boat stability when fishing

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cioppino

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Need advise

i am looking to make a conversion jon boat. how stable will a 14' 36" jon boat be on the water. i moved to nj and slod my ranger which was useless because most of the lakes here are electric only. i normally fish alone and have a small car to tow the boat. any advise would be greatly received.

:?:
 
:WELCOME: to NJ. I have a 1448 and it is very stable, so I would think a 1436 would be fine. You can test the stabilty by standing on the bench seats while the boat is in the water. Just be careful and don't deck it too high. read up on the posts on this site, You will find alot of great info here and make sure to ask alot of questions :D

Tom
 
I have a 1432 jon and it is pretty unstable for me. I have found some sites that show outrigger stabilizers that are used with canoes and kayaks. Seem to be what I want and am thinking of making some myself out of pvc pipe. My boat is not decked or anything and I can't stand up in it without feeling like I am going to turn it over. Wonder if anybody on here has any experience with the outriggers on a jon boat.
 
tincansailor said:
I have a 1432 jon and it is pretty unstable for me. I have found some sites that show outrigger stabilizers that are used with canoes and kayaks. Seem to be what I want and am thinking of making some myself out of pvc pipe. My boat is not decked or anything and I can't stand up in it without feeling like I am going to turn it over. Wonder if anybody on here has any experience with the outriggers on a jon boat.

My suggestion to you on this would be the same as when fishing from a kayak. Take the boat out in warm water ('tis not the season for this right now), on a calm day, and turn it over. You need to know what it is going to take to turn the boat over if you don't feel stable in it. You need to know your boat just like you need to know the rest of your gear. If your boat feels tippy, you need to know how far you can push it before it will actually go over, and you need to practice righting it while you are in a controlled area/situation.
 
My suggestion to you on this would be the same as when fishing from a kayak.

Since I am still a member of the Plastic Navy and do most of my fishing from a Yak, that probably wouldnt be a bad idea. At least then you will get a real good feel for what your limit is in the boat so that you dont take an unplanned swim, especially in water as cold as it is now!
 
Rodnocker said:
tincansailor said:
I have a 1432 jon and it is pretty unstable for me. I have found some sites that show outrigger stabilizers that are used with canoes and kayaks. Seem to be what I want and am thinking of making some myself out of pvc pipe. My boat is not decked or anything and I can't stand up in it without feeling like I am going to turn it over. Wonder if anybody on here has any experience with the outriggers on a jon boat.

My suggestion to you on this would be the same as when fishing from a kayak. Take the boat out in warm water ('tis not the season for this right now), on a calm day, and turn it over. You need to know what it is going to take to turn the boat over if you don't feel stable in it. You need to know your boat just like you need to know the rest of your gear. If your boat feels tippy, you need to know how far you can push it before it will actually go over, and you need to practice righting it while you are in a controlled area/situation.

Good idea, but I have already turned it over, like upside down. I didn't do it on purpose, it was an accident when I was trying to drive it onto the trailer but I had it upside down and I was in water up to my neck. This incident is not why I want to stabilize my boat, I want to be able to stand up from time to time to stretch my legs when needed and to just have a more stable platform. I have also gotten a bit overbalanced and taken on water over the gunnel. I guess I am pretty clumsy and need something that will keep me from tipping over.
 
sound like you need a wider boat.. if you are taking water over the sides you may also be overloaded .. be careful
 
:twisted: 48" beam is stable. A 36" beam is no where near being stable especially if you plan on standing up. Be safe out there and Good Luck.
 
fish devil said:
:twisted: 48" beam is stable. A 36" beam is no where near being stable especially if you plan on standing up. Be safe out there and Good Luck.

Agreed. I have an unmodded 1436 and it is really tippy - feels like a canoe when I'm in it. Can't imagine a 1448 weighing all that more than a 1436.
 
Sell it, and keep an eye out for a 1448 or bigger. World of difference in stability and possibilities when it comes time to do any modifications. I suspect my weight would factor more into the decision tho. I'm 6'1, 270lbs.
 
Brine said:
Sell it, and keep an eye out for a 1448 or bigger. World of difference in stability and possibilities when it comes time to do any modifications. I suspect my weight would factor more into the decision tho. I'm 6'1, 270lbs.

Not a option for me as I would like to do a mod to make my 1542 more stable. I have a short shaft motor and most wider boats use the long shaft motor. I was thinking of adding sort of a outrigger setup up but hinged so the floats can be raised when traveling on water or on the trailer. Picture a upside down V that is made of a channel metal. Think I could mount the channel so it attaches to the inside of the boat on the side frames.
Then use 8 inch Pvc pipe on both sides 36 to 46 inches long.
This set up would use 4 sets of Ibeam hinged and would allow the the pvc pipe to be flipped to the inside of the boat when not in use. Hope this makes sense to you. I'll try to post some pictures when I get it done. seems very simple to make and would be a lot cheaper buying and then rigging another boat. I already built decks and mounted trollimg motor anchor and a 25 hp outboard. :p
 
deepguy said:
Brine said:
Sell it, and keep an eye out for a 1448 or bigger. World of difference in stability and possibilities when it comes time to do any modifications. I suspect my weight would factor more into the decision tho. I'm 6'1, 270lbs.

Not a option for me as I would like to do a mod to make my 1542 more stable.

Yah.....I was responding to the author of this thread on his original question
 

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