I have a great pond boat that I and my brother built from wood. This is the 4th boat that I built. First one was a traditional east coast dingy shape 7 ft long. The rounded botom made it way too tippy and I could not do any pond work out of it. The last two boats I built have a similar shape to a jon boat but mine is more stable, shorter and lighter. Mine weighs about 35 lbs. It is 6' 8" to 6' 10" long, it fits in the back of my Venture Van with the back hatch door closed.
I use the boat for pond surveys and general pond work. It has one seat. It is basically a rectangle shape and 12" deep. It has sides and bottom of 1/4" water proof luan attached to a frame. I used heavier wood for the transom. I coated the boat inside and outside with boat building epoxy. I can lean way over the edge to pull weeds and not draw in water. I occasionally fish out of it and it works great if you don't have large amounts of gear. I have used with a 3.5 hp outboard motor on it to create waves in the pond for oxygenating and mixing the shorelines.
I would post a picture of the boat if I could ever figure out how to post pictures here. I will approach the Pond Boss magazine editor about printing an article about my home made boats within the next year. I have digital pictures that I can send if you are interested.
