I SHOULD BUY A BOAT...So I did.

Picked this up yesterday. 1960 14' Alumacraft w/ 6 hp Mercury.

Motor cranked on first pull, trailer pulls straight. It'll be the perfect duck hunting boat and to putt around with the kids on our neighborhood lake.

I have some questions from all you seasoned veterans though.

1) I like the lights on the front for early morning rush to the duck hole. Where is the best place to place the battery and what is the best way to mount it and wire everything to it?

2) I want some storage compartments either on front or back of the middle seat, or on either side between middle and back seat. I want to store a tarp, tool kit, first aid, etc. Nothing large. Is there a decent kit that works well and fastens easy or is there a good homemade idea?

3) The motor is great condition. No sign of oil leaks, fired on first pull etc. What are some things to keep an eye on? How often should I grease the fittings?


Any info or ideas would be awesome. This is not sweet shiny rig but I love it. I can't stop all the ideas from going through my head.....my wife has no idea what she started.


The boat...

 

Check this website and forum for ideas.

http://www.tinboats.net/

 

A boat is a hole in the water that you pour your money into!
You bought it before you talked to your wife? Don't get used to it. You won't have it long.
If perchance you get to keep it, keep a eye on everything. It's old and will need care to stay on top of the water.
Good luck

 

No, the wife knew. Not sure where you got that from. Either way, I have owned a boat before but it was a ski boat; 1998 Manta Ray w/ 3.0L Mercruiser.

I know what I am getting into. I was just asking any other boating or hunting enthusiasts here for any idea or tips on how to make it more functional. But thanks for the vast knowledge?

 

Did you look at the photos. Not much to go wrong with an aluminum jon boat.

Congrats OP, my wife and I want to get a small jon boat for fishing and puttimg around too.

 

lights will be "ok" depending on where you're hunting. If it's rivers and such, I'd pick up just a really cheap light bar off ebay. I have a 10" on mine and it's lights everything up! Plus, you won't have to worry as much about draining the battery, and in case the motor doesn't crank up, you'll be glad to have some juice for the trolling motor instead of paddling (yes, I've been there. Had to paddle a mile loaded down with 3 guys and gear, it took a while). Also, if in those early cold mornings, it doesn't matter what motor you have, it's gonna have a little rough cold start. Here in GA the public places crowd up fast (why I'm usually at the ramp at 4 or before, so don't want to get there and still have to paddle lol.
As for storage, you may want to think of going under the seats, or, completely take out that middle seat and custom make your own seat that has storage within it. Time consuming, but you'll be happy when your done.
Paint is good, but if I was you, I'd paint the motor. burlap works, but the shine will still be there and those birds see just to dang good for me to personally let that part ruin my hunt (again, I'm in GA and scratching out 2 in a day is good, though I usually limit out since I put a lot of time scouting and am a stickler for detail).
As for your battery, I have a plastic battery box that my wiring harness runs into, and the switch on top that also is wired to my running lights, so one flip and it's all on. Not to hard to do, and plenty of instructions online on how to do it.
I don't know if you've thought about it, but you can make a pvc blind for fairly cheap that isn't very hard to take off in the off-season. I've never done it since I rarely hunt out of my boat, but it's idea. Or you can do like me and take the cheap route and just attach rebar to the sides and bend them and lay burlap on there for when you need it haha.

 

Yeah, I don't see much going wrong with a Jon boat. Even if the motor seizes, you're not out that much. I'd probably get some oars, just in case..... And a big cooler.

 

Nice find and looks like you already have an eager crew there waiting for you!

 

I have these portable lights for when I use my square stern canoe with motor while duck hunting. No messing with a battery and they work great!

http://www.cabelas.com/ensemble/Boa...-LED-Bow-and-Stern-Navigation-Lights/4954.uts

 

Real good info. I don't PLAN on hunting out of the boat, but haven't scouted here yet either. And I may paint the engine or just take some gilly fabric with me (hence the storage I want)

I like the plastic tray idea for the battery. I plan to have all wiring running into a switch panel so I can do like you and hit one switch and everything is on or off. The only things I want wired up are my law required running lights and my high beams on the front (if I decide to keep them)

I have already done a couple of things. I took the half-assed deck off the front and will probably rebuild it. Took the trolling motor off and may or may not keep it on, not sure yet. Pulled a metric shit ton of twine from around the inner hub area. I will probably pull those off and repack them just to be safe.

I noticed last night that the prop shaft seal is leaking gear oil, so there's a shop visit.

The motor really does run good and is super clean. I was honestly surprised. Paddles and life jackets are the first purchase.

Oh man, if I had a dollar for everytime I was asked to go for a boat ride since Monday night.

 

That is exactly what my brother in law and I used last season. They work great, but I think for the price I could mount up permanent lights and not have to worry about anything falling off or batteries going dead.

 

Congrats Man, you'll love it, i have a 1436 (14' x 36") Monarc Flat bottom with a 5hp motor. Perfect size.

tinboats.net is just like TW; get ready to spend some money, tons of ideas and modifications. I'm working on a few myself.

create a login and go to the forums-under jon and v boat modifications.

 

Here's a simple base line drawing i did of my boat to scale. Feel free to print out and use to sketch on/plan for anything you want to add on yours. they should be similar.

 

I owe you a beer!

 

there's an old saying to seems to ring true for those who have owned a boat...

the two best days of owning a boat are the day you bought it and the day you sold it...

 

nah, not with aluminum ones anyway. far less maintenance than the bigger ski boats and what not. no need to "winterize" or anything like that. just look at how old OP's boat is. 1960. Jon/Flat bottom boats are like tanks.

 

same could be said for our trucks to people who don't see the point of modding.

 

Boats can be a hassle. Not because they have any more problems than a car, but the problems they do have are harder to fix or require more special tools to fix.

I owned a 1998 22' Manta Ray ski boat and besides normal maintenance, it wasn't that bad.

It comes down to simple maintenance. If you check the boxes, you'll probably be ok.

 

One thing to think about (something I've noticed lol) is that if you do decide to redo the front deck, I'd make it to wear you could easily take it on and off. The reason for this is while hunting, I find that extra space invaluable for decoys and gear. Plus, it's better to distribute the weight out instead of all in the back, in case you hit something submerged or lean to far over and the edge goes under. I've had more than my fair share of "lake/river" baths in lower than 32 degree temperature, and it is horrible! Plus, no matter how I arrange my stuff I keep wishing I had a bigger boat hahaha.

 

Yea, simple maintenance here and there is definitely better than one huge overhaul. That's why I try to crank my motor once a month at minimum to make sure everything is working right. If you had a Johnson you'd never have to worry But at least you don't have a yamaha or an evinrude