Help me with a boat.

[bks]

I mainly fish electric only lakes, my wife and I usually fish out of kayaks but I have the urge to set up a nice aluminum boat specifically for fly fishing for bass and panfish.
I have a 1542 and to me it just isnt stable enough, when sitting in a pedestal seat the boat feels like it wants to flip.
I was looking at an 1860 or similar thinking the size would make standing on the front deck and casting easier, safer.
I guess I’m almost envisioning a flats style boat where someone in the back could pole the boat and also have a trolling motor up front.
I not interested in goi g fast, skiing or anything like that. I want a super stable platform to fish from. I know that big of a boat wouldn’t be worth a hoot in the trees.
Has anybody done or seen anything similar? I would appreciate any comments or suggestions.

 

[Ard]

Welcome to the forum,

I can't offer help with hull selection but will say that when trying to get what you want be sure to get things right the first go round. I have a good boat for where I live but had I had a hand in the interior layout things would be a little different.

 

[jayr]

A friend of mine had an 1860 size jon boat and let me tell you, that's a lot of boat especially for one person to handle, launch, pick up, etc. They are so large and heavy as well.

Using it on an electric only lake will take some serious electric motor size and battery. They also catch the wind quite easily if wind is an issue.

 

[joe_strummer]

i had a 1436 jon boat that i built out pretty elaborately. much smaller, narrower beam boat than yours but i fished two out of that boat comfortably for about five years. no pedestal seats, just standing. this hasn't been your experience in a 52" beam, though, so it don't mean much, except that you could buy a bigger hull, like an 1860, and over a winter in the garage, say, do whatever you wanted with it, including turning it full-on tin bass/flats hybrid.

when i got the two-foot-itis and was pondering this question -- what boat next -- this was the route i first considered. kinda was thinking of sticking with an aluminum hull due irregular use up in canada. i also looked at some of the production tin bass boats, tracker, etc., and even talked with some ranger designers about factory-customization on one of their boats to accommodate fly rods in the rod bin without going to a 20'+ boat, which was way more boat than i wanted or needed since i launch/load/fish solo a lot. (they were willing but in the end could not make it work)

between the need to store four 9' rods and also having fly line and fly casting friendly space, i ultimately decided there was only one really good flatwater fly fishing option, flat skiffs. i settled on an Ankona Cayenne, which has a wee bit of bay boat in it. i spend a lot of time on electric and wakeless waters with it, but also poling it (carp and florida), as well as bassin', open water stuff, and canada, Casco Bay, and some other big water situations. the cayenne may not be the hull for you -- though i do highly recommend it for anyone searching for a versatile fly fishing boat -- but you might take a look at the ankona line and consider how affordably you can get into a built-to-order fly-fishing-friendly boat. i went pretty ultimate in my rigging of my cayenne, but my earlier experience with my jon boat was along the lines of "how to build a $2000 boat for $5000" so...

Bust Out Another Thousand.

 

[joe_strummer]

A friend of mine had an 1860 size jon boat and let me tell you, that's a lot of boat especially for one person to handle, launch, pick up, etc. They are so large and heavy as well.

Using it on an electric only lake will take some serious electric motor size and battery. They also catch the wind quite easily if wind is an issue.

18' jon has plenty capacity for a 24v or 36v tm. lowe 1860 has max capacity of 1600#.

 

[fr8dog]

If you have time and patience look for a jonboat that fits your needs. Here’s the deal though. The newer trolling motors have a ton of power to zip across the water and lithium batteries can run them for a day or three. Less weight per battery but (and it’s a BIG but) they are a bit more expensive than standard lead acid ones. From what I’ve seen and heard is that: A... they hold a charge longer. And 2...they take more cycles meaning they last longer. I’ll probably change over to them when mine die.

 

[tcorfey]

BKS, you might want to look at prams instead of Jon boats
https://kofflerboats.com/rmt-boats/
or
https://kofflerboats.com/white-water-prams/
or wider Jon boats like
https://bridgeviewmarine.com/product/boats/new-boats/sp14-rivited-and-welded-jon-boat/

 

[al_a]

I own a 1652 Blazer johnboat with a 40 HP jet outboard (Evinrude Etec), 24 volt trolling motor. The thing is as stable as a house, runs in 4 inches of water, and a dream to fly fish from the front deck with a butt seat. Might not be what you're looking for, but it works for me. Honestly, I've been a canoe guy all my life, and really hated jetboats when they first came onto the scene, but decided to buy one mostly to use in fishing during the winter, when the smallmouth were congregated in a few deep pools and it was too difficult to find shuttles for float trips. Still don't use the jetboat in the summer much. But have done a bit of fly fishing from it in the summer and it's great.

 

[rodneyshishido]

I watched a fly fishing show where the anglers were using a "frog boat". It is a small boat but looked really stable. The anglers were standing up and casting without any evidence of tipping.

 

[srock]

I am not sure of the waters you fish but instead of a johnboat I would opt for a small aluminum skiff type fishing boat. The hull would flare toward the bow and come together in a point, whereas the stearn could be flatter. I think the old Grumman sports boat was a good example of this, although many makers make similar types of hulls. This would be much more stable in most situations, is more maneuverable than a johnboat, and these run very well with a small electric motor. I know because I have 3 boats like this. I have two 14 footers which I think is the ideal size, and a 12 footer. the brands I have are alumnacraft, Lund, and Montgomery ward. I purchased all of these used for a few hundred each. You will need a trailer for these kinds of boats, but with a trailer, they are easy to launch and land, even for a person in their 70s like me. If you are in decent condition you will be able to manhandle a 14 footer without a lot of problems. For example, in the winter I take two of my boats off their trailers and turn them upside down to protect against snow and rain. These boats are basically indestructible. My Lund is close to 30 years old. I should add that I used to own a 14 foot john boat for several years but never felt comfortable standing in it because it was tippy. You can also row a rowboat in case your electric motor conks out and get back to the dock. Finally, if you want more power, you can add a small gas motor and greatly increase your ability to cover distance. My 2 cents.