Wooden "Minnow Seeker" Jon boat

Hello,

I am new to the site, as most of you could tell...

I plan on building a "john Boat" for use in very shallow water to catch minnows and to shoot ducks if I get time for the fowl play.

I hope to have my daughter help me also, but she is a little young.

How thick of a plywoodwould you go with, 3/8, 1/2, or 3/4


3/8 is 33 lbs. a 4x8 and a 1/2 is 44.

What glue to use or epoxy??

any designs or helpfull hints.. What is your best method for posting pics and I will try.

Is epoxy coating much different than polyurethane? I imagine it is but havent gone down that road yet.

I was thinking of making it roughly 10 ft long, 4 wide, and am unsure what the side walls should be. What can I do to keep it from setting much below the waters surface?? I am a practical applications guy not a formula guy, but I sure would study a formula if some one had a good one to offer?

Thank you guys for all the help!!

 

Welcome to the forum.

Do yourself a big favor and buy a set of plans. The sizes, thicknesses and weights of things in a boat, are calculated by the loads it's use will impose, so unless you have the ability to work these things out, not to mention the hydrodynamic stuff, it's just much simpler to get a set of plans, where these things are worked out for you.

There are some free plans for Jon boats, but these usually produce a pretty heavy end result. Try Glen-L.com or Bateau.com for Jon boat plans. You'll pay about the price for a single sheet of plywood, so no a big deal and if built to plan, it'll float where it's suppose to and be stout enough, to carry all the minnows you can net.

Simply put, you have way too much to learn to really consider self designing at this point. Materials decisions, adhesives, coatings, fastenings, typical techniques, procedures, etc. all are going to be too much to absorb for a 10' boat project.

I'd recommend this boat, the Duck Too, from Glen-L.



It ticks off all the marks, except it's a skiff not a Jon boat, to it'll be better in a chop and requires very little power. $55 bucks.

Either the above or the Garvey 11 (below) from Bateau.com ($50 bucks).

 

Thanks for the help!

 

Fish'm, Par has given you the best advice you can get. Get some professionally done plans and build your boat.

For what it is worth, Par is a veteran boat designer but he has not suggested that you buy from him. This is not a commercial forum that is inclined to promote their own wares. You will be money, time, and aggravation to get a set of plans from his suggested sites.

Building your little boat will make a wonderful project over the frosty South Dakota winter. Good luck. Go for it.