Newbie here....in need of some advise/help

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JeepDVL45

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Western Mass.
I'm going to apologize now, I'm sure there are tons of threads like this, but I searched the forum for them and couldn't find much......so I started this one.

Ok, so I'm a newbie...that in mind, please be gentile. I am in the market for a Jon Boat (something water ready so I can finish the year fishing, I want to aviod anything someone has already moded because I don't want any suprises). I've been scouring Craigslist for the past few weeks but haven't found anything for a particularly good price that meets my needs (so I'm thinking of just going new), I've also been on this forum (and many others) reading up and checking out some AMAZING JonBoat mods. (You guys are good). That being said, I found a company near me that sells JonBoats, and they're having a sale.

I know I want to get a 14' Jon Boat. I also know that I want to mod it...probably over the winter, because I don't have the time to do it this year with the fishing season already on top of us (and it will give me more time to save $$)

Now, the different 14' models that are on sale (all are welded aluminum) are 1432($799), 1436($899) and 1448($1695), I am assuming that 14 is for 14' and 32/36/48 is for the width of the bottom? Is that correct? They say that the beam width is 51", 57" and 72" respectively.

What are the advantages over welded vs. rivited?

I don't want to go with the 1448 for 2 reasons, its (IMO) a little wide for my liking, and I don't exaclty have $1700 at the moment. I was leaning towards the 1436, but I want to make sure it isn't too narrow to deck. I'll be fishing it on small lakes/large ponds, and maybe on the occasional river excursion, and there will only ever be 2 adults in the boat.

I just want to make sure I'm going in the right direction. For all you guys who have done a project like this, what would have you done different? I would also really appreciate it if you could send me some links to your builds.

Thanks!

Nick
 
Unfortunately, if you want to put higher decking, 48 is the way to go. 36'' will just be too tippy. Keep looking at Craigslist, persistence pays off, or just alter your mods, or save for a bigger budget. Sucks, but unfortunately you want to put safety first.
 
im gonna agree with the first responce...wider is better so i would go with the 48...just watch craigslist one will pop up
 
welcome aboard

keep in mind you dont have to have a flush deck the hole way across it. could just raise the deck in the front and back for storage ect ect
 
If 48" is the way to go then I'll save for it. I didn't know if I could get away with 36" and still be stable. I wasn't going to go with a flush deck, I was going to keep it 6" from the top. The 36" Jonboat is 18" high.
I'm from western MA (Pittsfield), but my g/f lives in the albany area.....I'm pretty willing to travel a couple hours in either direction for a good deal.
I'll keep checking craigslist, and I'll keep everyone updated if I find one.

Thanks
 
JeepDVL45 said:
If 48" is the way to go then I'll save for it. I didn't know if I could get away with 36" and still be stable. I wasn't going to go with a flush deck, I was going to keep it 6" from the top. The 36" Jonboat is 18" high.
I'm from western MA (Pittsfield), but my g/f lives in the albany area.....I'm pretty willing to travel a couple hours in either direction for a good deal.
I'll keep checking craigslist, and I'll keep everyone updated if I find one.

Thanks

Traveling is great, I always like driving for some reason, lol. Trust me, road trip and buy your gf something thoughtful, you'll enjoy the trip and her company. Love having mine around, she make this stuff worthwhile.

Now as for deals, I have been looking like a maniac just because and found something great the other day (I didn't buy it but it was a sick deal) it was a 1448 Grizzly, all weld, 25 HP with fewer than 40 hours, and trailer, two bass seats, side console, just a really nice rig...for $1000. You can't beat that....ever, lol. It sold in a day, so that's how fast this stuff moves. And it was in the NY area. I found my jon for $200 in Connecticut, so again, they are out there. And by checking Craigslist, I mean check every hour at the minimum, ha.
 
1432($799), 1436($899) and 1448($1695), WOW!!! What a price jump to the 1448.
Like others have said, the right deal will come along.
I have seen used 16 and 17' Bass Trackers on craigslist for not much more than the 1448.
Good luck on your search.
 
Yes,14 is the length and 32,36,48 is the floor width.Beam is the widest point on the hull and the beam can be located any where on the hull.I have asked and have been on lots of small boats.Earlier this year I got a chance to do a side by side comparison of sorts.We have a guy that whole sales jon boats.I took a walk around a 1442 and a 1436,both were decked.The 1442 was a lot more stable.I couldn't move much on the 1436.If I walked forward the motor would lift out of the water.If I walked to the edge it would come close to dipping a gunnel and rolling.The 1436 was an Alumacraft and the 1442 was a Tracker if I remember correctly.I am only 5' 8" and 190 pounds so I am not a real big guy but I'm not a light weight.Hope this anwsers some questions.I would go used.You stand a better chance of getting your money back if you ever have to sell.
 
Thanks...I'm guessing that I'll have to go with the 42 minumum. I'm 6' 225#. I'm still searching Craigslist and the local classifieds, haven't had any luck yet ( TONS of 1236 and 1436, but nothing wider) I'll just have to keep looking.
 
Everyone is selling off the narrow boats to buy wide boats to deck.Souldn't be long and the price will go way down on the narrow hulls.Market saturation,what a beautiful thing.
 
Wait and find a 1448, at 6' & 225# you are going to need the wider boat. Not being a wise-a$%, just being realistic.
A 1436 is simply not goint to be stable enough for you.
Take your time, keep searching & be willing to drive a couple of hours to get the boat you want and will fit your needs. Or start saving money & buy a new one, its worth the extra bucks.
The reason the 1448 is more expensive is the wider width and higher sides, it is worth the extra money!
 
Yea, thats what I figured, I'm just going to go new too (I'll keep looking for used, but for now, I'll save $$ like I'm going to get a brand-spanking-new one). But if I find a good deal on a used one, I can just spend the extra $ on the fun stuff for the boat.

Just throwing this out there...I really don't plan on doing this, but it crossed my mind a few times last night...has any played with outriggers? I saw a fishing kayak that had them on it....just looked like it could be a quick solution for a narrow boat.

https://www.castlecraft.com/kayak_stabilizer.htm

Again I have no desire to attempt them...too much work, but it looks good on paper ( I think they would get in the way when fishing -- if one of those little buggers can wrap my line around something, they will --, I just didn't know if anyone tried to tackle this on a narrow boat.) Obviously they would have to be beefed up a bit (would have to crank out some calculations for buoyancy to get a better idea how big they would need to be to be functional), and they could be mounted to the front of the boat so you keep the nose out of the water when standing. And if you could rig it up so they would fold towards the back of the boat and sit flush against the sides, they would stay out of the way when motoring around a lake. Again, just thought
 
We've got all sized of Jon Boats in our bass club... I have a 1546 (upgrade from a 1236) and it is VERY stable (70" across the beam).. The 1236 I had was also stable, but I only decked the front up to the top of the front middle bench. I could stand and fish all day and have no problems.

We have a guy with a 1436 Alumacraft in our club with his decked up to the front bench as well - and he's not a small guy. Not as tall as you are, maybe 6', but he weighs more than you do. He and his partner fish in it and they have no problems with it being stable because both of them stand while fishing.

If you can save up, go for atleast a 42" floor... but if you get the 36", just deck it up to the top of the middle bench and you'll be fine
 

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