Best Small Boat? Jon Boat - Flat Bottom Boat or V Hull?

Is a flat bottom jon boat a better small boat than a V hull utility boat? In this video I talk about v hull jon boats, flat bottom boats, small utility boats and look at the advantages and disadvantages of both types of small boats. There may be no best small boat - but there are little boats that are better suited for certain tasks. I have owned both a 12 foot jon boat and a 12 foot V hull boat and learned a bit about the type of little boat that is best suited for me. If you're looking for a small boat, a little jon boat or other flat bottom boat offer some advantages over a V hull little boat. Depending on the types of water where you go boating or fishing, each little boat has pros and cons.

#flatbottomboat #vhullboat #utilityboat

Timestamps:
00:00 Introduction
00:56 Flat Bottom Small Boats - Jon Boats
04:12 V Hull Small Boats - Utility Boats
06:13 Wider Boats Are More Stable

▶︎▶︎▶︎Playlists About Boats

▶︎▶︎▶︎Boat Engines & Motors Playlists

▶︎▶︎▶︎ Boat Repairs & Projects Playlists

▶︎▶︎▶︎New Boater Playlists

Sound effects and additional music is copyright free from iMovie

Some of the video clips come from Pexels
Pond video by Jyoti Pur from Pexels
Shallow water drone video by Claudiu Ciobanu from Pexels

[domfer]

When I was a kid (12 years old) my friends and I built flat bottom boats made out marine play wood. About 8 ft long and a 5 hp engine. We raced them in the lake behind our homes. If you think they would leak, we seal them with paint, water sealer and brass screws. They were fun.

[stcarpgroupcommissioner]

Virtually all 'v-bottom' boats constructed since the 1940s have been hybrids - v hull in front, flat in back. A hybrid hull remains stable in wind or wake, efficiently cuts and planes, and is reasonably stable from standstill to high speeds (until it chines). I have lived offshore on Georgian Bay all my life (Lake Huron), and so all my boats are v-hulls, river canoes excepted.

[themallard]

As somebody who is in the market for buying their first small boat, this channel is absolutely fantastic! Thank you so much for posting content like this!

[allenjenkins]

In Australia we refer to the Jon boat as a punt and generally call the V-hull a dinghy. If they're made from aluminium, we call both styles a tinny. I've owned both punts and dinghies and I have found the v-nose punt to be the best fit for my needs, especially the ones where the V section extends about 1/3 of the hull length.

[krazyj]

My parents purchased a Lake home on Lake Hamilton in Hot Springs AR in 1970. Our first boat was a 14ft flat bottom with a 1968 18hp Evinrude. I'm 65yrs old now and have owned everything from Cobalts to BAJA's and never have had as much fun as we had in the flat bottom.

[wisenber]

Flat bottoms provide more initial stability. Rounded hulls have more secondary stability. The rougher the conditions, the more you'll want secondary stability.

[guylaraway]

I had a 1448 Jon. Loved it. 9.9 hp and it flew in a smooth lake. Waves, it would beat you up bad. But all I do is fish small local lakes and it sneaks in to the shallows real well. Also, I've stood on a.seat, toes against the hull, and a like sized buddy doing the same. Both of us at about 250. And still had at least 12 inches of freeboard.

[TheWay-up]

Flat bottomed boats make your rockin world go round. 🎶

[matthewcacace]

I have an old 12' v-bottom aluminum boat made in the '60s by sears. I use it mostly for fishing in a small lake. It's actually quite stable to stand in so long as I'm in the middle to back. I have heard that the flat bottom boats are more stable, but I just got what I could find and afford, and it still gets me out on the water! Thanks for all your videos Wayne! Love the channel!

[glennagain]

I have a 14 foot Jon Boat with the traditional square bow. I have a 9.9 Mercury outboard and a small trolling motor. I primarily use it for fishing. I absolutely love this boat. It has plenty of room, very stable, and is really fast with this motor! I don’t go out on rough days or huge lakes.

[deluxsundial]

1954 14’ Alumacraft model F here, been in family since new. It’s what I call a semi-V, has V hull up front and flat going back. Put a nice floor in it and a 15hp Johnson, lots of fun opened up on a big lake! We love it, my family uses it weekly still. Great video!

[Leosooter]

One of the big advantages of a Jon boat is how well they row, and how effective they can be with smaller motors. I have a 14ft Jon boat with a sliding rowing seat, and it really skims across the water. That flat bottom also means they can get up on a plane with a very small outboard.

Having grown up using small v-bottom skiffs, I think they are the absolute best for any kind of rough water, but for bays and smaller lakes the flat bottom has a lot of advantages.

Also your comment about how Jon boats handle is spot on. Even with a 5 horse, my Jon boat needs careful handling at speed. The back end has no resistance to turning and it's really easy for the boat to slew over badly if you try to turn too quickly.

[kiawahman]

Thank you for (hopefully) educating many small boaters with your correct definition of 'what is a Jon boat', (not spelled 'John' either). So many people, like you said, believe any small boat is a Jon boat which makes it very difficult to search for a true Jon boat on public classifieds. "Ignorance is bliss" so it's pointless to try to educate those who improperly label a v-hull as a Jon as they become very defensive of their lack of knowledge.

[leefortier]

I had a 12' flat bottom jon boat for about 10 happy years. wife and I used it for pond fishing and picnics - hibachi on the front seat. That was 30+ years ago. I just bought a 12' Lowe Sea Nymph V Hull with a Mercury 6 hp 4 stroke. I usually go boating alone so the stability is not a problem. Looking forward to many hours on the pond / lake / river.

[keithgillogly]

I have a 12' Jon boat. the lakes I fish on are small (50-75 acres) and one has a restriction to electric motors. So for me a Jon boat with a 36lb trolling motor suits my needs just fine. Love your videos.

[hr]

The Jon boat tracking issue can be solved by adding a keel (of sorts). I ran a 13 foot Jon boat with a 35 HP Mercury on it. At first it was REALLY snaky in the water. I added an aluminum strip to the bottom (exactly the kind that was also found on the side of my boat to stiffen it), and that helped A BUNCH.

[storypunman]

I have a 14.5 v-hull with a 30hp Merc. Good for the water I fish and for handling waves. I did deck it out with 2 flat floors, a front pitching deck and a rear casting deck. The flat floors make a big difference and reduce that side leaning when walking around. It feels safer with floors.

[justdoingitjim]

I've owned several Jon Boats from 10 ft up to 14 ft. I usually do most of my boating on large lakes, so they pretty much beat me to death under power. My last three boats were V-hull boats. A 12 ft, a 14 ft and a 23 ft, powered with outboards from 3hp up to 115hp! All were more to my liking and a lot more comfortable under power. They worked great in waves and rough water like I find on big lakes. Four years ago I built a 12 foot, flat bottom, pointed boat. I call it a Fishing Skiff that I designed myself from pictures of various fishing boats I found on the internet. It has a good rocker, not much tumblehome and was rather unstable (similar to a canoe, which I've also owned two of) in the wind or on open water because of it's narrow width. So, I added two pontoons and now I can take it on big lakes. However, it only has an electric motor, so I don't travel very far or fast. Click my name if you want to see video of how I built it or see my first "Sea Trial."

[normferguson]

I have an-hull 16’ with 40 hp merc. I have encountered 3’ waves on my way home on the lake. The v-hull was the best boat in those circumstances. I have not seen a Jon boat style on our lake.

[TriumvirVespasianus]

I've owned both as well.
Ended up selling the Jon's and keeping the utility V's....
Jon's are typically cheaper and lighter weight but they have very shalloow freeboards and prefer very calm to no wind.
Utility Vs are more money and weigh heavier but deeper and can handle windier seas.
My opinion.