jon boat for a noobie

[CCR]

boatless right now (never had one either) and cant see the point in payin high dollar for a nice new shiny toy to beat up so i been lookin at used alum. jon boats. what kinda set-up do you guys prefer, just been thinkin id like to get a 16-17' with a 9.9 hp (most the lakes i wanna fish are <10hp) possibly bump up to a 25 later down the road. just a few questions id like to get your prefered opinions on and any dis/advantages i should know bout. aminly lookin for a 2/3 person fishin machine BTW

riveted or welded ?

flatbottom or v ?

steering type? - console(if so center or side mount), stick or standard

livewell ? - if you dont have a built in, do you have any home made set-ups i should consider.

decks ? - do they make that much of a difference, (again) any home made decks.

carpeting ? - whats the purpose, heat? sound? or just a creature comfort?

replies appreciated []
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[gdn443]

Find a welded one if you can.9.9 is going to be too small for a 16-17ft boat. Good for a 14ft boat. I do like carpet in mine to take the noise out and easy on the feet.Steering type is up to taste, but center console does cut down on fishing area.
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[tomc]

welcome CCR,the set up is mainly on what you prefer,,and is based on how,what your fishing in,and what for,like if you trol,do you want downriggers,or if your a flyfishermen and you want raised casting decks.
if your going used,i would look for welded.if you going new either would be fine,because the warrenties are so good now
most jon boats are flat bottom,the way the bow is shaped is what makes the difference.i like the the v bow better .the reason is it gives a little better ride,and has less tendencies to be pushes under water by a large wave. the brand of jonboats i really like are lowes,www.loweboats.com
i agree with gdn443,that a 9.9 is alittle small for a 17' boat,you can get a larger motor,and still fish those lakes.you would need a trolling motor,and bag the lower end of the bigger motor.
livewells,if the boat dosent have one built in you can get a Toho-rig livewell,at bass pro,or cabellas,
steering i would stick to a standered tiller steer.
carpet is mainly for sound.if you stick your head in a metel trashcan and hit it with a hammer,you get the idea
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[Tarpon4me]

Personally, i'd go with a new boat versus a used boat; atleast a new motor. Go for an aluminum trailer if you can, but galvanized at the least. There is a reason I mentioned this. I have a 1995 Bass tracker. It's a nice boat w/ a 25hp motor, steering wheel drive, live well, etc.... There's a picture of it in my gallery. The motor runs perfectly, everything works, but the damn trailer is rusting out from under it. Now, even though the boat runs litterly like brand new, it's not worth all together what a new boat trailer is. Consequently, i'm still stuck buying a new trailer. With that said, make sure and get the good stuff the first time around, then you won't be in the situation i'm in now later on down the road.

Ok, now back to the issue at hand. Like previously mentioned, most aluminum boats are flat bottom. And like Tomc mentioned, it's the shape of the bow that really makes a difference. Go with the V Bow, it will make the ride alot smoother.

Also like mentioned, welded or riveted doesn't really matter. My boat is riveted, and even after over 10 years of stump jumping with it, it's still going strong. Rivets are kinda cool because repairs, if need be, can be done with out a welder.

I like my steering wheel because it makes things more convenient. It does take away from some fishing room, but for trolling and navigating busy inlets, I like a steering wheel much better. I feel like I have more control as well as better visibilty in front of the boat since you're not all the way in the back like with a tiller drive. Also, a steering wheel drive boat tracks strait when you let go of the wheel, where as a tiller drive tends to "drift" on you when you let go.

A live well is an indespensible tool on a boat. Live bait is one of the key ingredients when it comes to being successful on the water. Most live bait requires a fresh water system to stay alive. If you're serious about fishing, you'll have one. That's just how it is.

I think that pretty much sums it up. Get a new boat if you can. You can pick up a nice boat for around 5 grand. Live well is a must, V bow, everything else is optional. Like previously mentioned, get the 25hp motor and just pick up a 120 dollar trolling motor, no biggie. War Eagle, Bass Tracker, Triton, Lows, etc..... All make great boats.
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[davetclown]

"used" you can expect to spend a couple grand for anything that is in any kind of shape for that size and motor.

if you are intrested in used and dont mind spit and polishing one up, minor repairs, my neighbor has one he dosnt want to do the work on and has a respectable merk 9.9 on it. It is a flat bottom, and was used as a duck hunting boat so you know it is wide enough to be stable

oh ya, you might want to be located in michigan and I think the price is around 1200
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