[wems]

okay well.. ive been having trouble finding a cheap jon boat for sale, and I like to make things myself so I was thinking of building a jon boat/fishing type of boat.
Im thinking 15-17ft long and atleast 4-5ft wide. not sure how deep to make the boat. I was hoping for some advice on how to do this? I was thinking of building a wood frame and then fiberglassing it. Would that work? and how detailed would the frame need to be?
Id also like this boat to easily support 2-3 people with atleast 2 people fishing from it comfortable

Any help or references to places where I can do more research would be greatly appreciated.
And if someone could just tell me where to start (after drawing some ideas on paper that is) cause I am really clueless on what to do.

[JB]

Detailed plans are available for just about any type boat you want to build, Wems.

Google Boat plans. One name I remember is Glen L.

[tashasdaddy]

1st you have to have excellant carpentry skills, i have built several boats over the years. but, in today's market it is better to buy. buy the time you price materials, time and labor. the prices get close to each other. just the price of fiberglass cloth and resin, is a kick. you have to be darn good at fiberglass, or you will have problems, with water getting between the glass and wood, causing rot. my hobbie is restoring boats, so i know what problems there are.

here's some deck ideas. but, just watch Craiglist and ebay, side of the road, behind barns for a decent used boat. that can be fixed.

http://www.g3boats.com/JonBoats/

[wems]

Originally Posted by tashasdaddy

here's some deck ideas. but, just watch Craiglist and ebay, side of the road, behind barns for a decent used boat. that can be fixed.

Well I did find a boat like this, 18ft bass boat for like 2k but the underside is real rough and their is a whole near the back bottom of the boat...

Is that going to be fixable(and safe ofc)

what type of prices would I be looking at for a fix?

[tashasdaddy]

glass or aluminum? they are all fixable. can you get a picture?

[wems]

http://img166.imageshack.us/img166/9972/skeeterbt1.jpg


so glass. i think thats a picture of the hole

its a skeeter boat btw

[tashasdaddy]

if glass you would have to access it from inside, to do the repair, then the outside. could be a pretty good job.

[wems]

what do you mean could be a pretty good job?

also this boat will be my first boat that im looking to purchase and its on ebay, if you could give a first time buyer some advice so I dont make a huge mistake that would be great like some questions to ask the seller, because its about a 3hour drive away (which ill make in a heartbeat for a boat)

[tashasdaddy]

Buying a boat

1st you need to decide what you want to use it for, fishing, cruising, or water sports.

2nd how many people adults, children you want on board of the average outing.

3rd outboard, inboard-outboard, or inboard power plant.

4th Budget, what you want to pay, and what you are willing to pay, when you find
Exactly what you want.

You can hire a marine surveyor, to inspect the boat, or you can do it yourself.

You are mainly looking for soft spots in the deck, transom, cracks, all signs of a rotten, under frame.

The motor should be clean, no spots where the paint is discolored, or pealing from heat, having run hot. Compression should be atleast 100psi, and within 10% of each other,
Spark on all cylinders, good pee stream, check lower unit for water in oil.

The overall condition of the boat will tell you a lot, as to how it has been maintained.

A 30 year old boat motor combo, may be in better condition, than a 3 year old

a 3 hour drive to look at it, if you think it is a good deal, is not a bad investment. but with a hole in it, you can test drive it. what's the ebay #, i'll look at the listing.

[wems]

pmed

[tashasdaddy]

looked at listing, i'm afraid you will end up with a project like this, to get to the hole in the bottom. http://www.shareaproject.com/pages/p...,p,346,00.html

if it were a working boat the price is good. ask if you can get to the hole for the inside. could be it could be patched thru a hatch of live well.

[wems]

alright thanks.

I was thinking of getting a professional at a local boat place to fix it though. What would be the cost of that? and I guess the same procedure would have to be done if you couldnt reach the hole easily from the inside?

[tashasdaddy]

you are correct.