Jon Boat info

When looking for a jon boat, What are some of the things you would look for? I am mainly going to use it for fishing, but possibly some hunting as well.

Lowe or Alumacraft on the side.

I’m not really concerened about the maker I guess. I’m more concerened about stability as the GF will be in the boat as well, and….Well you know.

If I was looking at buying one it would have to be extra wide so I could walk around without it tipping esp. with a woman in it. Look at no smaller than a 14 ft. Hope this helps you out.

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I’m not really concerened about the maker I guess. I’m more concerened about stability as the GF will be in the boat as well, and….Well you know.

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depending on age (as do not want to get in trouble ) if she is promising to wear white tank tops or undershirts then a boat that will tip very very easy. . but make sure it is in the shallows so she does not need her life jacket on. (you know a “dry run”)

but I second the post on the names. But you move wrong in any names Jon boat and it can get tipped.

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If I was looking at buying one it would have to be extra wide so I could walk around without it tipping esp. with a woman in it. Look at no smaller than a 14 ft. Hope this helps you out.

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Minimum 48 inch across the floor. the 36 inch floors are tippy like a canoe!

-J.

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I’m not really concerened about the maker I guess. I’m more concerened about stability as the GF will be in the boat as well, and….Well you know.

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Then buy the biggest widest that you can afford.Then live and learn like I did.Those two brands are the best.

Of the two you listed, which is the better, or are they equivalent?

I had really good luck with my Crestliner 1448. Had that boat 10 years with regular use and no problems. No problem recommending it to anyone.

-J.

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Of the two you listed, which is the better, or are they equivalent?

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If I bought another it would be a Lowe.

I have a Lowe Roughneck and would highly recomend it.

are you looking to put an outboard on it, or are you looking put a mudmotor on it? if so, there are a lot of things to look at then.

how big do you want to go? for general fishing, i would go no less then 16ft.

16×52 and 16×60 are both good sizes.

17×48 & 17×54

depending on the model, i would look at a modified V hull. it won’t give you a soft, smooth ride in heavy chop, but it does help some.

if you are looking for an economy jon boat, and one that will work for most applications, then go with a Lowe Olympic or Roughneck series, or the alumacraft & crestliner lines.

I would stay far, far away from tracker boats though…..

But, if you want a true workhorse, last you a lifetime type boat, that will handle the abuse of duck hunting, stumps, a mudmotor, etc, you will need to look more into .100+ gauged hull custom jon boat.

it all comes down to what your budget is, and what exactly you want to do with it.

I have a Alumacraft double deep double wide and have never had an issue with stability. I had primarely used it for duck hunting and with 2 guys and a lab with 50-75 dekes and gear never felt unsafe. I started to get away from duck hunting and turned it into a fishing boat by gutting the whole thing and building in live wells and storage, casting deck and 3 swivel seats. It’s a great river and small lake fishing boat, very versatile. I wish it had a larger motor on it. It came with a 15hp Force and the max. rating for this boat is a 25hp. Overall I have no complaints it was a great 1st boat. I bought a used Lund 1650 Explorer this last Fall since I do more fishing than hunting and I love the extra room. As I get older the more room the better! I’ve thought about selling it but I keep thinking I should keep it for when the rivers get low here in Central Iowa and I don’t want to take the Lund out.

Good advice Phigs. I would love to have one of those custom jons you see hanging off the back of those big tuggs! Custom made tanks!

-J.

Polarcraft x-wide, x-deep. x 16 ft. Had mine for over 32 yrs. Dam nice fishin machine. If you need more info, pm me anytime.

I have an Alumacraft MV1648 with a 25 Merc EFI 4 stroke. I put a huge deck on the front (really helps keep the front end down), and a fairly light floor between the rear bench and the middle. I turned the middle bench into a livewell, added rod holders, a wireless trolling motor, bilge, switch panel etc…

The sky’s the limit with those boats. I would stick with the 48″ bottom or larger though.

I have 16 foot Lowe Roughneck with a Merc 30 4 stroke. It is 4years old and I have enjoyed every day I have fished out of it. It is a semivee which does help with the bump in white caps and rollers. I would think that you will look at many boats and then see quality workmanship. Some are riveted and some are welded. Good luck.

I have a 16′ Polar Kraft Sportsman MV1680DB with a 50 HP Yamaha 4-stroke. Great for both fishing and duck hunting. The stern is wider to handle the weight of the 4-stroke. Very stable boat; semi-vee helps with waves; 0.1″ thick Al all welded construction has held up for 5 years. Great for fishing two people – if you fish 3 or more you might want to consider a bigger boat.

I think 14′ long with a 6′ wide floor would suit me most of the time.

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I have a 16′ Polar Kraft Sportsman MV1680DB with a 50 HP Yamaha 4-stroke. Great for both fishing and duck hunting. The stern is wider to handle the weight of the 4-stroke. Very stable boat; semi-vee helps with waves; 0.1″ thick Al all welded construction has held up for 5 years. Great for fishing two people – if you fish 3 or more you might want to consider a bigger boat.

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Mine is a Polar Kraft 1648MV. Used a uncut full sheet of plywood for the floor. The 1680 must be measured across the top. Polak Craft is all welded. and has double tubing in the gunnels. Took on a river cone one night with mine and not even a scratch on the boat. I can also stand on the the gunnel and not flip the boat. Now me and the old lady in there might be able to get it to go over. Mine is the duck boat version to if I remember right. It has the V back bench seat. No center bench as I want plenty of room to be able to get up and walk around. This works great now for putting lawn chairs in it.

If I were to buy a new one today it would be no shorter then 16′ and it would be welded.

Could any of you guys with the jons post some pictures? I would like to see how you have them set up.

http://www.polarkraft.com/

SeaArk looked to me to make a very tough looking jon boat to.

I would go with a 16ft and atleast 48in wide. Depending on how you plan on abusing it i would look at the alweld and sea ark if you plan on buying new. If you plan on not abusing it i would go with a rivited jon in the same size.

The first boat is mine it’s a 1648 rivited lowe with a 40hp jet the next one is a 1756jc alweld with a 115hp jet and the furthest one is 1648 rivited with a 30hp jet.

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Could any of you guys with the jons post some pictures? I would like to see how you have them set up.

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Just sold this one. Kinda regret it too….

http://www.idofishing.com/classifieds/showclassified.php/Number/988230/2001-crestliner-1448-jon-boat

-J.

I think 14′ long with a 6′ wide floor would suit me most of the time.

These are all nice boats. I love my Xpress all welded rig. That thing is tougher than nails. I’ve hit things at full throttle that would have totaled a rivetted boat that haven’t even scratched it. I’ve been caught in some waves and wind I had no business in and it got me home.

I also like the Seaark boats but they seem to be a little on the pricey side for a jonboat.

Xpress mod v line