Ok, I may embarrass myself, but I have to ask what these are. I have fished and duck hunted out of jon boats for most of my life. I still don't know what these things are ACTUALLY supposed to be used for. I am pretty sure that one of them is a bottle opener. but what about the rails on the transom next to what I assume is the bottle opener? the little rings on the sides and the other little attachment on the sides? Someone help me out. I am replacing the wood on an old transom and I just wondered if I even need to attach these rails back... then it got me thinking about the other parts.


https://imgur.com/Bfq7y8a

https://imgur.com/AZDMbpb

https://imgur.com/TNkTMOC

The 2nd picture is the bracket where oars would go if you had them. The D ring is to tie something to and the other thing is a dookickey.

Oars! that makes sense. I have always just used motors but I should have guessed that. The ring confuse me because of where they are placed and how small they are. and of course the doohickey is what originally grabbed mu curiosity. For a minute I thought that it was for attaching a running light, but that wouldn't explain why there is one on either side of the motor (one is a little longer than the other btw). and i am sure the holes in those rails serve a real purpose. I just can't figure out what!

D-ring for tying things down.

Oar lock.

Tilt mount of some sort.

bottle opener last picture

But what is to the right of the bottle opener? That rail with holes?


Not sure I understand what a tilt mount is. These things are too terribly heavy duty.

I do know that the guy I bought it from used it exclusively for duck hunting.
I'm thinking it's just something he added for a specific purpose. I can't find any pics on Google of other boats with the same thing. I haven't figured out what he would have used it for though.

tool holder

Those do loops could easily be used to tie to dock or for anchor rope. Most jon boats don't have anchor cleats. Yes bottle opener and yes tool holder.

The angle iron rail with holes is definitely added.

Thanks. Not sure I will add the tool hangers back. But it has got me thinking about options

Cannot pull up pics but from listening yall talk it very well may be a boat blind mount.

If the piece of angle with the holes punched in it has a twin on the portside and it's about the same height as the rear bench, it could be a bracket for a homemade hatch cover. I'd use it for a tool/tackle rack though. I bought a used john boat once that had a hinged homemade front and rear deck. The supports on the transom were made like that out of a couple of pieces of 1-1/2" angle.

it does have nearly identical pieces on both sides. you may be onto something here. could have been a cover, a deck, or part of mounting a pop up blind.

Definitely oar locks in the second pic. I'm unsure about the bottle opener. The metal looks awful wimpy for that to me. I was wrong one time though. I'm wondering if it may be a bracket used to hang something over the transom(stringer, bait bucket, etc.). A trolling motor clamp would locate good under the notch in it.

you might be right about the "bottle opener". it's pretty thin. could have been to hang a net or something over the back.

Anytime a trolling motor is clamped onto wood it leaves a mark. The wood on that transom looks soft. Judging by the depth of some of the bolt heads.

Now that I can pull up the last pic, the angle with holes if for a duck blind.

it's absolutely soft. rotten. and it had a real gas motor on it. That's why I am replacing it.

I think you are right.