ChefMick Posted December 7, 2012 Report Share Posted December 7, 2012 Hi everyone need some help! I have a 14' seanymph, an old 25lb. aft troll, and just put on a 2012 Tohatsu 20 hs. shortshaft. Now here is my dilema.... I was going to sell the boat, trailer, extra swivel seats, troller, new motor for $5500 CDN. (the motor alone was $5200.) and then pick up a used bass boat in the states But then a buddy of mine sais "well you've got a sweet new engine, why not put casting decks on". So I want to put a casting deck on the front bench with a bow mount troll, cut the middle bench for a live well, and put a rear casting 1/2 deck on the back bench, with a walk deck on the left side. Problem is with all of the extra weight added will I still be able to fish with wife and 2 kids? And if so does anyone have experience decking a tinner?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smerchly Posted December 7, 2012 Report Share Posted December 7, 2012 I think the light 14' alum.boat may be unstable standing on a raised deck as the center of gravity may be too high . Maybe try putting a piece of heavy plywood over the seat and test for stability . I have seen tinners with a small deck piece made from heavy aluminum over plywood to accommodate a trolling motor . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slevin Posted December 7, 2012 Report Share Posted December 7, 2012 I would sell the boat and buy what u need and want . Smerchly is right about the unstable part, anything can be rigged BUT is it SAFE??????????? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rickyy33 Posted December 7, 2012 Report Share Posted December 7, 2012 My 12' is more than stable to stand up in I usually stand on the benches with no issues. The problem is with putting a deck on is the weight, it's going to make a huge difference in speed and plane, my opinion not worth it, for 5 g's u can buy a sweet setup that will have everything you want. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chasin_musky Posted December 7, 2012 Report Share Posted December 7, 2012 It is done very often. As for cutting the sets you will be rruining the frame of the boat. Those seats generally are a part of the structure. For the money you would spend on two decks and all that would be hefty. May as well try and sell it and get another boat. As for a bass boat don't just sell yourself on one. You are surrounded by the great lakes and you are limited to what you can fish for and what you can get out in. Bass boats are great for going fast and bass fishing in places that aren't to choppy but standing on the deck in chop is a pain in the ass. I would probably look at something that has a deep v and higher walls. Lund have killer boats but not the cheapest. You can find something though that has a casting deck and will handle a good chop still be comfortable. Plus that way you can fish Salmon which is right down the road for you to launch into. If you do plan on fixing a deck into the tinner Justin Hoffman wrote a real good article on how to do it properly. He writes for Ontario Out of Doors. I will see if I can get the link from him or I have the magazine still if you wanted that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChefMick Posted December 7, 2012 Author Report Share Posted December 7, 2012 Chasin, I agree with you...I just say bass boat cause of the casting decks.. I dont mean a skeeter type boat you can rocket in 5" of water. More like this. http://grandrapids.craigslist.org/boa/3404092505.html How ever I will hate to lose the Tohatsu its a sweet 4 stroke and super quiet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GREYHAWK Posted December 8, 2012 Report Share Posted December 8, 2012 Sell the tinny and Tohotsu and buy the Lund!!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrendanMitchell Posted December 8, 2012 Report Share Posted December 8, 2012 I put a casting deck on my old Starcraft with smashin em from the forum used light lumber it was awesome made the boat 10x more stable in chop cost me next to nothing and still kicking today! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lund-SS Posted December 8, 2012 Report Share Posted December 8, 2012 Don't use pressure treated wood its bad for aluminum. As far as buying a bigger boat I guess that would depend on your intentions , a 14' tinner with a 20hp is in a whole different league than a proV with a 100hp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
canadadude Posted December 8, 2012 Report Share Posted December 8, 2012 Don't start cutting the boat, you'll loose the integrity and strength of the boat, that being said there is nothing wrong with building a casting platform and a mount for an electric, you may not end with a 20' lund but you can end up with a decent fisher for the lower niagara, trust me lots of 12-16 foot tinners with 15-20 hp motors do just fine fishing the lower, unless you need to go up to Devils hole and the power plant drifts you will be fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishkid Posted December 10, 2012 Report Share Posted December 10, 2012 Boat decisions are best left up to you. With that said, putting a deck on a tinner has it's pros and cons. You will add weight but it won't be so significant that it will sink the boat or slow it down too much. My cousin put a deck on his 14ft princecraft with a 9.9 and it works great. Although, it will really limit the space more then you think. Having 4 people on the boat will make it feel much smaller with a deck on it. Stability in my opinion is a non-issue. It's the same as standing on the seat, the only difference being that you won't have a choice to stand on the floor if it gets choppy. Buying a bigger boat is another option, but you need to make sure you won't regret the extra costs after it's bought. If the tinny costs you $30 to tow it and fish for the day, a bass boat will cost $100. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iHasFish Posted November 9, 2013 Report Share Posted November 9, 2013 I stumbled onto this thread while searching to do the same thing. I'm curious what you ended up doing chef? im looking to buy a crappy tinner after the winter and do the same thing and I'd love to see an example. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rickyy33 Posted November 9, 2013 Report Share Posted November 9, 2013 I'm selling my tinner, it's just a 12' tho. Let me now if ur interested Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lundtastic Posted November 9, 2013 Report Share Posted November 9, 2013 Stick with plan A, I would wonder about the bass boat. It may not be large enough for U and the fam. A used lund predator has a huge bow casting deck. Problem with a Lund is they hold their value. So new may be a better option....so many opinions with so little time. If you are buying new wait till late Nov or Dec the deals will be better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bass2mouth Posted November 10, 2013 Report Share Posted November 10, 2013 Sell the tinny and Tohotsu and buy the Lund!!!!!! Agree Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChefMick Posted November 10, 2013 Author Report Share Posted November 10, 2013 WOW this is an old thread I sold the tinny 3 weeks ago and bought a bass boat. Never ended up putting decks on the tinner, so sorry no examples Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChefMick Posted November 10, 2013 Author Report Share Posted November 10, 2013 Sell the tinny and Tohotsu and buy the Lund!!!!!! 2 kids, 2 cars and a mortgage......a Lund is going to be a few years away.....hopefully before daddy has tuition bills lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noahterfry Posted November 10, 2013 Report Share Posted November 10, 2013 Im going to be doing this as well to my small 12 footer aluminum this winter for next summer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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