I have a 12 ft jon that I want to put a gas motor on.  I have looked at the little 5hp briggs and straton but was told it has no omph.  I have also found a Nissian 6hp at my local cableas bargin cave.

Any suggestions ??  HP or model ??  I'm looking for something to get me to my spot a little faster on the bigger lakes I fish.

thx

I have a 14 ft jon boat and am considering doing the exact same thing, I was thinking a 5hp would be fine for what I am want it for. I only have a trolling motor on it right now. I guess what it comes down to is how fast do you want to get to where you are going. Another thing to consider is higher the HP the more it will weigh.

several years ago the I had 10ft BassHound, I put a 5hp Yammy on it and it pushed that boat over the water pretty good, I'd bet a 5 or 7 will be just fine, I always look at as "Im not towing a skier"  

Avoid the Briggs & Stratton; while they build outstanding motors they are not in the outboard motor business; I prefer 2 stroke over 4 stroke but Nissian makes a reliable motor.

That Nissan 6 hp is all the motor you will ever need for a 12 foot jon boat.  It's very reliable.

I have a tracker 1436 jon, and I put a 8 hp 4 stroke on it. It rocks! Can get real good speed when it is just me, good speed with 2 full grown guys. 3 gal gas tank can keep me going at full throttle for 8+ hours continually, so basically, it keeps me more than a whole day.

I would really not go any higher than 8. I would imagine even a 6 would get you some good speed. Depends on how much area you have to cover.

I use a 9.9 Merc. 2 cycle on my 12' Alumacraft jon boat. It is rated for 15HP. I put the 9.9 on due to some 10 HP restricted lakes I fish a lot.

Years ago I had a 12 foot Sears jon boat.  I had an old 5 hp Johnson, with the gas tank on the top of the motor.

With just me, it scooted along nicely.  Got up on plane with no problem, and I'm guessing it topped out at 15 knots.  Wish I still had that motor.  It was excellent for trolling.  Started on the first pull just about every time.

There was a carb adjuster at the top on one side which also served to prime the engine for cold starts.  Depress the adjusting wheel and it would squirt gas into the carb like an accelerator pump.

With something near 10 hp, and a light load, you'd have to be approaching 20 knots.

Sorry about the knot thing.  It's a throwback to my lobstering days.  Speed was always in knots, including wind speeds, and depths and lengths were always stated in fathoms.

I had 25 fathoms between lobster pots on the ground line of my trawls.

A member here got a 9.9 Nissan 2 stroke and used it over the season.  While he said he likes it he wishes he could've afforded a more expensive 2 stroke Yamaha of the same HP.  Smoother, a little more power and quieter.