17 ft custom jon boat

Hey I'm new to the site and hope this is the right place for this type of post. But anyways I've been considering building a custom 17 ft jon boat with a slight vee in it, about 48" wide. I'll probably just have a standard bench in the back and deck in the front. It'll probably be all welded and I am looking to put a 36 hp ProDrive on it. Just curious if anyone has a rough estimate of the amount of hours and money it would take to tackle this project. Also any thoughts on building your own trailer, or would I be better off just buying one?

 

How goes it Jade?

Time required to build a boat depends so much on your familiarity with it that it's hard to reply to this. First one could take you six months, second one six days.

 

Welcome to the forum.

In both cases, building is far more costly then buying (boat and trailer). A trailer is a relatively cheap thing. A run down trailer for a few hundred bucks, some new lights, maybe a roller or two and boom you're done.

The same is true of a boat. With the market chocked full of used boats right now, deals are everywhere, so look around. You're describing a "garvey" style of hull, so focus on this. It's quite common to find these in aluminum, though occasionally you'll see plywood or 'glass versions too. Steel is too heavy for small boats.

If you insist on building, have a look at the designs at Glen-L.com and Bateau.com. You'll be much more likely to succeed, if you start with plans that have the appropriate engineering. After all, it's nice to float right side up come launch day.

As far as pricing, well this is dependent on where you live, how you'll acquire materials, etc. It can be all over the place, but generally a novice builder will spend twice as much, as an experienced builder, in both time and materials.

 

it is a false economy to build your own boat, especially if it is a fairly common type. You built it yourself because you enjoy the task of building, or because you want something you can not buy. I like to experiment with different ideas, mostly I build small boats with salvaged building materials to try out an idea. I do not expect them to last more than a few seasons, they either get given away, or dismantled (to use the parts on the next project) and burned.

If you just want a boat to get you out on the water to go fishing, find a used one and go enjoy it. You might save some money by getting a fixer, but be careful, the cost of a renovation could be more than buying a really nice used boat.