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Thinking of Getting a Jon Boat

Darrell Green Fan

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OK so I've been thinking about it for 15 years. Now with more time on my hand, and with a reservoir 15 minutes away, I'm at it again. I have never owned a boat, I want one that is stable and can handle me, my wife (maybe) and a German Shepherd. So what size do I need? I want to keep the costs down and don't need a 20 footer but is 12 too unstable? Can I assume width is important with regard to stability? I want to match it with an electric trolling motor and need advice on those as well.

Thanks.
 

MAIZEandBLUE09

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OK so I've been thinking about it for 15 years. Now with more time on my hand, and with a reservoir 15 minutes away, I'm at it again. I have never owned a boat, I want one that is stable and can handle me, my wife (maybe) and a German Shepherd. So what size do I need? I want to keep the costs down and don't need a 20 footer but is 12 too unstable? Can I assume width is important with regard to stability? I want to match it with an electric trolling motor and need advice on those as well.

Thanks.
I'm with you. I've been really thinking about it lately. I have an inflatable that I use to pond hop around my parts but now that I have a vehicle that can tow a small boat, I've really been thinking about investing in something more substantial. What I can't figure out is if I want to buy a new one for a lot (even the cheapest new versions + motor are like $10,000) or if I want to do something like getting a used one off Facebook Marketplace first?

I can tell you, we had a 10' flat bottom boat and a 12' row boat growing up that we used on our neighborhood lake. No motor, literally just rowing, and they were pretty unstable; especially with multiple people in the boat. If I get one I'm looking at a 14' boat and the wider you can get the better for stability. There's some really really skinny 10-12' boats and I bet they're like fishing in a canoe.

I already have a minn kota trolling motor I use for my inflatable, I think it's like a 45lb thrust? But if I had to do a "real" boat I'd try for a bow mounted trolling motor so you can stand up front and operate it with your foot. On my inflatable I get like 2-3mph out of it. What I really want is a 14' boat with like a 9hp motor and a bow mounted trolling motor + a trailer now that I can tow it. I think that's the perfect setup for small lakes and ponds.

I've been keeping my eye on the used market and it seems like you can get a decently used one for like $2-$3k. But if you just want a boat that's stripped of everything, you might be able to get it under $1000 and add some stuff to it after the fact.
 

Darrell Green Fan

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I'm with you. I've been really thinking about it lately. I have an inflatable that I use to pond hop around my parts but now that I have a vehicle that can tow a small boat, I've really been thinking about investing in something more substantial. What I can't figure out is if I want to buy a new one for a lot (even the cheapest new versions + motor are like $10,000) or if I want to do something like getting a used one off Facebook Marketplace first?

I can tell you, we had a 10' flat bottom boat and a 12' row boat growing up that we used on our neighborhood lake. No motor, literally just rowing, and they were pretty unstable; especially with multiple people in the boat. If I get one I'm looking at a 14' boat and the wider you can get the better for stability. There's some really really skinny 10-12' boats and I bet they're like fishing in a canoe.

I already have a minn kota trolling motor I use for my inflatable, I think it's like a 45lb thrust? But if I had to do a "real" boat I'd try for a bow mounted trolling motor so you can stand up front and operate it with your foot. On my inflatable I get like 2-3mph out of it. What I really want is a 14' boat with like a 9hp motor and a bow mounted trolling motor + a trailer now that I can tow it. I think that's the perfect setup for small lakes and ponds.

I've been keeping my eye on the used market and it seems like you can get a decently used one for like $2-$3k. But if you just want a boat that's stripped of everything, you might be able to get it under $1000 and add some stuff to it after the fact.

Yeah I have no interest in an unstable boat so I'm thinking 14 foot. No way am I going to invest in a new boat, I am looking for used with a trailer. What can you tell me about electric motors? I will be crossing a lake that's maybe 50 acres and I'll troll as I get to the other side so I don't need a lot of power. I have looked at Craigslist and haven't found anything.
 

ill

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I've got this bad boy up at my mom's lake house in NJ. It's plenty steady for me and my 70 lb dog.

1651069758044.png
 

MAIZEandBLUE09

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Yeah I have no interest in an unstable boat so I'm thinking 14 foot. No way am I going to invest in a new boat, I am looking for used with a trailer. What can you tell me about electric motors? I will be crossing a lake that's maybe 50 acres and I'll troll as I get to the other side so I don't need a lot of power. I have looked at Craigslist and haven't found anything.
For some reason Craigslist doesn't seem to have a ton of used boats listed. I see most on Facebook Marketplace. minn kota trolling motors are the industry standard. The transom mounted ones (from the back) are going to be the cheapest and they're going to get more expensive for the amount of thrust you want to pay for. You can go look up YouTube videos on how fast they'll go, but 30lb or 55lb you're probably not going to get more than a few MPH out of them on any boat. The distance you can go entirely depends on your battery and you can buy multiple batteries if you want. For a 50 acre lake, all of them would do the job just fine especially if you're just trolling with them. I fish on a lake that's a little bigger than that with no issues.

The bow mounted ones double the price and they're more complex to install. But they're great for bass fishing because you can control the boat without using your hands.
 

ill

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You did the PA cabin fishing trip last year, right? You doing that again this year?
thinking about it. I realized my buddy I went with last year won't do anything to schedule it himself even though he knows he wants/needs to do it to get away from his family and work for a weekend.

so it if it going to happen, I need to pick a place and time

also might just make it western MD this year...but I don't know enough about spots out there to hit.
 

MAIZEandBLUE09

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Yeah I have no interest in an unstable boat so I'm thinking 14 foot. No way am I going to invest in a new boat, I am looking for used with a trailer. What can you tell me about electric motors? I will be crossing a lake that's maybe 50 acres and I'll troll as I get to the other side so I don't need a lot of power. I have looked at Craigslist and haven't found anything.
For reference, here's my current setup and the lake I fish most regularly. Does really well. But I really hate putting it all together, takes about 20 minutes to connect everything and I'm getting tired of doing that. Would much rather just trailer a boat ready to go.

Boat.jpg
boat2.jpg
 

ill

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MAIZEandBLUE09

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spend the money and get one with a trailer
I just keep going back to getting it new. I feel like having it long term, new would be the best option.
 

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I would be looking for something at least 48" wide and 16' long myself.

Don't discount a couple kayaks for you and your wife. a big stable kayak can easily handle a large dog with one of you. My 75lb yellow lab rides in the back of my Bonafide SS127 every trip out. She loves it.
 

mrschaney

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I had a Seaark 1442, 14 long and 42 wide that was plenty stable. 3 people could stand on the same side(happened when netting a fish) I think you want to get at least a 42 wide. I regretted selling that boat, my current boat is 16 long and about 38 wide. It is more of a small river, trout fishing boat probably a little too tippy for a larger lake.
These things last forever. When I bought my latest jon boat and registered it, it turns out it is a 1957 Ouachita brand. It is riveted and nothing leaks. Many prefer an all-weld, but don't be afraid of rivets, it can give a boat a little flex where an all-weld has very little flex. I painted mine once and it kind of keeps the rivets sealed and they make a rivet repair kit where should one leak, you can pop it out and replace it. Where I'm going with this is there is very little to go wrong with an old aluminum jon boat. You can save some money in buying an old boat in good shape without the motor, but then invest in a new outboard. That is what I did. This was 15 years ago, but I bought the boat and trailer with a knowingly bad motor for $500. Boat dealership gave me something like a $200 trade in for the bad motor and I purchased a new 15 hp motor for around $1500 if I remember correctly, so I have around 2k in a boat that I have used for 15 years without any problems.
 
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