Looking at used jon and v-hull aluminum boats - 10 to 12 ft. Anything special I should watch out for?

[Bunchgrass]

Hey -- New here and liking the site. Hoped some more experienced folks could help me wade through the range of used aluminum boats I'm seeing for sale and make an informed decision when it comes to purchasing. Of course there's the does it leak question. I'm not real interested in another project so trying to avoid that. Other issue I could see would be wood rotting - seats or transom. And what's it worth? I imagine that varies a lot. Thanks for helping.

 

[airshot]

Depending on what your gonna do with it, how much load your gonna carry !! For lite duty use, most any will do, but as the task becomes more heavy duty, quality becomes a serious factor...along with quality comes higher weight capacity, higher hp capacity and heavier materials. Unless the boat is a much older model, most no longer use wood seats, but the transoms are pretty easy to replace if needed. As far as looking at used aluminum boats...heavy oxidised aluminum will be weaker, look for damage like a crease or missing rivets, but rhose missing are not hard to replace. Look for corrosion, heavy corrosion...walk away !
And of course price, while new ones are crazy expensive, used ones should not be, just a few years back they were less than half or a third the price they are now.

 

[Bunchgrass]

I should have said that I'm a lardarse load on my own (6'2 - 260#). Not doing the Great Lakes or anything crazy. Right now, I need something stable enough to shoot bull frogs (invasive buggers) from at night in my pond. Seemed like a jon would be good for that (side note - I thought about trying to rig up a homemade fish shocker to use on the frogs but ......) Thanks for your help.

 

[Tinhead1986]

As someone who just sold a brand new 10ft jon boat at a huge loss and made a huge mistake buying it because it didn’t fit my needs and would limit where i could use it . If you’re only going to be using it on small ponds or small lakes only a jon boat might be ok . Me personally i just went back to a 14 ft v hull because it gives me a lot more options where i can use it . I also didn’t like how tippy these boats can be unless you get one of the really wide ones like a 1448 and also how low they sit in the water . My advice look for a 14ft or bigger deep v or if you will be fishing shallow waters a 1448 or bigger jon.

Big things i look for when looking at a boat is the condition of transom is it rotted . Not hard to replace on jon or small aluminum boats but will be extra money you would have to spend. look at the condition of the bottom of the hull and seams any damage,missing rivets or weird patches . Is the boat straight looking down both sides

 

[LDUBS]

I agree with going to a 14' if you can. You will get a lot more utility out of it.

Good luck with the hunt for the boat -- and the frogs.

 

[Still Afloat]

Yep, a common mistake is buying a boat that’s too small. I’ve been there and done that.

 

[Unter]

Bullfrog trap!

 

[Bunchgrass]

Bullfrog trap!

I haven't seen one that's effective enough to take out as many as I need taken out. All of them!

 

[TriBull]

How you plan to use it makes all the difference. Given your size, a 12” boat “might” work if you are planning to be the only passenger and use oars or just an electric trolling motor for propulsion. But add another passenger and/or a motor and you definitely need to consider a 14” boat at least. Regarding a Jon vs V-hull, if you expect to always be on flat water with little to no other boats around, a Jon works great. But if you might be in some chop or expect some other boat wakes, I’d seriously consider a V-hull. As for specs on a used boat, I suggest taking your time to look at what’s available - You’ll know it’s the right boat when you see it! Good luck! Let’s us know when you find something…

 

[Bunchgrass]

How you plan to use it makes all the difference. Given your size, a 12” boat “might” work if you are planning to be the only passenger and use oars or just an electric trolling motor for propulsion. But add another passenger and/or a motor and you definitely need to consider a 14” boat at least. Regarding a Jon vs V-hull, if you expect to always be on flat water with little to no other boats around, a Jon works great. But if you might be in some chop or expect some other boat wakes, I’d seriously consider a V-hull. As for specs on a used boat, I suggest taking your time to look at what’s available - You’ll know it’s the right boat when you see it! Good luck! Let’s us know when you find something…

Thanks --- yeah, my size does present an issue. Renter some inflatable kayaks for my wife's B-day and let's just say I was not a stable floater. She loved it. Wish I did.

 

[airshot]

Some years back I had what was called a "river jon boat" , it was 12' long but a 48" wide bottom !! Very stable, my son could stand on rhe sidw and it wouldn' flip over. 10 hp rating and a 650 cap If I remember. Great boat, moved to a 14v bottom and put the river jon up for sale...actually had a bidding war from prospective buyers! Sold it at 120 over asking price... They are scarce but out there....look for one.

 

[LaqueRatt]

Well don't buy one like I looked at on Saturday, the transom was coming off and held on with fiberglass and silicone!

I agree that a 14' deep V is a good all-arounder, but maybe not for super shallow water.

As for frogs, I'm not sure you're thinking this through. Frogs are on the shore not out on the water and they spook easily. Before you ever get near them they'll hear you banging around in that tinny and take off. You want to getcha a mess of bullfrogs? You need two things. A flashlight and a bat. Or a chunk of 2x4. Me and a buddy one time got like 20 in 10 mins this way and only quit because we had more than we could eat. I'm actually a little jealous of your "problem." Free gourmet food isn't a problem in my book.

 

[Bunchgrass]

Well don't buy one like I looked at on Saturday, the transom was coming off and held on with fiberglass and silicone!

I agree that a 14' deep V is a good all-arounder, but maybe not for super shallow water.

As for frogs, I'm not sure you're thinking this through. Frogs are on the shore not out on the water and they spook easily. Before you ever get near them they'll hear you banging around in that tinny and take off. You want to getcha a mess of bullfrogs? You need two things. A flashlight and a bat. Or a chunk of 2x4. Me and a buddy one time got like 20 in 10 mins this way and only quit because we had more than we could eat. I'm actually a little jealous of your "problem." Free gourmet food isn't a problem in my book.

Yeah -- the problem is they don't belong here and, in short order have eaten every other native frog species in the pond and any young turtles and pretty much young anything (watch out kids!).
Lots of my shoreline has willows making it difficult to access from the land side and I figured I'd try the old bass fishing technique of coming for them from the deep water side!

 

[Bunchgrass]

12 foot Sea King $325
Not sure how to copy and post a pic from FB Marketplace (the new CL) but the boat looks to be in good shape. Doesn't look like it has a wooden transom - did Wards, Sears or whoever sold these not use wooden transoms?

 

[TriBull]

12 foot Sea King $325
Not sure how to copy and post a pic from FB Marketplace (the new CL) but the boat looks to be in good shape. Doesn't look like it has a wooden transom - did Wards, Sears or whoever sold these not use wooden transoms?

Could have been replaced with a poly alternative to wood… $325 sounds like a great price if it’s in decent condition.

 

[Fishingman48]

12 foot Sea King $325
Not sure how to copy and post a pic from FB Marketplace (the new CL) but the boat looks to be in good shape. Doesn't look like it has a wooden transom - did Wards, Sears or whoever sold these not use wooden transoms?

pic's can be deceiving not saying the help offering is not going without appreciation as I am sure it is but as the saying goes.

 

[Fishingman48]

I drove 3 hrs. on a bunch of pic's and a rush to get paperwork done before Co. closed for weekend and wound up with a 1/2 semi soggy deck which needs replacing that would have been a couple hundred off the selling price bet that! and now finding the foam needs it too so buyer beware as they say do your homework and take your time don't jump on first one! even though i made out on sale it's going to cost me what i saved to get it back to the way it should be !

 

[Bunchgrass]

I drove 3 hrs. on a bunch of pic's and a rush to get paperwork done before Co. closed for weekend and wound up with a 1/2 semi soggy deck which needs replacing that would have been a couple hundred off the selling price bet that! and now finding the foam needs it too so buyer beware as they say do your homework and take your time don't jump on first one! even though i made out on sale it's going to cost me what i saved to get it back to the way it should be !

Where I live, 3 hours is considered very reasonable. Yeah -- I've been burned by pics but driven more like 2 days (not for a boat).

 

[thill]

I also recommend a 14-16' boat. A light, bunk-style boat will easily float in 6" of water with you in it.

The smaller the boat, the more it sinks with a load. A longer and wider boat will barely feel it. My current 16' floats shallower when loaded down than the 12' Lowe I sold earlier this year. That boat was a 1248, nice and wide, and it looked great, but it did NOT like me, batteries, trolling motor, fuel tank and 9.9 Mercury on the back.


My bro in law has a 16' Tracker flat bottom that the kids carry down to the lake. Super shallow drafting. It might be the "topper" series, not sure, but that would be perfect for your needs. It can hold 4 people and not bust a sweat. Sorry, I don't have a pic

 

[thill]

Cane pole fishing for bullfrogs is very effective. (any pole works, but the longer it is, the easier it is) All you need is a hook with the barb mashed down and literally anything, like a strip of T-shirt on the hook. A split shot helps if there is a breeze

Day or night, when you see a frog, drop the hook in front of them and wiggle it and BAM you have a frog. Bring a pillowcase and drop them in. Repeat as often as you can. Easier and less messy than shooting, and a lot of fun. It's addictive!

Find a person or restaurant who serves frog legs and ask if they want a bunch. Or put a post up on Facebook Marketplace and see if anyone is interested. You should get a bunch of hits.

Another option is to make a post asking if anyone wants to hunt bullfrogs. Fishing, gigging or air-gunning. Let others do the work!