How much, realistically, is it going to cost to minimally outfit a Jon boat?

[CybrSlydr]

My brother and I are contemplating the cost differential between us getting our own kayaks or getting a Jon boat.

 

Kayaks are going to be around $1k each.  Then you have to buy the paddle, PFD, assorted accessories like a box for all the tackle, etc.

 

Looking at appropriately sized Jon boat, what would we be looking at total cost for a boat that could hold both of us (appx 265lb each of us), affix a modest motor, trawling motor, batteries for assorted electronics and a trailer?

[Scott F]

Too many variables to come up with an answer. You might find a complete used boat for $1,000 or $10,000 for a new one. 

[CybrSlydr]

Mainly I'm asking to see what kind of price difference we'd have between getting kayaks vs getting a boat.

 

I just don't want to get kayaks and then go, "d**n - shoulda just gotten a boat instead" if the prices aren't too dissimilar.

[LionHeart]

How bigga' Jon boat are you looking for.  Personally I think a 12 foot Jon boat can fish 2 dudes, and gear pretty easily.  If you look around, you can easily find one ready to go with a decent outboard and trolling motor (likely even trailer) for under $1500.  Plus, if you wanted, you could just put the Jon in the back of a truck. To me, it's an obvious choice.

 

But I'm bias.  I can't see myself owning a kayak

 

 

[CybrSlydr]

9 minutes ago, LionHeart said:

How bigga' Jon boat are you looking for.  Personally I think a 12 foot Jon boat can fish 2 dudes, and gear pretty easily.  If you look around, you can easily find one ready to go with a decent outboard and trolling motor (likely even trailer) for under $1500.  Plus, if you wanted, you could just put the Jon in the back of a truck. To me, it's an obvious choice.

 

But I'm bias.  I can't see myself owning a kayak

 

 

I don't have a truck - I have a Jeep.  For guys of our size, I was looking at 14 and 16ft boats.  What HP would you go for something like that?  20hp?

[Russ E]

I own a bass boat and a nice fully outfitted Kayak. the Kayak spends most of its time Hanging from the ceiling collecting dust and spiders. I might use it once or twice a year.

Personally I would get a double wide 16ft. jon boat. with that you will need a trailer.

you can easily stand up in it. While you can stand up in a smaller jon boat they are often times not very stable.

 

regarding outboard size it depends on the water you are going to use it. 

If you are fishing small lakes, around 100 to 300 acres, a 10 horse is plenty. (they are usually no wake lakes anyway)

if you are occasionally hitting larger reservoirs I would get a 20-25 horse motor.

a word of advice. Jon boats are not your best choice if you plan on fishing bigger water. they don't fair well in rough water. neither does a Kayak.

 

often times the outboard is the most expensive part of a smaller boat. the bigger the motor the more it costs.

You can usually get a nice used jon boat relatively cheap with a small outboard.

$1500.00 should get you into a used boat with a small outboard

good luck.

[Log Catcher]

Several years ago I was talking to some guys on the water in a new  jon boat. I believe it was a 14' boat with a 9.9 four stroke outboard motor on it. I told them I was wondering what a set up like that cost. They replied about $4800. I don't know if that included the depth finder or trolling motor or not. It was a Bass tracker boat and Mercury motor that had come from our local dealer.

[Russ E]

2 minutes ago, Log Catcher said:

Several years ago I was talking to some guys on the water in a new  jon boat. I believe it was a 14' boat with a 9.9 four stroke outboard motor on it. I told them I was wondering what a set up like that cost. They replied about $4800. I don't know if that included the depth finder or trolling motor or not. It was a Bass tracker boat and Mercury motor that had come from our local dealer.

a new boat like that will easily cost $4000.00 or higher. you can get a used boat much cheaper

[CybrSlydr]

Seems like a boat is still a bit out of our price range.

 

Been looking on Craigslist in the area and nothing in the $1500 - $2000 range looks seaworthy...  lol

 

https://parkersburg.craigslist.org/boa/d/1972-glastron/6686844798.html

 

https://parkersburg.craigslist.org/boa/d/98-tohatsu-outboard-14ft-jon/6645470988.html

[slonezp]

This was under a grand. Rated for 800lbs people/motor/etc.

[Russ E]

4 minutes ago, CybrSlydr said:

Seems like a boat is still a bit out of our price range.

 

Been looking on Craigslist in the area and nothing in the $1500 - $2000 range looks seaworthy...  lol

 

https://parkersburg.craigslist.org/boa/d/1972-glastron/6686844798.html

 

https://parkersburg.craigslist.org/boa/d/98-tohatsu-outboard-14ft-jon/6645470988.html

that jon boat is only a year old and $2000.00.

if you are patient you should be able to find one a little older in your price range.

often times boats come up for sale in the fall, because people don't want to pay storage on a boat they want to sell.

[CybrSlydr]

4 minutes ago, Russ E said:

that jon boat is only a year old and $2000.00.

if you are patient you should be able to find one a little older in your price range.

often times boats come up for sale in the fall, because people don't want to pay storage on a boat they want to sell.

Well, the Tohatsu outboard is only a year old - the age of the boat is debatable.

[Logan S]

Cost-wise they will probably be close enough to where it won't be a major deal breaker one way or the other. 

 

I think the better question to ask is which way you'd like to fish more...From a jon boat or from a kayak?  Because they are pretty different.

 

I have a kayak and can't remember the last time I used it...That type of fishing is not for me.  It's probably hard to tell without experiencing each style, but at least think about the types of waters you want to fish, gear you want to bring, distance you want to travel, etc...

[LionHeart]

3 hours ago, CybrSlydr said:

I don't have a truck - I have a Jeep.  For guys of our size, I was looking at 14 and 16ft boats.  What HP would you go for something like that?  20hp?

Honestly then, I gotta recommend a 16 footer with the biggest motor you can afford.  We're stepping into a pretty big price difference between the Jon and kayaks but in my opinion, well worth it.

 

I had a heavy gauge welded 14 footer not long ago.  Thing must have weighed 300 lbs (probably more).  I had a 15 hp Johnson that would push me plus gear at 20 mph in somewhat calm water.

 

Add a fishing buddy his gear and it was more like 15 mph.  We both weigh about 180 though so IMO, I'd shoot for at least a 20 hp.

 

If you guys plan to stand up and fish, the boat cannot be too wide.  A 1432 ain't gonna do the job.  Again, really gonna jump up in price though.  Still, if your primary intent is to fish, Well, the thought of having to paddle does not interest me.

[CybrSlydr]

I was mostly using the 1432 as a model as I wasn't sure exactly what we should be looking at.

 

Certainly sounds like getting something used from someone would be a better bet and significantly cheaper than buying new and outfitting it.

[LionHeart]

54 minutes ago, CybrSlydr said:

I was mostly using the 1432 as a model as I wasn't sure exactly what we should be looking at.

 

Certainly sounds like getting something used from someone would be a better bet and significantly cheaper than buying new and outfitting it.

Mine was a 1432.  Once you go wider the price goes way up.  If you're on the smaller side, and relatively nimble, 32 works fine but if you're a couple of bigger dudes it would get sketchy real fast.

 

Honestly, around here a Jon wider than 32 is kinda tough to find used.

 

I wound up getting one of those 8 ft plastic bass buggy type boats.  They come in a 10 foot length and while it may sound unorthodox, they are extremely stable and light weight.  You could probably find a new one for a grand or so.  Not sure if it could go one your roof rack but I think the 10 foot only weighs 140 lbs.  Google Pelican Bass Raider 10e

 

Heck, I used to strap a 10 foot Jon to the roof of my Grand Cherokee.  It looked ridiculousl but I cared not.

[CybrSlydr]

There's always the Ultraskiff.

 

https://www.ultraskiff.com

[kenmitch]

1 hour ago, CybrSlydr said:

There's always the Ultraskiff.

 

https://www.ultraskiff.com

That things kind of cool. Pretty stable it looks like.

 

 

[Bluebasser86]

5 hours ago, CybrSlydr said:

There's always the Ultraskiff.

 

https://www.ultraskiff.com

I bet that is just a blast in any kind of wind.

 

I got my 16' johnboat with a trailer for $300. It needed some work to repair some small leaks, as well as paint, and I built the makeshift front and back decks on it. Trailer got new paint, lights, jack, coupler, and wheels/tires. Added a new foot control trolling motor, then the hand control and depth finder that I already had (but to buy would have been around $250 combined). All told, I've got about $1,000 wrapped up in a boat that built how I wanted it and has really been a great find for me. Once I get my 15hp gas motor fixed up, it will really be ready to rock. I pull it with my car a lot of the time too, so a Jeep would pull it no problem. 

 

Kayaks are nice for simplicity. No gas, not batteries, no trailer if you don't want to. Plus you can fish places with or without boat ramps. I like my kayak, but if I had to pick one or the other, I'd keep the johnboat. 

[Catt]

Personally I would not go smaller than a 14' with a 44" bottom.

 

Down here tin boat are a dime a dozen ?

[Lottabass]

I bought a 1650 Lowe....50 inch bottom.....borderline tippy!  I shoulda got a 54 inch bottom!

 

[haggard]

14 hours ago, CybrSlydr said:

My brother and I are contemplating the cost differential between us getting our own kayaks or getting a Jon boat.

 

Kayaks are going to be around $1k each.  Then you have to buy the paddle, PFD, assorted accessories like a box for all the tackle, etc.

 

Looking at appropriately sized Jon boat, what would we be looking at total cost for a boat that could hold both of us (appx 265lb each of us), affix a modest motor, trawling motor, batteries for assorted electronics and a trailer?

I built out a jon boat last winter. New 2016 Tracker 1448MVX Grizzly (all welded aluminum, 14 ft, with casting deck, includes trailer) was $3,500 (typically $4000 but had a couple dings on it). $645 trolling motor w/foot control (55 lb thrust, single 12 V battery, moved the boat along just great), $425 bimini top, $100 accessory rails, $??? used motor and steering system from older boat.

 

Yak and jon are such different boating/fishing experiences you might consider getting the jon AND a couple cheap yaks (got my Sundolphin Journey 10SS for $185  new. Tippy but gets you on the water.)

 

Or if you want a full blown purpose built high quality fishing yak, $2500-$3500 gets you real nice Hobie... you may not even miss the jon. Downside is limited room and it can't cross the lake very fast.

 

Figure in a little more $ for paddle, PFD, throw ring, anchor, cooler etc.

 

13 hours ago, CybrSlydr said:

I don't have a truck - I have a Jeep.  For guys of our size, I was looking at 14 and 16ft boats.  What HP would you go for something like that?  20hp?

20 to 25 hp should be good for a 14-16' jon. I had a 14' and its max rating was 25. I used a 15hp on it which wasn't quite enough.

[J Francho]

2 hours ago, haggard said:

Or if you want a full blown purpose built high quality fishing yak, $2500-$3500 gets you real nice Hobie

$1995 for a Hobie Compass including the seat, paddle, and Mirage Drive.

 

 

@CybrSlydr you're going to have to make two lists, one to equip two kayaks, and another to equip a jon.  Add up the cost, then do another "Pros/Cons" analysis.  I'm thinking given that you're both pretty big guys, it might be a little tight in a jon less than 14'.  You're also limited to kayaks with at least a  450 lb. max weight capacity. 

[JustJames]

I own 1432 Jonboat and 10' kayak pescador pro, but I usually bank fishing lol. I have not touch my kayak once but planning to soon. 

If you don't have problem towing your jon in a trailer and accessible to launch lamp on your lake, then go with jon boat. 

I got my Jonboat around 2,300 with 15hp it 2005 but only have a few hour of operation. I can haul a lot of equipment on Jon and my big fat ass 6'5 fishing buddy. I plan to upgrade only the boat to wider platforms jon and foot control trolling motor once my wife approves my budget (should be about a grand).

Kayak is good when you need some what portable (no launch ramp or have to walk into lake) you can find good kayak for less than 1000 plus 100 for paddle, 100 for PFD and 50 for transport wheel you should be good to go.

[Catt]

I fish out of a Alweld 1652VJT

16' length 52" bottom with a Tohatsu 40 hp.

 

Little more money for a bigger boat but I fish can fish small water or Toledo Bend.