9.5 - 12’ Jon Boat - Spratley, Journey, Lifetimer, SS?

B

Bluegiller300

New Member
Hello All,

I am looking for a nicely made, stable Jon boat.

As long as the boat is less than $5,000, I am going to choose on quality, design, fit and finish, over price differences.

The welds on this Silver Streak seem a bit roughIMG_8807.jpeg



What would you recommend?
 
Not much experience, but the Spratley boats look nice. They only build Jon boats - so presumably know what users want/need better than others.
 
i would consider a rotomolded plastic jon boat. the polyetheylene ones are pretty good.

Whaly Boats

A Whaly boat is a versatile and sturdy vessel that serves various purposes across different water activities. Find here the purposes and advantages of a Whaly boat.
www.whaly.com www.whaly.com

local dealer is https://independentmarine.ca/

the 16 footer has bow and stern opening hatches and platforms you can stand on.
www.whaly.com

Whaly Boats | Whaly 500R80

The Whaly 500R80 is an incredibly, double-walled robust boat manufactured from high-grade plastic (Polyethylene)
www.whaly.com www.whaly.com
 
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any particular reason your going for a jon vs a v? my 12’ has a 6’ beam and is much more comfortable and stable 200# guy can walk to either side no problem and when it’s time to run it handles water much better and won’t have the annoying “bow slap” on anchor

IMG_0053.jpeg

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IMG_0020.jpeg
 
Owned a 12’ Jon brand way too unstable for my liking. Settled on a Journey 11.6 with a 9.9 Mercury and trailer. Spratley far superior quality welds no question but has draw backs that need to be considered. 2 seats vs 3; no rear location for under seat fuel tank, 35 lbs heavier. Depends on where and how you fish, lake vs salt and what your needs are. Really do like the looks of Brandon’s 12 footer.
 

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zurk said:
i would consider a rotomolded plastic jon boat. the polyetheylene ones are pretty good.

Whaly Boats

A Whaly boat is a versatile and sturdy vessel that serves various purposes across different water activities. Find here the purposes and advantages of a Whaly boat.
www.whaly.com www.whaly.com

local dealer is https://independentmarine.ca/

the 16 footer has bow and stern opening hatches and platforms you can stand on.
www.whaly.com

Whaly Boats | Whaly 500R80

The Whaly 500R80 is an incredibly, double-walled robust boat manufactured from high-grade plastic (Polyethylene)
www.whaly.com www.whaly.com
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The Whaly is heavier than I would like. Somewhere around 200 lbs or less for the hull is where I’d like to end up.
 
Drink and Brando are right on the mark. All flat-bottomed boats are very unstable - esp. Jon boats. They are really designed for very shallow water (<6 ft deep) where you can receive stability through ground effect. Like going after spawning bass in a FW lake in the spring in the shallows. Jon boats are really a marketing ruse, IMHO. If you are fishing/travelling on the salt chuck or in water deeper than 6 ft - forget the Jon boat. It's too dangerous when you all go to the side to bring-in & net your catch. Stay away from flat bottomed boats if you can.
 
Bluegiller300 said:
The Whaly is heavier than I would like. Somewhere around 200 lbs or less for the hull is where I’d like to end up.
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no replacement for displacement but if you must go light -

Sea Eagle FSK16 3 person Inflatable Fishing Boat. Package Prices starting at $2,499 plus FREE Shipping

The Sea Eagle FishSkiff is a new patented REVOLUTIONARY "Roll Up & Go" 16 ft one, two, or three-man all drop-stitch inflatable FISHING SKIFF with a patented external rigid inflatable keel that rolls up and stows in most any car trunk. A fishing platform designed to fish more locations for a...
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i have a 380x myself.
 
Bluegiller300 said:
Very nice - what is the boat?
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Metal boat kits 12’ pro fish.
Cut by cjm and assembled myself.
It’s built from 5/32” and is by no means light with the extra customizations normal thickness would be 1/8”
With a 20hp it moves along at 23knts top speed comfortably and 2/3 throttle is around 16-17knts. We crossed from halfmoon bay this week to Sabine channel 13nm each way , fished all day and ran back total fuel used around 11-12L.

Here’s a link to the https://metalboatkits.com/product/360-pro-12-foot-3-6m-aluminum-boat-kit/
 
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Flat bottom boats can be very stable if they are wide enough, in fact more stable than a v bottom boat of similar length. A 9'6" Journey has a beam of 55" (45" is the flat bottom), the beam is 48% of the total length. On a Lund 14'6" WC the beam is 69 inches or 39% of the length with a v bottom. If you stand on a side of the Lund it will lean over more. A Jon boat is preferred amongst fly fisherman for small to medium sized lakes for this reason along with it provides more room.

A Jon boat will pound in waves so not a boat for ocean or larger lakes. Pick the boat for it's intended purpose.
 
Brando said:
Metal boat kits 12’ pro fish.
Cut by cjm and assembled myself.
It’s built from 5/32” and is by no means light with the extra customizations normal thickness would be 1/8”
With a 20hp it moves along at 23knts top speed comfortably and 2/3 throttle is around 16-17knts. We crossed from halfmoon bay this week to Sabine channel 13nm each way , fished all day and ran back total fuel used around 11-12L.

Here’s a link to the https://metalboatkits.com/product/360-pro-12-foot-3-6m-aluminum-boat-kit/
Click to expand...
Wonderful work.

Reminds me of a book by master furniture make James Krenov called “The Impractical Cabinetmaker”. It discusses the advantage the skilled amateur has over the professional when making something for personal use. The builder can take the time and use materials that would be impractical if one has to build a product to sell into a market and make a profit.

Are there any similar commercially-available boats?
 
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There are different types of stability. Flat-bottomed boats have a larger initial stability (in calm water) due to the higher/steeper GZ curve than other hulls but the righting arm drops fast at small angles of heel. That means any extra weight on the sides - like hanging/retrieving gear and people netting/gaffing fish - causes the righting arm to drop fast at small angles of heel until the boat capsizes - called the "point of vanishing stability". Look it up. Really bad choice for a fishing boat - but good for a tour around the lake tho.
 
Bluegiller300 said:
Wonderful work.

Reminds me of a book by master furniture make James Krenov called “The Impractical Cabinetmaker”. It discusses the advantage the skilled amateur has over the professional when making something for personal use. The builder can take the time and use materials that would be impractical if one has to build a product to sell into a market and make a profit.

Are there any similar commercially-available boats?
Click to expand...
I do build them if interested, please pm
 
Bluegiller300 said:
Hello All,

I am looking for a nicely made, stable Jon boat.

As long as the boat is less than $5,000, I am going to choose on quality, design, fit and finish, over price differences.

The welds on this Silver Streak seem a bit roughView attachment 120000



What would you recommend?
Click to expand...
I have the 10' Silver Streak Duck Boat. It is an older model but I love it. Super stable and Bomber. Big advantage of the SS compared to the Spratley and Journey is weight. SS comes in at 105lbs I think while the Sprat and J are 120 plus I believe. I can load mine in and out of the back of my pickup no problem. If you are going to trailer or get a auto boat loader then the heavier models are just as good and have a heavier gauge aluminium. All three are super stable boats and super high quality. It would come down to configuration after that. I know Journey will customize setup depending on how you want it.
 
agentaqua said:
There are different types of stability. Flat-bottomed boats have a larger initial stability (in calm water) due to the higher/steeper GZ curve than other hulls but the righting arm drops fast at small angles of heel. That means any extra weight on the sides - like hanging/retrieving gear and people netting/gaffing fish - causes the righting arm to drop fast at small angles of heel until the boat capsizes - called the "point of vanishing stability". Look it up. Really bad choice for a fishing boat - but good for a tour around the lake tho.
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lol this must be an AI generated answer. Take a tour of any of the 1000's of stillwater lakes in the interior and ask real fishermen what they prefer and 99% will say a flat bottomed jon boat. Extremely versatile and stable if you get the right one. Way more useable space in 10' than any other option.
 
Spring Time in Vienna said:
lol this must be an AI generated answer. Take a tour of any of the 1000's of stillwater lakes in the interior and ask real fishermen what they prefer and 99% will say a flat bottomed jon boat. Extremely versatile and stable if you get the right one. Way more useable space in 10' than any other option.
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LOL - you defined the brackets of applicability & limits of stability for flat-bottomed boats in your own answer: "stillwater" & "lake" - as I already mentioned in my posts.

I have about 40 years of experience in all types of boats - including flat-bottomed - long before AI was invented. Sounds as if you have limited experience in rougher water and fishing/working on the ocean. I am assuming that Google still works if you wish to challenge or check-out what I said in my post - rather than simply type LOL. Nice that I shared my TEK, eh? You're welcome! :)
 
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