10-12ft john

[rfed32]

so im in the market for a john boat now that im gettin some money back from taxes this year was thinkin between 10-12 foot. my thing is there are a lot of small lakes and little streams that are wide but not deep so ill be runnin an electric motor as my motor. my thing is is a 10 footer to small for two guys for a day and should i go with the 12 footer. i cant go above 12 foot b.c i will be puttin it in the bed of my pickup which is a 98 k1500 extended cab with a 6 foot bed so with the tailgate down there will be 4feet stickin out if i get the 12footer. the 12 footer is only 50 bucks more and in a couple years if i go to get a gas motor i can put a 6hp instead of the 3hp that the 10footer will take. also is this a bad idea to put it in the back of my truck anybody out there do it if so some types would be great.. i just need some help

 

[SpinnerBait_Nut]

Re: 10-12ft john

Way back I have done it with no problem.
Just made sure it was secure.
I would go 12 foot myself for the reasons you state.
10 foot to small for 2 people, IMO.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: 10-12ft john

the only problem i ever had, is after a day of fishing, for some reason the boat was a lot heavier to load than unload in the morning. when you load, place battery in the stern of boat, to counter weight. good tie down ratchet straps.

 

[John_S]

Re: 10-12ft john

Consider the wider beam 12'er for the extra stability and capacity. The 36" beam over the 32". Check, but it should still fit between wheel wells.

 

[steelespike]

Re: 10-12ft john

Consider the wider beam 12'er for the extra stability and capacity. The 36" beam over the 32". Check, but it should still fit between wheel wells.

What he said; get a good wide 12 footer it will be more stable,handle the load better and when you put that 6 on there it will be more likely to plane.

 

[beerfilter]

Re: 10-12ft john

I used this same setup for years , and , pushed it with a 4 HP Johnny .
This is a great setup for 1 person and skinny waters . I have even used it in big impoundments , island hopping/camping on long weekend trips .
Just keep an eye on that sky and beware the water fleas !

Do get the widest beam you can find , it will have less draft for the same load in a narrower beam and be more stable .
Don't buy new , 'tis the season for used bargains , and , little john boats are ~ $50 - $200 in these parts , may be different where you are at .
12' is plenty of room for 1 person , cramped and awkward for 2 grown adults with a moderate amount of gear , IME .
If you are fishing with a partner more often than not , I guarantee you will be wanting to go bigger within a few weeks or months .

Good luck and keep us posted !

 

[rfed32]

Re: 10-12ft john

ok ill def go with the 12 footer than. i prob will buyin a nice trolling motor to start off with then when i opt for a trailer ill get a gas motor jst so i dont have to deal with the gas motor with the truck. but thanks a lot. any storage tips for these little boats for the guys who had them??

also im looking at the tracker toppers are these boat junk or are they good??only b.c bass pro is 15mins away and i know they sell them there...but i was thinkin about calling some lowe dealers to get some prices but the tracker 1232 is $550.00 and if i want to step up to the 1432 im lookin to spend $630.00 and the 1436 is $730.00

thanks for the help so far

 

[beerfilter]

Re: 10-12ft john

Wow , $550 -$730 for just the boat .
That's why you need to be checkin your local classifieds , and , Craigslist .
Where are you located ?
You can get a nice used rig , 12'-16' john , 9 -25HP kicker , and , a trailer , for that much scratch around these parts .

Those toppers are lightweight , riveted designs . Nothing wrong with them , but , they will have less weight capacity and lower HP ratings than a better constructed craft .


Storage is easy .
On the trailer with a cover , or , upside down on a couple of whatever you got to keep it from direct ground contact .

New is nice , but , cheap is usually better and easier to afford .

 

[rfed32]

Re: 10-12ft john

yeah i know cheaper is better but i want to buy something new b.c i know i wont upgrade b.c right now im in college and it will be a summer thing with my good buddy and then when im done with school ill end up in a job and then get married tho whole 9 have the house and kid and dont know how much ill get out u know so i was thinkin buy new now and then in 20years if i take care of it (like i do with everything) it will still be in good shape ya know and where i am planin on livvin we dont hav emuch in the way of big waters only smaller stuff but has good fishin

 

[HondaPower]

Re: 10-12ft john

Don't have one anymore but when I had small 12 footers I built two saw horses. I built them just for this application they were 30" high and 12" wider than the top of the boat. I would have a friend help me flip the boat over and place it on top. The ends of the top bar of the horses had eye rings installed so I could rope the hull to them so wind would not flip it off. The feet of the horses were pinned to the ground using large metal tent pegs for the same reason. For good measure I would the cover the whole thing with a cheap blue tarp to keep the hull clean. This worked very well for me for years.

 

[rfed32]

Re: 10-12ft john

i really like the saw hourse idea b.c there will no place for me to have a trailer seeing that i rent a house and there is no place to park it...we have a hard enough time with our three trucks then finding places for the gfs cars...so i will deff do that. i think im gonna go with the 12 foot topper after looking at some prices and everything i see on craigslist thats in that price range is from the 70's and they all have 5hp motors on them so im just gonna start out with the 1232 topper and a nice trollin motor which i am going to put a post up about that and a cheaper fish finder with good quality. i will rig it up with all the lights and such also. looking forward to gettin it and spending some time working on it...hopefully within the next couple weeks i can pick everything up. thanks for the help

 

[John_S]

Re: 10-12ft john

Think wider, 36 wide. 36, 36, 36, .... Seriously, you will find the 32 very limiting and tippsy. Spend the money for the wider boat and row for a season. I'd also look at the 12' cartopper rowboats. They are not really Vs, flat across transom, and a slight v in bow.

 

[nightstalker]

Re: 10-12ft john

Don't go with a 32" width jon boat. You gotta go with the 36. There is a world of difference between the two. A 10' 36 is twice the boat that a 12' 32 is.
Nightstalker