12_Foot_Johnny

Well, I certainly understand the difficulty for the guy who's launching a boat without a trailer. I keep my jonboat in the back of my pickup so, I have to back down the ramp, then pull the boat out, attach the outboard, etc, so I'm sure I've ticked people off too. But twenty minutes? It's never taken me more than 5 MIN from the moment I back the truck down the ramp till I'm done and someone else can use the launch.

12 foot jon boat (NOOO????!!!!) with 3.5 hp merc

Man, you guys ain't lying. One night (well, really early morning, about 4:30 AM) I was out fishing in my kayak and while paddling to where I wanted to start fishing a HUGE gar SLAMMED the side of my kayak. That about made me need change of shorts if you know what I mean...lol I think they are kind of cool though. I've seen several here in Alabama. They swim in a slow glide much like sharks... it's like they own the place, lol

Having said that, I also used to own the bass raider (10 foot version) and that boat is pretty amazing also. You CANNOT flip it. Unreal.

I'm gonna have to totally agree with CFFF. I also have a 12' (36" bottom) and with two large adults and plenty of gear, we've never had ANY problems. Maybe you have a 1232? I've heard those aren't as stable.

T-Rage! You got it! That's so cool to see someone else with the same boat. How do you like it so far?

Oh, whatever, I have a 12 ft jon boat with a 3.5 hp merc that tops out at a blazing 6 KT... still, I'd love to have a comfy seat and steering wheel ;-)

Sharkbite: That boat is freakin awesome! I love everything about that picture. "The Godson" Hehe.. love it!

Ok, you guys have got to clear something up for me. You folks that use hot dogs... are you using them at like small farm ponds or on the river? I could believe farm pond cats would take hot dogs b/c they'll eat about anything... but what about rivers? Just curious.

Before my current boat (see my message a few above) I owned the Pelican 10E. Stay off of choppy water with it. Other than that, don't have a complaint in the world about that boat.

Wonderful work guys. My dad had guessed the same thing. Only reason I questioned it was b/c I can't find it on the species list for this particular lake. They were fun to catch!

This is exactly the boat I have except with a different paint job (but it is identical in every other way). Here's the deal: 1) overall, does great 2) can even stand on the benches and fish with only 1 person aboard 3) two people can fish and have plenty of room but standing becomes a little tippy feeling with two people 4) I have a 3.5 hp mercury motor that pushes it about 6 mph with 2 adults which is fine with me, but if you're able, go ahead and get the 6 HP motor it's rated for 5) an absolute BLAST! I love it! just my opinion Here are some youtube videos of me on the water in it.

In fact, here are two youtube links of me on my "plastic" 12' jonboat (2 man boat) Motor is a 3.5 hp merc (2009)

The plastic will hold up just fine. I don't have the pro. I have a slightly different one but still 12 feet and still made out of the same stuff. I'd take that boat anywhere but the open sea.

So, on the lake I go fishing I know of 5 kinds of fish: bass, bream, catfish, gar and carp. Today, I caught this guy... two of them... and I cannot identify them. I would greatly appreciate if one of my expert friends here would identify it for me. thanks!

Forgive my embarrassing ignorance, but I'm not sure what bulb you guys are referring to. Keep in mind this particular model (3.5 hp) has the gas tank built in.

M Starr: At this point I must confess near total ignorance about choke and what this does to the engine, etc. However, Mercury says leave it open to start, then move half way till engine "warms up" (how long is that?) and then push it all the way in. I practically NEVER get the motor started doing this. I can open it all the way, then crank it, but as SOON as I try to push it in, the engine dies. The ONLY time I seem to be able to crank it relatively consistently (after about 10 pulls, and 30 sec - 3 min rest) is with the choke pushed in all the way and the throttle set to "restart". This will crank (nicely) and give me about 10 -15 minutes of run time before getting weaker, and weaker, and weaker, and dying again... requiring me to go through the whole process again. Ideas?

Made sure the vent was wide open and still having the same issue. I can run for about 10 minutes....then the motor starts slowly sounding weaker until it dies completely. I just can't believe a BRAND NEW motor is doing this! And this is a mercury, not some cheap-o brand. UGH!

by the way, I said "burn in" earlier.... I meant "break in" obviously... Here's a follow up question.. You know the screw at the top of the gas tank that is for ventilation? How "open" does that screw have to be? I noticed that you can unscrew it for a while before it stops unscrewing

Got a question for you guys. I just bought a brand new 3.5 hp Mercury 4-stroke and tested it for the first time today. It took about a dozen pulls to get it started but then finally started. We drove for about 25 minutes or so between idle and about half or just under half throttle and it suddenly got weaker...weaker...then boom, shut off. Another dozen or so pulls later, it was back working again.. we were cruising at about half speed and then weaker...weaker...weaker....shut off. Then, something even stranger happened. When I restarted the engine, it would REV UP quite a bit without me throttling up AT ALL (it was still on the "restart" part of the throttle. Any idea why this would happen? Or how it could happen? Now, I know nothing about outboards (as this is my first...EVER) but I'm a little concerned... Is is possible that I simply need to be more patient and give it more "burn in" time OR does this sound like a bad motor (even though it's new). Any help at all would be greatly appreciated. Thank you all so much!

Everything these guys have said and one more thing... If you haven't bought it yet, there is a plastic jon boat at Dicks Sporting Goods that is 12' 36" and supports 425 lbs (510 persons+motor/gear). I bought it about two weeks ago and it is amazing. Also has a slight "V" bow to help against oncoming waves. Just something else to consider!

Guys, sometimes I embarrass myself with some of my stupid questions but as silly as this is, I'm quite serious in seeking an answer. Here's the deal: I just got a jon boat and a little 3 hp motor to move it around on the water. I'm getting a trailer within a month or two but don't have it yet and obviously want to use the boat. So, how can I safely transport the boat and outboard in the back of my truck? Mercury says in the manual that you can lay it horizontally (as long as you follow the sticker that says "this side up") but could I also lay it diagonally (not quite fully horizontally) as long as I follow the "this side up" sticker or does it have to be completely horizontal? I would just lay it flat down like they say but cannot find any place to do that either in the truck's cab with me OR in the boat in the back. I know, this is a bizarre question but I really don't want to mess this up. This tiny motor cost me a fortune! Thanks very much for any help you could offer!

A big AMEN to that, Triton

Yeah, M Starr... mine is a 12/36 and I guess for people who insist on standing to cast or want to construct a deck/etc it would be pretty difficult. But for two people sitting down and fishing, it really works just fine... Obviously you won't find me in the gulf anytime soon...but for the hydroelectric reservoirs and slow moving rivers, my 1236 does fine. However, as silly as this sounds, I actually LIKE the fact that its just a wee bit tippy... gives it personality ;D

Wow.. you guys really get into this jon --> bass boat conversion thing. Me, I'm personally happy on bench seats in my 12' 36" jon...but I've got to tell you.. I'm impressed with the work you folks do. Very nice!