Jon boat, 14', 36" or 42" wide?

[DaveInGA]

Gentlemen,

Thank you for the information on the Bass Hound 10.2.  I have more questions based on the information you gave me.  First, I'm 6" and about 260 (gotten old and fat).  My wife is about 5'3" tall and weighs around 175.  My son is 6'2" tall and weighs around 220.  

The wife will likely go with me on an off/on regular basis, perhaps 20% of my outings.  My son has just graduated college at UNC Chapel Hill and will live and work in North Carolina, so he'll only be with me occasionally.  I suspect a good bit of the time I'll be in the boat alone, but when I have company, I'd like to boat to be big enough to carry the gear, my son and myself safely when he is here.  I also have a buddy about my size that I've talked to that told me he'd love to go fishing as well.

In addtion to the above information, I live near Athens, Georgia.  There's several large lakes near here, some with water as deep as 200 feet in some places.  Big boats on some of these waters generating large wakes at times.  Lake Lanier and Lake Oconee and another large lake on the GA/SC boarder, can't think of it's name, are all within reasonable driving distance.  I also live near several "electric motor" only watersheds.  There's also a fairly slow moving river called the Oconee River nearby.  So I'd like to get something, if I can afford it, that is big enough for the big lakes, but small enough and light enough it'll run with an electric motor.

I'm mainly interested in fishing for crappie, bluegill and bass, in that order.   I do have a good bit of electronic/electric skills (Am an electronic technician/telecom engineer) and do woodworking as a hobby, so I have a table saw, drills, power saws, etc.  My father was a mechanic, so I can fix most anything if it's not needing machine work done on it.  I also have a carport we don't use for cars where I could keep a boat and work on it/modify it if necessary.  

Seats are a necessary item for me, as I've had knee surgery and I have long legs I need to keep at a 90 degree or better angle.  I am somewhat concerned about riveted john boats vs. welded and wondering if that is mostly marketing hype or a big problem with the riveted johns.

I'm thinking, based on your responses so far, that I'd be better off getting as much jon boat as I can handle by myself, then gradually adding a trailer and upgrading it.  I can certainly handle wiring and such as that.  I even have big soldering irons and solder to solder, rather than crimp my connections, regardless of the wire size to eliminate corrosion issues.  How much motor does it take to run a jon boat?

One last thing:  My wife is somewhat afraid of the water, so stability is a major issue.

Thanks again for your help,

Dave

[samurai361]

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.

[Gatorbassman]

I would go with the 42". You might want to shoot Doghouse a PM. He has one on a trailor that he is about to sell for a good price and he lives just east of Atlanta.

[Catt]

One last thing: My wife is somewhat afraid of the water, so stability is a major issue.

42 bottom will be more stable than a 36 bottom which will make Momma happy  

[samurai361]

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.

[Low_Budget_Hooker]

12' is about as big as you can go w/o a trailer, unless you are one strong dude.

a 12 jon still offers lots more room than a 10 bass hound however.

LOT'S of room

[Red]

is that your boat LBH? i like it, very nice!

Cliff

[Low_Budget_Hooker]

Thanks Cliff.  She's just tin but sure makes me grin.

[Red]

it reminds me of the first(and only) boat i ever had..my dad got it for me for my high school graduation..it was a 1952 14' row boat with a 7.5 merc on it...he painted it red and i named it "The Red Torpedo" man i loved that thing, but had to sell eventually..any nice boat

Cliff

[DaveInGA]

Gentlemen,

Thanks again for the answers.  What I think I'll do is go look at new jon boats with the wife and see what seems large enough and fits the budget.

Reading your posts and thinking about boat necessities generated additional questions though.  If you would be kind enough to answer them.

1.  What is the minimum thickness gauge of metal I want to buy in a jon boat?  

2.  I notice the Tracker boats comes in a maximum width of 1436 for their riveted aluminum boats.  Does anyone know of a company that makes 1442 aluminum riveted and could they provide a link?  

3.  How much gasoline motor is enough motor?  I don't want to "hot rod" but I do want to be able to get across the larger compounds and lakes to where I want to fish.  So I want one that'll be comfortable getting the boat on plane, but not one that makes me feel I'm prepped for take off.

4.  I've noticed there are a lot of older 7.5, 9.9 and 15 Hp motors for sale at good prices.  Is there any brand or year age wise of those I want to avoid or a brand and year I want to seek out?

4.  I plan on buying a hnad operatedl trolling motor, as I don't feel I need a foot control (as a young man, I used a hand control a lot down at the coast).  What would be the best lb thrust for good battery life in this size boat?  Again, I'm looking to keep costs on the low end as well as minimize weight in the boat.

5.  Does brand of motor matter much?

6.  Low Budget Hookers,

I really like your boat as you've got it setup.  Simple and elegant.  What's the grey material and do you find you miss the extra decking or not?  I'm debating a setup that has an extra seat bases for "riding/driving" and have a center seat bases for "fishing."

Regards,

Dave

[Catt]

1. What is the minimum thickness gauge of metal I want to buy in a jon boat?

A. Not less than .080

2. Does anyone know of a company that makes 1442 aluminum riveted and could they provide a link?

A. '>http://www.alweld.com/Alweld%20Website%2001-17-07_files/page0008.htm

3. How much gasoline motor is enough motor?

A. 25 hp

4. Is there any brand or year age wise of those I want to avoid or a brand and year I want to seek out?

A. Late 90's Suzuki 25 hp, 2 stroke, 3 cylinder, oil injected; best small outboard ever built

5. What would be the best lb thrust for good battery life in this size boat?

A. Minn Kota Edge 40#

6. Does brand of motor matter much?

A. Only as a personal preference

I personally would not buy a flat bottom boat, a modified Vee hull is a smooth ride in choppy water.

[Low_Budget_Hooker]

well, thats a 1964 12' so there is no extra option of a separate drivers seat.

The grey stuff is indoor/outdoor carpeting (Lowes).  The floors are 3/8 cdx plywood, carpeted.

I love the way this boat fishes.  If you are going with a 12, this is in my opinion, the best set-up for fishing 2 people.  If you ALWAYS fish alone, deck from the front seat to the middle seat and add a foot control  TM.

[samurai361]

Dave,

there are lots of companies who make jons in the 1442 or 1440 size.

G3, Lowe, Alumacraft, Weld-Craft

[rdneckhntr]

I would deff. go with the 42" wide.  

[Low_Budget_Hooker]

Very clean Samauri, nice job!

[bassboy1]

4. Is there any brand or year age wise of those I want to avoid or a brand and year I want to seek out?

A. Late 90's Suzuki 25 hp, 2 stroke, 3 cylinder, oil injected; best small outboard ever built

I think you could get by with a 15 just fine, even for lanier.  We fish allatoona with a 12 foot vee and an Evinrude 4 horse deluxe just fine.  Moves dad and me about 5 mph.  Not a speed demon, but it is what we could afford, and is the second best motor ever made.  (only an earlier Johnson 3hp with weedless drive beats it)

IMHO (and all the other people I know with smaller outboards) a 1955 to 2000 Johnson or Evinrude motor is the way to go.  Anything before OMC was sold to Bombardier.  And definitely no small motors from BRP.  The 50s vintage, and some 60s motors had pressurized tanks, which some find a pain to use.  But a 70s or 80s motor will be just as reliable, and uses all the modern fuel tech.  

One thing, stay away from Chrysler/force.  Unless you get it for free, in which time you should part it out on ebay.  Plenty of demand for parts, cause people are always fixen' em.  For the TM, a 40# hand control TM would work just fine.  No need for the bow mount edge on a jon.  Just get a transom mount with a longer than needed shaft (easier to reach the handle) and turn the head around.

[broncstomper]

basically, go with as wide as you can and still serve your purpose. The lake you forgot the name of Is Hartwell lake. I live about 10 miles from there and have fished all the lakes you mentioned at some point in my life. Most of the jon boats in this area are running up to 25hp and do just fine. I have a 1436 and the minnkota I have is an endura 40lb, It pushes it around the watersheds nicely.Usually can run for 4 or more hrs straight. I think you will be ahead of the game if you get a trailer even if you unload it by hand it is easier than loading in and out of a truck. my .02