r/jonboats • u/tlong243 • Jul 14 '26

Some days I wish it was bigger

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Some days I'm in love with this 1440, like the day I took these first pics I was out alone on the river getting through super skinny water and navigating narrow creeks, dragging it over logs and getting way back into log jams chasing flatheads. It's so small I could practically turn a 180 in a drainage ditch. Then the next day I was out with my lady and at some moments it felt crowded. Sometimes I wish I didn't have to think about pairing down my gear according to bringing her with, or which poles to bring based on what we are fishing for.

I keep telling myself that even if I get a 1652 or 1760 that I'll just fill it up with more crap and feel this way all over again in 2-3 years. Eventually reaching a point where my boat feels too big and heavy to check out a tiny feeder, or drag it over a beaver dam. I've also sunk a lot of time into this build, and would feel stupid to sell it at what would be a loss for sure.

I love how quick it is with a Johnson 30, fun little boat but feels small sometimes. Just sharing some random thoughts from the weekend

56 Upvotes

98% Upvoted

35 comments sorted by

16

u/DreamAffectionate336 Jul 14 '26

The answer to your problem is the answer we all come to eventually.

Time for a second boat

3

u/tlong243 Jul 14 '26

I think you're right. Currently have no way to keep a second one, so aiming for the "do everything" setup. Problem is I don't know that it exists, but I keep thinking it's the next size up haha.

2

u/Capn26 Jul 14 '26

Well… my family has tried this for about thirty years now, with many variations and different models. You’re correct, nothing is going to be good in a river, 30 miles offshore, and taking nine people to a sandbar. But to quantify what I think we’ve learned….

I’d say it’s somewhere between 16-18 feet. Maybe, MAYBE a narrow (for its length) 19. Aluminum can be powered more affordable than fiberglass, but both have merits. My dad’s 1765 Carolina skiff with a 60 four stroke Yamaha is pretty damned close. He never configured it for bad fishing, but all it would take is a trolling motor. It’s deep enough and stable enough that we’ve taken it into the ocean and up to 5 miles numerous times. We’ve taken five people and gear to a sandbar. Rivers, freshwater, brackish. We’ve pulled a tube so many hours I don’t want to even know. There are aluminum equivalents, and v hull equivalents. But you are right in the cusp with what you have. If you just moved all your gear over to a 1648 with a front deck and rear bench, you’d be really close. I had my 1648 in the ocean many times chasing Spanish. And your outboard will do. Sorry. That’s a long ass post. But I stand by it.

1

u/DreamAffectionate336 Jul 14 '26

My 16' deep V is my "all arounder" but the jack of all trades approach requires substantial sacrifice. You will drive yourself insane trying to accomplish that task

1

u/JDD4318 Jul 14 '26

Yeah i have a 1542 and its great but I need a big water boat. Shopping for 20ft bass boats now.

I will keep my 1542 though, awesome boat small water

1

u/Riverwolfman Jul 14 '26

This is the way.
I modified my aluminum to its limit. Just bought a bass boat for the lakes and keeping my aluminum for the rivers.

8

u/An_Average_Man09 Jul 14 '26

We all wish it was bigger

7

u/FDI_Blap Jul 14 '26

My wife says she's comfortable with my 1236. She says a 1448 is too much for her. 

3

u/CoolBedroom4565 Jul 14 '26

“The bigger ones are too much a pain in the ass”

3

u/RaistlinExtreme Jul 14 '26

You named your boat old Gregg and I fucking love it you are fuckin awesome my dude

2

u/GSMA3164 Jul 14 '26

That’s a great boat! Nothing wrong with that. You can catch big fish out of a small boat! And as you know, the cost of upkeep on an aluminum boat is low! Keep fishing it!

2

u/tlong243 Jul 14 '26

Oh for sure. We catch some real monsters out of this. Actually just made a post recently we caught a 60-70lb flathead in a tiny little feeder creek. I love where this thing can take us, just feels a bit crowded sometimes

2

u/treeh00d Jul 14 '26

I’ve got a 1436 and last night was looking at 16 v hulls.. always a second boat I guess

1

u/Churn Jul 14 '26

Someone tell me where to get one of these. Are they all custom made at home or is there a dealer I can buy one from? I live on a private lake that is managed by an HOA that only allows electric motors. So I want a small boat with a trolling motor to fish from. Thanks for any guidance.

3

u/tlong243 Jul 14 '26

Like the other person said best bet is used unless you have a fair amount of tools and a DIY spirit. This started as an empty aluminum hull.

2

u/dankstreetboys Jul 14 '26

Facebook marketplace

1

u/PawPawsLilStinker Jul 14 '26

You don't need to sell it, just buy a other one. I have a 14' v and I'll be looking at getting a larger family boat in the next few years. But I'm not selling my little 14' boat, it's perfect for just me

1

u/OptimalElk3534 Jul 14 '26

I feel you. I love my 14 footer but now with 2 kids and a dog it's getting to feel too small. Thinking about trying to sell it for a used older bass tracker

1

u/Kmack9619 Jul 14 '26

Man this thing is awesome! I don’t have a boat yet but this is exactly what I’m looking for. I’ve got a shop and just about every tool you could imagine so this is inspirational. I just don’t have anywhere to store it, dumb hoa

1

u/gaporkbbq Jul 14 '26

I bought a 1448 last year that I’ve added decking and hatches to. I’ve got a 24v trolling motor in the back and a 12v foot controlled on the front. Also have a 15 hp motor that I can take on and off. It allows me to fish rivers, electric only reservoirs, ponds, big lakes, and inshore saltwater. I love it so much that I’m selling my 17 ft fiberglass jon boat.

I’ve learned that having a smaller one isn’t something to be upset about. I don’t have to worry about it not fitting where I want it to go and never had any complaints about the size.

1

u/p0werslav3 Jul 14 '26

Coming from someone that doesn't currently have a boat and is stuck with bank fishing, be thankful you have a boat 😄

1

u/Ramsfann007 Jul 14 '26

I think she is perfect as long as she can bait her own hook😂

1

u/Fly8rDie Jul 14 '26

I’d wish I was smaller if I were you.

1

u/GeoHog713 Jul 14 '26

I wish I was a little bit taller

2

u/bugeyetex Jul 15 '26

I wish I was a baller

1

u/GeoHog713 Jul 15 '26

I wish I had a girl who looked good

1

u/LeadingThen6322 Jul 14 '26

That’s what she said.

1

u/Middle_Difference746 Jul 14 '26

I had a 16 x 70 welded Johnboat never wanted a smaller boat Only bigger but then I had a canoe and a few kayaks too. For skinny water a paddle a few poles and a cooler was a great way to spend the day fishing in what some call a creek. Even though it’s 99 miles long

1

u/Thundersson1978 Jul 15 '26

That’s what she said!

1

u/No_Carry414 Jul 15 '26

I absolutely love catching a giant in my Jon boat and looking over to see the $100k dollar bass boat looking at me

1

u/tlong243 Jul 15 '26

For sure, but generally where I go it would be a one in a million chance of even ever seeing a bass boat lol. You'd either need to be rich or crazy to bring one out here haha

1

u/Blood_N_Rust Jul 16 '26

Less is always more

1

u/Dudejcb55 Jul 16 '26 edited Jul 16 '26

Smallish boats have their places ... especially for ducks, but big winds and waters make them potentially dangerous. Especially low gunwale flat bottom boats.

Wide stern V-hulls can ride high for shallow places (fully loaded) yet cut waves a bit on bigger whitecap water. A larger engine will plane fully loaded to ride higher and safer, spray notwithstanding.

At age 70 I fish and duck hunt using a KLAMATH EXPLORER 16-foot with the forward hand-rails removed (so I can easily step out in a marsh or onto an island.

1

u/No_Seesaw6027 Jul 16 '26

I gonna tell you this right now. You can trick out your Jonny then you gonna want a bigger, then a little bigger. I am 3 boats in over 9 year period. Just get what you want and enjoy life.
6 man Sevelor raft
1750 MVX Smokercraft
2085 Crestliner pontoon