My Small Boat Rigging

In any case, there is a certain sense of satisfaction when you rig your own boat, more if you are the type of person who enjoys "projects". I am not one of those. I did it because I pushed the envelope financially and had to do what I could myself. I was satisfied when I finished, but not so much that I wouldn't rather somebody else do it. But without further commentary on the joys and pitfalls of small boat rigging, below are pictures and info on what I did to mine.  The whole package, boat, motor and trailer were purchase separately at Acdemy Sports. All other elements were purchased there and other places. Be ready to do some research and not expect store clerks to be able to answer all of your questions.

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If you power up your boat with a gas motor, get the newest one you can afford. I've owned some old motors and while I was glad to have them, I spent countless hours working on them. After my last boat that sported a  1987, 200 hp Mercury, I could have been a certified antique motor technician by the time I sold it. Lots of time, money and high blood pressure working on it. Don't get me wrong. I would rather have an old one than none at all, but the newest you can get will spare you some time, work and money. My motor on this small Alumacraft boat is a 15 hp. Mercury 4 stroke tiller motor with manual start. The motor can be converted to elecrtric start. It has a hole in the housing and mounting brackets on the motor for the conversion should I decide to spent a few hundred bucks and do it.

The other Humminbird (565) is on the bow seat with the transducer mounted to the trolling motor for fine tuning locations while fishing. NOTE: When you buy more than one fish finder, get the same type that will work from the same transducers. In case one goes bad, the other can replace it in a pinch.

I have batteries and anchors both fore and aft in my boat tucked up next to the bow and stern seats. One battery provides power for my rear fish finder and auxiliary power for anything I might want to hook up to it. It also serves as a backup batter for the trolling motor. I almost always have both anchors on board. Any time I leave one at home thinking I won't need it.......you guessed it. These are big 20 lb anchors that will hold the boat securely under most circumstances including anchored in the Arkansas river. They also help me to stay still in shallow water where nothing is available to tie off to.

The picture below shows my one mounted seat on the boat. I chose to put just one on to save some maneuvering room. When rigging a small boat,there just is no such thing as a perfect seat. This one is no exception. I mounted it to be able to have an elevated position for both still fishing comfort as well as for moving along with my trolling motor, bass fishing. It is what it is.  I have to stumble around it to get from from one end of the boat to the other. It does not go lower t(only higher) han shown for more stability in rough water. People can't sit in it when I'm running the gas motor. But it's the best all around choice for what I do, and how I fish. You'll notice I didn't put a deck on this boat. The reason is that in a boat this size and weight, I generally consider them to be generally unsafe, with centers of gravity that beg people to fall off the boat. Now I know that from a seated position, a person can bass fish nicely from a makeshift deck on small jon boats, but with the variety of fishing that I do, I would spend more time pulling myself back in the boat than fishing. So, this is my mount, such as it is.

Below are a few miscellaneous items that fill out my small boat rigging. A paddle (don't ever go out in a small boat without one), net (for huge fish), a rod holder made from some pvc strapped to a piece of galvnized conduit (this is attached to the rib of the boat by a few strap ties so it is not permanent), and a fire extinquisher. An air horn, that completes my legal requirements is in the bilge area.

By now, in many of these pictures, you've noticed the bare plywood in the bottom of the boat. I don't mount any more permanent items in a small boat than I have to and that includes a floor. If you know you will have tto move around a lot in a jon boat, something flat to walk on is essential. But going to elaborat measures to permanently install a floor is not necessary. The two pieces of plywood in the floor of my boat are construction grade 3/4" plywood cut to fit across all but the last rib in each floor section I left the area between the last rib and seat uncovered so I could tuck in the batteries and a few other items without them sliding in either direction in the boat. And I did not attach the plywood to the ribs - just laid it in. Why? Do you ever drop small objects in a boat? Where do you think they will go? Correct - they will go right down under the plywood between the ribs. So if needed, I can just lift the plywood to retrieve objects if necessary. I expect the plywood to last an entire fishing season (about 6 months). When it deteriorates enough, I'll throw it away and get some new ones.

So, those are the basics of rigging a small boat in my world. I have it set up for how I fish, and for my preferences and comfort. But I'm sure you have some different ideas. Please feel free to let me know about your small boat rigging in the "Visitor Articles" section to the left. I'd like to see your boats and hear your ideas.

Here's to your good fishing ~ Mark Rogers