So I'm finally doin' it.  I've been kayak fishing for the last few years and I've come to the point we're I'm gunna step it up to a 12 foot jon.  I've been combing craigslist for the last few weeks and I just came across a guy who is getting rid of a bunch of v-hulls and jons.  I told him to save me a 12 with carpet and to seat mounts and tomorrow I'm gunna go take a look and as long as it is what he says it is give him a deposit and pick it up once I get a hold of my buddies truck to pick it up.  So naturally I'm here to ask you knowledgeable BRers about basically everything I plan to do with the boat before I do it.  I'll be purchasing the seats, trolling motor and battery all over the next two weeks as well as begin customizing the boat to what I have pictured in my head, so here are my initial questions:

How many lbs thrust trolling motor should I purchase for a 12 foot that will usually be carrying 2 people? (It'll be a Minn Kota)

As far as batteries go, what brands and how much power should it have to match that motor?

Is it necessary to have a separate battery for the fish finder or will one do the trick?

Is a 12 foot large enough to built a small deck on and have it remain safely stable?  I plan to build one from bow to the front of the first bench seat.  

That's all I got so far, I'll post some pics as soon as the boat is in my driveway.

Thanks,

Big Phish

Good luck and post us some pics.

I tried running my x96 on my trolling motor motor battery and it did not work out. It seems that although the sonar draws very few amps, the trolling motor draws a lot and running the the trolling motor for 5 or 10 minutes would temporarily draw the battery voltage down to the point where the sonar would shut down. After I wired the sonar to the starting battery I had no more problems with it.YMMV.

you will more than likely have tons of interference every time you kick the TM on.

12" is rather small if you are going to fish two people most of the time. Ask him if he has a 14 footer.

you're wasting your time with a 12 foot boat imo. Even my 16.5 foot boat seems cramped to me sometimes but me and my friends are all big guys. I guess it depends how tall you are, how much you weigh, and if you have any conditions like back trouble, etc.. I wouldnt even think of touching anything less then 14 unless you're fishing alone in small lakes and ponds. Keep lookin on craigslist and you will find some very cheap 14 , 15 and 16 foot boats with seats, trolling motor and a 9.9 hp motor already usually for right around 1200 bux or so. Also dont deck out the whole boat with casting areas. My boat is done like that and I hate it personally. It's nice to have some room lower down beneath the casting decks imo. All you need for trolling is a 36 lb thrust or just get two 55 lb thrust and forget about a gas motor. A 55 lb trolling motor will move a 14 foot jon boat in a hurry. Oh and stay away from a flat bottom, the ski boat wakes will throw you right out of the boat in no time. My advice is , get a 14-16 foot deep v boat with a small gas motor and one 36 lb trolling motor

It's funny you guys are talking about a 12 being to small.  Before I got to go check it out he sold the last 12 to someone, but now has a 14 foot with a live well that he will give me for just 50 bucks more.  I gave him a deposit and I'm gunna go back thursday to pick it up.