1448 jon

I'm planning on buying a new Lowe L1448M jon boat. Will this boat be
stable enough in rivers and small lakes? Are there any differences
between the flat noses and the v noses of the boat? I'm planning on
getting an 8HP motor, do you think that will be enough power for 2
people. I'm not looking for speed, just enough to get around.


Thanks in advance,
Chris

Chris

I would say you will find the biggest differance between a Jon and "V"
hull will be the ride comfort - and how wet you get - espec. if the
water gets some white-caps or rough due to other boats.

I have a 12' V bottom that I use on small-ish lakes/ponds - where
carry in is req'd or where motor restrictions exist. Works fine. You
will probally find that the flat bottoms are more stable - depending
on the width.

As far as the size of waters you take your boat on - only you can be
the judge of what is small. Use caution, watch the weather, and have
a PFD handy.

Jim

On Sun, 28 Mar 2004 19:25:53 -0500, Chris
wrote:

I'm planning on buying a new Lowe L1448M jon boat. Will this boat be
stable enough in rivers and small lakes? Are there any differences
between the flat noses and the v noses of the boat? I'm planning on
getting an 8HP motor, do you think that will be enough power for 2
people. I'm not looking for speed, just enough to get around.


Thanks in advance,
Chris

Nothing wrong with a jon boat...I have owned several. But watch the bad
weather on big lakes...they don't do real well in big waves! You do get
better at handling rough conditions after learning the "quirks" of the
jon boats....but be careful till you know what you'er doing. Every boat
has it's strong points and weak points...enjoy your "ride"!
JK

I've had both, including a Lowe 1467WT (V-hull) and one big difference is
hull rigidity. Of the two jon boats I've owned, neither was nearly as
structurally stable as the Lowe. And the V-hull is much better in rough
water as previously stated.

Rich P


"John Kerr" wrote in message
...
Nothing wrong with a jon boat...I have owned several. But watch the bad
weather on big lakes...they don't do real well in big waves! You do get
better at handling rough conditions after learning the "quirks" of the
jon boats....but be careful till you know what you'er doing. Every boat
has it's strong points and weak points...enjoy your "ride"!
JK

I have a 16' jon that I really like. It handles the stiff I get on the
Colorado River near Yuma just fine. When I have to cut over big boat wakes
at speed I get wet fromt he spray coming over the bow, but it does ok. I
know its not int he same class since I am running a console steering 50 HP
on it, but I think its fair to compare some features. At sub plaining
sppeds it is more stable than most V-hulls, but it does not cut through the
waves. I slams into them. I suggest watching well out in front of you and
quartering any waves or wakes at slowere speeds then speed back up as you
hit smoother water. I do not suggest going fishing your first time out. In
fact when I got my jon ready to go the first time I didn't take a single
fishing rod. I loaded up all the gear I moght take fishing except rods (so
I wouldn't be tempted) and I went out to Mittry Lake and ran it as hard as I
could. I tried moving my tackel bag around and moving my icechest around to
see how it rode at different speeds. I tried the trolling motor, and it
broke. I tried running WOT. (wide open throttle) I tried cutting boat
wakes at different angles and at different speeds. I tried setting the trim
stop pin at different angles.

I quickly discovered I needed a Whale Tail on the outboard as it porpoised
pretty bad at speed. Gary over at Davidson Marine (gratuitous plug for one
of my sponsors here) answered the phone when I called in that saturday and
he agreed to wait for me to get there a little after hours and let me pick
one up. I bolted it on and was back out on the water to try the boat some
more. Still no fishing rods in the boat.

It performed very well. I found that I would get a very slightly bouncy rod
and 30MPH witht he engine set ont he first trim stop pine hole. With it at
the physical limit I got a rock solid ride, but it would only do 25 mph.

The next time I took it out I went fishing.

I did discover on more quirk with it on another outing. I was six or seven
miles up river coming back down from scouting some of the back water lakes.
I was running flat out hugging the Arizona shore to dodge the sandbars in
the middle and it was windy. I caught a sudden quartering gust from the
right and the bow just picked up a couple feet in the air and slung over
towards the bank. I just saw trees in front of me. Fortunately I knew how
to turna boat quickly. I cut the throttle, Swung the wheel hard and just
before the boat dropped all the way off plane I nailed the throttle to the
stop. It did not respond as quickly as a V hull, and certainly not as
quickly as my Baker Tunnel Hull would (that tunnel drives like its on
rails), but instead of hitting the bank at speed I got a few whip marks from
over hanging tulies as I brought it around. That told me I needed to
experiment with it a little more.

I caught a section of river with no sandbars and wide banks to play. I
spent a half an hour doing speed runs into the wind at different speeds. I
found that it did not consistantly lift up and swing over from all
quartering gusts, but oftne enough to be dangerous if running hard along a
bank. I also discovered that I could cut throttle a moment sooner as the
bow started to picke up and counter steer slightly to prevent the swing
from happening at all. I didn't even have to cut the throttle as far if I
did it right. I ran it that way all day saturday in the wind for the ABA
Aluminum Boat tournament. I never had a problem, and we had gusty winds all
day.

Obviously your jon will respond much differently to conditions than mine
does due to differences in size, power, and load, but you can figure out how
to get the most out of your boat if you analize what is happening and take
some time to practice your skills before you need them.

You know, after this post I think I'll add a Jon Boats Only board to my
forums. I think jons are an under rated craft by most fishermen.

--
Public Fishing Forums
Fishing Link Index
www.YumaBassMan.com

webmaster
at
YumaBsssMan
dot
com
"Chris" wrote in message
...
I'm planning on buying a new Lowe L1448M jon boat. Will this boat be
stable enough in rivers and small lakes? Are there any differences
between the flat noses and the v noses of the boat? I'm planning on
getting an 8HP motor, do you think that will be enough power for 2
people. I'm not looking for speed, just enough to get around.


Thanks in advance,
Chris

Hi Chris,
The nose of the boat doesn't mean much functionally.
If you have the storage space and $ difference, though, I would go for a 16'
boat, though. They plane off much easier with smaller motors and larger
loads, give a
bit more stability, and draw less water. I used to run a 1848 with a 9.9
and it was a great boat.
Narrow enough to use oars when drifting a stream.
One thing to keep in mind about handling of smaller jons is that they have
very
low secondary stability, especially when loaded down. If they tip past a
certain point due to rough water, impacting something, etc, they can go all
the way over.
I generally drag in some wet folks at least once every season on the river.

Bill

"Chris" wrote in message
...
I'm planning on buying a new Lowe L1448M jon boat. Will this boat be
stable enough in rivers and small lakes? Are there any differences
between the flat noses and the v noses of the boat? I'm planning on
getting an 8HP motor, do you think that will be enough power for 2
people. I'm not looking for speed, just enough to get around.


Thanks in advance,
Chris

Hi Chris,

That is a good boat for standing up and casting because it is 48" wide at
the bottom. All the 14' Lowe Jons are flat bottom. I think the modified-V
bow will help defect the chop a little.

It is rated for 25hp so with 8hp you will be lucky to get on plane by
yourself. A 15hp would be better but 20hp would allow you to take more
weight (people/gear). Two people, electric motor, deep cycle battery, dog,
tackle and ice chest = 25hp

I had that same boat but in the Roughneck model: R1448M which is .080" thick
skin where the one you are looking at is .072" (no big deal) and the
Roughneck is all welded where your model is welded and riveted. I think your
is about $1400 and the Roughneck is $2000. Your model is 260# and a
roughneck is 300#.

We fly fish from those wide Jon boats in 14 and 16 feet and they are great
for standing and casting.

Not good for open water on larger lakes or bays.

--
Bill Kiene

Kiene's Fly Shop
Sacramento, CA, USA

Web site: www.kiene.com


"Chris" wrote in message
...

I'm planning on buying a new Lowe L1448M jon boat. Will this boat be
stable enough in rivers and small lakes? Are there any differences
between the flat noses and the v noses of the boat? I'm planning on
getting an 8HP motor, do you think that will be enough power for 2
people. I'm not looking for speed, just enough to get around.


Thanks in advance,
Chris