In your honest opinions, which would be more stable. A good canoe with stabalizers or your typical 12 foot jon boat. Thanks
For the record, I have a small fishing trip coming up with my father who is 65 and doesnt have the best balance. I dont have the option to try these out before we go but I need to make a decision now.
I’d go with johnboat, longer the better
If your father has not spent time in canoes before, he will probably find a john boat more confidence inspiring. Canoes can be a little cramped and unsettling for older people who have not spent time in them.
Fishing, as you know, involves a fair amount of movement. The more confident and comfortable he feels, the better time he will have. I’d also go with the longest johnboat you can. Longer will also be more stable.
Have fun and good for you taking your father out.
But for the record, I’ve never been in a canoe with stabilizers.
tough choice
much depends on how wide apart the stabilizers are and how well you have them set up.
If you have a trailer or pickup to transport the jon boat already, that might be the safe bet.
The jon boat would be better, though it
– Last Updated: Jan-08-07 11:37 PM EST –
depends on the fishing environment I'd suggest a minimum 14 footer for two people.
That depends a lot on the environment
I wouldn’t recommend a canoe with stabilizers at all in a rocky river. I’d recommend a canoe without stabilizers, but not with.
Jons are easy to use and easy to control and hard to flip. It’s possible to fall out of them, though. If you’re talking mostly placid water, I’d think a jon boat would be the better choice for a person with balance issues to get short exposure to fishing. If it’s a long-term thing where there’s time to become acclimated to the boat and how to operate in it, then the choice would be more difficult. With what you’ve given us, I’d recommend the jon. If you’ve already got the 12’, that’ll be OK but longer would be better. A 14’ isn’t that much more expensive than a 12’ and will give you a lot more comfort and feeling of stability (though probably not any more actual stability).
- Big D
Unless you can find a deep and wide
jon boat. Once had a 12 ft deep and wide. Felt a whole lot better in it than an regular 14 footer. More free board and a few inches wider. Frankly, I hate motor boats, except that if I had the money to pay to have them maintained and to operate one, I may succumb. My wife is afraid of the water. Think she’d like a 24 foot pontoon boat.
Every design is different
That’s why they make them. As you say, some designs feel more stable than others. But other things being equal, a longer jon boat will tend to give a better sense of security than a shorter one.
- Big D