WIRING MY JON BOAT Part 1 Step-By-Step {Jon Boat to Bass Boat Conversion} Lowe 1448

The journey continues. This video is a step by step video on wiring the electronics on my jon boat. This is by far one of the most exciting parts of my jon boat to bass boat conversion. See how to switch panel, fuse block bus bar combos, power switches, wire setup and conduit installation. This video is designed to give you the information you need to do a conversion like this. You will see details on steps to take and the products to get the job done.
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If you missed any of the previous videos on this conversion, please click this link to get caught up.
*******FULL Jon Boat Conversion Playlist: • Jon Boat Conversion
Thanks to everyone whose been keeping up with this journey. I truly appreciate the support and comments from all of you. Tight lines and be safe out there.
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Jon Boat Build Materials:
BlueFire 6 Gang Rocker Switch Panel: amzn.to/3tegF5I
120PCS Heat Shrink Solder Connectors: amzn.to/2ZeaEIj
Terminal 150 Set: www.harborfreight.com/150-pie...
Rubber Grommets 180 Set: www.harborfreight.com/180-pie...
Battery Terminals: amzn.to/2Nj9J3F
Titanium Coated High Speed Steel Step Bit Set, 2 Pc: www.harborfreight.com/2-piece...
Blue Sea Systems Common BusBars 150a, 4 stud w/cover: amzn.to/2Yn6hLz
Blue Sea Systems Common BusBars 150a, 10 stud w/cover: amzn.to/31drOs9
Blue Sea Systems ST Blade ATO/ATC Fuse Blocks: amzn.to/2YpFxKs
Blue Sea Systems WeatherDeck SPST/On-Off Toggle Switch: amzn.to/3e441ON
Install Bay Vinyl Terminal Ring Connector 5/16 Inch 16/14 Gauge 100 Pack Blue - BVRT516: amzn.to/37WQq9F
LED Lights: amzn.to/2Z0Wie8
Marine Outdoor Bass/Pontoon Boat Carpet/16 oz (Midnight, 6'x30')amzn.to/37RqAUF
Solder Seal 14 AWG Wire Connectors: amzn.to/2Ayl0KM
Shrink Tubing: amzn.to/37Hx6gz
Ancor Marine Grade 14 AWG Wire: amzn.to/2USyXtJ
6/2 AWG Duplex Tinned Marine Wire, Red/Black 25 Feet for Trolling Motor: amzn.to/2ARZIYJ
Lawrence Marine Duplex Tinned Marine Wire, Boat Cable, Made in USA (25 Foot, 8/2 AWG Duplex Red/Black): amzn.to/3fGBmQi
ALEMIN battery terminal cover 12x20mm- 20PCS: amzn.to/383V321
Attwood 7623-7 Compact 50-Amp Marine Boat 12V/24V Circuit Breaker, metal: amzn.to/3ex8wlm
NOCO GCP1 15 Amp 125V AC Port Plug Power Inlet with 16-Inch Integrated Extension Cord: amzn.to/312msjg
Liquid Tape: amzn.to/3dlp3Hn
Heat Gun: amzn.to/3fwUa4e
3M Marine Adhesive: amzn.to/2zEqkMc
Rod Grommets: www.boatoutfitters.com/rod-gr...
Rod Tubes (Front) 1 - 1/2 inch www.homedepot.com/p/JM-eagle-...
Rod Tubes (Rear) 1 - 1/4 inch www.homedepot.com/p/JM-eagle-...
Hole Saw (Front): amzn.to/2LyRkPv
Hole Saw (Rear): amzn.to/2zJMpsc
Hose Clamp: 1-3/4 in. - 2-3/4 in. Stainless-Steel Hose Clamp www.homedepot.com/p/Everbilt-...
Carpet Glue: www.lowes.com/pd/TEC-Skill-Se...
Foam used in My Boat: www.homedepot.com/p/Owens-Cor...
Arrow One Hand Rivet Gun: amzn.to/2xuOPtE
Harbor Freight Rivet Gun: www.harborfreight.com/swivel-...
Rivets Aluminum 1/8-Inch 100-Pack: amzn.to/2L7lg8Q
4-1/2 in. 4.3 Amp Angle Grinder: amzn.to/2UJDhup
DEWALT Cutting Wheel, General Purpose Metal Cutting, 4-1/2-Inch, 5-Pack: amzn.to/2JqJvdn
Swanson Tool T0701 12-Inch Speedlite Square Layout Tool (Structural Foam Plastic Orange): amzn.to/3h32NoV
Empire Level E2994 7-Inch High Definition Rafter Square: amzn.to/2JlcBLr
Empire Level e1190 16-Inch by 24-Inch Professional Framing Square, Blue or Black Anodized Aluminum: amzn.to/2vXsZhY
Ratcheting Bar Clamp 6 inch: www.harborfreight.com/6-in-ra...
Amazon affiliate links help to support the channel. You won't see a difference and it's the same products. Thanks for supporting our channel.
#jonboat #jonboatconversion #bassbrothersfishingdmv

[@jorgerivero9460]

First of all thank you for the video and this proves that you don't have to spend mega money to have fun in the water good deal man 👍

[@BassBrothersFishingDMV]

Thanks Jorge. You're right. Spend what you can and make it work for you. Fishing get's as expensive as you make it. It doesn't have to be.

[@shanufaa99]

Brother, I really like the way you operate. I found your channel too late to help me on the first part of my build but many of your techniques have still kept me from making some major messups as i run my wiring and battery hookups. Thanks again and keep on keeping on!

[@BassBrothersFishingDMV]

Thanks Bobby. Appreciate the feedback. Glad something I'm doing with this crazy build is helping lol.

[@alysonmiller7966]

*I bought this model for my 14 ft Jon boat. **enjoyable.fishing** recommend love it!!! It pushes my boat with ease ( 2 men 220 each). I would highly recommend this to anyone.*

[@RobertQuinby-lw7vg]

Your videos are top notch, very informative and will definitely help as i rewire an older Tracker Pro Team 17. Tight Lines!

[@BassBrothersFishingDMV]

Thanks. You got this 👊🏾👊🏾👊🏾

[@jakeb7478]

You are the thing I’ve been looking to find! I’m going through the same process with my grandpas boat but I have zero experience. Thank you so much man!🙂🙂

[@BassBrothersFishingDMV]

You're welcome. And good luck with your grandpa's boat. 👍🏾🤙🏾

[@macsmith2092]

I'm working on the electrical install in my boat right now. Thanks for sharing your experience. Great information

[@BassBrothersFishingDMV]

Thanks. 👍🏾🤙🏾

[@andyhernandez3041]

Beautiful and clean job. You’re details man. Thank you for sharing.

[@BassBrothersFishingDMV]

No problem. Glad you enjoyed the video. Thanks for watching!!!

[@markfrye9885]

You are doing a awesome job! I am enjoying your videos

[@richoverton493]

Nice quality work. You are a great mentor. Thanks for the video.

[@BassBrothersFishingDMV]

Thanks Rich. 👍🏾🤙🏾

[@mikencrew8885]

Bro I love that you give us details or what your doing. This helps me out tremendously.

[@BassBrothersFishingDMV]

👍🏾🤙🏾

[@direpandaofthenorth5143]

I really appreciate you providing a full parts and tools list. Great videos!

[@BassBrothersFishingDMV]

Thanks 🤙🏾👍🏾💯

[@figueroa2191]

Love watching the boat coming along. I just got a 8ft boat I need to start working on her

[@BassBrothersFishingDMV]

Congrats on your new boat. Once you get started you won't want to stop. :)

[@johnjames594]

Great job Bass Brother. Very clean and neat. Love the attention to detail. Keep up the good work.

[@BassBrothersFishingDMV]

Thanks John.

[@ianyokoro8925]

Dude your boat is coming along nicely! Really like the latest and greatest materials! Keep it up and can't wait for your next upload!✊💪

[@BassBrothersFishingDMV]

Thanks Ian. Next upload coming soon. Appreciate the support.

[@hashtagjustadad5110]

That looks like a fun project. Everything looks fantastic so far.

[@BassBrothersFishingDMV]

Thanks. It has its ups and downs but all in all it's a very fullfilling project.

[@tommysimmons6931]

Great job! Looking forward to seeing part two. Looking to see battery connections.

[@BassBrothersFishingDMV]

🤙🏾👍🏾

[@mickyb803]

clear as a bell how-to 👌

[@tedondrish9204]

Awesome series, great vids. For doing this the very first time, you are filming exactly what needs to be seen and I appreciate it since a Lowe jon boat is what I expect to be converting myself, and your series is just what I was looking for, showing actual step by step. You're not assuming people know certain things along the way, which I think many people appreciate.

[@BassBrothersFishingDMV]

I truly appreciate the feedback Ted. My goal is to provide as much detail as possible without losing people's attention. It's challenging and I do cut out allot of footage to keep the length of the video reasonable. I remember what it was like for me researching conversions and I often felt like people glanced over the details that really make things work so I'm hoping what I show will help people out that may still have questions.

[@Delmarvafishing]

Man that thing is really coming together, keep me in mind if you need a CO angler and your bro isn't available lol! Awesome man great series, great project!

[@BassBrothersFishingDMV]

lol. Thanks Urban. You and I will def fish together some time after I'm done.

[@Delmarvafishing]

@@BassBrothersFishingDMV hell yeah!

[@redrazor4u2]

Great job on this build. I don't even have a Jon boat and you are the most thorough builder I've seen. I especially love that you've taken the time to put the above list of products used and where to find them. That alone makes your build invaluable to the viewer who may be interested in making some mods to their boat. I just bought a v-hull boat and even though I'm not into bass fishing, I have two doggies that go everywhere with me and the v-hull does not have a flat floor in the boat. So I thought I'd build them a (casting deck) deck to park their butts. I'm like you OCD and have watched so many hours of DIY boat mods I can't even count. I knew all the contributor names you've mentioned from TBN etc and feel good about your choice of good quality mentors to learn from. Anyway, I'll end this for now. Great job and God bless you and yours. Bill from Oregon. Go Duck's.

[@scubashawnCDN]

Wow man thanks for putting all this work into your videos. I'm about to start my Jon boat mod and came here for wiring tips. Watched all 3 back to back and can't thank you enough! Was originally going to frame it out in wood but after watching your other vids on aluminum framing that's exactly how I plan to do it now. Well done and again thanks for doing this, you're a scholar and a gentleman!

[@BassBrothersFishingDMV]

Thanks for the feedback. Glad my vids has helped.

[@StephenBevilacqua]

Very nice work man thanks for the vid one of the best ones I've seen out there

[@BassBrothersFishingDMV]

Thanks Stephen. Appreciate the feedback

[@dennisross3477]

Great video as always.

[@BassBrothersFishingDMV]

Thanks👍🏾🤙🏾

[@timothyleger4385]

That's gonna be a killer little boat when you're done !!👍👍🤜🤛👊👊✌🇺🇸😮😮😮

[@TCat-ve9qi]

Really impressive build, definitely gives me some good ideas for my boat. Great vid!

[@BassBrothersFishingDMV]

Thanks. 👍🏾🤙🏾

[@thomasbendowski2226]

Excellent tutorial!

[@BassBrothersFishingDMV]

Thank you

[@fuumanstucando903]

Great job!

[@BassBrothersFishingDMV]

Thanks.

[@iwantosavemoney]

Am really like all of these conversions I like the customization to fit the builders needs I like simplicity but I don’t like to do with out also but the rod locker on a smaller boat is so sexy and with locks on everything on mine will make it to where I can leave everything in the boat. Such a big deal to not have to down load every time we go home.

[@TheDtrolinder]

Awesome job...

[@BassBrothersFishingDMV]

Thanks 🤙🏾👍🏾

[@jamesjohnson-sw7bf]

Absolute awesome job. I marvel at how patient and diligent you are at every turn of the project. Keep up the good work and look forward to seeing you and Warren catching some monsters in your new rig. PS, several videos ago I heard you mention Googan Bandito Bugs. I've used them the past few weeks and they are amazing !! Thanks for the intel and peace to you and yours.

[@BassBrothersFishingDMV]

Ah man. The Bandito bug is killer. I stand behind that bait 100%.

[@fishingwithjett5373]

Wow looking nice

[@BassBrothersFishingDMV]

Thanks Arjectrick

[@johngilmore7745]

Very nice build.

[@BassBrothersFishingDMV]

Thanks 👍🏾🤙🏾

[@richardallain6277]

Love it my friend.

[@BassBrothersFishingDMV]

Thanks Richard.

[@colbydawgmedia]

super helpful, thank you for the vid!

[@BassBrothersFishingDMV]

👍🏾

[@philipaparicio8858]

great video about to do this this weekend and this really helped.

[@BassBrothersFishingDMV]

Ah man, that's awesome Philip. Good luck, breathe and take your time. :)

[@mbastian3568]

Real nice!

[@BassBrothersFishingDMV]

Thanks

[@jpelfrey325]

Man that is an awesome build.. Thanks for the vid..I needed help because wiring drives me insane haha

[@BassBrothersFishingDMV]

All good. It's not that bad once you get going. Then it's just repeat repeat repeat.

[@moises8354]

Good video.

[@BassBrothersFishingDMV]

Thanks

[@pelagichunter]

Cool video! My only word of advice is that ABYC code calls for crimped connections, no solder only connections. Crimped connections do better with vibrations associated with boats.

[@Lotusutra1]

thanks for the advice

[@1jjwilliams]

Lowes SMH!!! HOME DEPOT 😆 GREAT VIDEO!

[@sherrihenry9539]

YOU make it look so easy. I"m trying to wire an 8 ft bass buggy boat to run my fish finder, trolling motor as well as navigation lights for the bow and stern. The bot is already wired for the trolling motor. I don't know where to start. I am totally clueless to this electrical stuff.

[@corkyvanderhaven3391]

Finish line baby 🏴‍☠️

[@shawnhollingsworth4456]

Nice work super clean. Might want to take the corners off those little supports you ran your 8 gage through so it doesn't catch your arm or anything once your deck is installed when reaching into those areas.

[@BassBrothersFishingDMV]

wow... really good point Shawn. Smoothing out those corners might save me a run to the emergency room for stitches lol. I'll work on that and show it in a future video. Thanks for the suggestion.

[@AchikSarih]

Merci beaucoup ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@toddhodges7]

Been loving this series. Anyone know how much room would I need in my garage to store a 14ft Jon with trailer?

[@3rdEye__FPV]

Hey Brotha!! First I’d like to say awesome job on your vids! You do a great job of going over things in depth and make it easy to understand. I’ve got a few questions… if I understand you correctly, do I wire all of my accessories leads into the fuse block and then to my rocker switch panel? Also, where do I send the + power leads of my switch panel into ?

[@1jjwilliams]

Great video! Question should I rewire my 1991 Bass Buggy 16ft Pontoon Boat I'm restoring. I'm a little leery about rewiring everything and I'm stuck with this pontoon boat being completely finished except for the wiring UGH!!!! WASTED SUMMER DUE TO THIS ISSUE,.............HELP!!!!! 😆

[@TheMarine3521]

Love the build! Love the attention to detail as well. Currently working on my boat build and was wondering did you run the trolling motor thru the fuse panel or is it directly wired to the batteries? Thanks! Love the channel!

[@BassBrothersFishingDMV]

Thanks. The trolling motor is connected directly to the batteries and its own 60amp fuse breaker for a 24 volt system. I'll actually be posting a video soon on the trolling motor install. Thanks for watching.

[@joshwokojance3790]

Would it be a good idea to have an inline fuse by the battery on the wire leading to the other fuses? Just in case that wire gets cut. Don’t want to electrify your hull. Love this series. You have given me the inspiration to do this myself. Thank you for showing mistakes as well as the successful parts. Too many people only show the good parts. It’s good to see how to get back on track after something goes wrong.

[@BassBrothersFishingDMV]

I do have a 50 amp fuse installed 6 inches away from the battery. It didn't show well in the video because of gorpro issues. But you are correct. Always fuse your battery close to the battery. I also have fuses from the fuse box for all six switches so everything will be well protected. Thanks for the feedback.

[@michaelmoore9514]

Thanks for the great video, but have one question. I run 8 gauge wire to my fuse box then I run 14 gauge from fuse box to switch panel right? I can also run individual wire from fuse box to each switch right? What’s the largest gauge wire I can run off fuse box?

[@amadosanchez7483]

Extremely helpful, buying all your items from Amazon now. One question i had was what size fuses did you use for most of your accessories? Thanks!

[@BassBrothersFishingDMV]

Sorry im just seeing this comment. I used 5 Amp fuses for most of my accessories.

[@jjohnston6645]

What size conduit is that you were able to squeeze in the side of boat wall rib?

[@calidude5116]

How did you learn all of this? Great videos bro!!!

[@BassBrothersFishingDMV]

KZbin mostly and just thinking it through. Thanks for watching.

[@lewisanddadperez5377]

For the wiring. I just got a 6 switch control panel similar to yours and they are all loop connected with one shared main positve/negative coming out the side. There is only 1 space open on back of each switch to connect my accessory. So would I just use one inline fuse between battery and panel for the entire panel? What's throwing me off is I see you're using a fuse block, how are are you going to use it? Is your panel not loop connected? (I understand how to use the fuse block, but that's with independently powered switches, this is different). Are you doing what I described above or are you cutting each loop wire and making each switch independent and connecting each one to the fuse block?

[@BassBrothersFishingDMV]

I made each of the switches independent on the switch panel. Watch all three wiring videos. This one, part 2 and a video just on the switch panel video. In summary, main power from the battery goes through a 50 amp breaker, then to the buss bar fuse block combo main positive and negative leads, then run your individual wires from the combo to the switch panel then run power out the switch panel to each thing you are trying to control. You can also start from the opposite end if that help. But watch the three videos I mentioned and you will see what I did. Hope this helps you out.

[@camaro6810]

I really enjoy your videos, quality explanations that are easy to understandcould you show sometime how you make sure that all your aluminum angles are on the same plane? So its flat for whatever you will cover the floor or platforms with? If you rivet verticals and then rivet on top of them there would be different height differences with all the different angle pieces...Im trying to explain what Im thinking but maybe Im not doing a great job. How to you make all the aluminum angle pieces flush on top with each other...make your braces and then fill in between the higher pieces or do you do it in a way when building so they are all flush from the start?

[@BassBrothersFishingDMV]

It all depends how you frame the angles together. There are instances where riveting angle together creates gaps based on the thickness of the aluminum. You can fill those gaps with aluminum flat bar but only if you really need to. Everything you install adds weight to the boat. Using 1/16 angle is thin enough that if your deck is wood, the gaps won't matter. If you are using aluminum sheeting for decking you would want to use flat bar to fill gaps. Hope this helps.

[@camaro6810]

@@BassBrothersFishingDMV thanks! Do you have a video on countersink bits you use (if you do) to sink rivets flush in certain situations?

[@silentbravo]

Did you seal the ends of the ring/fork terminals you did for the LED lights? I saw you used the heatshrink to cover the ugly colored plastic on the terminals, but if you didn't put some liquid electrical tape or something to seal the end where the bare wires poke through the terminal end, then that was purely for looks.

[@ertren6]

Liquid tape is the greatest thing ever

[@BarrettRSmith]

I'm planning to do a similar project on my 16' Jon Boat and have a question: When installing the light strips, before adding the Gorilla double back adhesive tape, did you first remove the protective barrier on the light's tape and then apply the adhesive to the adhesive? Or did you merely apply the Gorilla tape over the light's barrier tape? Thanks!

[@BassBrothersFishingDMV]

I removed the strip from the LED light to expose the sticky side of the 3M tape that comes with the LED light then applied the gorilla tape to that. Worked like a charm.

[@VANGASKHAN]

Forgot if you mention or not but are you running your trolling motor with a different battery, fuse box/bus, switch panel/switch?

[@BassBrothersFishingDMV]

Yes. Trolling motor is running off of two 12v 29DC (24volt) walmart deep cycle batteries connected to a 60 Amp breaker. The rest of the system is running on a separate battery.

[@edvc520]

Have you tested out where you going to put the gas tank? i'm currently building the same boat Lowe 1448 and trying to figure out how to frame the rear deck. The 25L tank cannot go in and out if framed like yours

[@BassBrothersFishingDMV]

Yes indeed. And that's a great point. My gas tank is only a 3 gal tank and it does fit in the rear framing. So I will prob stick with that size tank. If that changes later and I need a bigger r tank, I may have to redo the rear framing but hopefully 3 gal will be enough for how and where I fish. Keep me posted on what you end up doing.

[@cameronbryant7022]

I have a 9.9 mercury with a electric start, where do I hook the wires for electric start?

[@mamihamid8187]

Great motor pushes a 12' right along, but sucks the battery on High.

[@haydenorr3968]

where did the red and black wire go after the main shut off switch

[@liamwells7990]

I want to build a boat but unfortunately I've never wired anything and worry about my competence doing so I'm great at building a wood deck but wiring is not for me any suggestions on where I could pay someone to do it for me

[@BassBrothersFishingDMV]

I can do it for you if you can get your boat to me in MD. Shoot me a message on Instagram, Facebook or email me at [e-mail].

[@sandman4487]

What was the gray flexible tubing you ran between the ribs of the boat that you fished your wires through and what diameter was it?

[@BassBrothersFishingDMV]

It's a flexible non-metal 1/2" conduit from Lowes www.lowes.com/pd/Southwire-Ultratite-Non-Metal-Liquid-tight-25-ft-Conduit-Common-1-2-in-Actual-0-5-in/1000239881

[@sandman4487]

@@BassBrothersFishingDMV awesome. Thanks brother

[@fishsoft92]

Would a marine breaker panel work in place of the fuse block? I used to work at a marina so I know where I could get them, I just wonder if you could have the fuse and switch in one unit.

[@BassBrothersFishingDMV]

Never used one before so I can't say for sure.

[@BarrettRSmith]

I believe a marine breaker switch would work so long as it was the correct amperage breaker for each application.

[@BassBrothersFishingDMV]

@@BarrettRSmith sounds logical. I'll probably look to see what's out there. Might come in handy for future builds.

[@dmac9954]

Should I use aluminum or steel rivets when building my deck frame?

[@BassBrothersFishingDMV]

I used steel rivets. I'm assuming they're stainless steel.

[@vb9300]

how have the light strips held up? Worth the install?

[@BassBrothersFishingDMV]

All light strips are still in place. I did use a different tactic for the latest boat I did to secure the led strips to the framing. The double sided tape was alot of work lol.

[@JavierRodriguez-ld3rk]

what is the next part can't find it and what size gas tank? how do you remove gas tank after?

[@BassBrothersFishingDMV]

Gas tank in this video?

[@corkyvanderhaven3391]

Bro Just fyi wd40 makes a silicone spray that’s helpful for stuff

[@pawcrawlowens8730]

I got to have a live well

[@jefishingtackle5928]

What size angle did you use on your boat.

[@BassBrothersFishingDMV]

1/8" mostly.

[@obxarms7685]

Hows that blade sub panel holding out?

[@BassBrothersFishingDMV]

Blade sub panel?

[@obxarms7685]

@@BassBrothersFishingDMV The little amazon fuse panel box. I just got the same one for my sailboat.

[@mdbassin9120]

You never explained why you did not want a live well? I think you should build one adjacent to the rod lockers. Tiny Boat has a tutorial using a BRUTE storage tote.

[@BassBrothersFishingDMV]

I never needed one before. Never been in a tournament. I do plan to build one though, out of a cooler that I can throw in the boat whenever needed.

[@mdbassin9120]

@@BassBrothersFishingDMV You should come fish the tournaments here next year at Piney Run in Sykesville MD. They have a night tournament and a day tournament. One is in June the other in August. It's biggest fish. I won a couple years back. It an open tournament only a $20.

[@lllee5472]

I thought you bought a pelican bass boat?

[@BassBrothersFishingDMV]

I bought my pelican bass raider a couple years ago.

[@lllee5472]

Bass Brothers Fishing DMV Still got it? Which one is more stable?

[@BassBrothersFishingDMV]

@@lllee5472 The Pelican Bass Raider is very stable on the water. I haven't gotten the job boat out yet but will do a good test when I do. The job boat is bigger, especially the 1448 so I am anticipating a pretty stable ride.