Thanks for the info. I just got the boat today. I would rather have a
flat bottom I think, but I couldn't pass up on the price of this one. It's
12 foot. How big of a motor do you think I could run on it? I was thinking
maybe a 5 horse if I ever take it to a resevoir around here. I definitely
wouldn't take it out on a windy day. Someday, I will get a nice fishing
boat, but I've always been of the philosopht that a fish doesn't know if you
are using a Loomis/St. Croix rod or a Walmart special. I guess going down
the river in an old aluminum boat is better than sitting at home wishing I
was there in a fancier boat. Thanks for the info. Darren

--


"Contemplate the mangled bodies of your countrymen, and then say, 'What
should be the reward of such sacrifices?' ... If ye love wealth better than
liberty, the tranquility of servitude than the animating contest of
freedom...crouch down and lick the hands, which feed you. May your chains
sit lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that ye were our countrymen!"
Samuel Adams


"We stand here on the only island of freedom that is left in the
whole world. There is no place left to flee to ... no place to
escape to. We defend freedom here or it is gone. There is no
place for us to run, only to make a stand. And if we fail, I
think we face telling our children, and our children's children,
what it was we found more precious than freedom. Because I am
sure someday -- if we fail in this -- there will be a generation
that will ask." --Ronald Reagan
"Sofjan" wrote in message
...

Date: 3/11/2004 5:51 PM Eastern Standard Time
Message-id:

I'm looking at buying an aluminum boat that I would believe is called a
modified v. It is square and almost flat in the back and comes to a v in
the front. I have seen where you can get a foam solution that mixes 2
chemicals together that makes a floating foam. I saw them use it for
pontoons on monster garage.

They use it because they afraid they may have puncture the pontoon and
they
don't want to sink i the middle of the ocean.
Ability to go on shallow spot depend on the flatness of the bottom. As the
bottom is very flat for each inch of draft the vessel will displace more
water
therefore the boat donot need very deep water to float .

IMHO you better wait for a aluminum flat bottom jon boat if shallow draft
is
your concern.

and make it more stable? I want it to ride as high as possible to float
and
fish small creeks and don't want to have to get out every time I get to a
shallow spot.
Go look up the difference in flat bottom and semi V bottom ride on google.
Flat
bottom is great on shallow water but in open water where there is alot of
wave.
flat bottom takes alot of pounding. But flat bottom also plane easier thus
require less Hp. Semi V is a compromised between true V and flat bottom.
The
above is generalization but you get the point. Refrence abound on the net
on
this subject matters.

Good luck

Sofjan Mustopoh


Also, is it a good idea to replace the plywood in the transom
area with a 3/8-1/2" piece of aluminum plate? On these older boats, it
always seems to be rotten.

Don't think so .Plywood function also as a shock absorber. the aluminum
plate
might be too thin to take the pounding and vibration the outboard engine
give.