1436 Tracker jon boat

[chromedog]

I am considering finally breaking down and getting my own little boat to hit all of my small, local waterways. Does anyone have one of these boats? How do you like it? How is it with two people in it as far as stability and comfort (plenty of room to fish)?

What size motor do you have on it and how well does it move it?

I am thinking about getting a new Merc 4 stroke, 4 or 3.5 hp and I have a 50lb thrust bow mount trolling motor.

Any input would be awesome guys. Thanks!

[done]

hey man,

I got a tracker topper 1436. (See customizations: http://s974.photobucket.com/albums/ae227/MStarr13/)

Mine has a 8 hp OB. It moves pretty good with it if I am alone, with another adult it moves but would be better with a 10 hp. With the 1446 I would not go any smaller on the engine.

My 1446 works great though for fishability. I also have a 50# TM on the back of mine and added an eagle cuda 168.

Stability wise, if you are both sitting it is fine, 2 people standing though, you could throw each other off quick. Also, before the mod with the seats as close as they were you had to be careful not to hit each other. After my mods, we are far apart now that hitting each other is no longer an issue.

The only issue I had with it was a crack in the weld on the bottom of the transom. I had a welder fix it and reinforce the crud out of the entire weld to be safe.

For the price, it is not a bad little jon.

[Daniel My Brother]

I fish out of a 1436 jon. It's fine with one person standing or two sitting. I put in a sunken front deck that helps keep my center of gravity low.

12 volt, 36# trolling motor moves it around the lake with no issues, a 9.8hp mercury gets me on plane in a hurry. Overall, a very affordable, dependable way to get off the bank.

That said, if I had it to do over again I would hold out for a wider boat...48 inch minimum.

One other thing, consider LED running lights for the front and rear. No wires to run and I haven't had to change the batteries in 3 years. Definitely one of my better purchases.

[chromedog]

That is a great idea of the led lights.  Thanks.  And the floor is a great idea, how though, do you fasten it?  Or does it just set on the floor ribs?

[dmac14]

Where did you find those LED lights? And about how much was the set

[erau618]

I have a 1636 jon boat and it is fairly stable with a front deck built on and the person in the back standing up, sometimes on the seat.  I guess it's not as stable as I would like it to be, but I have never fallen out.

[Daniel My Brother]

The lights are on sale now at Cabelas. The bow light is $15, the stern is $20.

The floor is not attached. It just sits on the ribs. I'll sometimes pop it out to go catfishing in. Here's a pic from the bottom