I have a canoe right now but i want to go to a boat and i dont no what to get. i want a boat big enough for two people and i want to spend under $1000. Is a jon boat a good idea?

Posted by: R-Mart Posted on: Today at 4:16pm

Is a jon boat a good idea?

Yes, with your budget you should be able to find a good sized used one and have plenty of money left over to pimp it out with all the goodies, i.e. electronics, seats, paint, floors, etc.  And as always with any boat the wider the better, especially with a jon boat.

do you no any good places to buy used jon boats online?

www.craigslist.com   you should be able to find one there in your local area in in no time.

Also check your local news papers classified ads.

ebaymotors.com   might find something there but it probably won't be in your area.

Posted by: R-Mart Posted on: Today at 4:16pm

Is a jon boat a good idea?

Yes, with your budget you should be able to find a good sized used one and have plenty of money left over to pimp it out with all the goodies, i.e. electronics, seats, paint, floors, etc. And as always with any boat the wider the better, especially with a jon boat.

I'll second that, he's right on the money.

Depending on length you can find NEW John boats for less than $1000. If it were me I would rather spend more and have a new one , you'll still have $$ left over for a decent elec. motor and battery. Fish it as is for a while, save up and trick it out over winter.  Now if you also need a trailer to haul it, then you'll probably have to go used to stay under your $1000 budget.

A couple things to consider when buying a jon:

Thickness

shape - jon or modified V -

Height of the gunwale - some are pretty low

seat configuration

welded or rivet

Those are the ones that come to mind.  For $1,000.00 you should be able to find one and make it what you want, I am a patient used guy myself.  Those aluminum boats are pretty hard to mess up and you should be able to save quite a bit of money by utilizing some patience and looking for a used one.  

Good luck!  

The easiest way to find a good used boat is to put your want in your local paper and let them call you. Its amazing what you can find if people know you are looking. i put an ad in the paper and had a dozen or more calls in my small town. And sometimes they don't know what they have or just want to get rid of it in a hurry. Don't discount local People are always trading or getting bigger or better boats.

Better yet, put an ad in Craigslist.  The paper is to old school.  I can tell you from personal experience, the people who either a)flip boats, and often will have a lot they want to unload (ie. me) or have the one collecting dust in the barn, will put it on Craigslist, as it is free, and easier than the paper.  But, the key is to be quick.  ANY read good deal on items such as boats, is going to be sold within two hours of being listed.  I check Craigslist 4 or 5 times a day.  That is how we scab up deals.

A person would hafta be high tech to put it  on craigs list. Old school is sometimes better in that the old guys still do it that way. Older guys usually have fishing boats young guys have speed boats and jet ski contraptions.