I have a very old, leaky, uncomfortable, small (12ft), jon boat that I would like to upgrade this year. I am wanting to get something a little bigger that will be good for both fishing and duck hunting. I look at KSL occasionally, but I am wondering if there is a good place in Utah to get a new one? Or one that has been taken good care of?
They have some models that I really like at Cabelas that are rivetless, but the prices there always scare me on big purchases. Any ideas? Are there any good boat shops that carry them?
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Are you looking for new/used? Size, model, metal gauge? I would be glad to reccomend a place but give some more details.
Many dealers and manufacturers carry them. Many are available through order, if they don't have the model you like.
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My ideal boat would be a simple, quality, used, welded (or really good rivets), 14-16ft, with used trailer. I would also not hesitate to buy a new boat for the right price. I probably would not purchase a new trailer though. It would have to be used. I would rather the $ go into the boat. I don't care about the brand as long as it is good quality.
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A while back I had a 12 foot Lowe Jon Boat. I did not keep it long enough to find its true durability and build quality; I can just say I was satisfied with it.
I have had experience with Smokercraft welded aluminum boats. My current boat is a Smokercraft and is extremely light and durable, it is a fine built boat. Smokercraft also makes different Jon Boat designs. They use thicker metal gauge and carry a 10 year warranty. I would recommend Smokercraft.
As far as new/used, all I will say is that I stay away from used. You never know what you are getting with a used boat. That is my personal opinion. Most of the time, the price difference between used and new is only 2-4 hundred dollars, so to me, it is worth to buy new, with the good warranly it comes with.
Smokercraft makes a good wide, and open Jon, it is the 1660 Sportsman. It is 16 foot, 640 lbs. dry weight, and you can put up to a 65 HP motor on it. And it has a great hunting platform in the front, with a livewell in the middle. It is a great Combo craft.
If you are going to be using your boat for mostly fishing, you may want to take a look at the Smokercraft Canadian and Smokercraft Alaskan models. They are very light, strong, sturdy craft.
Here I will give you some contact info on a dealer I have had good experiences with:
[indent]SS Marine
[size 2]1305 N 1200 W
Orem, UT 84057
(801) 225-3844[/size]
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Anyone know of any other dealers in the Northern Utah area that carry jon boats. The boats at Cabellas, are they prices way high? Think they would go down on price with some negotiation?
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