until i started fixing her up. WickedFishin and as and I can see your in Northcarolina. Same here! got me a 16' lowe jon boat 25 hp pn back and a cox trailer pull it with my ranger I will have to get some pics up on my profile if it ever stops rainin and i can go take a pic or 3. I used HERCULINER Truck Bed Liners as a bottom "coating" tough as nails for when ya scrape up on the rocks getting to the good holes on a river/lake. and as to them pesky lil rivet leaks well that is over!

dixie_boysles · #14 11-16-2009, 05:26 AM

UPDATE:

Took the boat and trailer over to my Papa's house yesterday about 12:00. i need to work on the boat trailer some. Evidentally, someone had jacknifed it somewhere down the line (its a 75' model trailer, in great shape though) and the tongue was bent at about a 15 degree angle. i finally notives it when i could see one fender really good and not the other! The trailer is a Cox trailer that can hinge to make it easier to offload. so the tounge was easily removable. we took it and put it on a 20 ton press, no luch with that tubing! so we took a portaband saw and cut three sides of it and straightened it outthen welded the 1/4' gap it left! We also fixed my saftey chains bu putting new clips on them and grinding them off the trailer cause someone had redneck engineered them. they WERE welded on the top right behind the ball goes; however only one chain was, the other one was bolted on to that. so we welded them on eacch side of the tongue. we also fixed the latch that holds the trailer from hinging up. its was all wrong as well. didnt get many pics bc we were so busy...but heres what i have...now all i have left with the trailer is to put some runners on the bottom and some guides on the side. then sand and paint trailer.

Here's Papa welding on safety chains:

heres the trailer, you can see the shitty runners is has now, heck even one is crroked! they're coming off SOON!

Heres the revised saftey chain holder for the hinging part. its there incase the latch gives.

heres what was done:

surfer03133 · #15 11-16-2009, 06:36 AM

nice!, for the runners you can just buy new carpet material and staple them back on, thats what we do with our boat lift. is the winch cable synthetic? did a great job with the straightening out it looks like.
hopefully over turkey day weekend i am rebuilding my trailer so i can get my boat over here.