Looking for a plain old Jon Boat and need some help.

[JonBoat500]

I've just recently been interested in fishing a lot lately, mainly as I haven't done it in quite a few years. But I've also been interested in starting a Custom Jon Boat Project. I've been deciding between either a Motorized Kayak or Jon Boat. But I've finally made my decision on what I want to do as it's obviously a Jon Boat lol. But what I'm thinking is a Jon Boat about 14-16 ft long and 4-6 ft wide. Just a plan ole Jon Boat no engine. Just so I can customize it completely myself. Now I don't really want any like wooden bench seats in it as I already have an idea for the seats. But I'm not sure how to work the custom Motor & Wheel set-up. So if you guys could help me find a simple Jon Boat that would fit my needs and the engine I would possibly be looking for that would be great. Most of the places I'd be going to are like the Santa Fe River, Ichetucknee River, some of the springs, maybe some small to medium sized lakes in Florida. One more thing I forgot to mention is I'm also looking for a decent size trolling motor to be able to mount to the front of the boat. So any help on those 3 questions would be greatly appreciated. Anyways Thanks in advance if you guys could help and have a great Night/Day. :wink:

 

[CedarRiverScooter]

They come up on CL daily. Most are pretty beat up but once in a while a decent one is at a reasonable price. The trailer will cost as much as the boat!

 

[Johnny]

welcome aboard !

have you googled Jon Boat Photos yet ?? https://www.google.com/search?q=jon+boat+fishing+images&rlz=1C1BLWB_enUS651US651&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjWuZuh7MzWAhVLNiYKHdPrAlIQ7AkIQg&biw=1221&bih=610
looking at thousands of photos of other boats should give you an idea of what you are looking for to narrow down your search.

one of your questions is not really clear:
Just a plain ole Jon boat with no engine . . . then you say . . . But I'm not sure how to work the custom Motor & Wheel set-up.
so you have to be a little more clear in that one.

there are several of us Floridians here and it is a fun place to hang out.
the springs and rivers in Florida are just plain fun for fishing and just puttering around.
inland, you don't need a lot of expensive gear or equipment to be comfortable.
I remember one of my first "plain" Jon boats.......
just a bare hull with some bench seats and a 9.9 or less outboard.
throw a piece of plywood on the floor, borrow your favorite chair (with castors) from your office,
get a bucket of shiners and go fishing !!!


cruise craigslist for the best trolling motor you can find and invest in a NEW battery.
if you find a good boat, ask the owner for a float test first to check for leaks.
you can not go wrong with just a plain old flat bottom Jon in Florida, period. (more wider = more safer)
but - if you think you would be more comfortable in a V-Hull, try to find some way
to test both of them and then choose which will suit your needs the best. (there is more room in a flat bottom).
even a gheenoo might suit your needs. Check the Gainesville C/L:

BE 100% CERTAIN that the boat has a TITLE and the title MATCHES THE BOAT !!!
just a simple Bill of Sale in Florida is NOT ENOUGH to get it registered. it must have a clear title in the sellers name.


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[JonBoat500]

Ah okay, this actually helps me quite a bit here for what I'm looking for. Basically what I mean with no motor is basically a 14-16 ft long and 4-6 ft wide. To start a DIY project Jon Boat and find a decent engine that's 10hp or under that can get me going around 15-20 mph as I'm pretty sure in the Santa Fe River around there with the Springs like Blue Springs, Poe Springs etc. would be a safe speed to operate at correct? And like make my own custom framing, live well, storage, etc. So in what I'm wanting to do would a Flat bottom be suited for what I'm wanting to do?

 

[JonBoat500]

And I've been looking around cragslist and different areas yes. And I am in the Gainesville FL area. But so far I've found boats that are like 1 grand or more. For just what I'm looking for is just a regular jon boat and possibly a flat bottom to have more room for what I'm wanting to do with a custom DIY project.

 

[.Mike]

Ah okay, this actually helps me quite a bit here for what I'm looking for. Basically what I mean with no motor is basically a 14-16 ft long and 4-6 ft wide. To start a DIY project Jon Boat and find a decent engine that's 10hp or under that can get me going around 15-20 mph as I'm pretty sure in the Santa Fe River around there with the Springs like Blue Springs, Poe Springs etc. would be a safe speed to operate at correct? And like make my own custom framing, live well, storage, etc. So in what I'm wanting to do would a Flat bottom be suited for what I'm wanting to do?

And I've been looking around cragslist and different areas yes. And I am in the Gainesville FL area. But so far I've found boats that are like 1 grand or more. For just what I'm looking for is just a regular jon boat and possibly a flat bottom to have more room for what I'm wanting to do with a custom DIY project.

As an exercise, take a look at new Lowe jon boats. You'll find that it costs more to add width than it does length. For example, a 1436 starts at $857 for a lightweight version, or $1209 for a standard version. Make that a 1448 and the price jumps to $1797-- a 49% price increase of almost $600. Add another 2 feet and make it a 1648, and the price only goes up to $2056-- only $259 more, or 14%.

My observation is that the wide boats command a big premium when new, so there are probably less of them sold. That filters down to the used market, limiting the supply of wider boats and increasing the price. I'm sure what you want is out there, but it will take patience.

It took me about 4 months of scouring Craigslist to find my boat, and I blew my budget pretty well. I covered from Charleston to Jacksonville. 1436s outnumbered all other sizes by probably 10 to 1. Jon boats without bench seats were basically non-existent. I ended up with a 25 year old package. 1449 modified V (flat bottom), excellent condition 15hp Yamaha, a nice galvanized trailer, and a trolling motor. $2250 in June. It carries my wife and me (320lbs total), cooler, trolling motor and battery, gear bag, fishing gear, and 6 gallons of gas at about 22mph.

 

[Bearclaw]

Ancient Chinese secret, with age comes maturity, with WIDTH comes stability. I would go with the widest boat that you can find that's in you price range. Good luck with finding what you're looking for, it's getting cooler now,so Mabey it's a better buyers market in the colder months.

 

[CMOS]

Ah okay, this actually helps me quite a bit here for what I'm looking for. Basically what I mean with no motor is basically a 14-16 ft long and 4-6 ft wide. To start a DIY project Jon Boat and find a decent engine that's 10hp or under that can get me going around 15-20 mph as I'm pretty sure in the Santa Fe River around there with the Springs like Blue Springs, Poe Springs etc. would be a safe speed to operate at correct? And like make my own custom framing, live well, storage, etc. So in what I'm wanting to do would a Flat bottom be suited for what I'm wanting to do?

At 10 HP you'll have trouble doing this unless the boat is empty. I had a 9.5 on a 14' (no additional mods) and would get 14-15 MPH if it was just ME in the boat. No coolers, no gear, etc. So, if you want the 15-20 MPH you'll need some more ponies. Give this some thought.


CMOS

 

[gnappi]

I got my 10' Topper on CL. It was in GR8 shape, and I personally found many boats in very good condition, sometimes below 50% off the price of new. As far as TM's go, new they're not that expensive, even used TM's with little use bought used aren't THAT GR8 a deal, I would only buy one used if it were almost new and I could try it in the water.

Anyway, I find that boats are like firearms, few use them a lot. The biggest condition problem I see is storage issues. YMMV.