I’m gonna pick up a little jon boat for fishing the river. Already have the engine, a 25hp tiller. I am looking at 14 footers since I want to max out the h.p. reccomendation. Anyone have any suggestions on brand? I am looking for a mod V hull. Any other rigging tips would be appreciated. This will be mostly a bass rig. Trolling motor recomendations?
THanks
I have a tracker 1448 weld mov jon with 25hp merc on about 25mph, can’t take the big wakes from other boats at speed with out a beating though. pm me if you want to see pics.
hey crawdaddy, that sounds like an awesome bass rig!! I have a 16 foot flat with a 25hp on it. I put a deck on front and love fishing out of it. I would recommend a flat though that has a wide front end. It might not handle the waves quite as well but it will be alot more stable while fishing out of the front.
I have an Alumacraft MV 1448, before I bought this boat I had never even been in a Jon boat before. My previous boat was a 17′ Lund Pro V but that was just too bulky for me to shore launch. I am really impressed with this little boat. I fish the main channels, backwaters and as off Saturday the flats of Pool
9. Here is what I have learned about this boat :
1.When visiting a beach turn the boat around and keep the nose in water – 15” transoms are more like 6” transoms when the nose is on the sand.
2.When cruising at low speeds ( not on plane) sitting in the middle keeps it level but when cruising on plane scooting to the right (battery is on left – fuel tank ahead of engine) keeps it level and is very comfortable.
3.25 HP 2 stroke Yamaha does 31 mph according to GPS. The difference between ½ throttle and full throttle is 1.5 mph and noise with 1 person, tacklebox, ice chest with 10 lbs of ice so figure 260# max.
4.Boat is not tippy – I stand on the benches and at the nose site fishing – basically treat it like my Lund.
5.It is a small boat with short sides so you need to treat big boats (every boat is bigger than this) and waves with respect.
6.5 -8 mph winds are no problem – 10+ suck, 40lbs trolling motor killed a group 24 battery in 90 minutes Saturday on Pool 9
If you want I hav e pictures and video of my boat on the water – I put a floor in it using blue foam and a heavy rubber mat and it makes a huge difference not worrying about hopping ribs and loosing tackle.
$70 and you are done – no rot to worry about and removes in 5 minutes.
As I stated in the beginning my experience in a Jon boat is limited to this boat but I can tell you that this boat rides well, is stable, and launches with just a push and pull. The 25 HP motor is a great match for power and fuel efficiency. Good luck with whatever you get and take some time thinking about how you are going to position your equipment. I was anal and used a scale and math to locate everything to manage weight distribution – which by the way goes out the window when your shoes are floating and your battery box is covered with water (see point #1).
Good information! I’ve actually had thoughts of getting a similar boat myself.
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