I recently bought a 10' Jon Boat with an Endura 30 12v trolling motor.
It's a 2004 boat, with no upgrades at all. I want to put sometime and
elbow grease into this boat and upgrade it both so I can fully enjoy
it, and in addition so I can sell it for a good price when I eventually
decide to get a bigger boat.

I will be using this boat mostly to launch from the tidal creek in my
backyard, head a mile down the creek to the intracoastal waterway and
fish for whatever is biting that day. I'm a beer enthusiast and I'd
like to find a way to make more storage available, use the boat at
night, and do any other interesting upgrades that won't be incredibly
expensive.

What upgrades do you recommend?

OldReliable wrote:
I recently bought a 10' Jon Boat with an Endura 30 12v trolling motor.
It's a 2004 boat, with no upgrades at all. I want to put sometime and
elbow grease into this boat and upgrade it both so I can fully enjoy
it, and in addition so I can sell it for a good price when I eventually
decide to get a bigger boat.

I will be using this boat mostly to launch from the tidal creek in my
backyard, head a mile down the creek to the intracoastal waterway and
fish for whatever is biting that day. I'm a beer enthusiast and I'd
like to find a way to make more storage available, use the boat at
night, and do any other interesting upgrades that won't be incredibly
expensive.

What upgrades do you recommend?

I've got a 12' that I use for small pond/lake fishing around here.
First thing I did was put fishing seats in it. I attached the base to
the metal seats. Next, I glued a strip of carpet to each side of each
seat, about 6" wide. This keeps pliers, lures, etc from sliding all
over the boat.

Good idea about the carpet basskisser, I like it.

As for the bigger boat, I've already got an 18' fishing boat so I don't
need to get anything bigger right now. This boat is mainly to keep in
my backyard and play around with when I didn't want to hassle with
dropping my big boat. I like the beer cooler idea too.

The creek is very shallow during low tides, and I often have to lift
the shaft out of the water and paddle through the shallow parts if I
don't leave/return within the 3-4 hour window of High Tide. I'd like to
find a way to more evenly distribute the weight from the battery so it
doesn't drag the boat in low water as much. I'd also like to make the
seats more comfortable and perhaps hollow them out so I can use at
least one for storage. In addition to drinkin beer, I do intend on
using the boat to do a lot of fishing, travel over to the islands that
divide the waterway and the ocean, and simply enjoy the scenery of
summer in Wilmington, NC.

What are some other good ideas?

You might get an idea or two here..
http://www.redchaser.com/flatsboatonbudget.htm

--
RichG manager, Carolina Skiff Owners Group on MSN
http://groups.msn.com/CarolinaSkiffOwners
..

On 21 Feb 2006 14:26:36 -0800, "OldReliable"
wrote:

What are some other good ideas?

If you are really going to spend a lot of time in the boat I'd get one
of those clamp on swivel seats with a back rest. Also, what about an
inexpensive fish finder/depth sounder?

Around 2/21/2006 12:23 PM, OldReliable wrote:

I recently bought a 10' Jon Boat with an Endura 30 12v trolling motor.
It's a 2004 boat, with no upgrades at all. I want to put sometime and
elbow grease into this boat and upgrade it both so I can fully enjoy
it, and in addition so I can sell it for a good price when I eventually
decide to get a bigger boat.

I will be using this boat mostly to launch from the tidal creek in my
backyard, head a mile down the creek to the intracoastal waterway and
fish for whatever is biting that day. I'm a beer enthusiast and I'd
like to find a way to make more storage available, use the boat at
night, and do any other interesting upgrades that won't be incredibly
expensive.

What upgrades do you recommend?

http://tinyurl.com/pb3fa

Who ever said there's such a thing as too much motor?


--
~/Garth - 1966 Glastron V-142 Skiflite: "Blue-Boat"
"There is nothing - absolutely nothing - half so much worth doing
as simply messing about in boats." -- Kenneth Grahame
~~ Ventis secundis, tene cursum ~~

Hello neighbor. I'm in Wilmington also, and it sounds like you bought a
place from an old realtor friend of mine. His key sales phrase was
"deepwater access; twice a day". I am Malcolm, Commodore of the Low Riders
of the Sea Yacht Club, and proprietor of Redneck Boatwerks,GBH. Welcome to
the world of no budget luxury yacthing.

I invite you to come survey our masterpiece in marine upfit and custom
refit; our Flagship, "Bad Kitty" , for ideas for your craft. "BK" is an
18'CC with fully enclosed, stowable cuddy cabin (sleeps two adults
comfortably). Full bimini, collapsible dodger, 60qt and 48qt coolers, 8
drink holders, teak swim platform, extended range fuel supply, twin
batteries, entertainment center, and the Club required, illuminated fuzzy
dice and ambient neon lighting . Fully loaded with passengers and gear, she
still floats in about 8 inches of water. Very capable in those creeks on the
back side of Masonboro. I'm sure we can point you to a successful refit of
your Low Rider worthy craft.

You may email me for a private inspection and consultation. Our rates are
very reasonable, starting at (1)bottle of Capt. Jerry's spiced rum/ hr. Be
advised however, we tend to lose track of time after the first hour.

Sincerely,
Commodore Malcolm
Low Riders of the Sea Yacht Club
"We're goin to Hell. Who wants to come with us"

Redneck Boatwerks,GBH
"No budget luxury cruising with attitude"



"OldReliable" wrote in message
oups.com...
I recently bought a 10' Jon Boat with an Endura 30 12v trolling motor.
It's a 2004 boat, with no upgrades at all. I want to put sometime and
elbow grease into this boat and upgrade it both so I can fully enjoy
it, and in addition so I can sell it for a good price when I eventually
decide to get a bigger boat.

I will be using this boat mostly to launch from the tidal creek in my
backyard, head a mile down the creek to the intracoastal waterway and
fish for whatever is biting that day. I'm a beer enthusiast and I'd
like to find a way to make more storage available, use the boat at
night, and do any other interesting upgrades that won't be incredibly
expensive.

What upgrades do you recommend?

Couple other questions,

how do I go about cutting the aluminum to put storage compartments in
the seats?

what do I use to drill holes in the pipe lining the boat so I can put
in cleats? (is any special drill bit necessary?)

what can I use to paint the boat?

Hi OR,

You can use an electric drill with metal cutting bits because it is only
soft aluminum.

You can use metal blades in a saws-all.

Like my grandfather said (master carpenter from Switzerland), "Measure twice
and cut once."

If your Jon boat is that 'OD green' then you can get spray cans of it from a
Lowe boat dealer.

I like to go to a real good hardware store or marine supply and get
stainless steelhead self lock nuts and bolts/screws.

--
Bill Kiene

Kiene's Fly Shop
Sacramento, CA, USA

Web site: www.kiene.com


"OldReliable" wrote in message
oups.com...

Couple other questions,

how do I go about cutting the aluminum to put storage compartments in
the seats?

what do I use to drill holes in the pipe lining the boat so I can put
in cleats? (is any special drill bit necessary?)

what can I use to paint the boat?