Jon boat ideas? 14-16ft, 25hp rating...

[KC8QVO]

I am browsing some jon boats here. It doesn't look like many jon boats will take a 25hp motor. Are there any worthy of looking in to that you have/have run? I am looking at multi-use for that size motor between kicker and a smaller boat motor. Lots of skiffs/utility boats are rated to that and more, but jon boats are a different ball game.

 

[Texasmark]

Check out Lowe Line Boats and their "Lake Johns". I had 10' years ago BIA rated for 10 HP. They have higher sides and usually wider for the length than run of the mill Johns.

 

[KC8QVO]

Thanks for the Lowe suggestion. I didn't even know the Roughneck type existed, though I guess my terminology was off in that I'd consider those Jon boats too. I run a 16ft open Lund utility at my cabins with a 25hp evinrude (93 model, 2 stroke) that runs nice. I want something smaller like that for floating tributaries to the great lakes and other streams. I suppose I should have thought through this but a boat rated to a 25hp motor is a heavy boat like our 16ft lund. The Jon boats I am familiar with we ran on an electric motor-only lake and were apparently MUCH lighter duty. It looks like they're only rated to the 3.5-5 hp range. For dragging through shallow streams with brush I'd think a Jon boat would be better suited, the bigger the boat the harder to drag.

 

[Texasmark]

You don't want to know where I manually drug my john and 7 ? Merc, or the fact that I had a 1975 Toyota pickup with a travel travel trailer quality topper and a rack on top of that and that is how I transported it....fished alone. Wink

 

[Dizz]

I`ve recently been looking at riveted jon boats,the roughneck series are much more $$$,as well as welded.The best buy available from all the brands I`ve looked at(Lund,Lowe,Amumacraft,Tracker)right now,rated for 25HP is the BassPro Tracker Topper 15x42 riveted jon.It is rated for 25hp,needs motor with short 15" shaft for low transom,and is on sale right now.They had two in Cincinnati Ohio yesterday,and are right at $1200 out the door.Same in a Alumcraft,but 14x42 is closer to $1700,not sure of the hp rating on this boat.The Tracker has a gravity livewell in the center seat.The Alumacraft 1436 is same price as Tracker 1542,and former is rated for 15HP.i have a 91 Erude 15hp 15" shaft,and know it would do great on the 1542 tracker,I`d expect about 20mph,and the 25 on that boat would be great!