Which do you recommend for me... 1448 or MV 1448?

[dsuden]

I like what I'm hearing about the 1448 jon boats from Alumacraft, and am trying to decide between the blunt-bowed 1448 and the v-shaped MV 1448. Here's my situation and maybe some guys with previous experience can help me sort this out.

- I will be using it on a river, with occasional jaunts onto a large body of water on mild days, though even then there will be some wave activity. But the vast majority of the time I'll be on a medium sized river where I have to pass through some current around the bridges.

- I will usually have either just me, or me and one passenger

- I would like to add a deck on the front and want it to be stable enough to feel fairly secure when I'm up there

- I want to keep things reasonably light so my son and I can pull the boat up over our rather steep bank edge when we take the boat out in the fall.

- I'd like to stay fairly low horsepower on the engine, so it's not too heavy to haul by hand

I'd appreciate your insights.

 

[bobberboy]

I'm sure you'll get lots of opinion about this. My own experience has been that the mod-v cuts through waves better so there is less of the banging from one wave to the next.

 

[stevesecotec02]

Go with the mod v it helps in waves and even current. Check out the ncs version I just bought the 1648 mv ncs and the front deck it came with was big enough to mount a pedestal seat trolling motor and depthfinder up there and still have room to fish.

 

[lovedr79]

mod-v. cuts through chop and waves without slamming the bow. i have a grizzly 1448mv, the front deck that came on it is plenty big! i have a pedastal seat, trolling motor, want to mount a fish finder up there too, tackle box and another rod usually on the front deck. the mod-v also gives you more storage under the deck too. i usually stay in the river but have been in some big water with lots of chop and some waves. mine has even been out on the chesapeake bay! it did much better than i expected it to.

 

[cva34]

I have to go with the above Guys MV cva34

 

[dsuden]

Roger your comments on the MV, definitely sounds like the way I'd want to go. I like the idea of not having to immediately start modding the boat into a casting deck configuration, so the MV 1648 NCS is attractive to me... because it comes with a nice-sized casting deck. I also like it because I don't like having to climb over a seat as I go back and forth between the back and front of the boat frequently. It's a darn shame they stopped making the MV 1448 NCS, but maybe I can find one of them used somewhere. That'd have the benefit of being lighter than the 16' model, and I don't really need the additional 2' of length.

When it comes to mods, I know one I'd want to do right off the bat, and that's to get a bilge pump into the back. I live right on a river and take the boat out a LOT, so covering and uncovering it is almost as much of a pain as bailing rainwater out of it.

The other thing I'd do immediately is mount a trolling motor. The one I have is a Minnkota tiller-style. It has the reverse-able tiller handle, so I think I should be able to bow-mount it and control it by hand from the casting deck. Just wondering if there's a practical way to attach its clamp-on-style mount in the front of a boat like the 1648 NCS. Would that require some sort of adapter?

 

[bobberboy]

Bilge pump or no, I'd still keep it covered when you're not using it. Even though some of the materials you might use in the boat may have UV protection, the sun is going to raise Cain with carpet and plastics eventually. My boat also has plywood floor and rear deck and I just figure if I keep it dry it will last that much longer. I have a Grizzly 1448 and it is perfect for the kind of fishing I do - two people and accessories are a good fit. It's big enough to do well in moderately choppy water (small MN lakes) and small enough to get into the lily pads. I think you'll be happy with either the 14 or 16 MV. Be sure to post a pic when you get it.

 

[dsuden]

Thanks, I definitely will. I was looking at the Tracker 1448 Grizzly mv ncs model today and it looks absolutely right. More expensive than the Alumacraft by quite a bit, and a lot heavier...the latter might be the sticking point unless we can find some sort of rig to crank it up the bank. But the layout is exactly what I had in mind and the size and configuratiion looks perfect.

 

[dsuden]

While I'm poking around, are there any other 14' 48" jons besides the Grizzly that have the back bench and the front deck, and no middle seat? I'm having trouble finding any other 14 footers in that configuration, but if I could...a riveted one that's lighter weight, that'd be interesting.

 

[lovedr79]

there are. when i got mine i was actually looking at a different boat. i cant remember what boat/manufacturer. i came across a heck of a deal on mine and couldnt pass it up. if you go with a grizzly get the 25hp motor. i have the 20 and wish it was the 25. but again i got a dela i couldnt pass up and it was brand new.

 

[Ictalurus]

You can take the center seat out of any jon. Also, I vote for the flat front. None of the boats are going to ride very well and the front front seems to give you extra space.

 

[erictetterton]

Alumacraft still makes the 1448 NCS. I know this because i saw a few at my local dealer the other day (Flat bottom only). In that size boat, i would recommend the flat bottom because the deck space is twice the size as the MV. IMO in a 14 footer, space is everything and the extra space in the 14NCS flat bottom is worth the extra beating while in rough water. Just navigate slowly and u will have no problem.

 

[dsuden]

Here's an update. Based on the overwhelming number of votes here for a modified vee for my situation, that's what we're going with. I've altered my trajectory a little after actually looking at the 14 and 16 footers. They're going to be a little over-sized for my needs and situation. We've opted for the Alweld 1242 VSS, which looks like it should fit the spot where we would dock it, handle my wife and I fine for evening fishing outings, and make it up and down the river using a modest amount of horsepower.

If you want to follow our adventure from decision to modifications to launch, I've started sort of "demi-blogging" it over in the mods forum under "Dressing the Barbie Doll."

Thanks to all...

Dane