# 14' Johnson rebuild !!!



## Izzy11 (Dec 23, 2011)

Hay guys... Well I needed a new micro skiff to get me out on Tampa bay more often so I went with an old Johnson skiff. 

Can't wait to get started on the build 

My plans are as follows...

I'm gonna gut it and install a back and front deck. The front deck will be rounded and extend past the sides of the bow.
The front deck will also have two levels. The top level will be dry storage and the bottom will be wet storage for a anchor, life vest and so on..
I'm also gonna put in a bait well but haven't really worked out the location yet? 

It's gonna be a great project and I've already started on the bow.
My materials I've purchased are as follows..
Two 4x8 sheets of 3/4 nidacore, 6 gal of boatyard resin, and I think 8 yards of 1708 fiberglass. In all so far I've spent about 350 in materials but you know how that goes 

Heres some pics of her and I hope you guys enjoy watching me bring her back to life... And dont be shy .. I love constructive criticism ! Thanks in advance
































These are the front,front lower, and rear deck... You will notice one of the decks looks like Frankenstein... That's the lower front inside deck. I used scrap glass on it.


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## mhinkle90 (Feb 24, 2011)

These skiffs are pretty bad ass. I owned one last year which I bought from another forum member and ended up selling to another forum member. Ant (SaltyGuy94) and his dad rebuilt the johnsen skiff and actually did a thread on here: http://www.microskiff.com/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1272209538 . I loved the boat and how it fished. What motor do you plan on putting on her?


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## Izzy11 (Dec 23, 2011)

Thanks... For the motor I was thinking a 20 hp? Not sure.. Oh and I prefer 4 strokes but I'm not sure if the hull can handle it . Maybe I'll put my 4 stroke 15 hp yamaha. It's a great motor.


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## cutrunner (Jun 8, 2010)

Gonna need more than 8 yeards of glass


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## mhinkle90 (Feb 24, 2011)

I ran a 25 hp 2 smoke on it when I had it. Ran good just didn't have the best hole shot. IDK if I would go with anything lower than a 20 hp especially when your adding weight such as decks and false floors. Preferably I'd throw a 30 on there but the CG rating is for 25


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## Izzy11 (Dec 23, 2011)

Yeah... I'm gonna need more materials for sure LOL ....

And about the motor... I really think a 4 stroke 20 would get the job done.  The 4 strokes seem to have great low end torque.  I just want to try to keep the weight down for runnin shallow...

Also.. What do you guys think about a jack plate? And set back?


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## PG350 (Jan 19, 2012)

How stable do you think the boat is going to be when standing on the upper deck? The hull looks similar to the Wenzel Skiff I just bought and after water testing it I have decided against adding decks. Boat will not flip but was a little tippy. My boat is very light. Does weight help with stability?


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## gflinders (Dec 16, 2008)

Hey man, glad you got a nice boat, that will be nice. Excited to see what you do with it.


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## mhinkle90 (Feb 24, 2011)

@pg350
from experience with a johnsen that had decks, it wasn't tippy. of course it all depends on the design but i could pole and have someone on a casting platform no problem and not a bit tippy.

@Gator
4 stroke with low end torque? I might b thinking wrong but usually 2 strokes are the ones with the low end torque that allow a better whole shot.


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## [email protected] (Aug 15, 2010)

great little boat and a lot of fun. as far as it being tippy I wouldnt put it in the gheenoe highsider or 12 fott jon boat class but it still is fairly tippy. BUT its not bad and as long as you are somewhat coordinated you shouldnt have a problem.

Just dont put a 30" casting platform on it. The higher the casting platform the higher the CG on the front deck and then your going for a swim.


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## Izzy11 (Dec 23, 2011)

Well I'm not really sure about the stability but just judging by the design I'm not really to concerned to much...

As for 4 stoke verse 2 stroke... The 4s have more low end power for sure....
My buddy has a twenty two banger on his gheenoe classic and I have a fifteen four banger on my classic... Well we've tested them and found that my classic has a better hole shot while his is much faster over all...

Thanks gfinders ;D. I'm happy with the boat


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## Creek Runner (Sep 1, 2011)

> Well I'm not really sure about the stability but just judging by the design I'm not really to concerned to much...
> 
> *As for 4 stoke verse 2 stroke... The 4s have more low end power for sure*....
> My buddy has a twenty two banger on his gheenoe classic and I have a fifteen four banger on my classic... Well we've tested them and found that my classic has a better hole shot while his is much faster over all...
> ...


A 2 stroke has more power Hole shot, Midrange, and top end. And out of the three the hole shot is most considerable, they just wrap so much faster. Not saying yours doesn't beat your buddies but it's got to be an apple to an apple. I would say it's got more to do with the prop than yours being a 4s. Also remember things like gear ratio, and 2 vs 3 cyl, as well as displacement are major factors. But 2s vs 4s 2s wins every time with all things equal.


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## Izzy11 (Dec 23, 2011)

Here's a pic of the front deck.... Im gonna work from the bow to the stern rebuilding it.


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## jpeterson (Apr 17, 2011)

im almost done building my johnsen skiff, looks like we have dang near the same hull, good luck with the build. I went with a 20 hp 4 stroke and with two 200+ lbrs and full gear we were pushing 26 by gps


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## Izzy11 (Dec 23, 2011)

Awesome.... 

That is exactly what motor I was thinking ;D

Here's some pics of what I accomplished today !


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## PG350 (Jan 19, 2012)

Can't wait to see it finished.  Very similar boat to mine but I am only painting repairing then fishing, I wish I had your skills.  Keep up good work.  Need some work on choice of beer though, LOL.  Need to try Rogue Dead Guy Ale, best beer in world.  








pic of my boat today before first coat of paint. You can scroll through the flickr pics to see how similar the designs are


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## Izzy11 (Dec 23, 2011)

Thanks for the compliment ! Believe it or not I hadn't really done much with fixing up boats until the beginning of last summer "other than minor patch jobs" ..... And then I bought a 15'4" gheenoe and did some serious patch work and actually ended up doing my first interior gelcoat job... 

Well that began what seems to be an endless journey ;D

All you gotta do is find a wholesale fiberglass place and walk in with notebook and start learning... 

I like your wenzel.... She's a beaut!!!! Really a unique vintage boat . The sky is the limit for that boat... All it needs a little cosmetic work. If you wanna do the outside I would recommend the two part interlux bright side polyurethane. It's not cheap but is an easy application and has an unbelievable finish. 

As for the beer.... I'll have to give it a shot ;D.


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## Izzy11 (Dec 23, 2011)

Update.... . 

Well, I've got some of the fab work done and am getting ready for some hatch builds ;D.


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## TidewateR (Nov 11, 2009)

looking good! keep us posted


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## DavidIvey (Nov 26, 2011)

Cool build! Can't wait to see more pictures! 

How big is that front deck? Looks rather small, from what I can tell, to fish from.


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## Izzy11 (Dec 23, 2011)

Thanks guys! ......

The deck is about 4' x 4' pretty much... I think that it will get the job done fairly well. I'm trying to design this boat for fishing and pleasure boating which is kinda complicated for me. I'm hoping that this boat will be able to squeeze 3 or 4 people into it (Sometimes) .... 

I think that the major concern is weight distribution so I'm thinking ... Battery forward,gas in stern, dry storage in back, and wet and dry storage up front with a small built in 8 to 10 gallon bait well up in the front under the port side of the deck


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## [email protected] (Aug 15, 2010)

snagyoulaters 14 johnsen which he should have never sold kind of squated in the rear. When we would fish around bridges at night I would have to sit as far foward as possible to prevent the stern from taking on water from larger waves. If we both stood on the back deck the stern would literally be submerged. The boat just seemed stern heavy when sitting still in a wake. This was all with just a 25hp merc which only weighed 110lbs. Although it did squat it did pole great and did get shallow. 

IMO gas and battery up front in a dry storage compartment, then a mini livewell that extends off the front deck like the one Ashley from Dons Bait and Tackle 18 Terrapin skiff. If you look in the for sale section you can see his terrapin with this livewell. Or the back deck can have 2 hatches. 1 for dry storage and the other a livwell. 

Awesome to have a boat that you can essentially build from scratch and customize to your own needs. 

As for 3 or 4 people. My only comment is be careful and use your best judgement. With fuel, battery, livewell, possibly a poling platform, possibly a casting platform, possibly a trolling motor, and then 3 or 4 people thats a lot of weight on a small boat. I have an 17'10" East Cape Caimen and I would have to think hard before taking out 4 people. 

Anwyay, what motor are you going to put on it? That 30 hp Suzuki for sale in Orlando in the related items section would be perfect.


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## Izzy11 (Dec 23, 2011)

Hay snookin....

Man that 30 hp does look nice...

I'm not really sure what motor, I was thinkin a 20 four stroke, but I do wanna scoot ! 

As for the hull sittin low in the back at idle ,...... I'm a bit concerned . I really appreciate the info cause I don't know how these skiffs sit in the water. 
Im hopefull that this hull will be much more lite because I'm using nidacore for the rebuild. Did your buddy use plywood ? 
I also just wanna say that I don't plan on having more than two people in this boat other than when I go cruising up the rivers or other very rare occasions. 

Thanks for the info.


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## mhinkle90 (Feb 24, 2011)

Snookin is right,

The boat I had did squat and plywood was used but it squatted considerably. With these boats stay as lite as possible. I regret selling that bad boy bc it was a neat little skiff.


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## Izzy11 (Dec 23, 2011)

> Snookin is right,
> 
> The boat I had did squat and plywood was used but it squatted considerably. With these boats stay as lite as possible. I regret selling that bad boy bc it was a neat little skiff.


Would you mind telling me your layout on that boat ... Like the position of your gas tank, battery.. And do you think the plywood added a lot of weight ? Nidacore is really really lite.. 

Was your boat a bigger hull or was it the same exact hull as mine? Thanks


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## [email protected]gmail.com (Aug 15, 2010)

Snagyoulater actually bought it from saltyguy (anthony). Anthony is the one who did the rebuild so if you have any questions about materials and work on the boat he would be the one to ask. 

Anyway I believe he had the same hull as yours. A 14' Johnsen is what the title said. The fuel tank was under the front deck. Under the front 2/3's of deck was a dry storage compartment, under the back 1/3 of deck was left exposed and where the fuel tank was located. I believe he arranged it this way so that he could have a plastic removable tank without installing a vent. So the weight of the tank was closer to middle of boat then very front. 

The battery was located in the bilge area (I would change this because whenever water would collect in bilge the battery would be underwater and it also added alot of weight to stern). The livewell was located on the rear deck on the port side. Dry storage compartment was located opposite of livewell on rear deck on the starboard side. 

In between livewell and dry storage was a deck but under the deck was exposed. A cooler actually fit pretty well in that area. 

I believe theres whole build thread of his johnsen around on this bragging section somewhere. 

Also, if you do want to scoot and do plan to occasionaly take out 3 or 4 people I would def recomennd atleast a 25 or 30 possibly even an older 40hp thats is light. The old Hatsu and Yami 40's were under 140lbs. 

Also, are you planning on adding trim tabs??


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## PG350 (Jan 19, 2012)

That boat should be able to handle 4 people with no problem as long as you are not driving crazy. I currently have a 13 Gheenoe and have went fishing with three grown men well over 200 pounds each, 3 gallons gas, cooler and 15hp 2 stroke. The boat had no problem hauling us to and from our fishing spots (over 2 miles). I am sure that boat can handle much more than a 13 ft Gheenoe.


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## [email protected] (Aug 15, 2010)

Being able to handle something and recomending or "should do" are different things. I have no doubt the Johnsen 14 can handle 4 people but its not something I would do often. I wouldnt take 4 people if weather conditions were not absolutley perfect. For short cruisng around a small lake or cruisng to a near by sand bar in shallow water would be ok but not a long day of fishing where conditions can change quickly. But like gator said he will only be with 3 or 4 people for occasinal cruisng around.

pg350, i dont know what you considering hauling ass but I cant see how you could be hauling ass with 3 men and a 15hp. I cant see you moving more then the max 20mph.


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## mhinkle90 (Feb 24, 2011)

I posted the build thread already in here but here is it again. As for 3-4 people....i would only do it on perfect days brother. I believe the CG plate say max 3 so if you did get stopped, might have some issues. With that many people and a 20 hp, especially 4 stroke, will take forever to plane.



> These skiffs are pretty bad ass. I owned one last year which I bought from another forum member and ended up selling to another forum member. Ant (SaltyGuy94) and his dad rebuilt the johnsen skiff and actually did a thread on here: http://www.microskiff.com/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1272209538 . I loved the boat and how it fished. What motor do you plan on putting on her?


@Snook he said haul us not haul ass lmao

@pg350 I hope you guys have some pelican boxes with yall ;D


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## Izzy11 (Dec 23, 2011)

Thanks for the info.... I've looked at it backwards and forwards . I just wanna make sure I'm not missing anything and I'm still not to familiar with all your nicknames and what not ! I want you guys to understand that I know this is really a two mn skiff... Its just that I live on the water in Apollo beach and I'm about 5 minutes from a party island and within 20 minutes from the alafia and little manatee river, so I'm hoping that if I need to squeeze two more people on the skiff that I can... For a short unsafe distance 
Anyhow ... I'm also hoping that using nidacore instead of lumber that the weight will be considerably less and improve the way the hull sits overall. As of now the hull feels really lite but still heavy enough to make for a decent ride. 

Also... I consider myself part of the gheenoe gang , so I do understand micro skiffs ( A LITTLE BIT) . Ive had all of the gheenoes excluding the LT AND ABOVE 
My only problem is that the Tampa bay can get pritty rough at times and I'm hoping to find the right micro to get me out just a bit more often. 

But I'll always have a gheenoe... .


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## PG350 (Jan 19, 2012)

Snookintime, that is pretty funny you thought I said "hauling ass" I said hauling us. We were in no way haulin ass. lol. Pobably about 15mph.


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## [email protected] (Aug 15, 2010)

haha. I must have saw "hauling" and automatically thought you were saying hauling a**. lol. I was thinking this guy must have a 15 with NAS spray. 

anyway, I think if you really want to get the best performance out of the skiff you need atleast a 25 or 30 with lenco trim tabs. Tabs make such a difference in planning speed and the attitude of the boat while running. Tabs can make the difference between a light spray and being absolutley soaked. 

are you going to be making cut outs on top side of decks for hatches or are you going with underneath bulkhead hatches?


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## [email protected] (Jun 23, 2011)

Looking good Gator, keep the pics comming. Looks like fun.


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## Izzy11 (Dec 23, 2011)

Yeah gbud.... This build has been a blast with the different challenges it brings ;D. 

As for the hatches... The stern hatches will be on top and will be made with nidacore. I'm gonna make gutters so they shuld be fairly water proof. There will only be one hatch on the top front deck for the bait well. The other hatches will be on the bulkhead . There is gonna be two levels under the front deck.. The one on the bottom will be for the battery . 

I guess I'm gonna have to get some trim tabs.. What kind do you recommend?


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## mhinkle90 (Feb 24, 2011)

I had smart tabs on mine. I really didnt care for them too much. Having lenco trim tabs would have made the hole shot a lot better


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## Izzy11 (Dec 23, 2011)

Yeah baby ..... I can see the end is near


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## Izzy11 (Dec 23, 2011)

Got my gutter and hatch almost finished..... 
Also started glassing in the next wall for the dry storage


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## [email protected] (Jun 23, 2011)

Nice rear hatch. Lookin good


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## mudd_minnow (Oct 13, 2010)

Sweet build. I like the nidacore. Where can  I get the materials? I'm looking to deck the top but I want something light. Here is my build so far. The top is not attached.










I live in Orlando area and I'm looking for some nidacore.


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## Izzy11 (Dec 23, 2011)

> Sweet build. I like the nidacore. Where can  I get the materials? I'm looking to deck the top but I want something light. Here is my build so far. The top is not attached.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


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## Izzy11 (Dec 23, 2011)

Well it's been a bit but I'm getting close. I kinda was letting this build go slow but now that my gheenoe got totaled in an accident I have to finish I guess :..... That and a few weeks ago I got discouraged when I pored foam in my false floor and it swelled my floor up so bad I had to rip it all out and start over on it again ;D . Live and learn I suppose! 

Well Im finally done with the new floor and I'm getting all the kinks worked out but here's a couple pics for you guys. I haven't raised the transom yet either but that's for next weekend. I may even be able to gel coat the inside as well if things go well.


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## Izzy11 (Dec 23, 2011)

Here's a sneak peak for all you Johnson guys  .......
Flipped her over to start on the outside! Wooohwy.... A hole lot of sandin!


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## Rediculous (May 5, 2012)

Nice job! I have the same boat and you're really gonna be pumped you flared out the front deck. Choppy conditions can really get you kinda wet in these skiffs (my only complaint about these boats). I would love to overhaul mine, but that's just to much down time, maybe someday. Also I have a 25 2 stroke, and with a 13p it does 32. I have a 10p on it now and it only does about 26 but it jumps out of the hole. Good luck with the build, they really are great little skiffs.


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## Izzy11 (Dec 23, 2011)

Thanks ! .... It's been a lot of work to do it right. Thanks for the info on the motor '


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## cutrunner (Jun 8, 2010)

Holy cow, somehow i overlooked the fact that you added all that flare to the bow!
Freakin cool! Your gonna be stoked! Also, very nice work on tht rear hatch!


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## Izzy11 (Dec 23, 2011)

> Holy cow, somehow i overlooked the fact that you added all that flare to the bow!
> Freakin cool! Your gonna be stoked! Also, very nice work on tht rear hatch!


Thanks Cut ..... 

The extended rails beyond the hull and bow were a bunch of work. It's looking good and now I'm just blending everything together with filler and glass. I also raised the transom .
I feel pretty confident with the design based on mine and everyone's experiences. 
I cant wait to get this puppy painted ! It's gonna look sharp.

I should have some more pics soon as the outside is almost done. I'm gonna paint the inside first.


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## cutrunner (Jun 8, 2010)

I raised the transom on mine (not a johnsen but very similar) , probably one of the best things i did. Made it much more seaworthy. 
What color u gonna paint it?
Ice blue hullsides with a white rub rail with stainless insert and a highly varnished spray rail would look killer on the outside, then an iceblue-matterhorn white two tone onthe inside would be the cats meow


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## Izzy11 (Dec 23, 2011)

Well ... I'm a bit adventurous and liked the old color combo I did on my 13 gheenoe.  You might shoot me but I'm going with a dark Georgia brown on the outside and a prairie yellow with black webbing on the inside .  All my friends are saying they would have really liked a sea foam green and it's not like I don't like it but I just like going with a unconventional color. Heres a pic of my gheenoe I redid so you can get an idea of what it will look like.


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## cutrunner (Jun 8, 2010)

Hey its your boat not mine 
The carolina bow just looks so good with the light blues and greens.


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## Izzy11 (Dec 23, 2011)

> Hey its your boat not mine
> The carolina bow just looks so good with the light blues and greens.


I hear ya! .... One thing for sure though, it will look like brand new by the time I'm finished with her! The outside and inside are ready now and I'm just waitin for tomorrow morning to gelcoat . 

Thanks for all the support and info guys ! Can't wait to show all you guys the finished hull !


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## mhinkle90 (Feb 24, 2011)

build looks awesome and that flare will keep you dry! trust me from experience with no flare haha. great craftsmanship all around and im glad you raised the transom....trust me you'll appreciate it later. i like the blues/seafoam green color scheme but w/e you like is what should go on it. once again great work and post pics on the work you do today.

-snag


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