Input needed on shallow running jon boat..

[ducktrooper]

I've done a lot of searches but need suggestions from those with experience for my custom jon.

Purpose of boat..shallow water flyfishing on skinny tailwaters and occasional duckhunting in various areas. Size I want is 17-18 ft long..with 44-46 beam. Light weight, all welded hull is way I want to go to maximize drafting and pushing/pulling over gravel bars occasionally. Hull interior will be very open with bench seat in back, 3' platform up front, and 2 side storage boxes.

Plan to run with a 25 HP 2 stroke short shaft....no jet. Here are my questions:
1. Will tunnel hull for prop help me in skinny water, ie, 12-18" when going slowly?
2. Will a quality .80 gauge hull hold up as long as I'm not pounding obstructions(logs) all day?
3. Best length by width combo for shallow running with motor?
4. Will jackplate help addtionally as long as setback isn't much?
5. Will coating hull with Wetlander or similar teflon paint help with friction and getting thru areas where I have to get out in and push/pull for 10-15 yards?

 

[hoosier78]

On that length of boat the absolute minimum width I would go is 50".

 

[Country Dave]

I've done a lot of searches but need suggestions from those with experience for my custom jon.

Purpose of boat..shallow water flyfishing on skinny tailwaters and occasional duckhunting in various areas. Size I want is 17-18 ft long..with 44-46 beam. Light weight, all welded hull is way I want to go to maximize drafting and pushing/pulling over gravel bars occasionally. Hull interior will be very open with bench seat in back, 3' platform up front, and 2 side storage boxes.

Plan to run with a 25 HP 2 stroke short shaft....no jet. Here are my questions:
1. Will tunnel hull for prop help me in skinny water, ie, 12-18" when going slowly?
2. Will a quality .80 gauge hull hold up as long as I'm not pounding obstructions(logs) all day?
3. Best length by width combo for shallow running with motor?
4. Will jackplate help addtionally as long as setback isn't much?
5. Will coating hull with Wetlander or similar teflon paint help with friction and getting thru areas where I have to get out in and push/pull for 10-15 yards?

Where do you do most of your fishing?

 

[ducktrooper]

Little Red River mostly......Norfolk and White occasionally. All the trout jon boats over there are mostly 42-48" in width......but, they're 20' long and that's too long for duckhunting(for me).

 

[erictetterton]

All i do is fly fish and this is what i use. i usually am in really shallow areas but never so shallow that i would have to drag the boat over sand bars. Alweld will make u any size and style boat for the right price. If u get their econo jon, u can save a lot of $. This boat in the flat bottom would be ideal for your situation. Maybe add steelflex to the bottom for extra slickness when dragging.

https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=28957

 

[ducktrooper]

Thanks...I've pretty much settled on Alweld for the reasons you mentioned. Weldbilt might be a fallback.

Now I'm just trying to decide if tunnel hull will help....what gauge thickness....and what size will float shallowest at lower speeds when I'm navigating thru a skinny section of water.

 

[Country Dave]

I've done a lot of searches but need suggestions from those with experience for my custom jon.

Purpose of boat..shallow water flyfishing on skinny tailwaters and occasional duckhunting in various areas. Size I want is 17-18 ft long..with 44-46 beam. Light weight, all welded hull is way I want to go to maximize drafting and pushing/pulling over gravel bars occasionally. Hull interior will be very open with bench seat in back, 3' platform up front, and 2 side storage boxes.

Plan to run with a 25 HP 2 stroke short shaft....no jet. Here are my questions:
1. Will tunnel hull for prop help me in skinny water, ie, 12-18" when going slowly?
2. Will a quality .80 gauge hull hold up as long as I'm not pounding obstructions(logs) all day?
3. Best length by width combo for shallow running with motor?
4. Will jackplate help addtionally as long as setback isn't much?
5. Will coating hull with Wetlander or similar teflon paint help with friction and getting thru areas where I have to get out in and push/pull for 10-15 yards?

Ok well firstly let me give you this disclaimer. I am not an expert. However I do most of my fishing on the flats. We get skinny.

If you’re going to be running a 25HP motor on an 18/46 you’re going to be underpowered. Not saying you can’t use it, but that’s a lot of boat for a 25HP.

Q-1. Will tunnel hull for prop help me in skinny water, ie, 12-18" when going slowly?
A- Not really. A tunnel hull will typically draft as much water if not more than a flat bottom boat or a modified V of the same length and width at rest or moving slowly because, less surface area on the water means less displacement. The tunnel will help you jump on plane when you’re skinny and will help you run skinny but won’t help much at slow speeds.

Q-2 . Will a quality .80 gauge hull hold up as long as I'm not pounding obstructions(logs) all day?
A- Yes I believe most manufactures are using 0.80 to 0.125 and these boats have proven to be work horses.

Q-3 3. Best length by width combo for shallow running with motor?
A- To many variables. What motor? How many people and gear? How much weight

Q-4 4. Will jackplate help addtionally as long as setback isn't much?
A- Yes that’s what a Jack plate is designed for; get the motor up as high as you can without cutting off the water supply to the motor. You might want to consider a shallow water pickup if you’re going to run with your Jack plate up high for any length of time.

Q-5. Will coating hull with Wetlander or similar teflon paint help with friction and getting thru areas where I have to get out in and push/pull for 10-15 yards?
A- Yes assuming Wetlander is an epoxy similar to Steelflex or gator glide. It’s going to help but only marginally. The real benefit of that stuff is when you’re running, or even putting the boat on and off the trailer. The slicker the bottom the better.

 

[ducktrooper]

Thanks CountryDave for the all the insight. You're probably right about the length...the only thing I question is that the fiberglass river jons which are 20'x4' run fairly fast with only a 15 HP. Why would that be?

 

[Gotem]

A few years back I saw a boat fishing in shallow places that I would not dream of going. Then the boat zipped to the connected mill pond that I knew I could not get to. I believe the guy had a mudbuddy motor and a boat designed for those mud motors.

 

[Paul Marx]

Go as wide as you possibly can . If you add a tunnel add pontoons (sponsons) . We run the marsh flats all the time here on the Texas gulf coast . A boat built like this will give you a big advantage . With a tunnel you can run the motor higher and still get a good flow of water. Install a anti cavitation plate and a heavy cupped prop to get a good bite.

 

[Country Dave]

Thanks CountryDave for the all the insight. You're probably right about the length...the only thing I question is that the fiberglass river jons which are 20'x4' run fairly fast with only a 15 HP. Why would that be?

Hey no problem,

I’m not familiar with fiberglass river Jon’s. I would imagine they are a flat bottom Jon boat style hull and do not have an inner liner and not a lot of glass on them. I guess it comes down to what ones perception of fairly fast is. :LOL2: A 20ft Long 4 foot wide fiberglass boat with a 15HP motor on it? Brother that just doesn’t sound right to me. Are you sure it’s not a 115?

Getting a flat bottom boat to move over relatively smooth water with a smaller outboard is really not that difficult if the motor is propped right and there’s not a lot of weight in the boat.
But, it’s going to be a dog trying to get up on plane and when you start putting any weight in it, forget about it. It’s not always about how fast or slow, it’s about torque.

The worst think you can do is have an underpowered boat. Not so bad on the flats but if you get in trouble nothing like some ponies to help get you out.

 

[Lowe 2070 CC]

My parents live up on the Little Red and the trout boats there are fiberglass, 18-20' long and 42-48" wide. Most run 9.9-25hp prop motors with 15 being most common. It's kind of a North Arkansas thing, as the Missouri crowd favors aluminum jets.

My understanding is the glass boats slide over the rocks while the aluminum boats will hang on them (thus the application of UHMW material, gator glide etc...)

Fast is a relative term as I wouldn't bet any of them run much north of 30. But that may be fast to you.

 

[vahunter]

Thanks CountryDave for the all the insight. You're probably right about the length...the only thing I question is that the fiberglass river jons which are 20'x4' run fairly fast with only a 15 HP. Why would that be?

Considering that's basically a wider canoe it should maintain a decent speed but I bet with a load of even a little bit would have a very hard time getting on plane. 25hp I would think it would be OK but I don't think I'd be happy with being that underpowered personally

 

[Paul Marx]

I've noticed at the boat shows they seem to under power boats to make it look like a better deal. As rule of thumb we try and go with the max. H.P. for performance. Then again we don't have to deal with rocks.

 

[ducktrooper]

Thanks guys for the input. I'm checking into tunnel hulls from Alweld and Southfork since they both make custom sizes. Might add weldbilt into the mix. I agree extra cupping and anticavitation plate will help if I run tunnel hull.

Top speed is way less important than being able to cruise shallow water at speeds anywhere from 5-10 mph. I'd be happy with 25 mph with 2 guys and medium load.

When the water is low during no generation, you can't fly around the river b/c of rocks and shoals. But I don't want a tin hull that sags in the water or drafts more than 8-10" when I'm running at lower speeds.

 

[blb515]

Might want to look at gator trax also!