lowe 1440 jon in pickup truck bed

Does any tinboater have experience loading a Lowe 1440 into a full size GMC pickup truck bed that has the usual 48 "
between the wheel wells ?

I can't store a trailer and want the jon boat to sit flat on the bottom of the truck bed and the only answer I get from the Lowe folks is "it might fit"

I can easily/safely support the length of the boat with a "big bed" extender

Many thanks

I cant help you with you question but wanted to say its great to have another Pickering on board, there arent many of us here in Arkansas, where are you from?

does the beam of the 1440 fit within the 48" mark?

I would think that you would have no problems if it went in NOSE first,since the front is the thinnest.Just remember that there is about 6ft hanging out of an 8ft bed.With the center of gravity towards the rear make sure there is enough counterweight towards the front of the boat,or you may lose it.

thanks S&MFISH,

I should have stated the need to put the stern of the Lowe 1440 jon into the truck bed for the safest weight distribution.

I hope a tinboater somewhere has tried this as no Lowe dealer within 500 miles stocks this boat so I could actually take my
truck there to see if it fits !

Regards, David

Will it fit? No doubt. The only questionable spot is the wheel wells. If the boat slopes too much that it doesn't fit between the wheel wells, block it up. Can't imagine it would need more than 4 inches of blocking. Thus, lay out two 10 - 12 foot 4 x 4s, and not only will they block the boat up, they will further support the suspended section of hull.

The worry I have is launching and loading. A 1440 is a pretty good size boat, and you might find loading/unloading that to be quite an issue.