[dknight]

I finaly got a boat a few weeks ago, older 14' jon boat. Runs well and has been kept up nicely. The only issue I have found is lack of storage (as i am sure is the case with all jon boats). It already has built in floor and carpeted seats and front deck. After much thought I have decided to cut out the top of the two bench seats, reinforce the cut out with aluminium angle and using a pair of hinges on each to secure a treated 3/4 ply top.
I was told the seats have floam in them but when I knock on them the sound really hollow and it doesn't take much pressure to flex the aluminium, so it would need to be reinforced at some point any way. So the question I have is whether or not this is a plausible idea.
Thanks for any advise in advance.

 

[Colsrob]

If you already have the floor, the hardest part is taken care of. Since you're willing to go even further, you might consider just removing the bench seats and putting in post style seating. You can have more than 1 mount location, as to move it where you prefer to fish from, after getting to your spot. Then you could build storage boxes along certain locations of the side area of the boat, allowing the middle area to be fairly open for moving around better. You could also pick a spot or 2 and put in some trap doors in the floor for even more storage, if needed.

 

[cantstopgrandma]

Removing the foam has its fans and people who will tell you not to. Research and decide for yourself. I personally like the foam in case i swamp the boat, it will keep it afloat.

I would use something thinner than 3/4 to save weight, which is a big deal in smaller boats. I mean you're not building a house, you'll only have a person sitting/standing on it.
Also DO NOT use treated wood on an aluminum boat. The treated wood is treated with copper and will react with the aluminum and corrode. Use thompson's water seal or epoxy on regular old plywood if you really wanna go that way.

 

[Steve Knox]

Doug -
I investigate boating accidents for a living, so I have an opinion on this one. I see boaters needlessly kill themselves on a regular basis.

Don't know if you have foam inside the seats or not. You should have. The Coast Guard requires that boats this size float if swamped. In a jon boat that almost always means foam inside the seats. So if you take it out, the boat won't float any more. Only a problem if you need it. :>)

If you take it out the boat isn't legal any more, but nobody will probably notice/care unless you drown because the boat didn't float. Your call.

I wear my life jacket when I fish by myself, but not if someone else is with me. Unless the weather kicks up etc. If I took the foam out of my boat I'd wear my life all the time.

 

[redbeard144]

its a choose you have to make,i took out most of my foam.but made storage for all the stuff they make you carry.life jacket's,trow-able devise,fire x,rope, paddle,horn.every thing a big boat needs you need.now if your's is a three bench you can box in between the front two.consider the wight,choose light wight material it will turn out nice.

 

[m slayton]

my 11' 11" jon boat came with foam filled boxes under the seats ... just make your own with some extra sheet metal or alumn. and fill box with spray foam and mount under your bench seat and there is no rod storage on lil jon boats we exchange storage for lighter boat , i simply rest all rods on the bench seats and load the boat from the bottom up making it easy for me to get the first things needed fisrt bait rods and beer... no i meen tackle and KEEP THE ANCHOR ROPE CLEAR OF ALL ITEMS ..... not fun to anchor up and have the anchor line wraped around something <----- said item useally fallows the anchor into the water.... just glad it wasn't an ugly stick !!! just save your self some time and bungie cord the rods to the bench seat LOL no boat redesign needed. the foam is a life jacket for your boat!!! keep that in mind too

 

[dknight]

Thanks for all the info and suggestions. I decided to make hinged extention on the 3rd seat up front. Not only will it cost less but also give me a nice little casting deck. Being my first boat (outside my canoe) I really appreciate the tips and the attention to safety. It did not fall on deaf ears.
Thanks alot guys.

 

[Longjohn119]

The foam isn't just to save lives (that's what your vest is for) it so you can recover your boat if it gets swamped. Do you realize how hard it is to recover even a small flatbottom in 8 feet of water? And if it happens in a navigation channel you have a hazard for commercial traffic. It also saves your gear and motor from going to the bottom

If you have the flotation foam you can just pull along side and throw a couple of bilge pumps in it and be towing it back to the dock in half an hour. Dry out and oil all your gear and your motor and be back on the water in a few days (Assuming you got swamped and didn't damage the hull)

You can take the foam out of a seat as long as you put it back somewhere else, under the floor is the best candidate because it not only provides flotation it'll strengthen the boat sandwiched between the hull and the floor. In older boats you can usually pack a little more up under the nose. Basically if there is a hollow unused space fill it with foam, you'd be amazed where you can stuff pieces from one of those foam 'noodles'. I took out one of my bench seats, put foam in the floor and stuffed 7 of those water noodles under the remaining middle and rear seat between the hull and the manufacturer's foam in the seat. I could probably cram a couple of more under each seat I just happened to have 7 I bought on closeout last Fall. Granted those aren't ideal type of flotation foam but they were better than nothing but air in that wasted dead space and they can be removed if I need access for repairs or something and then placed back in again

 

[boombalaty]

I put padded 1/2" ply over the seats on my 12 footer and it works great. If she fills with water ill just grab my gear and swim for it lol! Nice to have a spot in a jon to keep your stuff off the floor.