samurai361

I want this one. I know BPS was selling a version of it for a lot less than the directboats site, and I've seen a couple of these, and they are pretty good stable setups. That plastic will flex underway, but I've seen aluminum jons that did it too. No biggie. The cool thing is all you need is your safety gear, tackle, a T/M and a battery, and you're good to go and ready to launch. It's too big to launch from a pickup truck bed, so you'd need a trailer, but a small boat fills up FAST. http://www.directboats.com/20wa11fibo.html

I wouldn't use a bumper hitch to tow anything. Those bumpers are CHEAP!!! I also would get the hitch installed by a dealer on a new truck. Then it's covered under the factory warranty. I've had one hitch (I installed it) that worked its way loose, wallowed out the holes in the frame and eventually came loose. The trailer I was towing slid up under the truck at a stop light. I always wondered what would have happened if it had come off on a highway. Not a pretty thought. Needless to say that I'm a tad anal about checking the mount of the hitch on a regular basis.

I used to have a small 12' jon, and a homemade trailer, and towed it with a Subaru Justy, one of the smallest cars I've ever seen in the US. It had a 3 cylinder engine, and I had to fabricate the hitch in the garage. Never had a problem, ever. I use my Suzuki Samurai to tow, and even though it's a truck, it's not as powerful as a Civic and have no problems with that either.

I get a limit of those every time out. Squirrel fish once in a while too. That would be a Fish Stick ;D

I have 2 addictions. Fishing, and earning a living. If I didn't like to fish, I'd probably work even less. I can beg for food, but people don't seem to feel bad for you because you can't go fishing but once a week. In the colder months, I fish at least once a week, unless it is BITTER cold. Then I only go in saltwater during striper season. During the rest of the year, one weekend day, and maybe in the evening or morning the rest of the week 1 or 2 days. At work, we rotate from days evenings every 4 weeks. When we switch, my days off also change. If I'm on evenings, and my days off are during the week, I fish them both, but come home before the Admiral does and clean. I'll go out in the morning (plan to tomorrow) before work on weekdays also. I plan my vactions around striper season, and will call in with "bass fever" in a heartbeat. I get out on the water at least 75 times a year, maybe more. It's about even whether I'm in salt or fresh water. I fish as long as I can stand it, and that can be 7-8 hours, longer if I'm on fish. I've stayed out from sunup to WAY past dark before.

Dave, there are lots of companies who make jons in the 1442 or 1440 size. G3, Lowe, Alumacraft, Weld-Craft

I have a 34# thrust hand control mounted on the front of my Lowe, a 1448, with extensive mods, and I can fish all day and not even start the gas motor. Plenty of power, even in high wind, but a bigger one would be more efficient at lower speeds, and they generally come with longer shaft options if that's an issue. One thing you have to understand is that no T/M is going to plane this boat, which means while you're using an electric you have a displacement hull. Max speed won't change much by doubling the thrust. It gets to a point where it plows the water and that's it. In other words, you won't gain much by going with a very expensive, 36 Volt motor instead of the $150 40# one. It's your money.

If you mean load and unload a boat from a truck, either one of these may be a challenge to do alone. The 14' 36 from BPS weighs 135 lbs empty. IIRC, a 1442 will weigh in at nearly 200 lbs, maybe a little more. That's a bit of weight unless you're Paul Bunyon. But you can get a trailer for one for not much. FWIW, if you go with the 36, I recommend not putting in a deck. You can make a false bottom, and be MUCH safer.

I'm trying to load a picture. Let's see if it works.

When I painted my hull, I used etching primer which is made for aluminum. If you do a good job of sealing the hull, then prep it and prime it with etching primer, it won't make much difference what paint you use as long as it's something durable and you like it. I used oil based deck and porch paint on my old boat and it was tough as nails. It's like painting a car, it's almost all in the prep. And you can get a cheap spayer from Northern Tool or Harbor Freight for 20-30 bucks. Wal-Mart sells them if you can find one in stock.

BTW, if you hunt around, you may be able to get a whole rig for about $1000 or so. I'd save my money for that.

Since you asked for an opinion, I'll give you one. If you fish alone, it should be OK. But if you fish with somebody else, you'd better be good friends. It's just small. I used to have a 12' jon. Great for just me but crowded with 2. Don't even think about 3. IMO, you'd do better to get a 14' jon. You can get a 1436 for about the same price, maybe a little less, and get a 34lb T/M and have a much better boat. I realize that it won't be set up with lights and pre-wired for a T/M, but it's not hard to go that way, and it can fit in a pickup bed if you don't want or can't afford a trailer. Just my $.02

Check out A K McCallum http://www.akmccallumco.com/index.html They have a section for jon boat accessories.

I coated the plywood in my deck with 3 thick coats of polyurethane. I used regular 5/8" ply. It's been excellent, and the finish gives you a smooth surface for gluing your carpet. Just remember that if you cut or drill this wood after it is sealed, you need to seal the area again. If you drill, use 3M 5200 or some other adhesive caulk. The reason rot comes is because we drill a hole and the water gets into the fibers. I'd use bolts for the pedestal base and drill the holes BEFORE I sealed the wood.

Use etching primer, and pretty much any durable type of paint you can find. I painted my boat with an automotive finish, single stage paint and it turned out pretty good. Much better than factory paint jobs on larger aluminum boats. The main thing is to use etching primer. If you don't, and there is bare metal, the paint will not stick to it. FWIW, I used an oil based deck and floor paint to paint my old jon boat. That was some durable stuff, but everywhere on the boat where there was bare paint, it peeled off. It was an old beat up boat, so I didn't care, but it would have been better to have primed it. You don't need to spend a fortune, just get the primer and you can use a $30 sprayer from Northern Tool or Wal-Mart. You're not painting a car, and you'll never get the finish like a car, and it will get scratched when you use it.

I would add to the list, that if you are backing in and it's still dark turn off your &%$*$&@! headlights. You ruin the night vision for everybody waiting in line behind you.

It should get the job done.

If you have access to a metal distributor, or Lowe's or Home Depot stock metal, you can pick up 4 pieces of flat stock about 30" long, 2.5" wide and 1/4" thick. You can bend them in a vise. Drill the holes to match the frame of the trailer, bend them so they flare out, then back up to meet the hull where you want, cut off any excess, and drill a hole at the top for the bunk. Just paint the metal and poof! you is dun!

I know a guy who used one of those ladder things that keeps the top of an aluminum ladder away from your house. He bought it at Lowe's for $20, and the hardware was maybe another 20, including the rollers. I prefer the bunk type.

A 12' boat is less than ideal to say the least. But it can be done. I had one, a 1232. I fished out of it for years and loved it, but I wouldn't have put a deck in. I just carpeted the floor and stood on the carpet. Not great for 2 people, but fine for one. I caught many fish from that little boat.

I have a 1448 MV Lowe with a lot of modifications to it. It has an old (power head HP rated) 25 Johnson, and I can get close to 30 mph by GPS out of it. I'd think your boat would be close in performance to that. Before that I had an 81 Polar Kraft riveted hull 1440, with an Evinrude Fast Twin 18, and it would get about 25 with just me, but it was a bare hulled boat. I still have that old motor. Somebody mentioned 20 mph being faster than you feel safe. I feel fine at 20, but won't go WOT in mine unless I'm moving in a straight line. I've never had it slide out in a turn, but it can.

I used a white beetle-spin today fishing for white perch. I found bass waiting in drop offs, just a shade deeper than where the perch were. I'd cast it up close to the shore and let it sink, then reel it in slowly. On a lot of casts, I'd either get a perch in the shallow or a strike from a bass in the deeper water. The water was stained, and full of pollen. I hear a lot about the need for confidence in a bait. I don't know what that is supposed to mean. I don't think the fish cares whether you are confident or not. I think if you throw it where he is, and in a manner that would provoke a strike, and he sees it, he'll hit the lure, and it's just that simple. I also think you have to pick a bait to suit the body of water and the conditions you find. e.g. smaller baits in winter, deep running baits during a front, and I like soft plastics when the weather gets hot. Just my $.02

I got the book from the jon boat to bass boat site (myjonboat.com) and my boat is posted there. I can tell you all the mistakes I made and why I did some of what I did. Email me if you are interested. vwbeetle_ba@hotmail.com

thanks for the ideas

I almost fell off the tongue of my trailer the other day and was wondering about a way to make a platform to stand on for it. I thought about the ones sold at BPS and other places, but I was wondering if there might be a better mousetrap. my first ideas was to use treated plywood and make it with u-bolts my second idea came from thinking about the inevitable consequences of my fat butt on wood. I thought I could use aluminum angle and self tapping screws. just put the angle so one face is on the vertical wall of the tongue, and the other is at the top. put on some anti-skid tape and it should work. Any thoughts? pics of your setups would be welcomed.