Need Some Help Buying A New Jon Boat

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snook

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I'm new on this site and I was hopping to get some advice, My garage is 17'3" deep, I'm looking to buy a 14 or 15' Alumacraft with a 25 HP Etec for my power, I'm going to be using it in some very shallow water where I have to get out and pull the boat over shallow rocky waters, should I buy the 14' MV 1448 Riveted boat with a flat floor or a 15' MV 1546 AW welded boat with a flat floor, my concern is the welded boat weighs 320# plus the floor compared to 250# plus the floor, I'm worried the heavier boat is going to draw more water that may make it harder for me to get to my spots. Will the riveted hull end up leaking on me pulling it over the rocks? Steve
 
Why are you going to buy a new boat to drag it over hard rocks and what not? Not to mention if your trying to pull and lift a boat I'd go lighter than even the 250lb item, you gotta think that e-tec is what another 75-100lbs? adding a deck another 50-100lbs some gear, gps, ice chest, etc another say 50lbs...it all adds up...you could find a used john boat of around 14 ft cheap too...new motor that's your call if you want reliability and what not. Just my thoughts. Plus I believe there are a few companies that make super light high strength aluminum boats for this type of operation as well as for sail boats where you have to pull the boat onto the sailboat. They call them alumi-lites or something of that order...look it up. Just my thoughts..
 
I've used a handful of different aluminum boats on the Susquehanna River which is shallow and rocky. When a 1448 with an outboard gets hung up in some rocks, it can be very tough to shove it off again. Actually having to DRAG it over some rocks would be really tough. I would never want to do it.

I'm not sure exactly what type of water you'll be in, but there are a couple other options you could consider. You could get an old used 1436 riveted flat bottom jon boat and stick a nice 9.9 outboard on it. It would be really light and a lot easier to drag. And cheap.

Unless I had a money tree growing in the back yard, I don't think I'd buy a new boat and a new motor to use in shallow rocky water.

Have you considered a jet boat? They can run in only a couple inches of water.

Also, guys who river fish a lot come up with all kinds of stuff to paint on their hulls to help them go over rocks better, and to protect them. Find a good river fishing forum that has a "boats" section. riversmallies is a good one.
 
Im looking for a wider more stable boat, my 18 year old daughter fell in with Gators around my Gheenoe trying to eat our Bass, I sold my gheenoe and am now looking for something more stable, My Gheenoe had a 25 Merc on it and would only rub when the water was real low, I've been there when I could not get back there, just not enough water. After seing my daughter fall in screaming I need something stable. Any idea how much water a boat like this will draw with no one in it?
 
Dragging it over the rocks wont be a problem unless you poke a hole in it via a pole/stick. I have a 14' modified v alumacraft and can paddle through water about 1' deep. In 6" of water I had to get out and push. Pushing it was easy with my big butt out of the boat.

The less weight you add the lighter it will be and the easier it will be to float. How long is the portage?

As for a the bottom design, most boats in that length will either have a flat bottom front to back, or a v in the front 3rd and flat bottom the last 2/3rds. Either will work fine for your intended use. The wider the bottom the more it will displace the weight which makes it draw less water. However the wider the bottom the mroe resistance it will have on dry land, meaning harder to pull/push. Conversly a narrow bottom will concentrate more weight in a smaller area, meaning it will dig in deeper. Around here tehy use jon boats for duck/goose hunting and portage all the time. 3/4 guys can pick the boat up or drag it a long ways realatively easy.
 
I'm sorry to hear about your daughter falling into the water, and I'm glad to hear she's ok? I'm assuming she is, I dunno if a heavy boat is your answer though, I understand a wider more stable boat, but you also have to consider having to lift it over heavy obstructions...I think you can do this with an older boat still, but just my opinion. Good luck with whatever build you decide upon.
 

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