I'm looking at purchasing a jon boat since my former boat, the SS Caulky rests in a watery grave. I notice that jon boats have weight ratings. A 14' Fisher is rated at 375 pounds of people. Does that mean that if I put my 210 pound self in it along with my 180 pound son we are going to sink it?
Any other advise on jon boats?

I'm actually looking for one in central MO too, so if there is more than one (Bullhead gets first dibs) - I'd like to hear about it too.
thanks!
-skinny

skinnybass....PM sent.

Are you kidding me?

Don't understand what you mean?

Talking about the posts after yours Bullhead. Just came across as a sideswipe.

I have 14' jon boat. It holds my 240 lbs., my son in law is about 200 and 2 grandkids with no problem. It's pretty stable.

By no means did i mean it that way, of course, and bullhead, i hope you see that (hence the bullhead gets first dibs thing...). Just seeing the post reminded me that a friend of mine was asking about one, & rainman happens to live right around the corner from me.

My bad, if that seemed unethical..my bad. Hope no offense was taken.

-skinny

You can borrow my 12' jon boat until I get my small pond renovated and stocked, but I'm not selling my jon boat. Send me a PM if you are interested.

Thanks for the info guys. A jon boat may still be in my long range plans to explore the shallows of my pond. However, I bought a 12' Wards Sea Kraft V hull for $250 yesterday.It will get me through the coming weeks.

Note to all; make sure to tie up your boat if you keep it in a spot next to your pond where water flows during heavy rain events. And keep the drain plug in. Unless you want it to become structure for your crappie.

Thanks for the offer Shorty but you should concern yourself with getting your fish to kick the smoking habit. It's going to stunt their growth.

Here in GA, it's a state law that you must own at least 1 jon boat - it's supposed to leak a little but that part of the law is rarely enforced.

I picked up a WaterTender 10 boat from Craigslist a few weeks ago. It's only 10' long, 54" beam, modified tri-hull. It's rated for 475 lbs. and 8 hp I believe. It's suprisingly stable, more so than any jon boat the same length, has a larger carrying capacity and motor rating. The downside is that there is no drain plug. If it ever was damaged enough to breach the hull, it would be hard to repair (I think) because it's plastic. I think it only weighs 110 lbs.

This leads me to a question; exactly what constitutes a "jon boat". I see ads for "tri hull jonboats", "V bottom jon boats" and other configurations.
Shouldn't a jon boat have a straight front and flat bottom?

In my defination, yes. Jon boats are great for calm waters, and will float in very shallow water, and they are more stable than boats that have rounded hulls.