# Definitions



## ggoldy (Jan 2, 2014)

By Webster's definition, a john(or jon)boat is a narrow, flat bottomed, square ended hull. And by that definition, a barge would be a jonboat. I've seen many people, mostly in ads.....not here, call a 'pointy' ended boat, a jon. Would anyone else be interested in a 'definition sticky'? I've seen old, similar, definition sticky posts, but no follow through. And what exactly is a semi-V hull? Webster doesn't know LOL

Just looking for an education.


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## Country Dave (Jan 2, 2014)

[url=https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=337717#p337717 said:


> ggoldy » Today, 14:12[/url]"]By Webster's definition, a john(or jon)boat is a narrow, flat bottomed, square ended hull. And by that definition, a barge would be a jonboat. I've seen many people, mostly in ads.....not here, call a 'pointy' ended boat, a jon. Would anyone else be interested in a 'definition sticky'? I've seen old, similar, definition sticky posts, but no follow through. And what exactly is a semi-V hull? Webster doesn't know LOL
> 
> Just looking for an education.




_So does that mean if you have an aluminum flat bottomed square ended hull that’s not “narrow” it shouldn’t be defined as a Jon boat? “Rhetorical” The first thing that comes to mine for me, and I’m sure countless others when they here “Jon boat” is, the hull material. When I here Jon boat I usually think first and foremost this is a “Tin boat/aluminum” 

Whether or not it’s a flat bottom or has a little deadrise, whether or not the bow is blunt or comes to a modified V I think Jon boat. I also think “size”. Size does matter……………….. :mrgreen: If an aluminum boat is 25ft long Jon boat doesn’t jump out to me, although I know there are some 20 foot boats that are defined as Jon boats and I certainly do not disagree with that. 
Probably the one thing above all that makes a Jon a Jon other than hull material is “ruggedness” So I would think those are the things we should be looking at when trying to define what is and what s not a Jon by definition. “Just my 2cents” _


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## DrNip (Jan 2, 2014)

Pretty much sums it up here I think:

A jon boat (or johnboat) is a flat-bottomed boat constructed of aluminum, fiberglass, or wood with one, two, or three bench seats. They are suitable for fishing and hunting. The hull of a jon boat is nearly flat, therefore it tends to ride over the waves rather than cut through them as a V-hull might, thus limiting the use of the boat to calmer waters. Jon boats typically have a transom onto which an outboard motor can be mounted. They are simple and easy to maintain, and inexpensive with many options to upgrade. Typical options might include live wells/bait wells, side or center consoles, factory installed decks and floors, electrical wiring, accessory pads/mountings, casting and poling platforms.
Jon boats with beefed up aluminum construction, and powered by jet-drive outboards, are capable of operating in extremely shallow water and thus are used frequently in rocky rivers and areas with submerged obstructions such as oyster bars and coral.
Jon boats are available commercially between 8 and 24 feet (2.4 and 7.3 m) long and 32 to 60 inches (81 to 150 cm) wide, though custom sizes may be found. The simple design includes an open hull, without a bilge, leaving the ribs exposed. Many individuals choose to cover the ribs, producing a flat, level surface.


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## Country Dave (Jan 2, 2014)

_I don't care for that "Wikipedia" definition. Not that its without much validity. It has many valid points, I just don't know that I would have added fiberglass and wood as hull material. "Patato/Potato" 

When I think of a smaller fiberglass boat, especially a flat bottom hull I think Skiff, not Jon boat. When I think of a small or a smaller wooden boat I think of Canoes or sail boats not Jon boat. I don't know maybe its just me............................................. :LOL2: _


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## JMichael (Jan 2, 2014)

[url=https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=337739#p337739 said:


> Country Dave » 5 minutes ago[/url]"]
> When I think of a small or a smaller wooden boat I think of Canoes or sail boats not Jon boat. I don't know maybe its just me............................................. :LOL2: [/i]



Could that be because you haven't seen any "jon boat" style hulls built from wood? I know I haven't seen a lot of them built from wood and they do seem to only be found in certain parts of the country as far as I can tell. 

To me, "jon boat" is mainly a hull shape, and to a certain extent a size restriction. But I also think that as a whole, we have started accepting other "shapes" or "modifications" such as a "mod V" or "semi V" into the "jon" classification, especially over the last 20 years or so. But I'm sure that this is not the same every where you look, and you're probably going to find a lot of variation in this definition in different parts of the country, or the world for that mater.


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## Country Dave (Jan 2, 2014)

[url=https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=337742#p337742 said:


> JMichael » 4 minutes ago[/url]"]
> 
> 
> [url=https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=337739#p337739 said:
> ...



_Yes that would be it..................... :LOL2: 

I haven't personally seen any "What I believe most people would consider a Jon boat hull" made out of wood. Again you say Potato, I say Potato........................ :LOL2: To they OP's question I'm sticking to my guns. I believe what defines a Jon boat is not the flatness of the bottom or lack there of, and not the shape of the bow/nose if you will. 

It would have to be the material "Aluminum" and just the overall toughness, durability and its ability to be used in a practically way in numerous applications. Just sayin................. :mrgreen: _


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## DrNip (Jan 2, 2014)

There are many of plastic jon boats out there. They're not all aluminum.

I think of a jon boat as mainly a flat bottom aluminum boat with an open hull design. They tend to have bench seats and can be modified to be a vee hull.


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## ggoldy (Jan 2, 2014)

I think we've proven the need for a 'TinBoat' definition sticky. Perhaps poll the forum collective after a period of discussion of the important terms used here? Umm, like a vote.

I'm still not clear what a V-hull, semi V-hull, or modified V-hull is. Could someone post examples?

Yeah, THAT's not gonna stir the pot any, is it! LOL


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## Country Dave (Jan 2, 2014)

[url=https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=337756#p337756 said:


> ggoldy » 8 minutes ago[/url]"]I think we've proven the need for a 'TinBoat' definition sticky. Perhaps poll the forum collective after a period of discussion of the important terms used here? Umm, like a vote.
> 
> I'm still not clear what a V-hull, semi V-hull, or modified V-hull is. Could someone post examples?
> 
> Yeah, THAT's not gonna stir the pot any, is it! LOL




_Yeah that's not going to happen,

Its as diverse as ones opinion, and what's the point. If you or anybody wants to call there boat a Jon boat then please feel free to do so. If you want to discriminate against a Jon boat because its a mod-V or its not a flat bottom, please feel free to do so. Again, what's the point. Besides this is Tin Boats.net not Jon Boats.net you can post your Tin/aluminum boat here. Jon, Pontoon whatever. _


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## JMichael (Jan 3, 2014)

[url=https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=337756#p337756 said:


> ggoldy » Today, 19:32[/url]"]
> 
> I'm still not clear what a V-hull, semi V-hull, or modified V-hull is. Could someone post examples?



V-hull is just what it says, it's V shaped bottom from stem to stern.




Semi V starts out similar to a V hull but transitions to a flat bottom as you move toward the stern. 











Modified V has the flat bottom of a regular jon but the bow is pointed like a flatened V shape


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## ggoldy (Jan 3, 2014)

Thank you, JMichael. I think I've got it, now. It seems I understand pictures much easier than discriptions.


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## T Man (Jan 5, 2014)

It seems as though people are using Jon boat as a synonym to utility boat. A Jon boat is a square bow square chine flat floor boat. A mod v Jon (Aka mod v) has the flat floor and square chine but its bow is v shaped. Some mod v boats may have a small amount of deadrise, but that begins to get into a v hull. A semi v has a flat floor at the rear of the boat but the bow is a v shape. These are most easily distinguished from a mod v by the rounded chines. All of these boats are utility boats.


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## New River Rat (Jan 5, 2014)

[url=https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=337748#p337748 said:


> DrNip » 02 Jan 2014, 19:58[/url]"]There are many of plastic jon boats out there. They're not all aluminum.
> 
> I think of a jon boat as mainly a flat bottom aluminum boat with an open hull design. They tend to have bench seats and can be modified to be a vee hull.




OK, I have never seen a plastic boat that I would consider a jon. Or fiberglass or anything else. And I have a question; How does one modify a jon to become a V-hull?


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## DrNip (Jan 5, 2014)

https://m.academy.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10151_10051_290003_-1__true?color=Green&N=581132420

I've never seen a fiberglass one either though not to say it's never been done. 

I meant a modified v not modified into a v hull.


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## T Man (Jan 5, 2014)

[url=https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=337990#p337990 said:


> New River Rat » Today, 06:26[/url]"]
> 
> 
> OK, I have never seen a plastic boat that I would consider a jon.



Coleman Crawdad


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## New River Rat (Jan 5, 2014)

[url=https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=338010#p338010 said:


> T Man » 1 minute ago[/url]"]
> 
> 
> [url=https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=337990#p337990 said:
> ...




Like I said, I have never seen a plastic boat that I would consider a jon. Your example is no exception.


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## T Man (Jan 5, 2014)

[url=https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=338011#p338011 said:


> New River Rat » 9 minutes ago[/url]"]
> 
> 
> [url=https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=338010#p338010 said:
> ...



What part of that boat makes it not a jon boat? Jon is a hull design thats got a square bow and a flat floor. The material makes no difference.


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## DrNip (Jan 5, 2014)

It's a jon just like the Pelican example I gave is a jon. People's opinions or expectations of what a jon is tend to vary.


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## ggoldy (Jan 5, 2014)

[url=https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=338010#p338010 said:


> T Man » 05 Jan 2014, 15:29[/url]"]
> 
> 
> [url=https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=337990#p337990 said:
> ...



I would certainly call that a jon


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## JMichael (Jan 7, 2014)

I've ridden in wooden jon as a teenager when we'd go digging muscles. And in the Phillipines when we wanted to go diving, we'd rent a fiberglass jon to ride out to an island at the mouth of the harbor. I don't have any pics of the wooden one but you can see them being built on youtube. The fiberglass one, looked heavy duty. The glass looked thick like that on a ski boat. I'm not sure if they were custom or factory built but they had several boats just like it for rent. I've took pics of the fiberglass one but they're either slides or buried with the rest of my military pics so I'm not sure I wanna go digging for those.


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## surfman (Jan 7, 2014)

[url=https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=337728#p337728 said:


> DrNip » 02 Jan 2014, 13:04[/url]"]Pretty much sums it up here I think:
> 
> A jon boat (or johnboat) is a flat-bottomed boat constructed of aluminum, fiberglass, or wood with one, two, or three bench seats. They are suitable for fishing and hunting. The hull of a jon boat is nearly flat, therefore it tends to ride over the waves rather than cut through them as a V-hull might, thus limiting the use of the boat to calmer waters. Jon boats typically have a transom onto which an outboard motor can be mounted. They are simple and easy to maintain, and inexpensive with many options to upgrade. Typical options might include live wells/bait wells, side or center consoles, factory installed decks and floors, electrical wiring, accessory pads/mountings, casting and poling platforms.
> Jon boats with beefed up aluminum construction, and powered by jet-drive outboards, are capable of operating in extremely shallow water and thus are used frequently in rocky rivers and areas with submerged obstructions such as oyster bars and coral.
> Jon boats are available commercially between 8 and 24 feet (2.4 and 7.3 m) long and 32 to 60 inches (81 to 150 cm) wide, though custom sizes may be found. The simple design includes an open hull, without a bilge, leaving the ribs exposed. Many individuals choose to cover the ribs, producing a flat, level surface.



This, jon boats were made out of wood long before they were made out of aluminum.
Probably called somthing else then.
Plastic is a newer material so now they are available in wood, metal, plastic(fiberglass too). A rectangular flat bottom boat is a jon, just that simple, you can vary that design of course many ways but, the basic concept it a rectangular flat bottomed boat.


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