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Jon Boat - Bad Idea?


Balvar24

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Maybe not the best place to put this, but here goes...

 

I would like a lightweight Jon Boat for still waters.  Somewhat low brow, I realize, but the shallow draft and stability appeals to me.

 

I don't see many flat bottoms made with this method of construction.

 

Is it going to work?

 

I'm about 6'6" and would like to have a 10' OR 12' boat or so to go sculling on smaller lakes with my boys.  Maybe even add a trolling motor at some point.

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Fabric doesn't span large open spaces well. It will alway bow upwards at least some. So you would want several stringers running for and aft of the boat. Then you would want at least partial floor boards.  Yes I think it could be done but I think there are better designs than a flat bottom. 

I paddled aluminum flat bottoms as a kid and they have no directional stability. Really hard to paddle in s straight line. They are very stable but when you do lean to far they flip with NO WARNING. Suddenly you're upside down wondering what happened. 
I am sure it can be done but I think there are better hull designs out there that would be used more.

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I'm needing a lighter boat.  The 17' Alumacraft is to long and too heavy.  Stability is sufficient, however.  I'd like to go quite a bit shorter, but I'll have to  get wider to haul my big frame and my gear.

 

Thanks for your time.  I was kind of thinking the same thing about the stringers and floor.  Maybe even some rub ribs on the outside of the bottom stringers.

 

You're right on the paddling as well.  Sculled an aluminum boat when I was younger.  Paddling on open water stunk, but you were able to get in some tight places when the wind wasn't blowing.  Worse than anything however was the noise.

 

Which Horton book would cover something close to what I'm talking about?

 

Your website and youtube videos routed me here.  I was worried about durability until I saw your video.

 

 

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If building such a boat yourself is a sincere desire, I would recomment thin light weight plywood.  The section of the forum above this one is about just such construction, though none of the designs offered are like you describe.  I have built several boats, using both SOF and a couple using plywood methods.  Actually, I have built 5 of Jeff's boats and 3 of Grahams (B&B Yacht Designs), not to mention some more conventional old school construction methods. Based on Jeff's assessement I doubt an SOF boat would be lighter than plywood when the construction criteria he describes would be incorporated.  Even if he came up with a sound design, which he seems to be saying isn't really worth the effort.  I suggest doing a search on plywood design plans offered on the internet. If sculling is an important desing criteria to you, I would start all over and look for something else.  Every boat design is a compromise, and in the end we are all damned because it is connected.

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Balvar:

If you want a kayak, definitely consider one of Jeff's skin-on-frame designs, but, like Dave says, think about plywood if you want a Jon boat. Try the link below for a whole bunch of easy-to-build plywood designs by Jim Michalak. For a jon boat, check out "Pole Punt" under the "Paddleboats" category. But while your at it, look through all the designs. You might find something else that meets your needs or scratches an itch that you didn't know you had.

Have fun, Andy

 

https://www.duckworks.com/jim-michalak-s/122.htm

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8 hours ago, Hirilonde said:

Seeing as that is a B&B design you would have more luck in that part of the forum. Jeff might like it if you took this topic there too.

Apologies.  I thought it was covered in "More Fuselage Frame Boats."

 

I thought I had seen threads started on it in this part of the forum as well.

 

And the Kudzu site.

 

Thanks for correcting me.  I'll float on over to the B&B forum.

 

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15 hours ago, andy00 said:

Balvar:

You were right the first time. Fly Fisher is in Jeff's book "More Fuselage Frame Boats." It is a 13.5 foot pulling boat. I, too, have wondered if anyone has built one. There are other examples of SOF pulling boats out there.

Weird, I checked Jeff's site for plans, never saw a Flyfisher, but knew B&B had one. Live and learn

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