jon boat

[suenrod]

What are the pro's and con's of an aluminium vs. fiberglass jon boat?

Thinking of purchasing one.

Thanks,

RoD

[done]

Aluminum are lighter so it is easier to transport but with the light weight comes issues with being blown around by wind.

Aluminums tend to be cheaper.

Aluminums do not have a gel coat to damage so you can beach them and beat up the hulls a bit.

Aluminums, if you can afford it go with a welded hull not riveted, rivets will likely leak sooner or later. Pay attention to transom strength, thickness of hull. structural support, etc.

[Daniel My Brother]

For my money, it's tough to beat an aluminum jon boat. You can beach it, you can run it into stumps, and you can tow it with a Taurus.  A single battery and a $99 trolling motor is all you need to go all day.  A 9.8hp outboard gets my jon on plane, and 5 gallons of gas lasts for half a dozen trips.

If you're driving through the country and see a 40 year old aluminum boat sitting under a tree, covered in pine needles, you just might have found the deal of a lifetime. If that boat is glass, you better keep driving.

I get why people like their big, stable, smooth riding fiberglass boats, especially on big water, but a jon boat suits me fine.

[done]

I am with ya Daniel. Personally, I love Aluminum. But after a windy day out on the lake, I can understand why others don't. Mine has excellent stability for me (coming from a 1436 jon before this boat just about anything is).

I do not have to worry about gel coat, I learned how to braze aluminum so when I got a crack or hole I fixed it myself .

On a full size Bass boat I also hear from glass guys they get a better ride out of them. I loved my jon, got a lot of good fishing hours out of her.

[suenrod]

Thanks to all for the comments. I have only had 1 other jon boat before and it was aluminum. I had good luck from it other than having to replace the transom and rivets due to leakage.

Here are some pictures of the boat I'm comsidering.

The seller wants $450.00 with the trailer so it seems like a fair deal to me, but it is a fiberglass boat.

I have not seen the boat in person yet.

Specs from seller....

14' Tri-Hull Jon Boat.

very good condition with no leaks

50 lb thrust hand control trolling motor

20 HP Johnson outboard. (but it has an overheating problem.)

The overheating motor is not a big problem for me since most of the places I fish don't allow gas motors or are NO WAKE areas.

Thanks,

RoD

[Dave D]

Seems like a pretty good price to get on the water as long as the seller has all the paperwork you need.

Go for it!

[suenrod]

Thanks for the encouragement. Now if my wife will stop being so scared of me getting in a boat :-)

I thought it sounded like a good deal but have never owned a fiberglass jon boat before.

Thanks,

RoD

[moloch16]

Like everything else in life, you'll be safe as long as you don't do anything stupid.  Wear a life jacket and you can survive most anything that will happen in a jon boat

[done]

Like everything else in life, you'll be safe as long as you don't do anything stupid. Wear a life jacket and you can survive most anything that will happen in a jon boat

Ditto man, get yourself a good life jacket and keep it on, find one that is comfortable and won't kill ya in the summertime.

I got a Cabella's fishing life vest, I keep a set of pliers and a little hook remover attached to it. It has made it so important to my actual fishing that I would not forget it even if I wanted to. That action alone helped my wife feel more at ease with my solo fishing trips.