never had an electric boat. thinking of a winter project, was wondering if anyone put a battery motor on a 12' jon boat, and then built a little cabin on it? on person, maybe 2 once in a blue moon, for pottering about the pond or a day trip up to the mouth of the river. what am i missing, or is it just a "do it"? thanks (internet picture)
My dad had a 12' boat and a trolling motor. If we'd lived water adjacent he'd have had a cabin on it and we'd have seen him a lot less often. Go for it.
Electric trolling motor and battery, no problem. Cabin? Watch the gross weight capacity and distribution of such. A tent could be easily made for it and be light weight.
Know anyone with sewing skills? Your project sounds like a dodger might work. Might be a bit of a headache to bend up the frame, but I think if you mocked it up with cheap conduit to get the lengths and bends right, you could make it work. Could always build a hard dodger out of 1-by and sheet it in 1/16" FRP or similar. Mount to the gunnels with some clamps or screws. Remove and store when not needed. Never seen one on a jon boat, but doesn't mean it can't be done. Light enough for sure, and collapsable when not in use. One caution with electric- depending on the motor you choose, boat weight, current, wind, boat speed, etc, battery life can vary wildly. And you can't just stop at the local marina to top off. If you build this, include some sort of battery charge indicator and maybe have plans for a second/third battery depending on your trip plans. Running out of juice is no fun. Here's your first step down the rabbit hole...LINK. G
omg; thanks - i think! i snooped around youtube and i guess there's a severe following so definitely have some research ahead.
I've used 1/2" copper plumbing tubing with fittings for some projects. Not the super cheap way to do it and you have to live with 45s and 90s instead of curved lines, but it has worked for me. Used scraps to make a flagpole holder for the house yesterday. You might post in the Boats thread for more specific experienced answers. https://advrider.com/f/threads/all-...skiffs-dinghies.806993/page-490#post-40372490
I modified a 14' Jon last year for my fishing boat. You can strip out the benches and reconfigure however you want. I've got a trolling motor and 2 deep cycle batteries. That's enough to put around on the lake pretty much all day.
