Boat choices?????

[DeltaDawg1230]

I have the chance to either make a duck boat out of a 14ft Jon boat or a 14ft V-hull. Does anyone have any insight of which one would be better for duck hunting?? I will have a 9.9 HP engine on it.

[vicksburg]

depends on where your gonna use it. I've got one of each.

The flat bottom jon boat is good for shallow water and the v hull is better for bigger water in my experiences. Whichever one you hunt more of is probably the one to go with.

[Don Miller]

If you are going to be hunting in timber, the V hull would be my choice over a square fronted john boat. A square hull john boat doesn't glance off of trees as well. I perfer a semi-V hull boat though.

[Anatidae]

'Depends on the terrain.

If you hunt the timber (where you stand to ride-up on submerged stumps) a 14' flat jon is more stable. If the bottom of the v-hull boat at the stern is rounded, figure-on going swimmin' if you run-up on a stump. 'Seen it happen too many times.

If you hunt open water, the v-hull will slice through the chop better, but chances are if the water gets that rough, you probably should be in a bigger boat anyway. Flat jons are versatile and do an adequate job of 'takin' the chop, up to a certain point.

Flat jons are easier to put a blind on and have more usable floor space in them. The bow of a v-hull doesn't provide as stable a shooting platform or support while you're standing.

We hunted exclusively out of a 17' sqaure-stern, flat bottom canoe for 17 years. When we bought a 14' flat jon, we discovered it would go just about anywhere the canoe would..........'heap-lot more stable......and comfortable, too.

I'm not knocking v-hulls.......I know plenty o' folks that hunt out of'em, so they must have their reasons, as well.

If the flat jon is at least 36" wide......that would be my choice.

[Anatidae]

..........A square hull john boat doesn't glance off of trees as well.

BWAAAHAHAhahaha!!

[Don Miller]

I'm speeking from experience. I've upgraded to a semi-V 1542 War Eagle.

[SoftCall]

nothing like the law of forward motion. when the barge stops suddenly...everything else keeps going. Hambone had that problem with the old Dakota

[Anatidae]

Yeah, my wife wanted to take one of her girlfriends duck hunting for the first time. She strapped a headlight on her and told her to kneel-down on the front deck, shine the light in the water just ahead of the boat and let us know when we're about to hit a stump.

[Seymore]

Just had a little surgery and I'm laid up not able to do much. Surfing around I found Duckboats.net. I think it had every type duck boat imagenable.