I'm planning on buying a Jon boat to convert to a bass rig. I'm willing to buy it new if it means getting the optimal boat for my needs. The big issue I need to figure out to zero in on the boat I want is which type of bow.

Does anybody have and suggestions whether to go with the traditional flat nosed style or the pointy modified V style?

What are the tradeoffs of each?

Does it make much difference to stability while fishing?

Much difference to handling when shooting down the lake? Choppy water?

Anything else?

Thanks,

Pete

V hulled boats handle rough water better than Mod.V boats. Mod V boats handle rough water better than Jon boats.

I have been in all three types of boats and there are pros and cons with each. V hulled boats are usally faster than the Mod V and Jon boats when powered with the same HP. Jon boats and Mod V boats seemed to make a more stable fishing platfrom.

What typs of water are you going to be fishing? Lakes? Rivers? Bay? Where you fish most often will dictate what type of boat you should buy. For example when I had my Jon boats I mostly fished the Delta and local rivers. I rarely took it out on the big lakes up here (but I did once and a while) While it could get nasty out on the Delta I usally fished smaller sloughs and protected bays where I did not have to worry about the water becoming too rough.

If you plan on fishing smaller lakes and rivers a Jon boat should be fine. If you hit larger impoundments and the Bay then look into a V hulled boat. A Mod V hull is a happy medium and migh be your best bet.

I had a 14' regular jon and now have a 15' modified V jon (Triton 1546MVJ). The modified V takes the waves better and is much more stable. The stability may have more to do with the width of the boat than the hull style though. The 15 footer I have now has a 46" bottom width and a 70" beam and I'm sure my 14' was not that wide. You could stand up in the 14' while it was going and surf it down the lake like a surfboard by leaning one way or the other lol.

The modified V needs more power to push it through the water vs. the regular jon. You actually need enough push to get the bow out of the water to get it moving. I have a 5hp and it's pretty much a joke. I just plow along :) The welded boats I think are a bit heavier than the riveted boats. Not that you want a riveted boat, but it's worth mentioning.

I'm pretty happy with my current boat as a fishing platform and the overall handling and such, but the quality is really not that impressive. The paint is chipping and peeling up pretty bad after just one year, and the bow clip in the front is leaking water through the bolts which is really lame. It only gets under water when two guys stand up front, but still ... to have a 1 year old boat and have a leak is retarded. Fixing leaky aluminum boats is another subject, but my personal opinion on that is that it is impossible to fix a leaky aluminum boat. I tried every type of sealant recommended on my old boat and nothing worked. Just this weekend I tightened the bolts back up and siliconed them in. I'd bet it's leaking again in a few trips.

Good luck with your boat hunting. It's worth agonizing over it to find the one that is right for you :) If I could do it all again, I'd still have bought the same one.

The guy that sold me my boat told me that he would take me out in both models (ModV/ Traditional) blind folded and I would never be able to tell the difference. His reasoning was that if you're on plane, the short section in the front isn't even in the water anyway. I figured I should believe him since he talked me out of the more expensive sale. The only time I would see this as being not excactly true is when I run into a boat wake. Kinda makes a slap where i'm guessing a ModV would cut through a little better. But even then it's no big deal.

His other reason for the traditional style was if you ever beach it and climb out onto shore. He said the ModV is not as stable with just the point sitting on shore and therefore harder to get out of. Something to possibly think about I guess.

So anyway, maybe i'm a salesman's dream because I trust people. I can say that for what I bought my boat for (central coast lakes) I don't think it could perform any better.

Thanks for the comments. I'm looking for something for central coast lakes, mainly Santa Margarita, but also a bit for Lopez. Boat wakes would be the main issue at Margarita would, but the wind kicks up some pretty good chop in the main part of the lake at Lopez.

So, Phil, you square bow handles the Lopez chop and larger boat wakes fine? You've got a 15hp on your's, right? Does it get up on plane well? Any idea what speed you can do on calm water?

Thanks,

Pete

Where's a good central coast place to shop for boats at? Phil, where did you buy yours?
Ken

Pete,

I have 9.9hp on mine. It pushes along pretty good when i'm by myself. It's a little slower with someone else in the boat obviously. I have no idea what speed i'm going, but let me just say that I can make it from the launch ramp to the very back of Lopez arm in about seven minutes. That's going through two 5mph no wake zones too. I guess that's good :). The bass boats that fly past me are probably doing it in about three or four minutes.

As far as cutting through chop... I've had this thing out during the winter when the rain and wind was so hard you could barely see. Just cinch your hood up tight and go full throttle into it. Doesn't bother me a bit. Honestly, it's never been a problem around here. It's not like our lakes get rollers or anything.

Ken,

I got mine from Galey's Marine in Bakersfield. I called about a million different dealers and ended up going with them. If I decide to trade up, i'll probably go back to them. They were cool.
There's a couple places in Paso Robles that seemed good also. None of them had anything in stock, so it was a longer wait to get one shipped.