Help with Jon boat purchase

Hello all,
I’m switching gears, and trying to find a rig for hunting this fall, and also river/small lake fishing in the future…

Need some help with a boat purchase.

I have a line on these 2 used boats. A Lowe Big Jon 1448 MV and an Alumacraft 1648 MV.

Is there such a thing as too much boat ?? I have the feeling I know the answers already…

Here is my hunting situation. I typically hunt alone over small spreads – 3-5 dozen decoys. I don’t hunt out of the boat, I stash it, and build a blind wherever I hunt. My concern with the 1648 is it is one heck of a boat to stash by myself. The upside is this would really also double up as a fishing boat for a few years. Plenty of boat to hit many lakes in Minnesota… The owner has fished Mille Lacs without incident…

The 1448 would be easier to deal with, but also provide good stability in both hunting and fishing. Any mid sized lake, on a decent day, would be easily fished with this boat as well. As an aside, I owned a 1448 Lund about a decade ago, and at 210lb, felt safe standing on the back of the boat while fishing.

So…. what are your thoughts?

Of the 2, the 1648 package is a much better deal (again, though, it may be too much for me). I just priced out a 2016 boat/trailer at Cabelas this afternoon. It is $3000.00

This package is a 2011 boat/shorelander trailer, 2004 Mercury 25hp 2 stroke (electric start, long shaft). Yes, this boat has the 20″ transom option.

The 1448 is older, and or course cheaper. 2004 and a mid 70’s 15hp Evinrude. I do have to say, those Evinrudes of that era are absolutely bullet proof. Watching several videos of this exact set-up, it is a 23 mph boat, which is plenty for my needs.

Thank you.

1648 all the way. I doubt 2 feet will make much of a difference when stashing your boat. I also doubt that the 1448 is that much lighter to justify ease of stashing away. Is the Mercury oil injected? That would be another plus as opposed to mixing.

I would go with the 1648.

I would go with the 1648 because it has a 20″ transom height-a huge plus.That 25 Merc is pre-mix,and one of the last great motors of that size.

I have a 1648 with a 25 hp 2002 merc and fished and hunted out of it for years before I got my Crestliner deep V. With just me and some fishing gear it will do 25 mph. That motor is awesome. I’ve beat the crap out of mine and used it 40+ days a year in mud and rocks on a shallower river I live on for the first 12 years of its life and I never did anything to it besides change the lower unit oil and put stabill in it over the winter.

I still use it a ton on the smaller rivers and for bow fishing. I did finally hit something hard enough to bend the prop shaft this year. When I took it in for repairs my mechanic told me they are very desirable motors since they don’t make 2 strokes anymore and I could still easily get $1500+ out of the motor if I wanted to sell it.

I say go for the 1648. Really what’s 2 more feet to hide? I think you’ll be happy with it.

The 1648 is for sure the best choice for you… I have had both sizes of boat and the 1648 is not much harder to handle to prime conditions… And much easier to handle if there is a chop at all on the water.

I own an alumacraft 14′ jon. It’s a great boat and I’ve never felt like I’ve wanted a bigger boat for duck hunting. For fishing, I’ve wished I had a 16′.

I appreciate the input thus far. I really am leaning towards the smaller Jon, as I am planning on getting a dedicated fishing boat as well. The Jon would be for Pool 2 or lakes in the 500 acre range…Demontreville, Prior, or lakes up north.

However, I have a bit of time, and will carefully consider all input.

Thanks.

So duck hunters…. really trying to get input from you. If you hunt like I do, stashing a boat, is this too much to deal with? Perhaps I am overthinking this.

When I viewed the boat on Monday, I was just surprised at how big this boat appears. Part of that is it sits on a larger than normal Shorelander, and part may be the 20″ transom.

I stopped in at Cabelas, to look at boats side by side, on Monday. There definitely is a difference between the 15″ and 20″ transom boats, when viewed together…

If I do go with the 1648, it would serve both purposes for at least 2 years..

Father has 1448 duck boat and cousins all use 1648 for duck boats. My father like the smaller and lighter boat to pull around due to his age. Its a great one person duck boat but gets a little tight with 2 people and a dog in it. Shorter boat is a little easier to man handle into the weeds when hiding it. Either would work well. good luck

Own 6 duck boats. 3rd generation duck hunter. Have 2 Jon boats, a 1848 and a 1436. If it was me, listening to your thoughts and concerns, I might lean towards the 1448, if it’s just you hunting. Pulling a 1648 up to stash it ain’t bad with 2 people, a buddy has one. But I wouldn’t want to do it alone on a regular basis. A lot depends on if you have a dog too?

As far as fishing goes, I would have to ask where you are going to fish it mainly and with how many bodies in the boat? Smaller rivers and no more than 2 people mainly, 1448 all the way. More people, bigger waters,1648.

Where and what type of water you’ll be hunting comes in to play as well.

The fishing part of the equation would be the likes of Pool 2, perhaps pool 4 a time or 2 a year. Lakes would be of the 500 acre variety… fishing would be by myself.

Hunting, I don’t own a dog, so that isn’t an issue. Taking a 2nd person with me a few times a year with, say 5 dozen dekes, shouldn’t present any issues I would think??

From being in a few Jons in my life, the MV seems to cut a chop much better than the tradtional design, right?

nubbinbuck wrote:

From being in a few Jons in my life, the MV seems to cut a chop much better than the tradtional design, right?

Yes, much better ride in chop.

-J.

Mine is an Alumacraft MV1448. I agree 100% on the chop — it handles it pretty well for what it is. I’ve had mine on pool 2 a number of times. Not that you couldn’t do it, I wouldn’t want a traditional flat 14′ jon for river fishing.

I wouldn’t say my boat feels too small very often, but I do think it would be nice to have a 16′ for river fishing with two people. I’ve been in a 16′ only a couple of times and it seemed to track better on the water, too. On the other hand, my MV1448 it’s a sweet little boat and I’ve fished two out of it many times.

The MV1448 also carries two hunters, a dog, and a bunch of decoys without any problem. I can definitely see where it would be more challenging to stash a 16′. It’s not always super easy to stash the 14′.

It sounds like the hunting use is at least as important to you as the fishing use. If you’re leaning toward the 14′, I say don’t hesitate. I’ve seen a 14′ Lowe Big Jon and they look even bigger (higher on the water at least) than my boat. Maybe the Big Jon is the perfect route for you to go with a 14′!

Do you hunt areas shallow enough to retrieve birds with waders on vs having to retrieve birds by pulling the boat out for each bird?

Personally our group doesn’t care for mv’s a great deal. The 1848 is a first gen mv and is 18′ long so it doesn’t matter as much. There are some space intrusion with the mv. And they really aren’t wave cutters comparatively to a v hull. Once again personal preference is what it boils down to. We all like the flatter front ends for our applications. MV’s do cut waves better and have a pointier front end that makes then a tad easier to pull up and bury.

It sounds like to me a 1448 mv is better for your application, but just an opinion.

Good luck with it.

yes, I retrieve birds by hand. Waist deep or less, so no real issues.

I am going to call on the 1448 later today, and pick it up Monday I think..

Thinking over the winter a Helix 5 w/ DI would be a nice addition to the boat.

basseyes wrote:

Do you hunt areas shallow enough to retrieve birds with waders on vs having to retrieve birds by pulling the boat out for each bird?

Personally our group doesn’t care for mv’s a great deal. The 1848 is a first gen mv and is 18′ long so it doesn’t matter as much. There are some space intrusion with the mv. And they really aren’t wave cutters comparatively to a v hull. Once again personal preference is what it boils down to. We all like the flatter front ends for our applications. MV’s do cut waves better and have a pointier front end that makes then a tad easier to pull up and bury.

It sounds like to me a 1448 mv is better for your application, but just an opinion.

Good luck with it.