Educate me - Jon boats & hunting canoes!

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subneural

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I'm toying with the idea of getting a small-ish jon boat for waterfowl hunting in SW Ontario. Not as a shooting platform, but as a means of getting 2 hunters and related gear (gun, waders, dekes) in an out of marshy places like Longpoint and Luther marsh. The Tracker 1032 has caught my eye, but apparently it's not available in Canada. My ideal jon boat is on the smaller side, with an empty hull weight of under 100lbs so I can put it on the roof rack and not worry about a trailer. I appreciate any suggestions, stories, pitfalls, and feedback on small boat recommendations, including motor recommendations. Thanks!
 
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That's what we've got, bought it at basspro in Calgary when they first opened a few yrs ago. (not sure of model name, but that's what it is, a 10' riveted together tracker bassboat)

Great boat. I cam'd it up with intention of a hunting platform. I'd say too small for a fold up style blind, but fine to lay in under some matting. Bought some clamp on seats, wife and I use it for fishing small trout/bass lakes. Super easy to load by myself and powers well with a minnkota electric.

We really hadn't planned on buying a boat that day, but is was something like 600 bucks and we just couldn't turn it down. Couldn't be happier with it. One of my better purchases.

If you've never had a flat bottom boat when the waves kick up if you sit to one side you can use the one side as a, "v" to cut the waves and make better time. Their nice and stable but not a good choice for big lakes IMO.
 
Neighbour has had the Tracker 14' riveted model for a couple years now, very happy customer. He bought it at some crazy end of season sale price too the bugger. I'm seriously considering the 12x36 for moose camp if I don't stumble over something cheaper soon.
 
Great feedback guys - thanks! I'm looking at the Minn Kota electrics for power - any suggestions? I see the Endura Max 50 can be had for under $350....sounds like if I time things right with end-of-season sales, I can get into a boat -+ motor for under $1,000 new, less if I go used.
 
Having spent a great deal of time in and around smaller aluminum boats and Jon boats in particular I have to say that Lesson 1 is bigger is always better, Lesson 2 is always be aware of your boats load capacity, never exceed it, in fact try and keep yourself 100lbs under the limit, it is easy to get over that weight limit if things start getting wet and Lesson 3 is that little Jon boats are great in small ponds and lakes and little creeks but be very careful about weather conditions if there is any chance of rough wave conditions.
A 1032 Jon boat in my opinion while great for hauling gear across a flooded field, or fishing a calm lake with 2 guys in summer is more dangerous than a canoe because people respect its instability less and is too easy to overload. I don't know how big your two men are but myself and my hunting partner 230lbs and 200ish pounds respectively before waders, jackets, shells, guns, paddles and decoys are very nearly the weight limit for a 1436 tracker. It is a terrifying feeling when you're in a boat that is trying to become a submarine.
The Modified V jon boats like the tracker grizzly handle rougher water better and are in my opinion a much safer craft for waterfowling. I am not saying small boats don't have a place for waterfowling I have a 12foot vhull I use to cross a 200 meter wide very sheltered back water channel, but even in that case I did have to spend part of the night on the hard marsh one night last fall waiting for the wind to die when it blew up from just the right (wrong) direction. It wasn't comfortable but it beat risking my life when I was literally 25 minutes from home.
 
i was also looking at jon boat for fishing small lakes, something small that fits in the garage with the ATV
 
Keep in mind you will also need to have navigation lights when operating before sunrise and after sunset. Bass Pro is having a sale on Tracker boats starting August 21st. Might take a look there.
 
Jim870 said:
Having spent a great deal of time in and around smaller aluminum boats and Jon boats in particular I have to say that Lesson 1 is bigger is always better, Lesson 2 is always be aware of your boats load capacity, never exceed it, in fact try and keep yourself 100lbs under the limit, it is easy to get over that weight limit if things start getting wet and Lesson 3 is that little Jon boats are great in small ponds and lakes and little creeks but be very careful about weather conditions if there is any chance of rough wave conditions.
A 1032 Jon boat in my opinion while great for hauling gear across a flooded field, or fishing a calm lake with 2 guys in summer is more dangerous than a canoe because people respect its instability less and is too easy to overload. I don't know how big your two men are but myself and my hunting partner 230lbs and 200ish pounds respectively before waders, jackets, shells, guns, paddles and decoys are very nearly the weight limit for a 1436 tracker. It is a terrifying feeling when you're in a boat that is trying to become a submarine.
The Modified V jon boats like the tracker grizzly handle rougher water better and are in my opinion a much safer craft for waterfowling. I am not saying small boats don't have a place for waterfowling I have a 12foot vhull I use to cross a 200 meter wide very sheltered back water channel, but even in that case I did have to spend part of the night on the hard marsh one night last fall waiting for the wind to die when it blew up from just the right (wrong) direction. It wasn't comfortable but it beat risking my life when I was literally 25 minutes from home.
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Sage and solid advice - thank you Jim870.

Cintax said:
Keep in mind you will also need to have navigation lights when operating before sunrise and after sunset. Bass Pro is having a sale on Tracker boats starting August 21st. Might take a look there.
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Good to know - will check them out this Friday!
 
I would get something bigger than a 10 footer if you plan on hunting long point. You maybe able to get by Luther with a 10 if you only plan on retrieving birds and early season stuff with it.
 
I've had a 12 foot car topper (v-hull) for hunting and fishing. It went ok for a while, but It got choppy out on the way back from fishing one day. My Dog got startled when I hit a noisy wave and she jumped from bow to my lap in the stern. We came as close as you can get to flipping right over on the transom. Scared the #### outta me. Fishing rods went over but I grabbed them. If it had been guns - not so sure I'd have been able to grab them. Sold it right away and started looking for something better, but had to abandon the car topper idea (still have a canoe for that).

Went to the jonboat dealer with the dog and had them float some different boats with me and the dog in them - walked around, stood on the gunnels etc... I settled on a 1448 MT with a 20" transom as the biggest boat that myself and a buddy could conceivably muscle back onto a trailer if we had to do it by hand (270lb hull weight). I love it. So, if you can bear to give up on car topping, I would explore some options like that. Mine is a 20" (high) transom with a modified v-hull to handle a bit of chop. I run a 9.9 on it for the same reason that I keep the hull weight down - so that I can take the motor off by hand and muscle it up the bank and then drag the boat up if need be. The other advantage of trailering is that you can build a blind onto it if you want to.

But mostly, before shelling out money, I would suggest that you find a seller who will let you get in some different sized boats while they're afloat. I'm not familiar with the hunting area that you mention, but others on here obviously are. I'd pay attention to their advice and experience. What seems doable in daylight at the marina in August may reveal itself to be an entirely different story in the stormy predawn darkness of a ducky day!

Dave
 
I have owned a Jon boat since 1992. They are great waterfowl platforms but IMO I would not put two people, gear, battery and motor in anything less than a 14'. You get caught crossing even a small open place like Luther's on a windy day and you'll suddenly find that 10/32 or 12/36 seems real small with only 15" high sides and square nose crashing into waves that are splashing into the boat. One of you will be bailing steady. My first was a Sylvan Big Jon 14/72 with a 25 Merc. Went like a shot out of hell and it had the power to get going when needed but that square nose is your undoing. I sold it after reriveting every rivet twice and reattaching the casting deck just from waves pounding it loose. Went to a Triton 1546DS Mod V all welded with a 25 Merc and never looked back. Not a single hull repair since purchasing in 2005. No it's not a car topper but its tough and does what needs to be done without making me feel I will die in it. Personally I think a 12' deep V car topper would be a better option. You said you aren't hunting from it and it would be much better at cutting and riding waves especially since you only want electric power and are not going to be on step when running. The V will cut much better and stay alot drier!!
Here are a couple videos of my rig in action.

http://youtu.be/yfCgQtfZLk8

http://youtu.be/vfVvqKN0RJU
 
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Neilm said:
I had a 12" jon boat and sold it after the 1st time I tried to use it. enough said.
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agreed...anything less then 14ft, I would suggest getting a v-hull aluminum boat as they are way more stable. I've been hunting with an old 12ft aluminum for 15 years and it has served me well. I hunt and fish on what would be considered a big lake in duck hunting terms, and have been happy with my decision. It runs substantially well on with a 6hp 4 stroke, and has mostly carried 2 people (sometimes 3) plus all the gear and dekes. The older 12ft boats are deep enough to provide stability, yet shallow enough to get into real shallow water. I painted my boat with a good military grade olive drab paint about 10 years ago and it has held up very well. Although I transport with a trailer, it isnt too heavy where it cant be used as a car topper. Two people can easily lift it onto a roof top or pick-up bed. I also cut out the center of the rear and middle bench seat to create some dry storage for things like shells, ammo boxes, calls, lights etc. I also wired up some navigational lights that run off a small $25 SLA battery.....works perfect! And yes, that is an old Honda Civic pulling the boat. As mentioned, the package is pretty light and I had no issues pulling it with a car equipt with a 1.5L, 4 cylinder!

 
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1963beretta said:
agreed...anything less then 14ft, I would suggest getting a v-hull aluminum boat as they are way more stable. I've been hunting with an old 12ft aluminum for 15 years and it has served me well. I hunt and fish on what would be considered a big lake in duck hunting terms, and have been happy with my decision. It runs substantially well on with a 6hp 4 stroke, and has mostly carried 2 people (sometimes 3) plus all the gear and dekes. The older 12ft boats are deep enough to provide stability, yet shallow enough to get into real shallow water. I painted my boat with a good military grade olive drab paint about 10 years ago and it has held up very well. Although I transport with a trailer, it isnt too heavy where it cant be used as a car topper. Two people can easily lift it onto a roof top or pick-up bed. I also cut out the center of the rear and middle bench seat to create some dry storage for things like shells, ammo boxes, calls, lights etc. I also wired up some navigational lights that run off a small $25 SLA battery.....works perfect! And yes, that is an old Honda Civic pulling the boat. As mentioned, the package is pretty light and I had no issues pulling it with a car equipt with a 1.5L, 4 cylinder!

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Great info - good to know that you can pull a 14' with a Civic (happens to be what I drive...)
 
subneural said:
Great info - good to know that you can pull a 14' with a Civic (happens to be what I drive...)
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I beat the chit out of that Civic! I pulled that trailer every weekend from when fishing season started to when hunting season ended! I finally retired the car in 2012 at the tender age of 20 years old and just shy of 500,000 km's. I had no problems pulling the boat at a steady speed of 130-140 km/h on the highway. Sure the motor was screaming, but I had a good radio that drowned out the noises coming out from under the hood. I burned through way more wheel bearings on the trailer going at those speeds then I did damage to the car.
 
subneural said:
Great info - good to know that you can pull a 14' with a Civic (happens to be what I drive...)
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oh....one last thing. If you plan on pulling the boat with your Civic, you'll want to install a transmission oil cooler if its an automatic. Honda did not recommend any towing for the civic I had. I guess a hitch was really only available to allow the installation of a bike rack. Either way, I used it to tow the boat. But because it wasnt recommended, I bought a universal tranny cooler at Canadian tire for about $50 to help keep the tranny oil from overheating. Installation took about 30 mins, and I ran the tranny cooler lines inline with the current cooler lines. Meaning I took one of the existing lines off the radiator and put it going into the cooler. Then a new line that exits the cooler into the spot the first line was removed from. Then I topped up with a tad of additional tranny oil to fill the space created by installing the new cooler. The additional cooling is likely what helped keep the tranny together when pulling the additional weight. Moral of the story, if you have an automatic transmission, i would suggest installing a oil cooler. The cost of the cooler is much less then the cost of replacing a burned out transmission.
 
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