Question:
the middle bench on my Tracker jon boat had an integral livewell with
fill/drain tubing, to which I have added a recirculating/aerating pump. I
didn't want to replace that. so the simplest solution was to cover the
section between the original 3' front platform and the bench seat with three
panels of resin-coated 3/4 inch marine plywood.
Those panels are hinged so that the two outer panels, along the gunnels, can
be lifted with recessed latches for easy access while standing beside the
trailered boat. I keep a slide-out plastic storage bin under the center
panel which serves well as a lure and supply organizer. All my gear stows
neatly out of sight beneath the decks, and it's pretty easy to get to while
I'm on the water. One side I use as a rod locker that accommodates up to 7'
rods. I usually keep tackle boxes, cooler, net, spot light, black lights,
etc. under the other hatch.
That gives me about a 9' marine-carpeted casting deck now. Huge! I covered
the rear bench and the batter/fuel tank compartment with two other carpeted,
hinged panels at the same height. It has more fishable deck space than many
17'+ bass boats I've fished from, since it includes no middle
seating/steering console section -- mainly deck, with a 2' foot well
remaining in front of the rear bench seat. The back-seater can easily move
around his 3' x 6' platform, or step across the foot well and join me on the
9' front deck.
Another plus to this plan
Answer:
-We gutted a 12' Jon last fall and built it pretty much to the HG specs (foreward
deck was enlarged). Stability in that small craft wasn't hampered. The verticle
support panel on the foreward casting deck actually replaces the support
originally given by the seat taken out, so no loss there. The rear seat is so
close to the stern that whatever support it gave to the sides was minimal to
begin with. Intuition tells me that if you have more than 8' of unsupported side
panels left, then some type of replacement support is in order. With my 14' Jon
I'll have exactly 8' from stern to casting deck, so I think I'll be ok as far as
stability goes.
- my dad has made several decks for aluminum jon boats. Most of his fishing is
for crappie (perch for ya'll who use ya'll!) and trot line catfishing. He
used closed cell foam to fill the voids between ribs (being careful to leave
the drainage channels open), decked in thin cd plywood and then carpeted.
Makes a nice floor, quiet and provides some additional stiffness/flotation. He
used the ped seat fittings to support the casting deck. Additional foam for
flotation is inserted in the bow along with a battery box and
wiring/attachments for depth finder and trolling motor. We filled the boat
with water and she floated higher than she did before these modifications.
He removes the bench seats from the mid section. The dry storage seat is cut
into three sections and reinstalled with a third as a live well, a third as a
seat for the console, middle third is used to close the ends of the outer
thirds. This leaves a flat open floor from the bow to the rear seat. The open
floor is the key reason for all this. It feels more secure when moving from bow
to stern w/o having to climb over the seats. I also dislike stepping over
bench seats and ribs in a jon boat, especially when carrying things such as
weights, minnow buckets etc. Add a little pitching or rolling and you can
really appreciate a design that allows for easy movement. Others appreciate
the design as well. Dad has made a profit on every boat he has sold and could
easily have traded up to a factory boat. He enjoys messing about w/boats and
prefers to spend his time doing that than anything else.
Problems may come if you try this on a thin boat. There may not be enough
stiffness in the hull w/o those seats which would force one to build and
install brackets adding weight and either aluminum welding or galvanic reaction
problems to the project. I would not ever build another fishing deck flush
with the gunwales either. For bass and perch in a jon boat, I'd just soon
stand in the bottom of the boat (center of gravity). A storage compartment,
battery height, would be useful at the bow.
