Smallest Boat You Could Comfortably Stand In? 2024
RF813 reply :
I may be looking to purchase a small boat in the coming year. I've only ever fished off of larger bass boats, and even then, only a few times.
I was wondering what you'd consider sturdy enough to stand in (sizewise) be a Jon Boat or something a bit larger. Obviously i'm looking for opinions, and coupled with WHY one option would be better than another would be helpful as well. Budget is open at the moment, but i'm not looking at getting a large bass boat for huge lakes. Something for smaller bodies of water in the CT area.
What have your experiences been with Jon Boats? SHOULD I go larger? I ask this in particular, because I mentioned a Jon Boat to someone one day and they were admantly against it, especially since I fish with my (soon to be) 9 year old. Said they were too small, get blown all over the place and unsafe.
Thanks,
Rich
QUAKEnSHAKE reply :
Dont know what prices are like in your area for jon boats so will just comment for my area.
Something like a 14' jon boat, trailer and 10-20hp motor is 500-700 used. Ive had one like this and fished it in 300acre lake and smaller with up to 4 people in it and fairly good size river. By myself or one other person quite fine with it no unsafe feeling at all. I put a floor in the front of mine to stand/fish off of. Fish out of other 14' size v bottom boats as well with 2-3 people not an issue.
Ha just checked craigslist Rockford 14'jon,trailer,25hp johnson $650 so prices havent changed much.
RSM789 reply :
I put a subfloor & carpet in my 10 ft Pond Prowler & it is extremely stable when standing.
An advantage to a subloor is that you can replace the factory seats with a pedestal seat if you want (attached to the subfloor instead of the rails).
Chris S reply :
My advice is the wider the better 
http://nwct.craigslist.org/boa/4750750379.html
http://nwct.craigslist.org/boa/4804341791.html
http://nwct.craigslist.org/boa/4805115386.html
http://nwct.craigslist.org/boa/4805920696.html
A few smaller boats on craigslist, tis the season!!
Logan S reply :
My first boat was a very old, hand-me-down, 12' modified-V hull I got at 13. I put a casting platform on and had bow/transom trolling motors. It was stable enough for 2 people to stand and fish without worry. Even with the V hull (not a flat-bottom) it was stable enough to where I didn't really have to think about it. I fished lakes up to about 800 acres and also the upper Potomac River out of this boat comfortably. Anything in the 12 to 14 foot range should be sufficient.
John/small boats are great for learning the ropes and when/if you decide to move up they generally hold value pretty well.
As for safety, if you're smart about it you'll likely never have any issue. Respect the water and the weather, keep the boat maintained, keep an eye on fuel/battery levels, and trust your gut feelings...
Edited to add:
As far as getting blown around...Yes, the wind will make things difficult but it's more of a fishing inconvenience and not necessarily a safety hazard (assuming the waters are small enough to where waves aren't a concern). Fish enough and you will learn how to fish and control your boat in the wind, but in a john boat sometimes it's just not practical and you'll need to look for calmer areas. A Cable-steer, foot control TM will help a tremendous amount when fishing in the wind, regardless of boat size.
HoosierHawgs reply :
My recommendation, get a good size boat, then do a custom build. You are used to fishing off of larger boats, so you will be more accustomed to that style. Add a deck, some carpet, and a nice size storage compartment. Put a small motor on the back, a small trolling motor with a foot control in the front. You can also add a live well custom made from a cooler. There are tons of videos, and it is pretty inexpensive compared to big boats, but you still get some of the comforts of fishing from a more expensive boat. It can serve as a setup for both big lakes, or lakes with horsepower limits.
Tony L. reply :
You could comfortably and safely stand in something as small as a kayak if you put outrigger/stabilizer floats on it. How big is the water you are fishing? That might help you narrow down your choices. Do you fish really big lakes that see some sizeable waves, or are you in mainly smaller, calmer waters?
blackmax135 reply :
On 12/23/2014 at 4:46 AM, RF813 said:I may be looking to purchase a small boat in the coming year. I've only ever fished off of larger bass boats, and even then, only a few times.
I was wondering what you'd consider sturdy enough to stand in (sizewise) be a Jon Boat or something a bit larger. Obviously i'm looking for opinions, and coupled with WHY one option would be better than another would be helpful as well. Budget is open at the moment, but i'm not looking at getting a large bass boat for huge lakes. Something for smaller bodies of water in the CT area.
What have your experiences been with Jon Boats? SHOULD I go larger? I ask this in particular, because I mentioned a Jon Boat to someone one day and they were admantly against it, especially since I fish with my (soon to be) 9 year old. Said they were too small, get blown all over the place and unsafe.
Thanks,
Rich
Look for something like a Duracraft or wareagle. You can take these boats anywere. They are all welded aluminum boats. they are like johnboats on steroids. My dad gave me his duracraft when he got a new war eagle and I absolutely loved it you couldn't break it, had a 48 Johnson on it. You can stand in it with not a worry. I think a used one would be a good choice for you.
Catt reply :
Nothing skinner than a 40" bottom!
A friend has a 12' long with 48" bottom & you can run around in it.
zachb34 reply :
I have a tracker 1542 it'll lean with two people standing on one side but not really shaky. A bass raider or similar boat is very stable for its size I've tried tipping my old one and it didn't happen.
RF813 reply :
Thank you for all the responses, there's a lot to consider, but some very useful info here, I appreciate it.
cyclops2 reply :
Jon boats ARE EXTREMEL:Y SAFE...............Jerks with V hulls bad mouth any JON.
Think about same length & width hulls. Which has MORE HULL CONTACTING the water surface ? Which is NOT ROUNDED to cause any rolling ?
Jon boats are VERY STABILE. Get the DEEPER Jons. For kids going out in smaller protected waters . JONS all the way Their flat bottoms WILL CROSS ANY THING shallow. Lower HP needed..........I use a 9.9hp & a 30 hp. .............9.9 is the PRIMARY motor all the time. the 30 hp is to get back to safety if a sudden squall,....Dark clouds appear at any time.. Both go to WOT to either beach the boat. Or get back to the trailer
You can put 9 ... 8 year olds in a big Jon NO sweat. Cheaply.........Just get the VERY DEEP HULLED ONE.
Enjoy
Forgot the best part.. Line up with 4 guide poles on the trailer. There is no FRIGGING lining up anything !! Wind & current NO Sweat.
Be back after I see how big the Jons are now.
A-Jay reply :
WIGuide reply :
I used to have a Bass Hound 10.2 and it was a very stable boat for the size. It was better suited for 1 person once you put a motor on, but you can still work around that with 2. These boats are still made but the name seems to change every few years. They are now made by Sun Dolphin.and called a Pro 102. I'd give them a look and see if you can find a used one for sale. http://www.sundolphinboats.com/oz/3/com/fish/bt102/bt102.html
cyclops2 reply :
There are 28" deep Jons. Some of the boats used in the gator hunters TV are AlWelds. Very long list of WELDED hulls.
Tons of Jon builders on the web. Need to keep rewording the sentence to find them all.
1 make puts a FLAT FLOOR in. SWEET !! It will take you a month to check out all of them.
They drift as much as any other boat when loaded with gear, Bow trolling motor.... 2 stern 2 strokes... People... 2 anchors... coolers. The Al Weld has Vs on the bottom . Reduces side movement. I would not buy the......MV ...... types. I see no real gain. only a crappy attempt to reduce the Jon into a less useful space & raise the price for doing that to you. Rectangle FLAT BOTTOM or go to a true V hull.
DogBone_384 reply :
I fish from a 11.5' & 12'8" kayaks rather than a boat. They're both stable enough to fish while standing. I'd have to say anything in those dimensions that's 36"+ should work.
Best of luck and Merry Christmas.
flyfisher reply :
I stand to fish out of my 12' wilderness systems commander kayak and did the same thing out of my old jackson coosa.
scupbaron reply :
Gheenoe. Owned many micro boats over the years, best ive found. only possible issue is weight, 125lbs is a heavy canoe/boat. needs trailer
Lund Explorer reply :
On 12/23/2014 at 4:46 AM, RF813 said:I may be looking to purchase a small boat in the coming year. I've only ever fished off of larger bass boats, and even then, only a few times.
I was wondering what you'd consider sturdy enough to stand in (sizewise) be a Jon Boat or something a bit larger. Obviously i'm looking for opinions, and coupled with WHY one option would be better than another would be helpful as well. Budget is open at the moment, but i'm not looking at getting a large bass boat for huge lakes. Something for smaller bodies of water in the CT area.
What have your experiences been with Jon Boats? SHOULD I go larger? I ask this in particular, because I mentioned a Jon Boat to someone one day and they were admantly against it, especially since I fish with my (soon to be) 9 year old. Said they were too small, get blown all over the place and unsafe.
Thanks,
Rich
With all due respect to others who state that they can safely stand in almost everything that floats, that shouldn't be your concern.
What can your son safely stand in?
I'm going to say that Catt had the best advice if, and only if, either of you decide to stand on the existing floor. No standing on the seats, or adding in platforms to make it "like" a bass boat. Because you said that budget concerns weren't an issue, you may want to upgrade to something like BPS's 16' Panfish Boat.
Catt reply :
Jon boat stability comes from bottom width not beam (distance between gunnels), the wider the bottom width the more stable the boat will be.
Yes I can fish standing up in a pirogue but no I don't wanna do it with my 8 year old grandson!
I've ran modified vee hull Xpress & Alweld jon boat for the last 30+ years, I promise you with 25 hp or bigger a mod-v alloes for faster hole shots (a must have in shallow water) & a smother ride in chop.
RF813 reply :
Thank you for all the responses. There's a lot to consider but I have a great starting off point here. Hope everyone has a Merry Christmas / Holidays & Happy New Year.
Rich
QUAKEnSHAKE reply :
On 12/24/2014 at 8:20 PM, Lund Explorer said:With all due respect to others who state that they can safely stand in almost everything that floats, that shouldn't be your concern.
What can your son safely stand in?
I'm going to say that Catt had the best advice if, and only if, either of you decide to stand on the existing floor. No standing on the seats, or adding in platforms to make it "like" a bass boat. Because you said that budget concerns weren't an issue, you may want to upgrade to something like BPS's 16' Panfish Boat.
I have a 9yo son and wouldnt hesitate to allow him to stand/move in a 1436 or wider jon boat. We've been in smaller 12' when he was younger and let him stand move about. But yes in general get the longest widest boat that suits your needs.
retiredbosn reply :
I don't know how small u want to go, but a Pelican Bass Raider its very stable, rated for a 5hp. I weigh close to 250, and the plastic pelican is more stable than my old john. Me and my uncle routinely fish out of his, between the two of us close to 450lbs then add tackle batteries etc. They are small, 10 is the largest I've seen. Your son could stand on the edge of the boat without tilting the boat.
halfpint33 reply :
I just sold my 10' Jon boat because I didn't feel safe if I stood in it. I agree with Lund Explorer that if budget isn't a real concern get a Bass Tracker or similar boat.I recently bought a 16' Bass Tracker with trailer for $600.It needs a lot of work done but it will be cheaper than buying one that runs when done.Plus it makes a good winter project.
PAGreg reply :
I have an old bass pro bantam 2x which is the predecessor to the pond prowler. Its 8' and I feel very comfortable standing and fishing from it.
It goes into some skinny water too. I can go pretty shallow with a trolling motor, then break out the push pole.
Catt reply :
Y'all are aware that the Pond Prowler, Pelican Bass Raider, & others have 48-51" bottom widths!
long island basser reply :
I've been using this Bass Hunter for the last 20 years and still going strong.
It's 4' x 8' and super stable. Made for two anglers but I use it strictly for solo use now.
If I bring someone with me I'll use my larger boat that is trailered. An adult and child works fine, two adults and it gets a little crowded.
Loads right on my jeeps roof rack, not hard at all for me.
PAGreg reply :
On 1/2/2015 at 10:25 PM, Catt said:Y'all are aware that the Pond Prowler, Pelican Bass Raider, & others have 48-51" bottom widths!
Yep. It fits between the wheel wells in the bed of my GMC Sierra. The pontoon design hull makes it more than stable enough to stand in. Heck, I've even used it on the river to float skinny water that I can't get my jet boat into.
no39 reply :
I have a 14 Deep V Mirrocraft that I put a deck the same height as the original bench that works out fine. Large boat wakes and waves over 1.5 feet seem to be an issue. I added a pedestal seat and it mitigates those problems a great deal.
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