Buying 1st boat. Need tips

[muprh23]

I plan on buying my first boat off of craigslist in a couple months. My price range is about $1500, i plan on getting a 14ft jon boat with a 9.9 or higher engine. Now my questions: What are some good used engines that should looking for on the boats? What are the true differences off V-hull and flat hull jon boats? Any advice can help.

 

[erie_guy]

Re: Buying 1st boat. Need tips

All Mercury and Nissan engines less than 30 hp are made by Tohatsu and except for paint and badgeing are mechanically identical. I would look for a recent two-stroke because of their lower weight (~50 #) instead of the four-strokes which are nearly double in weight. My Nissan 9.8 hp weighs a whopping 47# and is easily lifted on & off the transom.

I have a 14' semi-V hull shape and it is a bit rocky (less stable while fishing), but at speed has a smoother ride (cuts the swells). I have heard that thee flat bottom boats are more stable when fishing, but are a rough ride in a chop.

Your choice as it depends on your use (fishing/cruising) and where you will use your boat (rivers, larger lakes).

Happy choosing ! Also a test ride (sea trial) may be helpful in choosing once you locate a couple of candidate boats.

erie_guy
Port Clinton, OH

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Buying 1st boat. Need tips

Can't go wrong with a Johnson/Evinrude/Mercury/Yamaha. Avoid Chrysler/Force/Gamefisher due to poor parts support. There's also a number of other older off-brand air cooled motors you probably want to avoid.

 

[southkogs]

Re: Buying 1st boat. Need tips

Any light open style fishing boat (v hull, flat bottom, etc.) is going to be a little rocky. Your body makes up a significant portion of the weight of a rig like that (not that you're fat ... anybody would). If you can lift the boat, you can have a major effect on the CG and the stability of it. Probably need to look at a bulkier/bigger boat to add significant stability.

 

[The Famous Grouse]

Re: Buying 1st boat. Need tips

I plan on buying my first boat off of craigslist in a couple months. My price range is about $1500, i plan on getting a 14ft jon boat with a 9.9 or higher engine. Now my questions: What are some good used engines that should looking for on the boats? What are the true differences off V-hull and flat hull jon boats? Any advice can help.

It would help very much if we knew your location.

In general, a jon boat is a good choice for small bodies of water and for rivers. They are stable and have a shallow draft. The disadvantage to john boats is they have low freeboard and they do handle wind/waves very well, including boat wakes caused by heavy traffic. Because of the low freeboard and the square nose, you have to be very careful in handling the boat where there are waves. One poorly approached wave will swamp out most 14 foot john boats, I've seen it happen and plucked the unlucky occupants out of the water.

In general, I think a v-hull is a more versatile setup. It can take on more waves and wind, and it only gives up a little as far as shallow water running. Becuase a v-hull has more freeboard, IMO they don't give up much, if anything in terms of overall stability.

Honestly, it's pretty hard to go wrong with a used Johnson, Evinrude, or Mercury from 1980 onward.

Grouse

 

[muprh23]

Re: Buying 1st boat. Need tips

awesome, im live in florida just an hr north of miami. I will be using the boat mostly in the everglades and my local lakes so i think a flat hull will be perfect. Do Jon boats come with center consoles?

 

[The Rooster]

Re: Buying 1st boat. Need tips

I've never seen one in that size range w/center console. Most are tiller controlled unless you're talking about an air boat.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Buying 1st boat. Need tips

At 14', you may have a side console, which is better for that size b/c it doesn't block the whole boat. You balance it by putting the gas on the other side, and sitting toward the center. You won't have a battery with a 9.9 so that saves you some weight. With a side console you can add HP.

There are some with stand-up steering posts but I would go with the side, if anything.

 

[muprh23]

Re: Buying 1st boat. Need tips

^ iv seen a couple with the side console and i really like it. I dont dig the contortion of my back when steering with a tiller. i do plan on putting a trolling motor on it but up front so there wont be to much weight in the back. how much do u think the boat will weight with everything loaded?

 

[muprh23]

Re: Buying 1st boat. Need tips

i also plan on leaving it outside with a cover of course. will this wreck the engine and trolling motor?

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Buying 1st boat. Need tips

no those boats are made for the outdoors. The jon boats I know, would reject covers.

 

[muprh23]

Re: Buying 1st boat. Need tips

whats the weight difference between aluminum and fiberglass jon boats?

 

[109jb]

Re: Buying 1st boat. Need tips

For a jon, just go aluminum. Most jon boats have nothing that will get hurt by leaving them uncovered other than possibly fading a little paint. No wood floor though and no carpet. I wouldn't even cover it myself. I like the semi-V hulls for the reasons mentioned. None of the 14 footer are going to be "stable". You just learn how to move around without rocking the boat. It comes with practice. You can put a console in a jon but center would block the whole path from front to back. You would also have to consider what the routing of steering and engine controls would be. Personally n a 14' I would stick with the tiller.