Is a 14 ' jon boat stable enough to bowfish out of ?

[RCFisher]

First post

I was curious to see if a 14 ' jon boat with a 48'' bottom is stable enough to bowfish out of. The particular one is a Lowe Wide body with a 48'' bottom and a 70'' beam. I will be adding a deck , but not a floor. Thanks

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: Is a 14 ' jon boat stable enough to bowfish out of ?

Take it to the water (shallow water) and try it........ not too stable but everyone has a different point of balance. Actually I would use it but not with any added decking to keep the center of gravity as low as possible and be sure to wear a pfd

 

[26aftcab454]

Re: Is a 14 ' jon boat stable enough to bowfish out of ?

Welcome to iboats...seams like a " go for a test run" anwser to me. if your in calm water yeah- if yer in a hard chop-problaly not. Also are you a normal sized person or a 480lb person? We need more info. and photos. What are you "shooting" for?

 

[JEBar]

Re: Is a 14 ' jon boat stable enough to bowfish out of ?

as noted, your physical size/condition and the water surface all play a part .... what works for one person may or may not work for another .... at my age and weight, even if the water was perfectly calm, I wouldn't be comfortable with the boat you outline .... that isn't to say it wouldn't be perfectly fine for you .... with a choppy surface, I'd really be apprehensive

Jim

 

[NSBCraig]

Re: Is a 14 ' jon boat stable enough to bowfish out of ?

I know that a 15' works just fine.

 

[pootnic]

Re: Is a 14 ' jon boat stable enough to bowfish out of ?

Lots of people use a boat that size to fish out of,some that size already come decked out.
Again,like mentioned in previous posts,wave action and your personnal physical condition,may dictate alot.

 

[jsimms724]

Re: Is a 14 ' jon boat stable enough to bowfish out of ?

I see guys do it where I boat. It probably depends on your skill level and degree of dexterity I do not bow fish, but a lot of guys around here do, looks like it takes a lot of practice to become proficient. Stay safe wear the PFD

 

[RCFisher]

Re: Is a 14 ' jon boat stable enough to bowfish out of ?

Lots of people use a boat that size to fish out of,some that size already come decked out.
Again,like mentioned in previous posts,wave action and your personnal physical condition,may dictate alot.

OK , so im about 5'8'' and weigh 220. Here is the boat i was looking at http://treasure.craigslist.org/boa/3331162749.html

 

[RCFisher]

Re: Is a 14 ' jon boat stable enough to bowfish out of ?

OK , so im about 5'8'' and weigh 220. Here is the boat i was looking at http://treasure.craigslist.org/boa/3331162749.html

What size should I be looking for ?

 

[fishrdan]

Re: Is a 14 ' jon boat stable enough to bowfish out of ?

It will all depend on how your balance is and if you can recover from an imbalance quickly. I cast a 10' surf rod from a 1436 jon, and casting a long rod like that requires one heck of a lot more balance than shooting a bow. (I'm not recommending people cast 10' rods from 1436 jon boats....) I don't see an issue with it, but it's going to be up to your capabilities. I've had guys squeamish just sitting in my 1436, thinking they were going to fall out of the seat, LOL.

If you deck the boat, low deck it, right over the ribs. If you high deck it on top of the seats, it will throw off the center of gravity and make the boat tippy.

 

[greenbush future]

Re: Is a 14 ' jon boat stable enough to bowfish out of ?

Jon boats can be very unstable, and when 2 people are in them, it's not what you do that could dump you in the water. And with only 14 feet to work with you might just be swimming. I also know guys that will canoe while deer hunting, they can do it fine, and will risk getting tipped in winter with very nice guns. I guess it depends a bunch on you, and how well your balance is.