# V bottom jon boat vs flat bottom



## scoobeb (Jan 30, 2018)

I have a 1648 alumacraft jon boat and while I love it I'm personally tired of getting beat to death in minimal wind. They just ride so rough. So I was looking at a lowe v1668w which looks like an awesome v boat. 

My question is can anyone tell me the pros and cons of a boat like this if anyone owns one like this,here is the link.

https://www.loweboats.com/utility-boats/1668w/

I really want this boat or something similar to it,my main concern is stability, I would think a wide bottom boat like this would be stable in a v bottom. They call it a utility boat not jon boat but imo it's a v jon boat. All I need to know is that it will be stable to fish off of and will it make a huge difference riding in rougher water and what these boats usually draft in water. Any help would be great as I'm hoping someone has a boat similar to this. It's the tiller version of course. Thanks for any help.


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## surfman (Jan 30, 2018)

The ride is slightly improved but, don't expect much. See if you can get a ride in one, in rough water, in order to smooth the ride the nose needs to be trimmed way down into the waves, otherwise the boat just belly flops from wave to wave, still slightly better than a flat bottom but not a huge difference IMO.


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## water bouy (Jan 30, 2018)

I never owned a flat bottom after riding in a couple for the same reason. Stability hasn't been an issue in my vees but it could be if it's turned into a bass boat with high floors.


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## TheLastCall (Jan 30, 2018)

I have a Princecraft Yukon 15 it is very similar to the lowe your looking to buy. I’ve never owned or even been in a actual jon boat, they aren’t very popular where I’m from.

Stability will not be a issue. I can easily stand anywhere in the boat and not feel like I’m going to fall.

It is a smooth ride. At slow speeds you don’t feel waves under 2ft it just glides through them. On plane it’s smooth but you still can’t just plow through big waves. Like surfman said the trim has to be adjusted properly or waves will just hit the flat bottom.

I’ve been out in 3ft waves and never had a wave come over the bow.

The only time a wave has come close to come over was my fault going backwards into the waves, a wave came close to going over the transom. It would of come close or over in any boat.

I believe the sides are higher than most Jon boats.

It does draft about 8 inches of water (not moving) not counting the outboard. With the outboard down add 10 inches. Once on plane your draft is maybe 2 inches + outboard.

I don’t go in less than 2ft and when it’s 4ft or less I trim the motor to its shallow drive and idle in the shallows. Big rocks come up quick here.

I guess the big cons are deeper draft, more expensive, less space for same sized Jon boat.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Bob9863 (Jan 30, 2018)

I've had a number of flat bottom punts, they are fine duck boats and fine shallow water boats for fishing.
I've also found my little V nose flat bottom boats great, no where near as stable as the flat bottom punts but they don't fight the water like the punts.
What we call a V nose punt is the best of both worlds, its not the smoothest at WOT but it is as stable as a full flat bottom punt.
This is a typical boat of the style.


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## Scott F (Jan 30, 2018)

scoobeb said:


> They call it a utility boat not jon boat but imo it's a v jon boat.



Isn't the definition of a jon a flat bottom boat? Am I wrong, but if it doesn't have a flat bottom, it's not a jon is it? I've seen V hulls called jons on the internet but when did the meaning change? (sorry about the thread hijack)


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## scoobeb (Jan 30, 2018)

Scott F said:


> scoobeb said:
> 
> 
> > They call it a utility boat not jon boat but imo it's a v jon boat.
> ...



That's why I said imo.


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## scoobeb (Jan 30, 2018)

I have a 1648 alumacraft and it's a great boat but it just beats the crap out of me in almost no chop. Now this lowe v boat is extremely light like my 1648,will it really draft that much more still being as light as it is. I can get and float in inches of water even with 3 full adults. I usually fish in 4ft or less. I do fish sometimes in I mean low water,inches so if this boat won't do that then I may as well keep what I have.


My 16ft key largo was a v bottom fiberglass boat and the boat and motor together weighed over 1200 lbs and I got in a ft of water to float so I can't see a 375 lb aluminum v boat would draft alot of water. If that is truly the case then like I said I may as well keep what I have. One other issue I have is during the winter here on the west coast near the anclote island area if anyone knows that area it gets I mean full of grass on top of the water and the flat bottom runs straight over it and then builds up around the water intakes on the lower unit and causes it to stop water flow and causes it to over rev,this happens I mean like every 10 seconds when the grass is real bad so I have to stop and go a million times and it takes forever to get anywhere so my thinking is a v aluminum boat will cut through that grass and push it away from my lower unit instead of going straight over it and stopping every 10 seconds. 


Will an aluminum boat be able to cut that grass out of the way like my fiberglass boat did or no? Also I'm wondering if the aluminum boat will sit low enough in the water to cut the grass away like my fiberglass boat did.


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## water bouy (Jan 30, 2018)

You may need some kind of prop guard:

https://www.driftboatparts.com/product-p/prop_guard.htm


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## scoobeb (Jan 31, 2018)

water bouy said:


> You may need some kind of prop guard:
> 
> https://www.driftboatparts.com/product-p/prop_guard.htm



Good idea but by looking at it,it wouldn't do any better because what happens if you look at the prop guard pics the grass gets caught on the back side and then it's so long it actually builds up and extends out towards the intakes so no matter what as long as I have a flat bottom jon boat this will happen. I can deal with the grass with a boat if I absolutely have to.


My main concern is boat ride,I have read that even a semi v jon boat rides much better than mine so I can't see how a full deep v like this boat I'm looking at wouldn't be a night and day ride,I'm just hoping someone here who has had both type of aluminum boats can chime in and give me real world differences.


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## water bouy (Jan 31, 2018)

A vee hull rides much smoother, imo.

There are many different kinds of prop guards:

https://www.google.com/search?q=outboard+propeller+guards&client=firefox-b-1-ab&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjOkN2M4ILZAhUF7FMKHRM9CpQQ7AkInwI&biw=819&bih=502


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## MrGiggles (Jan 31, 2018)

scoobeb said:


> water bouy said:
> 
> 
> > You may need some kind of prop guard:
> ...



A boat that cuts through the grass is also going to draft deeper. It's a double edged sword.

A semi-V just gives you the ability to cut waves without slamming into them or stuffing the bow. The ride is still rough on plane because there is little to no dead rise.

I have a 1448 Alumacraft F7 (Semi-V with flat bottom) that is very stable and will handle some rough water, but you best hold on, it's a rough ride.

For a smooth ride you want a dead rise around 20*. I couldn't find the angle for the Lowe, it's something you will want to look at.

Sounds like a Mod-V jon would work halfway decent for you, they will handle waves a lot better than a jon (will still pound though), and still have a pretty shallow draft.


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## Bob9863 (Jan 31, 2018)

Theres always a bit of give and take, a v hull is way way smoother and cuts through the chop better, it also handles the rough better.
A flat bottom boat also handles shallow water and timber beter, its more, much more stable to stand in.

So it depends on what you want to do with your boat, then pick if flat, V hull or V nose punt (flat)


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## scoobeb (Jan 31, 2018)

I really like the way this lowe is designed,but I do love my 1648 due to its shallow draft. My buddy has a 1648 modified v which is just like mine but that little semi v and it was way less stable then mine and it was near as rough and yes still pounds you. I can deal with a boat that needs a bit deeper depth to run it because once it's on plane it should run in skinny water. This lowe is extremely lightweight like my 1648 so how much water could it need to plane and float compared to my 1648????


I would absolutely trade to have a much better riding boat were it won't beat my back to death,I hate also stopping every 10 seconds to take the grass off the lower unit so if a v would cut through the grass and help eliminate that imo that alone with the better ride is worth it to me.

I'm curious how much water could this light boat need to float,my 1648 will float in like 4" of water so if this boat floats in say 6 to 8" that would be fine. The issue I have is it's never calm out on the gulf,just a slight 10-15mph wind makes the ride real rough. I'm hoping this boat may be the answer to my needs.


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## scoobeb (Jan 31, 2018)

Bob9863 said:


> Theres always a bit of give and take, a v hull is way way smoother and cuts through the chop better, it also handles the rough better.
> A flat bottom boat also handles shallow water and timber beter, its more, much more stable to stand in.
> 
> So it depends on what you want to do with your boat, then pick if flat, V hull or V nose punt (flat)



I was searching the differences between the flat and v aluminum boats and it said anything 16' and larger in a v bottom is just as stable as a 16' flat bottom, is this true? The bottom of this v is 5' wide according to the specs,I would think that would be extremely stable,correct or no?


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## water bouy (Jan 31, 2018)

Our opinions don't seem to matter much. Why not buy a used one cheap and see if it works or not.


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## scoobeb (Jan 31, 2018)

water bouy said:


> Our opinions don't seem to matter much. Why not buy a used one cheap and see if it works or not.



Why would you say that,it means alot to me to hear some of your guys opinions, I never said your opinions don't seem to matter much. That is why I posted this to hear all your guys opinions and if anyone has any real world facts from owning both. I love this site and the knowledge it brings . Also I don't have extra money to just buy another cheap boat to try,I must sell my whole rig first then buy a whole new complete rig which will be near $2000 extra on top of what I can get for my setup. My 1648 setup is worth around $4-5k it's a 2015 1648 in near new condition /near brand new 2015 trailer and brand new 2018 20hp 4 stroke efi tohatsu never been run in open water.


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## Crazyboat (Jan 31, 2018)

To the OP, the boat you shared in the link will pound your gums just about as fast as a jon boat will, if you look at the rear of that boat you'll see it's got NO deadrise whatsoever on her, just curved sides.

You can trim the bow down so she will "cut" therough the waves a little but with no weight to her any waves 1' or so will rattle the rivets lose, if not your fillings.

You need deadrise and or weight, you won't have either in that boat.

Best of luck, buy a bigger boat if you want comfort.


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## WV1951 (Jan 31, 2018)

Don't know where you are located, but look around on craigslist, fb marketplace, and see if some used one are around. There is no reason to buy new, when there might be some used semi v's in your area. Should be able to save at least half off a new.


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## scoobeb (Feb 1, 2018)

Crazyboat said:


> To the OP, the boat you shared in the link will pound your gums just about as fast as a jon boat will, if you look at the rear of that boat you'll see it's got NO deadrise whatsoever on her, just curved sides.
> 
> You can trim the bow down so she will "cut" therough the waves a little but with no weight to her any waves 1' or so will rattle the rivets lose, if not your fillings.
> 
> ...




So with the boat weight plus 3 full adults and gear I will be over 1000 lbs total weight in the boat,even with all that weight it still wouldn't be a better ride then my 1648 flat bottom jon boat????????


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## scoobeb (Feb 1, 2018)

WV1951 said:


> Don't know where you are located, but look around on craigslist, fb marketplace, and see if some used one are around. There is no reason to buy new, when there might be some used semi v's in your area. Should be able to save at least half off a new.



I will never buy a boat like this used,especially off craigslist. I have bought and sold well over 100 outboards on Craigslist and I never lie or b.s people,unfortunately most other people on Craigslist are not like me and are not truthful,I've learned the hard way with boats. I will never buy a used aluminum boat off craigslist just because I've had bad luck with them,I've had great luck with outboards, mostly 2 strokes is all I buy and sell because their simple,they need spark,fuel,pumping water and compression and your in there. As far as aluminum boats I've bought they usually end up leaking so I rather buy new so I know every minute that's on that boat,how it was taken care of. Now I may buy a fiberglass one down the line if I find a fairly newer one for a decent price. I just don't trust most people on Craigslist because they lie so much. I never understood lying to people, it's rediculous and really messed up. All my experiences buying engines has been fairly good but buying boat packages not so good. Believe me I look them over real good to but it's hard to see everything until you take it home and then pick it apart and once it goes in the water. So in short,I rather buy any boat new.


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## surfman (Feb 1, 2018)

So what is the dead rise of the boat you are looking at? Most of these so called V bottoms are pretty flat and only the nose is V, if you keep it trimmed down so that the nose cuts the waves it has a much better ride but, if you run it with the nose up it will pound just like a jon, at least that has been my experience. You can run faster with it trimmed up but smoother with it trimmed down. The 16's are pretty stable you drop down to a 14 and if you like to stand and fish, like I do, then they are pretty darn wobbly, again, that has been my experience.


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## WV1951 (Feb 1, 2018)

o....k...


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## surfman (Feb 1, 2018)

There are a lot of variables that affect a boat besides the hull, how do you like to fish, standing or sitting, how mush load are you going to be carrying on the boat, what kind of water do you fish, deep lakes and bays or shallow flats and rivers? all these things will effect your choice, I think the boat you have pictured is a good all around boat and you will probably enjoy the heck out of it.


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## JL8Jeff (Feb 1, 2018)

It sounds like you will probably want a deeper V like the boat you showed but it might take more research to find one that isn't as flat at the back to help it cut through waves better. One thing to think about riveted boats, the rivets will wear and eventually could lead to leaks. My cousin had the rivets get worn down from use (mostly in fresh water but some salt water on vacation each year) and that led to leaks. A welded modified V or one of the aluminum "Bay" boats might be the best compromise between stability and smooth ride. A modified V will start to beat you up once you get into boat wakes and chop. I've never had a deeper V style hull so I can't say how rough the ride would be in chop.


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## beetlespin (Feb 1, 2018)

Longer the boat the better the ride. Flat bottom or V if the boat is short you'll get pounded.


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## Crazyboat (Feb 1, 2018)

scoobeb said:


> Crazyboat said:
> 
> 
> > To the OP, the boat you shared in the link will pound your gums just about as fast as a jon boat will, if you look at the rear of that boat you'll see it's got NO deadrise whatsoever on her, just curved sides.
> ...


In your opening post you made no mention of 3 adults and being at 1,000 lbs. That added to the equation, it will ride somewhat better as the bow will help cut the waves, but it's still not a lot of weight IMO. My current ride is a Seahunt 186, dry weight is 1,600 lbs, with the family, eng. gear and fuel it must be about 3,000 lbs. Anything over 2' waves you feel pretty hard and that's with a 16 degree deadrise and a 55 degree entry up front.

Not to mention the boat will take a pounding on rough days. IMO it may have some semblance of a better ride but I would not want to be in that boat on rough days. I had a tin as a kid, on rough ones it was slow going or no going.


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## scoobeb (Feb 1, 2018)

I think I may just keep what I have or just upgrade to a 1652 or 1852 lowe jon boat if I'm going to get pounded either way. The other thing I may do is get a cc flat bottom skiff or something like that in the future like a Carolina skiff which will beat me to death to so I guess I will have to live with it. I fish really shallow water and I never go past a half mile straight offshore. I stay in the backwater but it still gets rough out there even inshore. The slightest chop beats you to death. Like I said I may just get the huge 1852 jon boat,I really like the size of it or a bigger fiberglass skiff in a tiller or cc rig. I also hate how hot the aluminum boat gets here in fl,you can cook an egg on it in the middle of summer,lol


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## scoobeb (Feb 1, 2018)

These are nice big jon boats and need,very little power to move them,a 25hp will make both move really good as I've seen on YouTube. 



https://www.loweboats.com/jon-boats/l1852mt-jon/


https://www.loweboats.com/jon-boats/l1652mt-jon/


Both awesome boats and again a 25hp will move both near 30mph which is plenty fast. I may just upgrade to one of these and modify it the way I want,I love the 1852 because from the very first seat I can build a huge front deck with storage under it.


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## JL8Jeff (Feb 1, 2018)

If I was going to buy what I wanted, I would get a Sea Ark 1660mv or if I needed more room, the 1872. Yeah, you'll want some type of flooring to help keep the aluminum away from your skin when it gets hot out in the sun.


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## scoobeb (Feb 1, 2018)

I have a white pvc floor in my 1648 and it's the best floor imo you can put in a jon boat that will never ever rot besides,aluminum but the pvc is lifetime warranty so that's nice to. I cut foam in between the ribs and then put pvc board over it. I love it. The biggest issues is the seats get hot as heck,I mean,hot. If I go out early am then stay out all day the boat gets acclimated to the water so it actually is nice and cool even in the summer,it's when I want to go late morning or early afternoon it's just to hot to go. 


Like I said I think I'm going with a 16 or 1852 or some type of bigger flat bottom boat I can,modify the heck out of.


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## Sinkingfast (Feb 2, 2018)

I often beach my boats and the flat bottom is very stable when beached on the shore. One can get in and out easy without the boat flopping around. Plus more area thats flat to put stuff. The v will part weeds and debris better though..


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## surfman (Feb 7, 2018)

scoobeb said:


> I have a white pvc floor in my 1648 and it's the best floor imo you can put in a jon boat that will never ever rot besides,aluminum but the pvc is lifetime warranty so that's nice to. I cut foam in between the ribs and then put pvc board over it. I love it. The biggest issues is the seats get hot as heck,I mean,hot. If I go out early am then stay out all day the boat gets acclimated to the water so it actually is nice and cool even in the summer,it's when I want to go late morning or early afternoon it's just to hot to go.
> 
> 
> Like I said I think I'm going with a 16 or 1852 or some type of bigger flat bottom boat I can,modify the heck out of.



What is this material (PVC Floor) and where can you get it, please.


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## scoobeb (Feb 8, 2018)

Home depot,it's $75 for a sheet,I believe it's 4x8. Best investment I've ever made. It's not slippery when wet,cleans up very easy with most stuff,I use white vinegar and water and it comes out pure white and clean. I've had it near 4yrs now and the sun won't effect it or any outside elements.


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## scoobeb (Feb 8, 2018)

I apologize, it went up to $100 a sheet but imo still well worth every penny. Here is the link. It's reversible to,you want to use the rough side for more stability from any slipping which usually won't be an issue anyways,it's great stuff. I used my jig saw to cut it,just take your time cutting it and use a good fine blade. I used sandpaper to smooth any Jagged Edges down. Good luck.



https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.homedepot.com/p/Veranda-HP-3-4-in-x-48-in-x-8-ft-White-Reversible-PVC-Trim-Sheet-H190AWS13/206822526&ved=2ahUKEwiNrLPp6ZXZAhWLuVkKHYwJAvEQFjABegQIExAB&usg=AOvVaw0OHfQweTH7gPQmPtS51ovU


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## WV1951 (Feb 8, 2018)

Veranda is Home Depot's house line of composite decking board. This may be considered trim board for composite deck installers and cut to size. Most composite trim board comes 1/2" thickness and is 12" wide by 10' long. This 4x8 sheet looks to be a good alternative. It would probably work well for your decking. Not sure about weight. Specifications do not list weight. Maybe Scoobeb can comment how it compares to plywood.


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## eshaw (Feb 8, 2018)

Sounds like the OP is in the same boat (pun intended) as the rest of us that want a multiple use boat. Thing is no boat does it all, that's why there are so many different types. If I wanted a shallow water boat for really weedy areas I'd go with a wide flat bottom with a fan on it, or maybe a surface motor like a mud motor. If the idea is to put a deck on it to use for a fishing platform I'd go with the widest welded aluminum jon I could get. If you don't mind giving up a little displacement I'd go with a coast guard style front on it.


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## scoobeb (Feb 9, 2018)

eshaw said:


> Sounds like the OP is in the same boat (pun intended) as the rest of us that want a multiple use boat. Thing is no boat does it all, that's why there are so many different types. If I wanted a shallow water boat for really weedy areas I'd go with a wide flat bottom with a fan on it, or maybe a surface motor like a mud motor. If the idea is to put a deck on it to use for a fishing platform I'd go with the widest welded aluminum jon I could get. If you don't mind giving up a little displacement I'd go with a coast guard style front on it.



I've had bad luck with all welded boats cracking to easy,I will never buy an all welded aluminum boat again,I will buy a riveted boat due to it being able to flex. I've never ever had one riveted boat crack,leak yes but very easy fixes around a rivet and that's it.

I'm going to just stick to my 1648 for now and when I get money just upgrade to a 1852 flat bottom lowe Olympic jon boat and a 25hp engine and be happy with that.


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## aghudson (Feb 16, 2018)

eshaw said:


> If you don't mind giving up a little displacement I'd go with a coast guard style front on it.



This may be a stupid question but what do you mean by a coast guard style front?


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