Questions About Jon Boat Set Up

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Meerkat

Meerkat

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Hubby is trying to get the 18' 1978 Jon boat ready for fishing. Evinrude is a 1972 65-HP . He has a little help from this young man neighbor but he doesn't know about boat mechanics . Mostly helps with heavy lifting. Son has helped some too, but not that often since he is seldom even in the country.

Caribou and some here are pretty wise about this kind of thing. He had changed the impeller ,fuel lines, filter etc..
I want to make sure gas tank is set up right. Should we put insulation and wood under 11 gal. tank or just leave it metal ? We bought sheet insulation for common area.
 
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This will be our first trip in boat. Down Suwanee River to Gulf Of Mexico,
7 mile trip. We went to Stienhatchee last fall with BIL and SIL and rented a boat.

I can tell you there are lots of snakes and gators in this river . But it is a nice scenery if your not use to it, I like the hustle and bustler of St. Johns best. I get enough of the woods and wildlife. But hubby likes to fish in the swamps and gulf.




This kid did ok for his age setting up his boat. Plus I bet he is staying out of trouble.

 
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As long as you have a good flat spot to put the fuel tank that would be fine. If a rib or something gets in the way of a stable fuel tank then shim it up with some wood. Most insulation will dissolve in the presence of gasoline and spilled gas is a reality on small boats so I would avoid foam.
 
Caribou said:
As long as you have a good flat spot to put the fuel tank that would be fine. If a rib or something gets in the way of a stable fuel tank then shim it up with some wood. Most insulation will dissolve in the presence of gasoline and spilled gas is a reality on small boats so I would avoid foam.
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Thanks Car for help. It is hard to go thru youtube videos looking for answer like this. :Thankyou::thumbs up:
 
LastO said:
Is a 65 HP outboard too large for an 18 ft Jon boat? Sounds huge for such a light boat. What is the transom rated for? Usually there is an ID plate on there somewhere that shows the transom rating.
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Lasto, It is rated for 75 HP but we don't go fast anyway. I think capacity is 1170 lb.s total,and 8 passengers.
Thank you fro asking I like advice . :Thankyou::thumbs up:
 
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PS, hubby was right 'again' he said no foam but sometimes I like outside opinions too. It is no fun being wrong but it is fun having a wise hubby. I thought the foam would stablelise things but very glad y'all came up to clue me in. And it doesn't look like I'm getting pontoons either . Unless I can hide a couple inflatable ones then pull em out if needed.
 
gumpy said:
Is this the boat you were thinking about putting a small cabin on? The 80's wide one?
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Yes it is but hubby is getting harder to deal with on that too. o_O but he will come around once he gets over all the stuff. I want to find a light weight material that is not canvas or cloth . Just enough cabin 'for a better word ' to sleep in at night . And a Bimini top of course I am prone to skin caner .

Hubby said " your not packing up my boat with a bunch of stuff ". We'll see about that.:D
 
Who's boat?
1516834152629_image.jpg

Lol!
 
Meerkat said:
@Caribou, it is ok to have insulation in the area away from gas tank, right?
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Put it wherever you wish, if it gets eaten by gas you can replace it. You want a closed cell foam as that will add flotation where an open cell foam will absorb water and weigh down the boat. I've owned a couple that had open cell foam when they were built and it was a real pain to get it replaced.

Totally encapsulating the foam is the best way to go. Foam on the deck provides the best flotation but the sides will help also.
 
Caribou said:
Put it wherever you wish, if it gets eaten by gas you can replace it. You want a closed cell foam as that will add flotation where an open cell foam will absorb water and weigh down the boat. I've owned a couple that had open cell foam when they were built and it was a real pain to get it replaced.

Totally encapsulating the foam is the best way to go. Foam on the deck provides the best flotation but the sides will help also.
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Car, it is polypro EPS sheet insulation. about an inch or more thick. It was $22 a sheet.
 
I don't know the product. Put a piece in water for a few days, if it gets heavier then get something else. Take a small piece and set it in a small can of gas, if it dissolves find something else, encapsulate it, or plan on changing it every so often.
 
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Meerkat said:
Lasto, It is rated for 75 HP but we don't go fast anyway. I think capacity is 1700 lb.s total,and 8 passengers.
Thank you fro asking I like advice . :Thankyou::thumbs up:
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I wouldn't want anyone to get hurt that's for sure! Glad that you know the rating. As for me I have always been one to like to go fast... I'd max it out and get myself in trouble... drag bikes, high performance racing jet skis, muscle cars, etc. That is me...lol
 
LastO said:
I wouldn't want anyone to get hurt that's for sure! Glad that you know the rating. As for me I have always been one to like to go fast... I'd max it out and get myself in trouble... drag bikes, high performance racing jet skis, muscle cars, etc. That is me...lol
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Hubby use to be into fast cars and was a great on water skis and horses. Now he can't do that we also use to win dance contest thats gone too. I don't dance with anyone but him and never want to or will, so the few times we went out I danced by myself beside another couple of women dancing alone., lol.
I hope we get this boat going soon though. We are old and not getting any younger.
 
Meerkat said:
Yea I will. Air mattress with frame weighs 40lb. Can't take the ground or floor now.

Capacity is 1700 lb.s. Not sure if that is people and stuff or motor is included too.
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Correction!

Capacity is 1170 lb.s NOT 1700 lb.s . And the engine is 1972 65 HP Evinrude. boat year is correct 1978.

18 ' L , 7' at rim top W 6' floor W. Now I think this is all correct.
 
Be careful riding down to the gulf. Long ago I was on a 115ft standby boat for a drilling rig 20-miles out in the gulf. Our boat was hanging off a buoy. There was a cat one hurricane bearing down on us. There was a small emergency crew on the rig. I kept seeing something crest waves about 1/2 mile away.

I radioed the rig and asked if they could see it. They said yes and instructed us to go check it out…

It was two drunk guys in a jon boat fishing, 20 miles out to sea with a hurricane that hit 8 hours later. They refused help. I’ve always wondered if those two guys made it to shore. The last time I saw them they were drifting towards Galveston.

So you guys be careful! ;)
 
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Peanut said:
Be careful riding down to the gulf. Long ago I was on a 115ft standby boat for a drilling rig 20-miles out in the gulf. Our boat was hanging off a buoy. There was a cat one hurricane bearing down on us. There was a small emergency crew on the rig I kept seeing something crest waves about 1/2 mile away.

I radioed the rig and asked if they could see it. They said yes and instructed us to go check it out…

It was two drunk guys in a jon boat fishing, 20 miles out to sea with a hurricane that hit 8 hours later. They refused help. I’ve always wondered if those two guys made it to shore. The last time I saw them they were drifting towards Galveston.

So you guys be careful! ;)
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Thanks Peanut. We won't be going out into the gulf. We will stay on the Suwanee River. Maybe fishing a little on the flats inside buoy's but hugging the coast . I like Matanzas Inlet near St Augustine too but will not go far from shoreline there either. Just hope the water is ok after storms last year.
 
Engine is running 'again' so now we are working on the floor.
We decided to put the steering up front on the right of boat. Since the steering cable is about 16 feet long its easier and lots cheaper to move the wheel than install cable.
Hubby said no but then I showed him that today up front steering is in style. No darn way am I gonna wait for another darn repair job. I'm trying to be patiant but this crappla is getting old and so am I.
Getting ready for a raft or canoe.I already have a troller. haha.

Here is front stick steeering

 
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Miracle man has done it again. It ran fro 30 minutes with no problem.
Problem number 999 was the inviable little water tube that goes up into the foot wasn't hooked up right that shoots the water into top of engine to the thermastat.. Neighbor young man who helps sometimes couldn't believe how good it runs now . :woo hoo:
 
Now he is talking about a fuse box for the lights. We put the foam on the floor except where gas and battery is. Now need to put a thin piece of plywood over that. Secure gas tank and battery.Tie down the steering cabinet and take it to the river. He can work on whatever he wants while we float down the river.

C2CkHUP.jpg
 
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Years ago when we used to duck and goose hunt we had an 18' Jon boat with a 120hp Evinrude motor on it. We built a wooden box for the gas tank and used styrofoam for the inner liner. Our boat was very heavy due to all the drop doors we had on it and the camoflague, heat, stove and room for 3. Yes it was a little tight but so much better than what we used for years. Our stove ran off of propane. Hunting marshes can be frustrating because of the reeds and weeds that grow in the marsh areas. Our stove also ran off a propane tank. Our biggest problem was clogging up the motor intake with mud and vegetation. Our boat was a full 5' wide so it was a good sized boat. We never used a steering wheel or any cables and just ran the boat with the motor shaft. The transom should be fine as they tend to rate them lighter than what they will take however you can re-inforce the transom should you desire, which we did. We did it with plywood. Good luck on your project.

Tommy
 
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