John Boat: 10 vs 14"

Nomad.2nd · Jul 25, 2014

So, I'm fixinto pull the Airstream over by a river. I'm more a Kayak/ Canoe kind of guy, but with my limited mobility... paddling for any length of time is a no go.

I'm inclined to go bigger.... I'll be buying one (used naturally) with a trailer, or picking up a harbor freight trailer or something no matter what picking up either and putting it on my truck is a no go.
And you never know, others might be crazy enough to want to go off in the swamps with me.

I might fish a little... havent fished in probably 10 years, but I did all the time when I was a kid.
Mainly just going to go poke around the few hours a day I can be up and about. (So I'll probably rig something so I can lay down when I need to.)

Also, the 14" might handle the Lake of the Ozarks on a limited basis.

I know rivets leak, and can be sealed.

I figure to throw up to $2K at the project, pick up a decent used motor and throw some oars in it for "when" (May or may not get a trolling motor.)
-Basically duplicating the set up my Dad had when I was a kid... As I recall it didn't cost much to keep up despite the "Hole in the water you throw money into."

Comments, or "I've got X" welcome

2011Corvette · Jul 25, 2014

Can be a lot of fun.
Going to Fourchon this weekend with a 10' bateau and a trolling motor to do some marsh fishing.
Sometimes more fun than taking the bay boat out.

LACamper · Jul 25, 2014

You know they make motor mounts for canoes and kayaks... that would be easier to paddle than a flat boat if you had to.

Cochise · Jul 25, 2014

The selling points of a shorter one are that it's easier to load in the truck bed and easier to paddle. The selling points of a bigger one are better balance and general stability, as well as heavier payloads. Has your balance been limited by your mobility? If so, play it safe and get the most stable one you can find.

Gator 45/70 · Jul 25, 2014

I like something along this line, Fiberglass pirogue with a squared back so that I could mount a trolling motor, Recharge the battery with your solar panels.

Nomad.2nd · Jul 25, 2014

LACamper said:
You know they make motor mounts for canoes and kayaks... that would be easier to paddle than a flat boat if you had to.

yea.... I've never had a trolling motor.... How long do those batteries last? (Realistic speed/ranges?)

Gator 45/70 · Jul 25, 2014

Heck, I was getting 4 years out of mine, I had a 34 lb Minkota on my 14 ft Jon-boat and it would pull it up to 5mph. I used the trolling motor one day for 5/6 hours on a all day fishing trip with the wife. Granted not all at once since we would stop and fish, But I was surprised at the end of the day that it still pulled strong.

Nomad said:
yea.... I've never had a trolling motor.... How long do those batteries last? (Realistic speed/ranges?)

Nomad.2nd · Jul 25, 2014

Gator 45/70 said:
Heck, I was getting 4 years out of mine,

Meaning more what you answered below.

Gator 45/70 said:
I had a 34 lb Minkota on my 14 ft Jon-boat and it would pull it up to 5mph. I used the trolling motor one day for 5/6 hours on a all day fishing trip with the wife. Granted not all at once since we would stop and fish, But I was surprised at the end of the day that it still pulled strong.

So...if you did that on a John Boat... I should have no issues getting 20-30 miles in a canoe.... without damaging the battery (It a 12 volt or proprietary?)
How are the gas ones?

Sorry I forgot to answer earlier... after 3 foot surgeries my sense of balance is not what it once was.
(But I can stay low)

Gator 45/70 · Jul 25, 2014

Well I never had to use mine as a sole means of propulsion, A mileage estimate would be useless since I never tested mine, We just fished up and down the banks,The battery was a 750amp troll motor deep cycle battery, The Minkota has I think 4 speeds forward and 1 reverse, Heck mount a solar panel on the back of the boat, Charge it while you go.

Oh, Its a 12 system the small troll motors.

Nomad said:
Meaning more what you answered below.

So...if you did that on a John Boat... I should have no issues getting 20-30 miles in a canoe.... without damaging the battery (It a 12 volt or proprietary?)
How are the gas ones?

Sorry I forgot to answer earlier... after 3 foot surgeries my sense of balance is not what it once was.
(But I can stay low)

Nomad.2nd · Jul 25, 2014

Any solar you could mount (And it's not as simple as wiring from the panel to the battery) while it WOULD help... would not come anywhere close to equalizing out the use.

Gator 45/70 · Jul 25, 2014

True they are not that efficient, I wire mine strait from the voltage regulator to the battery post.

If I bypass the voltage regulator the voltage jumps up to over 19 volts output of a sunny day, Good way to smoke a battery !

Nomad said:
Any solar you could mount (And it's not as simple as wiring from the panel to the battery) while it WOULD help... would not come anywhere close to equalizing out the use.

stag0608 · Jul 25, 2014

Get a 14' allweld. Stick a 25 on it. Throw some gas in it and go. You can go 20-30 miles twice on 5 gal of gas. If you want to get fancy put a trolling motor on it for when you fish.

johnnyastro22 · Jul 25, 2014

Also vote 14' for purpose of being able to mount a nice engine and it'll handle better under power.

edman87k5 · Sep 24, 2014

If you are going to be using a trailer, definitely go with the 14' and wider is better in most all cases. The only real reason to go under 14' is to be able to manhandle it in a truck.
I have a 15' that I run a mercury 2.2 on, much better than a trolling motor in my opinion. No batteries to keep up with (plus batteries are expensive) and worry about going too far away from camp and not being able to get back, just carry a 1 gallon gas can and be done. I of course got the old motor used, think I paid 250 or so for it and it is easy to handle, easy to crank and gets slightly better speed than a trolling motor. It weighs less than a trolling battery at 26 pounds (2 stroke is no longer made and the 4 strokes are a good bit heavier).
I have considered going to a smaller boat because this one is heavy and I carry it on a rack on my truck when towing my camper, so unloading it can be a bear if I don't have someone with me. The problem with the smaller boat is capacity. average weight capacity is under 350 pounds for a 10' alum boat. I can carry 3 men and all our gear in the 15' with no problem at all and plenty of sideboard left for comfort.
As for riveted vs welded, go riveted unless you are going to beat the living crap out of it, put a really big motor on it or treat it like a work skiff. My 15' is very old and has been repaired a couple times and still no issues. My newer 16' with a 60hp is also riveted and no issues. A rivet leak isn't going to sink you. You can drill a couple of the rivets out and still not worry about taking on enough water to ruin a day trip.
You have back problems, don't you? May consider going with a remote steering setup as a tiller handle is hell on the back.

John Boat: 10 vs 14"

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