One day, I came across an old twelve foot Jon boat that a fella no longer wanted. It would be just perfect on our small lake as we allow no gasoline motors of any kind. Our lake water is spring and stream fed and is crystal clear. Over twenty years ago we stocked the lake with large mouth bass, bass fingerlings and some crappies. Nice sized Blue gills and perch can also be found. Our property fronts directly on the lake, in a small pine grove area, where we keep a picnic table and benches, a small shed for the grand kids water toys and a nice fire ring for picnics and camp outs. I made a very small grassy area for the kids to enter the water and play and a place to also beach a rowboat.
The Jon boat is an all aluminum shallow boat that is very light and easy to handle in and out of the water by one person. It uses standard five foot wood oars and oar locks. It came to me painted dark green and remained that way for a good many years. The only thing we had to do each year was put it in and out of the water each spring and fall. This past winter some kids got at it and broke the oars and spray painted graffiti on the boat itself. I did manage to find the two anchors I had, one of which was hand built by father in law It looked like a real naval anchor and truly was a bit too heavy but his heart was in the right place. I decided it was time to redo the boat so I hauled it to the house garage and got started.
I first stripped all remnants of the old ropes tied to the boat and the wood seats. The wood seats were badly aged and had cracked beyond repair. Starting with a painters knife I scraped every inch of the boat and removed the exposed caulking at all the seams. Very time consuming but if I wanted the new paint to stick it needed to be done. Once this process was finished I scrubbed the boat to remove any left over oils and other things that might foul the paint as well. Next I used a Wagner power stripper and ran that over the entire outside of the boat. I also had to use hand sanding in many of the tight places where the sander head would not fit. The power stripper removed all the dead paint and did a pretty nice job of providing a smooth finish.
Nest came the rub down with tack cloths and a good shop vacuum to remove all traces of paint dust. Once all the dust is removed you may apply a good coat of primer. Make sure it is as even a coat as you can make it. If you are using spray cans, buy a spray can handle. Your fingers will not be able to depress the button long enough and as your hands tire, the paint layers get thinner and more uneven. Apply a good coat over the entire boat inside and out. The primer will expose and surface damages to the metal below as well as any holes in the metal shell which need to be patched. Runs in the paint or primer will be easy to see and although it will not effect the boats use, the final appearance will be effected. Now is the time to sand these defects out and re-prime those areas.
Next check the shell or hull of your boat for any pin holes, severe dents or seam separations. Aluminum boats get dented and marked very easily from striking underwater docks, piers or rocks. You must attend to these before any final paint is applied. Pin holes may be patched with numerous products such as Aluma-weld which is a two part epoxy that when kneaded between your fingers becomes hot to the touch. Place the material in the holes as neatly and smoothly as possible. This material once dried is very hard to sand so neatness now will save you time and effort later on.
Over the years, I have had the mis-fortune of people when using the boat, of losing the drain plug. This time using some S-hooks and chain, I wrapped one S hook around the new plug stem and hooked the other in a hole I drilled in a rear support bracket. The plugs are only about at our local big box sporting goods store but it is 15 miles away. Not real convenient when the boat is leaking. Once the chain is attached, the plug will just hang out in the back of the boat but cannot be lost.
I made two new seats from regular #2 common pine boards. Although not the best wood to use around water I picked the pine firstly because it has no chemical treatments that might harm the fish in our lake. Replacing the seats every five years or so I thought was well worth the little extra effort. I* cut and fit the boards, pre-drilled the six mounting holes in each one and then countersunk each screw hole as well to keep the screw heads below the woods surface. I ran a round over bit on the edges with my router to reduce the chance of any splinters. My wife then put three coats of clear urethane on each seat. They look great and will last a good long time. I secured each board with six #8 stainless drywall screws.
I bought forty feet of 3/8* inch poly rope to secure the anchors. One anchor is a small can filled with cement and the one other one I mentioned before that my father in law made for me. I split the rope into two twenty foot pieces and tied one to each end of the boat and each anchor. Although the lake is only fifteen or so feet deep, the extra rope is simply tied in a loop to take up the slack or you can drift around a little when anchored. The poly rope will last for years if removed in the winter and placed in a dry shed for storage.
Although we live in a pretty quiet and secluded area with little foot traffic in the lake area, we cannot see the lake in summer from the house. Over the past thirty years we have had only two cases of vandalism and they were both kids. One time they set the boat adrift which resulted in our having to walk to the end of the lake and rowing the boat back and the other instance they took one oar. Never found it either. Either they needed one oar or thought we would find it but that was not the case. I purchased a light chain and padlock and now we secure the boat at night. The oars are brought to the house for safekeeping.
After completing all the painting, seats and so on, I bought a tube of high quality silicone sealer and applied a bead to all the exterior panel joints. The silicone dries clear and of course most tof he boat is underwater anyway.
My total expense to rehab this Jon boat was dollars for paint,rope and a tube of silicone. I did have the screws and sandpaper so you could add another maybe for those. My kids are waiting to once again see their Mom row in circles in the lake. She never quite got used to the rowing ina straight line rhythm thing. It will be my grand kids who love to fish from the shore first trip on the water. I of course have safety vests for them and they are ready to go. So am I.
Pete
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