New guy here-which boat?

Hello to all! I have been fishing out of jon boats for years, but I have never owned one myself. I have fished flat botton and v hull, and they seem to both have their positives and negatives. In the near future I plan on purchasing a boat of my own, and I plan on doing some mild to moderate mods to it including a livewell, flooring, decking, and the like.

I currently fish out of a borrowed Alumacraft V-hull which measures 13'-6" front stern to the tip of the bow. Are 14's more popular than 12's? I can't really imagine 3 grown men fishing in a 12', as it is pretty tight in the 13'-6". Granted, the first few feet of the v-hull is almost useless for storage due to the narrowness and steepness of the floor.

What kind of boat do most people mod? It seems to me like a 14' flat bottom will give alot more room and mod options than the same length v-hull. Then again, I know I have been blown around like a feather in a flat bottom, whearas the v-hull seems to be less affected by the wind.

So many options! Whatcha think?

You mite as well go with 17 foot flat bottom with 40 hp tiler steer motor.Allso put 24 volt foot controll on front of her.I reed you fish with 3 in the boat so why skimp on the size?17 footer in flat bottom is good =D>

I think you need a boat that fills your needs vs. wants for the type fishing you do in the waters that you fish in.

Look at what's running in your local water. A V bottom doesn't have much use in shallow rocky rivers while a flat bottom doesn't do so good in bodies of water with wave action over 6". Catfish guys usually don't mess with trolling motors, some lakes are electric only.

What are you fishing for and where are you fishing? Are you running any distance to get there, what are you doing once you are at your spot? What's important in your boat, comfort, weight, ease of use?

Jamie

Jamie has given you some good advice. I'll enhance what he's said with and example: How I came about buying the boat I bought:

I live in Northeast Georgia in a town called Jefferson. I'm reasonably close to several large lakes (Lanier, Oconee and Hartwell) as well as smaller, electronic only lakes. I'm also close to the Oconee River, so I had lots of places I could fish. Problem was, shoreline access is relatively limited and not necessarily safe.

The rivers here in NE GA appear to be shallow and rocky where a canoe or flat bottom jon would do better. The smaller electric only would also do well with a flat bottom jon and a canoe. Problem was, these types of boats don't do well on the larger lakes where you get lots of jet skiers and folks with 50 foot (and sometimes bigger) Bayliner's making huge wakes. So I had to make a decision on if I wanted to river/small lake fish more or if I wanted to fish the larger lakes.

To help me make that decision, I looked at the type of fishing I preferred. I decided I wanted to fish for spotted bass, stripers (sport) and bluegills (eating) the most. This meant the larger lakes were where I would do most of my fishing, as all of these fish are available in large quantities in the bigger lakes.

A V-hull is better if you're dealing with lots of chop, wind, large wakes and such, so I decided I wanted a wide, deep V-hull around 16 foot long. In my search, I came across a Bass Tracker Tournament V-17, which is a fairly deep and very wide V-hull with chines added for stability. It was setup as a bass boat, which would be ideal for a fairly wide mix of fishing. It was a side console, something I wanted because I have some neck injuries (old car wreck) and a transom steer causes me some pain. It also had some room for improvement in the original setup where I could add a little storage. The boat had a large open center deck to help my wife feel "safe" in a boat, an important factor for me.

Finally, it came fairly inexpensively. I paid a thousand dollars and got a trailer, a boat and a 75 HP motor, all of which were fundamentally sound, but requiring refurbishment, repair or cleanup/paint. This was good, because I'm also a hobbyist and like to restore things and was looking for a project.

Hope this helps your thought process.

Depends on where you fish and what you need. Personally I prefer a flat bottom to a v-hull. If you fish big water you are better off with a v-hull. length of your boat depends on how you fish. If you fish small pnds and like to sit down when you fish a 12' jon will do you just fine. My boat is a 1542 and I personally would not go any smaller than that, but that is just me.

Ranchero50 said:

I think you need a boat that fills your needs vs. wants for the type fishing you do in the waters that you fish in.

Look at what's running in your local water. A V bottom doesn't have much use in shallow rocky rivers while a flat bottom doesn't do so good in bodies of water with wave action over 6". Catfish guys usually don't mess with trolling motors, some lakes are electric only.

What are you fishing for and where are you fishing? Are you running any distance to get there, what are you doing once you are at your spot? What's important in your boat, comfort, weight, ease of use?

Jamie

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Right on point!!!!!!!!!!!

I bought my boat and have fit it to my needs:

https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=12178

There are a few reasons why I got what I got:

Price, i couldnt pass up a boat and trailer for $600, especailly a 14 footer.

I knew i wanted a 14 footer as 12s are way too short. Next I knew I wanted a flat bottom or at least a mod-v (mostly flat bottom) because I fish the New River and V hulls dont like rocks.

Next I knew I wanted it to only fit two peeps so that is why I only have two seats. Also I knew i wanted an open floor plan to make it more roomier for my fiance to lay down and sun bathe if these wants and to have room to keep stuff and/or walk around without tripping.

So as you can see I have purchased and set up my boat to MY needs. In the end its about what YOU want. I like a versatile boat and flatbottom does the job perfect. Now along my build, I had alot of people telling me "you need to do this or you need to do that". I let it go in one ear out the other. One person wanted decks level with the top of the boat, mine are not, i dont want to raise the center of gravity of the boat and rish tipping. I like being IN my jon boat, not on top. Some were telling me how lay out the floor plan, i love my floor plan, nice and open! So case in point, do what the other guy said and get what you need/want that fits the waters you like to ish

Wide, Wide, Wide for the best ride, ride, ride. 14-16 ft mod-v as wide as you can find is a good all round boat that can go most places. carry most junk and easy mod. That's what I like. Now, what do you like? Find some guys with differant boats and say, "Hay, if I buy the gas can you take me out and about?" "What do you like about your boat?" (or dislike). Rent some boats, V-hull, flat bottom. see how stable walking around. Look at Craig's List for what people are using/selling around your area. Go to the local launch at your lake or river and see what people are putting in the water. But go wide.

Thanks for the replies! Cool build by the way, Dixie.

Basically I fish small water, electric only. Perhaps every once and a blue moon I would go to a place where gas motors are allowed. I am blessed to be allowed to fish a local private lake, about 45 acres, which is stocked to the gills with bass, bream, crappie, and small catfish. Other than that, most of the resevoirs around here are 100-600 acres. A trolling motor and two quality batteries should be all I need. Rocks and shallow water are no big deal, as most of the lakes around here are fairly deep and sandy on the bottom. Stumps are the only thing I've had to worry about so far. I don't plan on fishing any rivers or big water, so wave action should not be an issue. Stone Mountain would be the biggest lake I care to fish, for those familiar with the metro Atlanta area.

Type of fish? Whatever bites, really. I usually target bass, and I sometimes throw a rooster tail or a small crankbait that will catch bream too. Ocassionaly, I just sit back with a cane pole and crickets and relax. Basically, I'm no pro fisherman. I just go to the lake, chill, and see what hooks up 8)

Sounds like I'm a candidate for a flat bottom or mod v?

Sounds like a good 'ol jon boat. Mod-V gives better grip with the speed of a gas motor, better control. You give up front deck space for this benefit. If you stay with trolling motor power then you will want all the deck space you can get because your boat will be smaller (one would think). Now you must think of what level in the boat to put your deck. The more nerrow the boat the lower the center of gravaty must be. That's why the mother-in-law rule is so important. Wide in the beam makes for a safer boat. (I don't know what that means). Read the "Decking When to and when not to" post. Good luck, this is fun.

If I were you I would essentially do a open 14 footer with a trolling motor like Dixie.

tccanoe said:

That's why the mother-in-law rule is so important. Wide in the beam makes for a safer boat. (I don't know what that means)

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Maybe because alot of mother-in-laws tend to be *ahem* hefty? Therefore, to keep your mother-in-law's large rear from tipping the boat, the beam better be wide? :LOL2:

tccanoe said:

Wide, Wide, Wide for the best ride, ride, ride. 14-16 ft mod-v as wide as you can find is a good all round boat that can go most places. carry most junk and easy mod. That's what I like. Now, what do you like? Find some guys with differant boats and say, "Hay, if I buy the gas can you take me out and about?" "What do you like about your boat?" (or dislike). Rent some boats, V-hull, flat bottom. see how stable walking around. Look at Craig's List for what people are using/selling around your area. Go to the local launch at your lake or river and see what people are putting in the water. But go wide.

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I second that.....GO WIDE. I love my Polar Kraft, it's 71" on the top beam.