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updated abandoned jon boat build look what i got 2024


fishing user avatarnightmid reply : 

its a 74 starcraft bass boat i paid 200 for boat motor and trailer motor runs like new and trialer is very good boat needs some tlc

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fishing user avatarTucson reply : 

Congrats on your find.  Lot of boat for $200, should be a fun project.


fishing user avatarnightmid reply : 

yaeh already started on it will update with pics soon


fishing user avatarSharkbite reply : 

great boat


fishing user avatarhaveme1 reply : 

I looked at one just like it but not abandoned !

The guy wanted 4k for it !

I'd say you made a good deal !!  


fishing user avatarcart7t reply : 

Probably an old Bill Dance Special.

Probably loaded with rotten wood too.  


fishing user avatar32251 reply : 

Great find.


fishing user avatarWayne P. reply : 

Part of your rebuild should include a proper balancing of the boat on the trailer. With it set up like in the picture, you may experience fishtailing at highway speeds. You need tongue weight.


fishing user avatarcart7t reply : 

Good catch Wayne. That trailer is way too short for that boat. Can't tell how far out the bunks extend but the rear end of that hull is probably hooked for sure given the way it's hanging off the end.


fishing user avatarbassfisherjk reply : 

Great Find! ;)


fishing user avatarnightmid reply : 

will post pics of work so far later today


fishing user avatarnightmid reply : 

ok here is some updated pics of work done so far a friend has a line x shop and is going to spray line x on the top half of boat so it will be very protected from just about anything and he is only charging me 100 bucks to do it

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fishing user avatarcart7t reply : 

You're spraying the entire top of the boat with truck bedliner?   :-?


fishing user avatarnightmid reply : 

most of it all except main floor and front and rear fishing decks


fishing user avatarnrgeek reply : 

Ive seen some boats sprayed with truck bed liner .. you can get it in multiple colors , and is tuff .. there are a couple guys who striper and cat fish around here that swear by it !

You get shad and fish slime on it just take a hose to it all gone.. to each his own .. I would like to have my boat trailer sprayed with it .. but not the whole boat .. but if you like it go fo it .. just remember that stuff is a mother to get it off once its sprayed ... so be sure you really want it!


fishing user avatarnightmid reply : 

getting done friday and Saturday pick boat up so sometime this weekend i will post pics of it line xed oh and i am going to get it done in black no color added to it and it will be trimed out in gray like carpet and seats ect....


fishing user avatarnightmid reply : 

ok i got the boat back and lot of the trim back on here are some new pics of it

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fishing user avatarsuenrod reply : 

Great find! Sure wish I could find a deal like that.

RoD

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its a 74 starcraft bass boat i paid 200 for boat motor and trailer motor runs like new and trialer is very good boat needs some tlc

fishing user avatarJ Francho reply : 

That black bedliner is going to suck on warm sunny days...


fishing user avatarNewAngler reply : 
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That black bedliner is going to suck on warm sunny days...

he's paid $300 so far for it.. incredible find!


fishing user avatarskunked_again reply : 
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That black bedliner is going to suck on warm sunny days...

black anything.


fishing user avatarJ Francho reply : 
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That black bedliner is going to suck on warm sunny days...

he's paid $300 so far for it.. incredible find!

But it didn't come with black bedliner, that he added.  While it will be an easy to clean, no slip surface, I think he'll soon regret choosing black.  Its going to get hot as hell.


fishing user avatarnightmid reply : 

i thought so to but i have had it sitting in the sun all day working on it and it hasnt been as bad as you might think it absorbs the heat instead of reflecting it on you but still might get it colored later on but for now it does the job and for 300 bucks total thats counting the boat trailer and motor witch runs like a new one


fishing user avatarJ Francho reply : 

You want it to reflect sunlight. If it absorbs sunlight, its going to get hot. If it reflects sunlight, it will stay cooler.

Try this, put on a black t-shirt and stand in the sun for 10 minutes. Now do the same thing with a white t-shirt. Tell me which is more comfortable, and why you think its any different with your boat.


fishing user avatargreatoutdoors reply : 
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You want it to reflect sunlight. If it absorbs sunlight, its going to get hot. If it reflects sunlight, it will stay cooler.

Try this, put on a black t-shirt and stand in the sun for 10 minutes. Now do the same thing with a white t-shirt. Tell me which is more comfortable, and why you think its any different with your boat.

Because he's not wearing the the black bedliner. It will be hot to the touch in the sun but so would white. Sand at the beach gets hot, doesn't it? It won't make much of a difference sitting on the seats in it. I have two SUV's. One with black leather and one with light tan leather. There's no difference in inside temperature when they sit in the summer sun. Give the guy a break. He got a great deal on a nice boat.


fishing user avatarTucson reply : 

Thanks for the update pics, keep us informed.  It's like doing a project myself except for the actual doing part!


fishing user avatarJ Francho reply : 
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You want it to reflect sunlight. If it absorbs sunlight, its going to get hot. If it reflects sunlight, it will stay cooler.

Try this, put on a black t-shirt and stand in the sun for 10 minutes. Now do the same thing with a white t-shirt. Tell me which is more comfortable, and why you think its any different with your boat.

Because he's not wearing the the black bedliner. It will be hot to the touch in the sun but so would white. Sand at the beach gets hot, doesn't it? It won't make much of a difference sitting on the seats in it. I have two SUV's. One with black leather and one with light tan leather. There's no difference in inside temperature when they sit in the summer sun. Give the guy a break. He got a great deal on a nice boat.

I've fished in enough black carpeted bass boats to know that there is a big difference.  Not ripping the guy, just pointing out a mistake that could be easily corrected.


fishing user avatarnightmid reply : 

if it gets to be a problem with it being black i will change the color but for now it is done


fishing user avatarJ Francho reply : 

And you've done a fine job with an amazingly tiny budget.  I hope it provides you with many successful trips.  I was just saying that you're going to want to change that black to something lighter.  Looking forward to some fishing reports...

;)


fishing user avatarnightmid reply : 

fishing report wont be till next spring i still have alot of work to do this weekend i am starting on the rewire job full rewire the whole boat so i wont have any electrical probs down the road and the motor is ready it was stuck in gear but would start up first turn of key the shifter linkage needed adjusted and now all is good with the motor will post more pics as progress go along


fishing user avatarnightmid reply : 

well i got the boat all most all wired last night and today will keep you guy infomed as it goes


fishing user avatarThe Rooster reply : 

Coming from someone who has done this before (twice!), take it from me, that's a big job, but when you're finished it'll be one of the most rewarding things you have ever done.  I fished from mine today and recalled how nasty it was for the first 2 summers I owned it until early in 2008 I said to my wife that we have to gut this out and redo the whole thing.  Now my boat is like new and it's a pure pleasure to fish from.  We had the best time today.

Good luck on that project, what a deal that was for what you paid.  I didn't get mine that cheap, but it was a lot newer than yours so I didn't expect it to be anyway.  By the way, since you are doing wiring, here's a tip.....run at least 6 gauge wire for your trolling motor.  That should be good for a variety of sizes in thrust, at least 55 for sure, that's what mine is and it was recommended to use 6 gauge, which I did, and I've had no problems at all with blown fuses or tripped circuit breakers since (I use a 50 amp circuit breaker on mine).  Before I redid my boat, I had 10 gauge wire and a 36 pound thrust motor and I blew 30 amp fuses all the time cause the wire would get too hot.  


fishing user avatarcart7t reply : 
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You want it to reflect sunlight. If it absorbs sunlight, its going to get hot. If it reflects sunlight, it will stay cooler.

Try this, put on a black t-shirt and stand in the sun for 10 minutes. Now do the same thing with a white t-shirt. Tell me which is more comfortable, and why you think its any different with your boat.

Because he's not wearing the the black bedliner. It will be hot to the touch in the sun but so would white. Sand at the beach gets hot, doesn't it? It won't make much of a difference sitting on the seats in it. I have two SUV's. One with black leather and one with light tan leather. There's no difference in inside temperature when they sit in the summer sun. Give the guy a break. He got a great deal on a nice boat.

I've fished in enough black carpeted bass boats to know that there is a big difference. Not ripping the guy, just pointing out a mistake that could be easily corrected.

It doesn't even have to be black.  I switched my carpet from charcoal grey to silver (light grey).

Man!  What a difference.  That boat is going to be like fishing on a griddle top in the summer.


fishing user avatarsmokepole reply : 

Well at this point I think we all know that the black will draw heat. The inside of my boat is sprayed with bed liner and the boat is OD green and I cant tell that much different if any from my buddy's red and white stratos.  With that being said I think the boat is going to serve his purpose. Keep us posted.


fishing user avatarfishfordollars reply : 

Go with what ever floats your boat. You are the one that will be using it, so go with your gut feeling, congratulations, and enjoy.

Jack


fishing user avatarntizda reply : 

nice boat! this makes me want to get a clunker and fix it up ;)


fishing user avatarThe Rooster reply : 

I had the same thought and I already own a nice boat.  Thought it would be a nice fun project to get one and renovate it out and try to resell it again.  I enjoyed redoing mine so much when I did it.


fishing user avatarskunked_again reply : 
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I had the same thought and I already own a nice boat. Thought it would be a nice fun project to get one and renovate it out and try to resell it again. I enjoyed redoing mine so much when I did it.

if you could recoup your expenses i think refurbishing old boats for a pass time would i great hobby.


fishing user avatarcart7t reply : 
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I had the same thought and I already own a nice boat. Thought it would be a nice fun project to get one and renovate it out and try to resell it again. I enjoyed redoing mine so much when I did it.

if you could recoup your expenses i think refurbishing old boats for a pass time would i great hobby.

A hobby would be about the best you could describe it.

You'd never recoup your expenses if you redid the boat right, at least right enough so somebody would pay $1500 for one like this Starcraft which is about the best price you would ever see.

Even 80's V-hulls cheap enough (under a $1000) will probably need more materials and man hours than they'd be worth.

If you had the skills and shop, you could turn a late model boat boat that had been damaged in an accident to the point the insurance company totaled it. You'd have to be able to get the materials wholesale though to make it work.


fishing user avatarThe Rooster reply : 

On something like this the profit would have to be purely based on what you spent vs. what you made over and above that cash wise. If you counted your time invested as well then you'd go in the hole. The experience and enjoyment would have to be your payment for that, that's how I'd see it anyway.

As an example, I have a friend who just recently bought an old boat (not sure of the year), it's basically a jon boat, modified V-hull with flat bottom, about 16 feet long. Someone had built up decks in the thing even with the side rails and it was extremely unstable to stand in. The wood was all rotten, carpet was nasty and the whole boat was just basically a floating garbage dump, except for the pretty nice looking motor hanging off the back of it. He took everything out of it down to the aluminum hull only, and stripped off 4 layers of paint at least, then buffed the shiny unpainted aluminum hull till it gleamed like new chrome and then left it that way as the finish (aiming at making it look similar to the Tracker boats). Afterwards he proceeded to replace all the wooded decks and flooring again, but this time he built them lower down across the tops of the seats. It's a lot more stable now, though based on it's hull design, it's still only moderately stable to stand in. He put all new carpet in it, new wiring, new seats, and then just reused the old trolling motor, which wasn't all that old, it was a Minn Kota All Terrain 40 lb. thrust. It also has a fairly new (mid 90's) 25 HP Mercury outboard that is ignition started and has a steering console, not a tiller control. And he put a stainless prop on the motor as well (not necessary but he wanted it).

He did a lot of other minute inexpensive things to it as well, and a few that weren't that cheap either such as a new livewell with plumbing and all that was never there before, but the long and the short of it is he ended up with a brand new looking boat, professional quality looks and build, and only has $1800 in it counting purchase price. I'm not sure what he could sell it for but I'd think it would bring at least $2500 to even $3000 based on how nice it seems to be. He has a lot of time in it to get it looking like it does. He'd probably break even on time invested plus parts and purchase if he sold it for $3000, but he'd still be $1200 ahead cash wise no matter how you sliced it. He got a lot of stuff for it off ebay which helped cost wise I'm sure.

Now he doesn't want to sell it but the way it looks he could easily sell it in a minute. We talked about getting into doing this just for fun cause that's the kind of thing we enjoy doing, and whatever money we made over the cost of purchase and remodeling would just be profit we didn't have before we started.

Man this turned into a long post!!! ;D


fishing user avatarclipper reply : 

Did you make sure the transom was sound?  You should be able to stand on the foot of the motor without the transom moving.


fishing user avatarlooking4structure reply : 

What a great deal you got.Keep the pictures posted.I enjoy seeing works in progress.


fishing user avatarnightmid reply : 

well i got the new floors and carpet in and the seats are mounted will post pics this weekend




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