Well, here she is boys.  Picked up this gem from a guy about a mile down the road.  I drive by his house, and saw it everyday in his backyard.  Finally just stopped yesterday and asked him if he was interested in selling it.  He said he hadn't really thought about it, but sure, he'd sell it.  Picked it up for $200.  It's a 1985 Gamefisher 11'.  Will be perfect for me and the ponds/small lakes i fish.  Going to put decks and new seats on it, with a foot control trolling motor and my eagle fishfinder up front.  

And the Boat Monkey rears its ugly head! Wait till you see how LBH did his boat (which is very similiar to yours, just a good bit older). Youll want to paint after seeing his, thats for sure.

i've seen his around quite a bit ;D...already got the boat half sanded, ready for new paint.  Going to do the truck bed liner on the bottom, and the rest yellow.  possibly a white stripe.  carpet on the inside will be gray.

Sounds like that will be a pretty sweet boat, but you better hurry our Nebraska weather is starting to show its ugly head.

Make sure to show us what it looks like when your done!!!

You're gonna paint it husker red right..?

just like LBH's....It never ceases to amaze me.  Husker fans are just all over..

ha ha, nope, not husker red, although i'm a huge husker fan!  It's going to be yellow.

WAIT!!!!

The one thing I regret about my boat was the bed liner bottom!

A. added lots of weight

B. Didn't last at all. Peeled in many places.

C. Added TONS of drag on the boat. Much slower speeds out of T/M.

D. I suggest doing it on the INSIDE as a sealer if anything. IF anything.

JMO and experiences. I used a herculiner kit.

Also. Be careful decking it. I have done a few 12's with the decks ON TOP of the bench seats. It's like standing on a roller skate on ice. Careful.

The current 12 I have has been by far the best set-up for us as far as efficiency of space, stability, fish fightabillity,etc and that's an extra wide, extra deep, extra stable jon boat.

HERE is the original link to my project if you'd like to reference materials, etc.

TAKE PICTURES ALONG THE WAY (to help others who attempt projects later)

Can't wait to see her come along!

thats pretty cool ive had the same project its so much fun

Ok LBH...I didn't see your post before i started, but i took the boat out to the pond yesterday for the first time, before i started doing any decking or anything like that.  I just had to see how it sat in the water and such, so that i would have a better idea on exactly what i want to do.

Dang, you were right, i pushed her out, and immediately i was rocking back and forth, fighting to stay IN the boat.  Very very unstable.  After about an hour i had the courage to try and stand up to fish.  It took me a while but i finally got my "sea legs" and was able to stand to fish.

Now, later on in the morning, my buddy showed up to fish a little with me.  I went to shore and let him get in.  As soon as he sat down, BANG, that little boat was stable as all get out.  Just the added weight helped soooo much.  In fact, it was stable enough that i was able to stand ON the bench to fish.

So, now the plan is to put in a plywood floor right on the floor of the boat.  Cover everything in carpet, floor, benches, etc.  Then get some nice seats and bolt those to the Top of the benches, making sure they are perfectly centered.  Then put a small platform on the very front to mount a bow mount foot control trolling motor to.  I had thought about placing a couple sand bags in the rear of the boat, only when i go fishing by myself.  The added weight should help to keep it stable, like a second person would.

About the bed liner.  I cheaped out and used the Duplicolor Spray on bedliner on the bottom.  Added very little weight, and held up good through the first outing.  I have started to paint the outside, but wanted to get the boat out so i still need to finish it and then do the inside. Was originally going to put a white stripe down the side, but i think i'll just paint it all yellow instead, and get some vinyl stripes to add a little pizaz to it.

Here is a couple pics of it so far...the crud on the bottom is just mud, the liner has not chipped or peeled anywhere after 5 hours in the water and dragging it across the ground.

Boats Looking Good BassMan!!!

I've converted numerous aluminum Jon boats into bass boats and one thing I would not do is build the decks out of plywood, it adds to much weight especially on ones that small. What you need to do is build the decks out of aluminum and have them welded in and the carpet them. For the bottom paint it with fiberglass resin this will help reduce drag in the water.

nice looking boat.

Like i said, i have decided not to put decks in this boat.  It is just too small and unstable to be standing up that high.  I will feel much safer standing in the bottom of the boat.  If i get the urge i can stand on the bench if need be.

Jason

Stern corners are a big concern with that size boat. If you happen to put weight on 1 corner, it submarines and the boat is under. Been there, done it. Twice. Be sure to keep weight "centered" in the boat.

LOOKS GREAT!!

Might I suggest, for $50, to have boat lettering done for the side instead of just stripes. really personalizes the craft and makes it look a step above.