Question for the Jon Boat owners???

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rubberdown

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I'm getting more and more into duck hunting, and my next step is my very own boat, motor and all that jazz. I have hunted with a few buddies in their Jon Boat and while looking for a small enough boat to man handle and put in the back of a truck, I also need it big enough to handle 3 adults, motors, fuel and all our gear.

All that said, the friends boat we used a couple times is "rated" with a 425 lb. weight limit. The 3 of us, and our gear and everything else would have been almost double that. I didnt know this until I called him to see what his boat was rated for. So here is my question, what size boat would I need for 3 people, that can still be tossed in and out of the back of a truck with 2 to 3 guys, and handle a safe amount of weight?

Is this weight limit something like a super super safe rating but the boats are actually "safe" being almost double the limit?

Last thing I want to do is drown or lose all of our gear, or anything that would put anyone in harms way.
 
You need something pushing 15' for a tracker style John boat unless you find something with rear pontoons. A tracker 1542 is rated for 800lbs but weighs nearly 340lb itself. For three guys, I think you will need to find a trailer....
 
Yeah, you are playing with fire.

For 3 guys, I would want atleast a 1448 with a 25hp.

You won't put that in the back of your truck.
 
I have a 1436 with a 15 and it's pretty dicey with 3 guys and all the gear. I should have gone with the 1448, but it was double the cost and I wanted something I could load/unload and maneuver myself if I go out alone. If I was hunting bigger water or my blinds were farther away, a bigger boat would be a must.
 
There are a few options that might help you out. We hunt out of a crestliner Jon boat and with a dog , gear and three adults iot fills up quick and mine is a 1648. here are three things you might want to consider:

1. for MAX portability and stability the beavertail duck boat is great and doubles as a layout blind and even has wheels..but each guy would need one Very cool product
http://www.cabelas.com/product/Boating/Waterfowl-Boating-Blinds/Duck-Boats-Float-Tubes%7C/pc/104794380/c/104786280/sc/104310180/Beavertail-Duck-Boats/700479.uts?destination=%2Fcatalog%2Fbrowse%2Fduck-boats-float-tubes%2F_%2FN-1100663%2FNs-CATEGORY_SEQ_104310180%3FWTz_l%3DDirectLoad%253Bcat104794380%253Bcat104786280&WTz_l=DirectLoad%3Bcat104794380%3Bcat104786280%3Bcat104310180

2. get a small 12 foot jon boat and make a few trips for when there are two or more hunters

3. get a boat that will do what you want it to do with a trailer. in a pinch and with the motor off three adults can move my 1648 off the trailer and flip it over with out much difficulty. But it will definatly not fit into a truck and would suck to move any distance. a boat trailer combo is more $ but will suit your needs and will not leave you wanting to upgrade any time soon

My boat was $2000 used ...trailer which I purchased separately was used and $400 and my 1990 outboard 2 stroke was $1000 and has worked trouble free for years.

Jon boats in the US or at least Maine are considerably cheaper then here in NB. I purchased mine here in the Fredericton area but If I had to do it again or was buying new I would go to the states to purchase
 
Small, narrow Jon boats suck! With three guys, forget about throwing it in the back of your truck and start thinking "trailer." Take a look at Scott Canoes, "Deep Duck Boat" series... I used the 14' Deep for many years and it WILL handle three (but it is tight)... For about 10 years now I have been using the 16' Deep... It is an incredible hull design, dry, stable, safe, with a large weight capacity. I'm on my phone, but I'll post some pics later...
 
We have a tracker 12' and while it's fine for throwing in the truck fishing small lakes, etc it's pretty tight even with 2 people and gear. I had originally planned to make a blind for it, but it's pretty small, so we just cammed up the boat inside and out, use burlap to cover the gear and wear camo; works OK.
My advice, if it's a budget thing the tracker 12 is cheap, light, tough, powers easy(we just use an electric) and would work fine for 2 people sitting, but bigger with more beam and freeboard would be nicer. The 14' is a big step up in size from the 12 in the tracker line.

All that being said in our case the 12 gives us a jonboat to use the small amount we use it without even thinking of the purchase price. Quite frankly we were in basspro and just saw them and figured hell, for that price if we use it twice a year, why not? So, for us the 12 is dandy as it gets us out. I wouldn't have spent the additional money on the larger one's, we simply don't use it enough to justify. (I think we only paid something like 400 bucks for it)

You know, alternate plan B; a jonboat is the simplest and cheapest boat you can build if you're so inclined.
 
diemaco said:
I have a 1436 with a 15 and it's pretty dicey with 3 guys and all the gear. I should have gone with the 1448, but it was double the cost and I wanted something I could load/unload and maneuver myself if I go out alone. If I was hunting bigger water or my blinds were farther away, a bigger boat would be a must.
Click to expand...

This is the answer you're looking for right here.

If you want to avoid all the messing around, get yourself a 1860 or 1754 and trailer and never worry about having to upgrade to something nicer in a couple years. Doubles as a solid fishing boat and you can feel comfortable taking it out in November and December. Hell you could probably find a used package like this one for a good price too.
 
Agreed. With the better safe than sorry sentiment echoed in here. When falling into icy water with three good buddies happens, it would be a shame if you could look back and say it was preventable. (sorry to be a Debby downer)
 
arcticcathonda said:
Agreed. With the better safe than sorry sentiment echoed in here. When falling into icy water with three good buddies happens, it would be a shame if you could look back and say it was preventable. (sorry to be a Debby downer)
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Agreed, and I by no means am a comfortable "boat guy" meaning my buddies that grew up in and around fishing boats their whole lives call me Bottle A$$ when we are in the boat LOL. I will continue to save and buy MORE boat than I need, and if down the road I find its too much boat for most of my use, I WILL keep it, but also pick up a much smaller boat for the 1 or 2 guy hunting trips.

Thanks for all the advice!
 
You won't find one small enough to throw in the back of a truck unless its a flatbed tow truck that will carry 3 men, gear etc safely. I owned at one time a Sylvan Big Jon 14'. Had a beam of 71" and a weight rating of 1100 pounds, person , motor and gear. It could handle 3 guys safely but in order to get the carrying capacity ratings these boat builders take away weight which equates into sub-quality boats that cannot withstand the kind of punishment duck hunting dishes out. I eventually went to a 1546 Triton DS Mod V Jon. Weight capacity was 605 pounds, person, motor, gear. That boat was tough! Same size as the Tracker 1546 and 200 pounds more hull weight!! If you want tough you have to get a heavy built boat or accept that you are going to beat a boat's life out of it in no time flat. I had my Sylvan for 12 years, it was finished in the first season!! I had to completely re-rivet the entire boat twice,re-attach the casting deck annually and eventually even had to remove the livewell after it broke out of the floor. The Triton took 5 times the beating the Sylvan ever did and never had so much as a dent in it. I am in the market myself for another due to needing larger to carry more gear and people. Probably going to go to a 17'.
 
I'm with many others on this thread. I've got a 17' Crestliner with a 40-hp Etec and it will comfortably hold 3 guys a couple of dogs and piles of decoys. You can have three guys all standing on the same side of the boat picking-up decoys and the boat doesn't even lean..........you wouldn't catch me in a 12' ft. boat unless I was paddling across a 20 foot wide farm pond.
 
hoytcanon said:
http://www.scottcanoe.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&id=51&Itemid=100
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Hoytcanon,

scott canoe is an old story : they had close down the plan at the end of last year (2013) .... still trying to figure what happens and where all the molds went ....


msi Spergel Inc., in its capacity as the Receiver of Mid-Canada Fiberglass Limited (the "Company"), requests en bloc offers for the purchase of the assets of the Company comprised of equipment, molds, canoes, kayaks, retail inventory and real estate located in New Liskeard, ON. The Company has been manufacturing under the names: Scott Canoe, Scott Royalex, Bluewater Canoe, Impex Kayak and Totem Snow Sleighs since 1965. The commercial building is approximately 110,000 square feet.

For further information please contact Bryan Litvack at (416)498-4312 or blitvack@spergel.ca The deadline for offers is December 16, 2013 at 12PM.
 
medvedqc said:
Hoytcanon,

scott canoe is an old story : they had close down the plan at the end of last year (2013) .... still trying to figure what happens and where all the molds went ....


msi Spergel Inc., in its capacity as the Receiver of Mid-Canada Fiberglass Limited (the "Company"), requests en bloc offers for the purchase of the assets of the Company comprised of equipment, molds, canoes, kayaks, retail inventory and real estate located in New Liskeard, ON. The Company has been manufacturing under the names: Scott Canoe, Scott Royalex, Bluewater Canoe, Impex Kayak and Totem Snow Sleighs since 1965. The commercial building is approximately 110,000 square feet.

For further information please contact Bryan Litvack at (416)498-4312 or blitvack@spergel.ca The deadline for offers is December 16, 2013 at 12PM.
Click to expand...

This news to me... I don't know how I missed that... I had a hand in designing the 16 foot deep duck, and the add-on features... that really sucks, because I was going to pick up another 16 footer for our moose camp this year... great boat.



 
My idea would be to stay away from the jon boats and just get a standard 14 foot utility aluminum, something like a Lund WD 14. Just get a deep hull version and not the lighter, shallower "car topper" type. A 20 inch transom can save your butt too. This type of boat weighs between 200- 250 lbs and can be manhandled by a couple guys, while still being very seaworthy. I've been out in rough water with three guys on board on this type. Will handle way more than the lightweight 14 foot jon boats. They are very common and available on the used market for good prices too. A minimum 15 hp would be in order.
PS that scott canoe is a nice looking design too
 
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