I really like the renovation Fishbear is doing to his 1988 14ft., 44 in. wide Fisher,. I'm looking for a boat for bass fishing. I am considering a prota boat, but this Jon boat renovation looks like it might be a better deal.

In the Jon boat world, what width makes for a stable 14' boat when you put in raised fishing platforms? Is their a brand of boat that makes for a better renovation?

The pictures Fishbear posted are very helpful, but are their plans or books out their describing different possiblilites for these types of conversions?

Black Bass,

If you do a search on the site here for jon boat builds, you will find a wealth of knowledge.  Also, google jon boat modifications, or custom jon boats, you will get some real good links.  Basically, I looked at all the pictures I could find, talked to the guys on here, and designed my boat deck and supports, myself.  Then a buddy and I built it, leaving room for adjustments on the design along the way.

THIS is another option.

The stability comes mainly from width and depth.  The older boats like mine and fishbears are generally stabler than the newer models.  They were built deeper and wider in shorter models.  For example, the avg 12' is 36" wide (the narrowest model today)  Back when mine was made, 40" was the narrowest model.

An entire platform is not always needed, like with my boat.  If I fished alone often I would deck the front 1/2 of my boat but I always fish with a buddy ,kid or chick so keeping a 2 seat set-up is key for me.  There is no "better" seat in my boat.

I have a question. I have a older probably a 70 model v bottom jon bottom and I am looking to do a bass boat mod on it and I was wondering if it would be safe to remove the middle seat and add two 6 ft storage compartment on the sides of the boat. What do yall think? Its a 14 footer

OK to remove bench but you must make up for it with bracing to replace the structural integrity.  Torsional twist can tweak an aluminum boat.

When you build your compartments, make sure the framing goes completely from one side to the other to replace the bracing that the bench once supplied.

Blackbass i will give you my take and story on this one.I too looked for a smaller jon to use as a bass boat,i went with a war eagle 1436 with a low front deck and .080 gauge welded aluminum and placed a 15 merc on it.Was good if you stayed lowwww,rocked side to side too much.Sold that one for 3000 less than paid in one year so -3000.00.Bought a weld-craft 1544 bassboat with a yammie 40,boat did not lean near as bad but with the weight of the engine and batteries and gas tank sat down in the back(bad weight dispursement)sold and lost another 3000.00-6000.00 in hole now.Went and bought a xpress sv17 with a 50 yammie 17'56" wide is very stable, open, handles water well,wish i had bought this to begin with and saved the 6000.00 lost in the other two.So where does this go :-?,in my opinion do not buy anything with less than a 48" width bottom so you can comfortably walk around in and not bump into one another and prefer a solid floor, yes it will cost more up front but better than selling like i did and lose each time... 8-)

maybe yall can tell me some good ideas right now I am looking to deck the front part and the back and if at all possibal remove the middle seat and add two 6 ft storage compartments on each side one for fishing rod storage and the other for my or and life vest and different things you tend to accumulate in a fishing boat and on the fornt I want to mont a bow mont foot ran trolling motor. Somewhere on the front I am going to install a live well. What do yall think

Can you post a picture on here if so maybe that would give yall a better idea what I am talking about.

Yes Dave there is a tutorial in the forum FAQ's explaining how to post pics.  Very easy, step by step instructions with pictures.