I completely lucked out last week... My wife was driving home from work, and she saw a small (14' V-Hull) boat sitting in a front yard with a sign on it, The sign said $200.00. She came straight home, picked me up, and took me to the boat. I talked to the guy, he was selling the boat, along with the trailer, a small trolling motor, and cheap depth finder. All of it for $200.00 so before he could change his mind, I paid him, and raced home to get my jeep, to pick up my new boat. I could take it out right now, but I plan on putting some seats, a floor, some storage compartments, lights, etc... but it is water worthy as she sits. Some times the stars align just right, and you find that perfect aluminum boat by pure luck.
I think people have to get back to making things for themselves. It used to be that most small boats were home built, lots of plywood punt plans on the internet. The problem was that the price for small Jon boats ( not vee hulls) got too cheap so people bought them instead of making them. You can build a plywood Jon boat or a punt for a few hundred dollars and a weekend or two work, great father and son/daughter project!
I did that very thing and built a 12 foot long, by 3 foot wide fishing skiff from scratch (no plans). I got it registered and titled and put a trolling motor on it. Now five years later I'm noticing some wood rot and the fiberglass matting is getting holes. It's been fun, but I just purchased a used 14 foot modified v-hull aluminum boat for the same cost of materials for my plywood fishing skiff. This is a 1969 Proline with no leaks, still solid (kind of heavy) and the only wood on it was the plywood tops of the 4 seats. They looked original, but worn so I replaced them with solid yellow pine. Still, not bad considering it's 55 years old. So, 55 years versus 5 years...homemade may be soul satisfying, but it's not really economically efficient.
@@justdoingitjim7095 wood is more maintenance for sure but with the proper sealers available now rot can be almost eliminated. Fiberglass has caused the death of more wood boats than anything else! I built and repaired fiberglass boats and if it’s not done right with the proper materials it can cause more problems than they ever cured. A good old aluminum boat if not abused will outlast most of us but people can ruin just about anything!
In the 30s, my grandfather was a metallurgical engineer. He was developing inert gas aluminum welding. One of the first large welded objects ever made was a small fishing boat he made for his own use. It lasted well into the 80s. His welding techniques and equipment contributed significantly to the art, even to the present day.
@wrecker1861 welding is not a "thing", it's a process. Different techniques and tools are created at different times. But believe whatever you want to believe. I don't care.
I’ve got a tracker 1032 that I bought 10 years ago. I paid $800 for it new in NH. I used to fish off a 13’ angler kayak, but fighting the wind became unbearable, hence the Jon boat purchase. I could load and unload by myself from the bed of my truck and fish all the same places my kayak could go. Love my Jon boat!
@@user-ug5xr2gb6j Oh that's interesting, I didn't know that was a thing. Time to go down a youtube tutorial rabbithole for a project I'll probably never have time or energy for lmao.
Wayne I am a retired VP of A major boat company. The boats you are showing at the start of this video are not Jon boats . They are V bottom aluminum utility boats. There is a difference between a Jon boat and A V bottom aluminum boat. We actually had a separate plant where we built just Jon boats and the V bottoms where made with our regular aluminum and glass boats. You should do a video on the new thing that is happening. People are taking those older aluminum small boats and turning them into boats built with decks and hatched compartments like a Bass boats and fly fishing rigs with a nice casting deck. Boats have gotten so expensive that the average guy has gotten creative. There are companies now that sell products exclusively for doing exactly this.
I’m a kayak guy for sure and plan on buying another for this coming summer. I fish from it and explore the local areas a ton. It’s easy to load/unload and costs nothing after the upfront price. That said, I’d love to add a 12-16’ aluminum boat in the next year or two for when I want to take the wife, friends, or other family members out to one of the local lakes.
I bought a 16ft aluminum jon boat for the same reason as you. I considered a kayak powered by a small 2.5hp gas outboard, but taking people and my dog with me outweighed the kayak in my decision and I don’t regret it. My 16ft Lowe allows me to spread out and move around on it and my dog now loves his boat. My only suggestion is don’t buy smaller than a 16ft because of stability purposes.
As a kayaker there are plastic boats that can hold up well IF they are roto-molded which is an expensive process. Otherwise cheap molded plastic boats are just that: cheap. Roto-molded plastic boats if done right can be superior to aluminum because they don't dent and they retain their shape and are usually UV stabilized. Cheap molded plastic boats just can't compare. Example: The Portland Pudgy comes to mind but there's a sticker shock for roto-molded boats. My point being is not all plastic boats are created equally. If they are cheap seasonal aisle type stuff it's asking for the same longevity issues as any plastic bucket that got left out in the sun. Buyer beware. As usual; you get what you pay for.
The popularity of plastic kayaks over the last decade and a younger generation of boaters has probably had allot to do with the creation and sales of cheap plastic boats, we the older generation will deep dive into the reasoning behind what's happening but I think that the answer is much simpler and that is that all the younger generation knows of is plastic kayaks and plastic boats
@@eddienylund6736 Even with that being said, I was at Ass Pro the other day and noticed that their aluminum bass boats, boat motor trailer are WAY cheaper than the fiberglass ones. Their "Pro Skiff 17" was just a tick under $30k! That same boat, minus the revamped front casting deck was around $10k less just a few years ago.
I agree with you but I'd say that this has been going on for far more than a decade probably for over 25 yrs now plastic kayaks have become super popular, you throw them over the top of the car and take them anywhere. In my opinion most of the younger generations (with an S at the end) would most likely see a metal boat as an antique or an antique idea, these kayaks are everywhere and self advertise given their popularity
@@gman4480 maybe they do want a nice, metal Jon boat, but can't afford the steep pricing these days. I used to see used ones for sale all the time, cheap.
I'm a welder and sheet metal fabricator, want a boat hit me up. Shipping, state inspection, and tagging will be your responsibility tho. Unless the market is worth the time. Side note, I built my own 10' because I was to cheap to but one. Front and rear seats are fully encapsulated and center folds up for jackets and tackle boxes. Hell, the local game warden loves the damn thing
@@mikeburrill779 looked in my phone but can't find the pictures. It's actually at the game warden and her husband's property right now. I use it on their property more than anywhere else. I'll see if I don't have pics some place else.
I have a neighbor couple, retired for years now but as long as I can remember (30+ years) they've had their aluminum flat bottom with an outboard. It still looks new even though they take it out & fish together every year. They're sweet. I've wanted one for a while but have lost hope.
My neighbor asked to buy my trailer. I said no way Hose A but you can borrow it. Said naw he wanted one to own. Two weeks later he borrowed the trailer and we have been sharing ever since. Won't hurt to try.....
I just faced the same problems you described The advertised prices were just too high for the quality. The few used ones were over priced and usually thoroughly bashed. So I chose to build a 4x 12 x 16 inch deep jon boat for less than $500 Including 2 gallons of epoxy resin to completely seal all of the wood, Add a little fiber glass at the joins if you wish. Finish it out with exterior latex paint. Ive' used latex for many years with great results. You will have a more stable boat due to the additional weight, and the satisfaction of building it yourself. Jon boats are almost boxes and are simple to build. You can dress it out as much as you like once the basic boat is built. Plus, you don't need flotation foam to keep it from sinking. UV will eventually damage the plastic boats and make them brittle. Iv'e seen them puncture due to an inadvertent bump.
@@BlackWarriorLures I'm in the final stages of construction now, wiring trolling motor, bilge pump and ,navlights plus deck hardware, cleats, etc. One unplanned benefit of the higher free board is that seats are higher above the deck making the seating position more comfortable. Overall, I'm pleased with the build vs buy choice.
REFUSING TO BUILD THE SMALLER LINE(S) OF JON BOATS IS SIMPLY A PLOY TO STRONG-ARM THE PUBLIC INTO SPENDING MORE CASH ON THE BIGGER BOATS! WAYNE ISN'T GUTSY ENOUGH TO TELL THE TRUTH ABOUT THESE BOAT MANUFACTURERS!!! THE PROOF IS OBVIOUS! THEY'VE MADE THE SMALLER 10 FT.AND 12 FT. LINE FOR YEARS AND YEARS!!! WHY??? BECAUSE THERE IS A VIABLE MARKET FOR THEM!!! WHICH WAYNE HIMSELF ADMITTED TO,, AND MANY NEWBIE BOATERS WANT A SMALLER BOAT, PARTLY BECAUSE THEY REFUSE TO SPEND $10k OR MORE, ON SOMETHING THAT THEY FEAR MAY BE A BIG MISTAKE! ONLY TO LOSE A THIRD OF THE MONEY SPENT WHEN THEY GO TO SELL IT!!! THESE COMPANIES COULD SIMPLY RAISE THE PRICES OF THE SMALLER LINE OF BOATS, ~MODESTLY~, TO REFLECT THE INCREASE IN ALUMINUM SHEETING, INSTEAD OF DISCONTINUING PRODUCTION!!! IN MY OPINION, IT'S SIMPLY BAD BUSINESS TO PREVENT THE BUYING PUBLIC FROM HAVING A CHOICE OF BOAT(S) TO PURCHASE!!!
Iv'e been using it for over 15 years with excellent results. Never below the waterline for obvious reasons It can't be applied directly to aluminum though. You will need a base coat with some kind of solvent paint for adhesion. It doesn't peel fade or crack. Is easy to touch up. The match is always invisible. I just finished building two Jon boats & put it on both of them. The same as I have for several other small boats over the years. The first time was on a small $200.00 boat just as an experiment & have been using it ever since.
hi Wayne Wayne here i have been looking for a 12ft jon boat and i wanted an old aluminum one to leave to my boys and your absolutely right you cannot find a new aluminum boat anywhere
I am a potter. I make a large and a small Tea Pot. Large is 3.5 lbs of clay at 40 cents a pound. The small is 2.5 lbs. Large sells wholesale for $60; The small sells for 30$. It takes the exact same amount of time and procedure to produce both tea pots.
@@MichaelBurkhalter if I had to guess, #1 would be lifespan. An aluminum boat well maintained will last a lifetime. A plastic boat will eventually turn brittle from UV exposure
Built them for a few years here at tracker … cost will have to go down quite a bit before we or anyone else picks them back up. Your video nailed the issue. We use to build 52 10-12ft Jon boats a day now that line is totally gone and is building bigger grizzly boats
Bullsquat!!! There's always been,, and always will be a good market for 8, 10, and 12 ft aluminum boats!!!! FACT!!!! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA OF HOW MANY YOUNG FAMILIES ARE WANTING AN AFFORDABLE ENTRY-LEVEL BOAT??????? GEEZZZ LOUEEZZE!!! THIS IS A PLOY ON THE PART OF THESE COMPANIES TO STRONG-ARM FOLKS INTO SPENDING $3k, $4K, AND OVER $5K FOR THE BOAT ALONE,, LET ALONE,, THE $4/$5k FOR THE OUTBOARD MOTOR, AND THE RIGGING,, AND THE REST OF THE GEAR AS WELL?!?!?!?! I'M A 35 YEAR JOHNSON & EVINRUDE TECHNICIAN, AND I KNOW MANY, MANY PEOPLE WHO USE 8, AND 10 FT JON BOATS TO FISH THE SMALL LAKES, PONDS, AND SMALLER RIVERS/CREEKS!!! LIKE BIDEN SHUTTING DOWN THE KEYSTONE PIPELINE,, HE DID IT TO GET GAS PRICES TO HURT THE AMERICAN PUBLIC!!! HE SUCCEEDED!!!!!
@@alexmydosh8816 i was told by tracker that they stopped making then around 2020. thats what i wanted. im going to buy a boat from 1980 tomorrow. all welded kinda v-bottom. v in front and down the front sides, 22" sides, but pretty flat for the first couple benches from the rear. its in really good shape and probably will fit what i want to do pretty well.
Small aluminum boat dealer here.. the waters around me only allow 12-14 ft aluminum boats here. Duranautic still manufactures 10-14 ft Jon boats but the price is $1,000 over the price they were in even September of 2021. I’m seeing many manufacturers shut down as well. Smokercraft does still make 12 ft semi v’s though! We were alumacraft and grummans largest quantity dealer for multiple years in the 90’s.
I get your thoughts here, BUT It's baloney to stop making an introductory jon boat for the many thousands of new families that don't have $4K, $5K NOT to mention the motor which will absolutely cost them, (or ~sink them~!) $5K, not to mention rigging, and the needed gear!!!! I live in the south, and I'm a 35 year Johnson & Evinrude service tech., and down here we have tons of lakes, ponds, and rivers that an 8 footer with a 2 or 3 h.p. small egg beater will marry up with perfectly!!!! And so Wayne here is afraid to speak up against these manufacturers, and call a spade a spade!!! Simply put, they're forcing the public into buying the bigger jon boats,, and that stinx .................. like a week old bucket 'o bait!!!!
@@newmoon54would you still recommend a boat that came with a johnson/ evinrude? Are parts still avalible as much as a yamaha or mercury? I'm looking at 20ft boats and most I'm interested in have 90s Johnson evinrudes. 150 - 200hp.
@@CaptRich-bi3gp I have a Alweld from Ark. 14 ft John boat. It is damn good boat.Saved my ass a few times in bad weather and locations. Check them out.
Plenty of the around if you aint worried about some fancy name on the side. Come down to the delta of AR or down in LA there are small shop guys building small boats and most of them are better quality than the mass produced stuff. Just find where the duck hunters and crawfishing guys are locally having their boats built. You gonna have to put the catalogs and internet down and do it the old way.
most of us wouldn't know how to find these small shop boat builders. we're conditioned to look through catalogs or do our shopping online. bummer, isn't it?
In ohio you can get 10' to 12' all day long new. No title needed. 14' + needs title. But the certificate of origin works fine. I don't know what he's talking about.
I just got a sale flyer from Bass Pro Shops/Cabelas that had 2024 model, 10, 12 and 14 foot Grizzly all welded, aluminum flat bottom jon boats. The 1236 was $1470.00 after freight charges. That's outrageous compared to pre-pandemic prices, but at least there are definitely small aluminum jons being manufactured and made available. I'd definitely pay it before I went plastic... but that's just me.
Bought a Lowe 10’40” in 2020. Love it. It wasn’t my entry level boat. My wife and I fish small lakes for pan fish and trout. My dad bought a used 12’ StarCraft in 1965. We left it on the beach of the Chesapeake bay and fished it for 30 years before a hurricane took it and crushed it. Wonder what a plastic boat will look like after 30 years on the sand in salt and sun.
This is so thoughtfully explained. I do miss the option of being able to buy a new aluminum jon boat for under $500. Missed that chance. But I did manage to purchase a 28' sailing yacht, so I guess I can't complain.
I remember being out in the middle of the Rappahannock River in my 12ft. jon boat, when suddenly, from some grey clouds, I saw a lightning strike nearby, and I realized I was an aluminum "lightning rod" a mile from shore! I needed to either jump overboard in 60 foot of water, or get moving! That was the longest ride of my life! I rolled right up onto the beach and ran for the trees!
@saludanite was fishing a cove on Toledo Bend many years ago A storm came up but I didn't notice it until it was right on me. Pulled out of the cove into big water and the wind started blowing and it was hailing. Couldn't turn around for fear of capsizing. Got back to camp.and my tent was gone A tornado picked it up and dropped it about 200 yards in the woods. The contents were pretty scrambled but the tent was not damaged.
@@saludanite imagine that same experience and not able to swim.thats what I have to do, to fish Toledo and no body will go with me,now I'm 68 and need them to.
Just bought a new 12 ft Tracker Jon for $1300 from the dealer attached to my local BPS. There were 3 other 12 ft boats just like it in the stack below, right next to a stack of 5 10 footers. No shortage here.
I love my kayak, the work I put into it. First i put a bro craft mount, fit it with a 30 minkota run by a lithium batteries, 7 inch Garmin with control panel under water lights, bow and stern lights. Best part, no need for a trailer. It is amazing, I’m able to fish where boats can’t go and let me tell you! The big bass, no joke Hugh! Financial independence, I see so many boat problems. Sure boats have the luxury of space, but the maintenance cost on a boat is nuts!
I have a 15' Aluminum Jon Boat that is probably from the 1950s or 1960s. It sat upside down at my Grandma's small lake in Nebraska for over 30 years and I finally brought it home. It needs a new wooden transom and some new rivets but aside from that its in really good shape. Aluminum basically lasts forever.
My grandpa bought a 14 foot aluminum jonboat new in 1971. He paid $125 for it! Before he died in 1999, he gave it to me; I still have it and its in great shape aside from the fact that a lot of the paint is worn off and faded (it was painted green from the factory).
I bought a 4' x 2' .063 thick aluminum panel last week and it was $77. Right now aluminum futures are dropping but still higher than in 2020. Good thing I already have my old Alumacraft. I am customizing it to be a bass boat but for saltwater. It has lots more storage, rod locker, custom aluminum bait well and cooler, etc.. Even with the price of aluminum it is still going to be cheaper than a new aluminum boat. Plus, it's a lot of fun to build it myself.
I bought a 11 ft kayak and it works fine for small lakes and streams but you are stuck sitting the whole time and it gets uncomfortable after awhile so I was looking for a 10ft jon boat so I could stand and move around and now you can't get them so it sucks that they don't make them right now and trying to find a used one is hard up north I see them all over in southern states cheap but here in North Dakota they are rare and hard to find and when you do find one they want more than they sold for new
I have a polycraft tuff tender 3m plastic in Australia ,it's 2o yrs old been in sun and daily service since 2oo6 had no maintenance bar new bungs,on its 3rd Yamaha all new ,we still have aluminium dingys but not many under 14 ft
It's almost like manufacturers have planned for consumers to come back into the market once what they have depended on starts to fail. How many cell phones have you owned...? See how they got you buying and replacing or "upgrading"..
Interesting take! That is a good observation people may be leaning towards small plastic boats and kayaks and even paddle boards these days. I live in a pretty rural town on the west coast of BC Canada and by far the most common boats i still see out here is the classic sears 12’ tinner theyre unmistakable. The dirt road boat ramps are still littered with them chained to trees on the side of the road. I personally know 2 people that have had one in the family for decades. Maybe thats part of the lack of demand is that they last too long haha! Or maybe all the hipsters are just buying plastic boats! I was fortunate enough to be able to purchase a brand new 16’ alumacraft last spring. I cant say enough good things about that boat. Its got about 300hrs on it already many of which in the ocean under less than ideal conditions and she has landed some big fish! I still love the ole 12’ sears and my 10’ flat bottom smoker craft that i throw in the back of my truck for lakes with no boat ramp
In away I think it is a blessing in disguise, It is saving alot of older boats from going to the scrap yard. As a teenager back in the 70's I grew up on the older Crestliner's and Starcraft's and so far I have 2 that I have rebuilt and fish with all the time, I have a 1976 16 foot Crestliner voyager deluxe and a 1973 18 foot Starcraft SS inboard. And I would not trade either one for a new aluminum boat in the same size class. Like the old saying they don't build them like they use too.
Ford has lost 4.7 billion on EV’s. GM has lost 1.7 billion on EV’s. The government is pushing them to make EV’s regardless of their shortcomings in range of operation in really hot or cold weather. The charging infrastructure isn’t there. And the mining of the resources needed for the batteries is extremely hazardous to the environment as well as the disposal of depleted batteries. But all of that and the others negative ramifications of EV’s doesn’t matter. Full steam ahead. The manufacturers have to try to make up some of the lost revenue on combustion engine vehicle sales. So if you want to find someone to blame look at Washington DC
I still have my old Grumman 14' modified Jon since 1988! She's logged many adventures from deep in Canadian lakes to 200' feet plus lakes in PA to Lake Okeechobee FLA she will be with me till the end! Same boat old boat with original a Mercury 20 HP !
I was looking into buying a small aluminum boat just in the past year. I wasn’t told they weren’t making them anymore. I would just have to order it and wait like everyone else. No, they’re not running off stock inventory, but they’ll still make them.
This explains a lot. I've been looking for an aluminum canoe for a while. I have a beautiful fiberglass canoe but as I'm getting older, it is harder for me to lift/handle my heavy fiberglass canoe especially by myself. Aluminum is much lighter. I've seen several used aluminum canoes for sale but they ALWAYS have issues (sun damaged, dented up with loose rivets, dirty beyond power washing cleaning, etc.). After about a dozen times traveling miles to look at someones garbage, I decided to just buy brand new. The only thing out there is fiberglass.
No the system is busted by a bunch of politicians that have never held a job or balanced a check book!!! The country is being ran by a bunch of buffoons and the biggest buffoons are biden and giggles!!!
Pond Prowlers, Bass Raiders, Quest, Sun Dolphin, not to mention, kayaks that keep getting better. You're right! I have a kayak, and a Bass Raider 10. So yes, my next move, if I need to make one is, a 16ft aluminum boat. Right now, I don't need it, but if the grandkids ever decide they want to fish, I will be picking one up!
I am a tinsmith/roofer. I've put on metal roofs for 45 years. I follow the price of metals closely. This spike in aluminum prices directly corresponds with Mr. Trump's tarrif's.
That's how that works. Tarrifs are designed to keep the countries manufacturing competitive with foreign ones. It's the reasons sugar isn't used as much as corn syrup.
@@TheMysteryDriver Funny you mentioned that. I consider it a treat to find a Mexican Coke, in a glass bottle, made with cane sugar. And I pay $2.50 for that 12 ounces of heaven !! LOL
You can walk into Bass Pro shops and walk out the door with one. They are more expensive than they was a couple years ago. But they have Jon boats right in store. They start with 10,12,14,15 + up.
Hate to say it but a heavy duty plastic boat, while a bit heavier, are far better for my purposes than AL. Rinse and forget especially when in brackish or salt water, dont have to worry about dragging it over rocks and so on.
The avg. American has gotten bigger. I would imagine the average weight for an average male would be 225 and about 6' tall. So if you going to fish 2 per boat the 10 or 12 ft boat are probably too small for comfort or safety.
My 12 ft Lowe had a sticker limiting weight to 365 lb. I was over weight with a gas 5hp and fuel tank so I moved up to 14 ft with a 695 lb sticker. Still mostly a one man boat for me and I would like to go bigger for safety.
I just paid $3700 for a riveted 1448 G3. In the first few months of the pandemic I paid $2800 for a sea ark welded 1648. Prices are insane right now. My local dealer does have pretty much every size of Jon boat… but you’re gunna pay
WAYNE IS BEING DISINGENUOUS HERE! HE'S AFRAID OF ANY BACKLASH IF HE SPOKE THE TRUTH HERE! MOST YOUNG FAMILIES USUALLY START OUT BUYING A 10 OR 12 FOOT JON BOAT AND IF THEY ENJOY BOATING, WILL GRADUATE INTO A 14 OR 16 FOOTER! SO, THE BOAT MANUFACTURERS ARE DOING THE BUYING PUBLIC A HUGE DISSERVICE BY REFUSING TO MAKE, WHAT THEY'VE BEEN MAKING FOR 50 YEARS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
WOW! I feel very lucky considering. I bought my Lowe 1240 brand new in Spring of 2021 and have made a few mods on it. Cost about $1K before any mods made. I'll think twice now before letting her go, if I ever do, lol... Awesome skinny water boat I can STAND in and work the shoreline for bass on a variety of waters... Bonus is I can put it in the back of my 8 foot pickup bed and hand launch with the transom wheels I put on it. Cheaper than a high end kayak and more versatile IMO...
I have owned 3 Grumman Sport Boats over the years. I love 'em! Why have I owned 3? Because when you're young you tend to do silly things you learn to regret. Like selling your aluminum boat! The one I own now was built in 1974. I will never sell it! 15'x 52" 110lbs dry. But it can haul 700lbs of people and gear. I row it, stand and pole it, or use a SUP paddle. And from time to time I use a 35lb thrust trolling motor. Really a good choice for skinny water bayous. Lightweight, durable, and considerably more stable than a canoe. And even though I store it outside bottom up on a rack in Florida, the summer sun has no effect. Love it. Yeh, the wonderful old Grumman Sport Boat is hard to find, but if you do find one grab it! Your great-grandchildren will thank you!
I will point that while my brother retired from the boat business and we are almost done with the cleanup and recycling of all the junked out old motors, we were getting almost .70 cents per pound for clean cast aluminum when we started to about .30 cents a pound today. At this time period the spread between market price and recycled price got wider and wider. I feel that even accounting for fuel costs today there has been some serious gouging going on. Also to add that after recycling about 30 tons of aluminum ( still not done) this amount would have made a lot of john boats. The last boat we had left was a small john, ironic.
Yes! Your point is well made! I've been in the outboard motor service business for 35 years! Scrap irony/alum. was up as much as 60 cents and clean cast alum. was bringing $2.00 a pound back in 1995/96 up on Long Island, N.Y. and I had the sense enough to scrap a whole bunch of outboard motors I think I had around 1,000 plus pounds of combined scrap. The scrap buyers are ripping people off too! They're not paying the current advertised market prices so the public always gets shafted!!! In my opinion, these boat manufacturers are simply forcing the public to buy the more expensive bigger jon boats, and if they discontinue the smaller boat line(s), people are forced to spend many thousands more than they would normally lay out!!!! Sad state of affairs in today's world! It's like the so-called ~inflation~!!! Biden shuts down the Keystone Pipeline,, and almost overnight,,, gas prices went up over a dollar a gallon, and hit $7.00 a gal. in some states!!! I was used to buying the 18 count carton of eggs at Walmart for $1.87 each, and less than 4 weeks later I was shocked to see the price rose to: $8.07 a carton?!?!?!?!?!?!?!
Back in the late 90s/early 2000s there was a brochure from one of the jon boat makers (alumacraft i think) that had a 20ft (maybe bigger) jon boat with a dodge neon inside of it.
@@Shade_Tree_Mechanic When Mexico starts killing 100's of thousands of Americans I'm sure we'll also find resources to address it. Your comparison of the 2 borders is so wild it's as if your doing a Parody.
The problem with aluminum prices is not the ore. To extract the metal aluminum takes tremendous amounts of energy, mostly in the form of electricity, and not in the amounts supplied by windmills or solar.
And the government wants to tear down the dams and close up the coal power plants. Ya think your power bill is not going to skyrocket to the moon? It's not just aluminum boats that are going away. Oh well, what do we need cheap power for anyway?
I have not been in a boat for 50 plus years the family had one aluminum double ended duck hunting boat with flotation cells and tubes for poles to anchor it in shallow waters. 2 canoes made of wood one built in the 1890's. Club boats were a split between clinker built and wood with fiberglass sheet to seal the outside the clinker built date from the 1900 to 1940's with the newer designs still being assembled on the private club property in Northern Michigan. I follow all transportation modes online which have the slightest chance of being used by military units around the world. Our local boat dealer in Northern Illinois shut down in the late 60's last boat I looked at there was priced in the several 100 thousand dollar range with Teak and Mahagony planking.
5:58 "And I still thinks that" 😝 haha awesome! I like this guy and the fact that he didn't edit that out. We all get a little tongue-tied from time to time.. About time to get some lines in the water.!
No. You really think Joe makes decisions? Our financial problems exist because both parties in congress have been writing hot checks for decades. That & fed reserve. Both parties support fed reserve.
Most states have passed laws were you cannot register a boat or motor without a title big brother trying to save oem and Johnson failed but there's lots of boats sitting in yards that can't be used .
Back in the late 1980s, a boat like this caused an interesting thing to happen in the old railroad yard. At the west end of the yard, the tracks funneled down to a three-way junction and the switch and signal "interlocking plant" was remotely controlled by an operator in the yard office about half a mile away. The old trackside tower, where the operator had formerly been posted, had been taken out of service by this time, so the operator could no longer "see" what was going on, except for the indicator lights on his control board. Anyhow, one night about 10pm the track circuit lights started blinking on and off in progression from the bottom of the board to the top. Then about 2am the track circuit lights did a reverse, blinking on and off from the top of the board to the bottom. The next night the same thing happened. I don't recall how many times over how many days this occurred, but one night they had a signal maintainer parked in his truck beside the tracks. In short order a pickup truck with a boat in the open bed showed up. It turned out that two fishermen were dragging an aluminum john boat across the tracks to the river. The unpainted bottom of the boat was bridging both rails as it was dragged across the tracks, causing the track circuits to shunt and showing indication on the board. The maintainer advised the fishermen to stop doing that and find another way to the river or they could expect a visit from the railroad police. Thus ended the mysterious lights on the control machine.
Back in 2003 you could buy a 17 ft aluminum jon boat with 50hp Honda, trailer and even a cover for $8k out the door here in Wisconsin. Even at that time it was a great deal.
also in consideration is that those cheap riveted boats are not really in as much demand as fully welded; given the small cost difference between the two designs in smaller sizes (10, 12 foot and to an extent 14 foot as well). In this area, 15', 16' are the most common size and you rarely see one that is not fully welded. The duck hunters out here dictate what boats sell, and a lot of duck hunters have money-and they certainly spend it on boats. A 1548-1553-1653 can easily be $20,000+ once rigged and on a trailer....but these guys don't care, they'll spend what it takes to go chase birds. Glad I bought mine when I did.
Went through this recently, was looking for a little run about for the kids to take out on their own this Summer. Couldn't find one, used ones either didn't have a title or were scrap metal. Ended up buying a BRIS.
I had a 15 ft aluminum canoe back in the 70s. It was a Michicraft which was probably the chief competition to Grumman. Every bit as good for a lot less money.
I make custom Jon boats, I can tell you that it's expensive for me to buy the raw materials needed. Just for a 14x40 aluminum Jon can cost as much as 2000$ to complete the project as ordered, That's not including my labor costs. In the recent years I've taken a massive hit in sales, and I've seriously considered closing my doors for good. I'm located in southern Alabama
@@WayneTheBoatGuy it is what it is unfortunately, ship wrighting and hull building is a skill I learned from my father, and he from his father. My family comes from a long line of ship wrights from Norway, and as materials get more and more expensive, I fear that my son will not be able to carry on the family business. But we will continue to build for as long as people are buying. Currently we have some really nice Jon's, and V-hulls for sale, on trailers that are also built in house here in Florala Alabama.
I'd much rather pay you $2k in materials and $3k for your time and hard work than hand over $5k to a local company that pays people like my neighbor with minimal skill $15 an hour to build their generic 12" aluminum boat. Market yourself and you can still make money with expensive material costs!
The plastic boats are actually nice ! The old aluminum boats are nice to if you can find one with a title. It’s a hassle but with the proper leg work, you can get a title for it I just picked up an 1970 sears aluminum 11 ft boat and trailer with the trade of my basic Lincoln stick welder . I’m currently getting it ready for the water and waiting on a title Good Luck fishing this year and safe boating
This! 😂. I refuse to take it in, I could probably make better money looking for dropped change at a McDonald’s drive thru. No thanks. I’m not that broke!
@Fivespeed 302 I used to restore classic mustangs, and would buy "Donor cars", saving radiators untilk you had a truck load would yield a few hundred bucks! Not much work for a weeks pay. Now I am a cement Mason, when I find scrap copper or aluminum, take it home put it in a pike out back, get a slow day every winter take it down and get a few hundred bucks, not bad for nothing! But, cast aluminum like a car transmission isn't worth jack, extruded aluminum, like a screen door or window WAS worh a buck a pound if you pulled the screws out. Yeah, I make 6 figures a year, but an extra 500.00 for NOTHING. if you beat that, I am interested in changing occupations.
It sure has affected the used boat market, too. My sons have gotten more into fishing and I wanted to pick up a 14' boat to fish the mountain lakes here in AZ. What used to be a 1000 dollar boat on a trailer is now a 3500 dollar boat. Assuming you can find one that isn't completely roached out.
I completely lucked out last week... My wife was driving home from work, and she saw a small (14' V-Hull) boat sitting in a front yard with a sign on it, The sign said $200.00. She came straight home, picked me up, and took me to the boat. I talked to the guy, he was selling the boat, along with the trailer, a small trolling motor, and cheap depth finder. All of it for $200.00 so before he could change his mind, I paid him, and raced home to get my jeep, to pick up my new boat. I could take it out right now, but I plan on putting some seats, a floor, some storage compartments, lights, etc... but it is water worthy as she sits. Some times the stars align just right, and you find that perfect aluminum boat by pure luck.
That's a great score!!
Ha! Boats come and go, buddy, but never let go of your wife. DEFINITELY a keeper!😄
Nobody cares about 14' boats. This is about 10' and 12' boats. Come back when you find one of those for $200 otherwise stfu.
You stole that boat and gear !!
I snagged a 14 ft flat bottom and trolling motor for 300 last weekend. I'm on the hunt for a trailer now.
I think people have to get back to making things for themselves. It used to be that most small boats were home built, lots of plywood punt plans on the internet. The problem was that the price for small Jon boats ( not vee hulls) got too cheap so people bought them instead of making them. You can build a plywood Jon boat or a punt for a few hundred dollars and a weekend or two work, great father and son/daughter project!
Really? When was that. I KNOW it was more than 50 years ago.
@@GilmerJohn Look online, quite a few plans and sites for small plywood punts, very suitable for fishing still waters
I did that very thing and built a 12 foot long, by 3 foot wide fishing skiff from scratch (no plans). I got it registered and titled and put a trolling motor on it. Now five years later I'm noticing some wood rot and the fiberglass matting is getting holes. It's been fun, but I just purchased a used 14 foot modified v-hull aluminum boat for the same cost of materials for my plywood fishing skiff. This is a 1969 Proline with no leaks, still solid (kind of heavy) and the only wood on it was the plywood tops of the 4 seats. They looked original, but worn so I replaced them with solid yellow pine. Still, not bad considering it's 55 years old. So, 55 years versus 5 years...homemade may be soul satisfying, but it's not really economically efficient.
@@justdoingitjim7095 wood is more maintenance for sure but with the proper sealers available now rot can be almost eliminated. Fiberglass has caused the death of more wood boats than anything else! I built and repaired fiberglass boats and if it’s not done right with the proper materials it can cause more problems than they ever cured. A good old aluminum boat if not abused will outlast most of us but people can ruin just about anything!
@@waynemanning3262 I have a sawmill, I cut cypress, I still have an aluminum 14 jon. The wood boat maintenance and longevity just doesn’t compare.
In the 30s, my grandfather was a metallurgical engineer. He was developing inert gas aluminum welding. One of the first large welded objects ever made was a small fishing boat he made for his own use. It lasted well into the 80s. His welding techniques and equipment contributed significantly to the art, even to the present day.
@@michaelf7093 I would love to have meet him,we could have talked far a while on that subject.
Are you a Hobart? Because that's who invented it....
@horatiohornbie7395 he wasn't the only one, he was just the first.
@@michaelf7093 a thing only gets invented once… Your story smells funny.
@wrecker1861 welding is not a "thing", it's a process. Different techniques and tools are created at different times. But believe whatever you want to believe. I don't care.
I just bought a 2005 Lowe 1032. After watching ur video, I can surely say that I will definitely never get rid of it!
Just bought a weldbilt 1448 jon for $2650 and $1900 for the trailer. Put on a 25hp yamaha and its perfect. Will keep this boat the rest of my life
I’ve got a tracker 1032 that I bought 10 years ago. I paid $800 for it new in NH. I used to fish off a 13’ angler kayak, but fighting the wind became unbearable, hence the Jon boat purchase. I could load and unload by myself from the bed of my truck and fish all the same places my kayak could go. Love my Jon boat!
have this as well and love it!
The best thing about the small aluminum boats is that you can customize them for your style of fishing and it gives the boat character
Time to go through your old popular mechanic magazines and find the plans for that 10 foot WOODEN John boat. !
Have you priced marine plywood lately? I don't think there are very many if any small wooden skiffs on the market.
I really want to make one. Looks pretty time consuming though.
@@TeaInTheMorning-we2kh It’s plywood Jon boat, not cedar strip canoe.
@@user-ug5xr2gb6j Oh that's interesting, I didn't know that was a thing. Time to go down a youtube tutorial rabbithole for a project I'll probably never have time or energy for lmao.
@@TeaInTheMorning-we2kh They seem like an awful lot of work that’s tedious and time-consuming, but the result is gorgeous.
Wayne I am a retired VP of A major boat company. The boats you are showing at the start of this video are not Jon boats . They are V bottom aluminum utility boats. There is a difference between a Jon boat and A V bottom aluminum boat. We actually had a separate plant where we built just Jon boats and the V bottoms where made with our regular aluminum and glass boats. You should do a video on the new thing that is happening. People are taking those older aluminum small boats and turning them into boats built with decks and hatched compartments like a Bass boats and fly fishing rigs with a nice casting deck. Boats have gotten so expensive that the average guy has gotten creative. There are companies now that sell products exclusively for doing exactly this.
Yup. Made me want to dismiss anything he had to say after that...
The Tiny Boat Nation builds are awesome. Its crazy what people are doing to those old boats.
The popularity and availability of kayaks is really booming now too
in Canada if it really is that anymore! We just call all those kind of boats tinners or that is all I know them as !
@@jacka55six60and I have
I’m a kayak guy for sure and plan on buying another for this coming summer. I fish from it and explore the local areas a ton. It’s easy to load/unload and costs nothing after the upfront price. That said, I’d love to add a 12-16’ aluminum boat in the next year or two for when I want to take the wife, friends, or other family members out to one of the local lakes.
I bought a 16ft aluminum jon boat for the same reason as you. I considered a kayak powered by a small 2.5hp gas outboard, but taking people and my dog with me outweighed the kayak in my decision and I don’t regret it. My 16ft Lowe allows me to spread out and move around on it and my dog now loves his boat. My only suggestion is don’t buy smaller than a 16ft because of stability purposes.
You're a good man, informative but I really appreciate your attitude most.
Thanks - I appreciate that!
As a kayaker there are plastic boats that can hold up well IF they are roto-molded which is an expensive process. Otherwise cheap molded plastic boats are just that: cheap. Roto-molded plastic boats if done right can be superior to aluminum because they don't dent and they retain their shape and are usually UV stabilized. Cheap molded plastic boats just can't compare.
Example: The Portland Pudgy comes to mind but there's a sticker shock for roto-molded boats.
My point being is not all plastic boats are created equally. If they are cheap seasonal aisle type stuff it's asking for the same longevity issues as any plastic bucket that got left out in the sun. Buyer beware. As usual; you get what you pay for.
The popularity of plastic kayaks over the last decade and a younger generation of boaters has probably had allot to do with the creation and sales of cheap plastic boats, we the older generation will deep dive into the reasoning behind what's happening but I think that the answer is much simpler and that is that all the younger generation knows of is plastic kayaks and plastic boats
I agree they are everywhere which in turn is great advertisement
Yea, and the cost of aluminum has skyrocketed
@@eddienylund6736 Even with that being said, I was at Ass Pro the other day and noticed that their aluminum bass boats, boat motor trailer are WAY cheaper than the fiberglass ones. Their "Pro Skiff 17" was just a tick under $30k! That same boat, minus the revamped front casting deck was around $10k less just a few years ago.
I agree with you but I'd say that this has been going on for far more than a decade probably for over 25 yrs now plastic kayaks have become super popular, you throw them over the top of the car and take them anywhere. In my opinion most of the younger generations (with an S at the end) would most likely see a metal boat as an antique or an antique idea, these kayaks are everywhere and self advertise given their popularity
@@gman4480 maybe they do want a nice, metal Jon boat, but can't afford the steep pricing these days. I used to see used ones for sale all the time, cheap.
I'm a welder and sheet metal fabricator, want a boat hit me up. Shipping, state inspection, and tagging will be your responsibility tho. Unless the market is worth the time.
Side note, I built my own 10' because I was to cheap to but one. Front and rear seats are fully encapsulated and center folds up for jackets and tackle boxes. Hell, the local game warden loves the damn thing
I like to see a picture of that
@@mikeburrill779 looked in my phone but can't find the pictures. It's actually at the game warden and her husband's property right now. I use it on their property more than anywhere else. I'll see if I don't have pics some place else.
Would love a pic
I have a neighbor couple, retired for years now but as long as I can remember (30+ years) they've had their aluminum flat bottom with an outboard. It still looks new even though they take it out & fish together every year. They're sweet. I've wanted one for a while but have lost hope.
My neighbor asked to buy my trailer. I said no way Hose A but you can borrow it. Said naw he wanted one to own. Two weeks later he borrowed the trailer and we have been sharing ever since. Won't hurt to try.....
Itll be hard to buy any boat pretty soon.
@ronald8792 you better claim your prize man before I do!!
@@joshcantrell8397 Claim it, because I wont.
Seadoo jetskii engines had a shortage thanks to the war in Europe. Globalization smh
@@Lomhow We will not be a nation that consumes like a plague of locust after the dust settles.
I just faced the same problems you described The advertised prices were just too high for the quality. The few used ones were over priced and usually thoroughly bashed. So I chose to build a 4x 12 x 16 inch deep jon boat for less than $500 Including 2 gallons of epoxy resin to completely seal all of the wood, Add a little fiber glass at the joins if you wish. Finish it out with exterior latex paint. Ive' used latex for many years with great results. You will have a more stable boat due to the additional weight, and the satisfaction of building it yourself. Jon boats are almost boxes and are simple to build. You can dress it out as much as you like once the basic boat is built. Plus, you don't need flotation foam to keep it from sinking. UV will eventually damage the plastic boats and make them brittle. Iv'e seen them puncture due to an inadvertent bump.
Yup, building is a better and better choice, especially since lumber prices are coming down.
@@BlackWarriorLures I'm in the final stages of construction now, wiring trolling motor, bilge pump and ,navlights plus deck hardware, cleats, etc. One unplanned benefit of the higher free board is that seats are higher above the deck making the seating position more comfortable. Overall, I'm pleased with the build vs buy choice.
REFUSING TO BUILD THE SMALLER LINE(S) OF JON BOATS IS SIMPLY A PLOY TO STRONG-ARM THE PUBLIC INTO SPENDING MORE CASH ON THE BIGGER BOATS!
WAYNE ISN'T GUTSY ENOUGH TO TELL THE TRUTH ABOUT THESE BOAT MANUFACTURERS!!!
THE PROOF IS OBVIOUS! THEY'VE MADE THE SMALLER 10 FT.AND 12 FT. LINE FOR YEARS AND YEARS!!! WHY??? BECAUSE THERE IS A VIABLE MARKET FOR THEM!!!
WHICH WAYNE HIMSELF ADMITTED TO,, AND MANY NEWBIE BOATERS WANT A SMALLER BOAT, PARTLY BECAUSE THEY REFUSE TO SPEND $10k OR MORE, ON
SOMETHING THAT THEY FEAR MAY BE A BIG MISTAKE! ONLY TO LOSE A THIRD OF THE MONEY SPENT WHEN THEY GO TO SELL IT!!!
THESE COMPANIES COULD SIMPLY RAISE THE PRICES OF THE SMALLER LINE OF BOATS, ~MODESTLY~, TO REFLECT THE INCREASE IN ALUMINUM SHEETING, INSTEAD OF DISCONTINUING PRODUCTION!!! IN MY OPINION, IT'S SIMPLY BAD BUSINESS TO
PREVENT THE BUYING PUBLIC FROM HAVING A CHOICE OF BOAT(S) TO PURCHASE!!!
You will regret using latex
It's not used in watercraft applications for very good reasonz
Iv'e been using it for over 15 years with excellent results. Never below the waterline for obvious reasons It can't be applied directly to aluminum though. You will need a base coat with some kind of solvent paint for adhesion. It doesn't peel fade or crack. Is easy to touch up. The match is always invisible. I just finished building two Jon boats & put it on both of them. The same as I have for several other small boats over the years. The first time was on a small $200.00 boat just as an experiment & have been using it ever since.
hi Wayne Wayne here i have been looking for a 12ft jon boat and i wanted an old aluminum one to leave to my boys and your absolutely right you cannot find a new aluminum boat anywhere
I am a potter. I make a large and a small Tea Pot. Large is 3.5 lbs of clay at 40 cents a pound. The small is 2.5 lbs. Large sells wholesale for $60; The small sells for 30$. It takes the exact same amount of time and procedure to produce both tea pots.
I just bought a used 05 Lowe 1032 for $300. After seeing yr video, I’m going to cherish it and never get rid of it!
It reminds me of when soda bottles switched from glass over to plastic.
Plastic boats aren't that bad. I've been in a few they are pretty good. But nothing beats a good aluminum boat.
@@likeablecloud2454 prefer diamond encrusted titanium personally ,wears better...😉
@@likeablecloud2454 What’s the big difference between? Haven’t been in an aluminum
@@MichaelBurkhalter if I had to guess, #1 would be lifespan. An aluminum boat well maintained will last a lifetime. A plastic boat will eventually turn brittle from UV exposure
More plastic will be heading for the landfill.
Built them for a few years here at tracker … cost will have to go down quite a bit before we or anyone else picks them back up. Your video nailed the issue.
We use to build 52 10-12ft Jon boats a day now that line is totally gone and is building bigger grizzly boats
Thank you for commenting!
Bullsquat!!! There's always been,, and always will be a good market for 8, 10, and 12 ft aluminum boats!!!! FACT!!!! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA OF HOW MANY YOUNG FAMILIES ARE WANTING AN AFFORDABLE ENTRY-LEVEL BOAT??????? GEEZZZ LOUEEZZE!!!
THIS IS A PLOY ON THE PART OF THESE COMPANIES TO STRONG-ARM FOLKS INTO SPENDING $3k, $4K, AND OVER $5K FOR THE BOAT ALONE,, LET ALONE,, THE $4/$5k FOR THE OUTBOARD MOTOR, AND THE RIGGING,, AND THE REST OF THE GEAR AS WELL?!?!?!?! I'M A 35 YEAR JOHNSON & EVINRUDE TECHNICIAN, AND I KNOW MANY, MANY PEOPLE WHO USE 8, AND 10 FT JON BOATS TO FISH THE SMALL LAKES, PONDS, AND SMALLER RIVERS/CREEKS!!! LIKE BIDEN SHUTTING DOWN THE KEYSTONE PIPELINE,, HE DID IT TO GET GAS PRICES TO HURT THE AMERICAN PUBLIC!!! HE SUCCEEDED!!!!!
@ToddBudd88 Are they still making the grizzly 1448s? I don't see them advertised anymore
@@alexmydosh8816 i was told by tracker that they stopped making then around 2020. thats what i wanted. im going to buy a boat from 1980 tomorrow. all welded kinda v-bottom. v in front and down the front sides, 22" sides, but pretty flat for the first couple benches from the rear. its in really good shape and probably will fit what i want to do pretty well.
Small aluminum boat dealer here.. the waters around me only allow 12-14 ft aluminum boats here. Duranautic still manufactures 10-14 ft Jon boats but the price is $1,000 over the price they were in even September of 2021. I’m seeing many manufacturers shut down as well. Smokercraft does still make 12 ft semi v’s though! We were alumacraft and grummans largest quantity dealer for multiple years in the 90’s.
Where are you based out of? and $1000 over a $1000 boat? they doubled in price in a year and 4 months?
I get your thoughts here, BUT It's baloney to stop making an introductory jon boat
for the many thousands of new families that don't have $4K, $5K NOT to mention the motor which will absolutely cost them, (or ~sink them~!) $5K, not to mention rigging, and the needed gear!!!!
I live in the south, and I'm a 35 year Johnson & Evinrude service tech., and down here we have tons of lakes, ponds, and rivers that an 8 footer with a 2 or 3 h.p. small egg beater will marry up with perfectly!!!! And so Wayne here is afraid to speak up against these manufacturers, and call a spade a spade!!! Simply put, they're forcing the public into buying the bigger jon boats,, and that stinx .................. like a week old bucket 'o bait!!!!
@@newmoon54would you still recommend a boat that came with a johnson/ evinrude? Are parts still avalible as much as a yamaha or mercury? I'm looking at 20ft boats and most I'm interested in have 90s Johnson evinrudes. 150 - 200hp.
Make small aluminum boats great again.
That's Rich...
@@jacka55six60
I see what you did there...
And pickups
The replies are the icing on the cake with the original post ! 😂
@@CaptRich-bi3gp I have a Alweld from Ark. 14 ft John boat. It is damn good boat.Saved my ass a few times in bad weather and locations. Check them out.
Plenty of the around if you aint worried about some fancy name on the side. Come down to the delta of AR or down in LA there are small shop guys building small boats and most of them are better quality than the mass produced stuff.
Just find where the duck hunters and crawfishing guys are locally having their boats built. You gonna have to put the catalogs and internet down and do it the old way.
Hell yeah this dude must be a Yankee
Facts from Plaquemines Parish
most of us wouldn't know how to find these small shop boat builders. we're conditioned to look through catalogs or do our shopping online. bummer, isn't it?
Trying to find 12' aluminum boats is no problem. Finding a 12' aluminum boat with a title is an entirely different issue.
In my state a 12 foot boat or smaller doesn't need a title...
@@codyrivenburgh6007 In Texas, it you put a trolling motor on a piece of driftwood, you need a title.
None of them come with a title when buying new, you have to apply same o same
In ohio you can get 10' to 12' all day long new. No title needed. 14' + needs title. But the certificate of origin works fine. I don't know what he's talking about.
@@miitoob8278 lol, same thing here in North Carolina
I just got a sale flyer from Bass Pro Shops/Cabelas that had 2024 model, 10, 12 and 14 foot Grizzly all welded, aluminum flat bottom jon boats. The 1236 was $1470.00 after freight charges. That's outrageous compared to pre-pandemic prices, but at least there are definitely small aluminum jons being manufactured and made available. I'd definitely pay it before I went plastic... but that's just me.
Bought a Lowe 10’40” in 2020. Love it. It wasn’t my entry level boat. My wife and I fish small lakes for pan fish and trout. My dad bought a used 12’ StarCraft in 1965. We left it on the beach of the Chesapeake bay and fished it for 30 years before a hurricane took it and crushed it. Wonder what a plastic boat will look like after 30 years on the sand in salt and sun.
Make them out if Graphene!!! Hell yeah!!!
This is so thoughtfully explained. I do miss the option of being able to buy a new aluminum jon boat for under $500. Missed that chance. But I did manage to purchase a 28' sailing yacht, so I guess I can't complain.
I remember being out in the middle of the Rappahannock River in my 12ft. jon boat, when suddenly,
from some grey clouds, I saw a lightning strike nearby, and I realized I was an aluminum "lightning rod"
a mile from shore! I needed to either jump overboard in 60 foot of water, or get moving!
That was the longest ride of my life! I rolled right up onto the beach and ran for the trees!
Done that many times on Toledo Bend lake.not by choice. Let the storm go by and get back to the fish! It's that time of year right now. Go fish!!
The trees were lighting rods.
@@HughButler-lb6zs Yeah, but there were LOTS of them!
@saludanite was fishing a cove on Toledo Bend many years ago
A storm came up but I didn't notice it until it was right on me. Pulled out of the cove into big water and the wind started blowing and it was hailing. Couldn't turn around for fear of capsizing. Got back to camp.and my tent was gone
A tornado picked it up and dropped it about 200 yards in the woods. The contents were pretty scrambled but the tent was not damaged.
@@saludanite imagine that same experience and not able to swim.thats what I have to do, to fish Toledo and no body will go with me,now I'm 68 and need them to.
Just bought a new 12 ft Tracker Jon for $1300 from the dealer attached to my local BPS. There were 3 other 12 ft boats just like it in the stack below, right next to a stack of 5 10 footers. No shortage here.
I'm guilty of neglecting my 10' alumacraft. I purchased an inflatable kayak and set it up for fishing. It's just so much easier to deal with.
That seems to be quite common these days
Who really cares
@@jjm2948 The people who are considering buying a small boat, probably.
@@jjm2948 -- Let me guess . . . single?
@@sail4free1 projecting?
I love my kayak, the work I put into it. First i put a bro craft mount, fit it with a 30 minkota run by a lithium batteries, 7 inch Garmin with control panel under water lights, bow and stern lights. Best part, no need for a trailer. It is amazing, I’m able to fish where boats can’t go and let me tell you! The big bass, no joke Hugh! Financial independence, I see so many boat problems. Sure boats have the luxury of space, but the maintenance cost on a boat is nuts!
I have a 15' Aluminum Jon Boat that is probably from the 1950s or 1960s. It sat upside down at my Grandma's small lake in Nebraska for over 30 years and I finally brought it home. It needs a new wooden transom and some new rivets but aside from that its in really good shape. Aluminum basically lasts forever.
That's very cool - I have a video about replacing a transom in one!
My grandpa bought a 14 foot aluminum jonboat new in 1971. He paid $125 for it! Before he died in 1999, he gave it to me; I still have it and its in great shape aside from the fact that a lot of the paint is worn off and faded (it was painted green from the factory).
I just bought a brand new 10' tracker Jon. They had 10/12/14 for sale at multiple locations.
I bought a 4' x 2' .063 thick aluminum panel last week and it was $77. Right now aluminum futures are dropping but still higher than in 2020.
Good thing I already have my old Alumacraft.
I am customizing it to be a bass boat but for saltwater. It has lots more storage, rod locker, custom aluminum bait well and cooler, etc..
Even with the price of aluminum it is still going to be cheaper than a new aluminum boat. Plus, it's a lot of fun to build it myself.
Thanks for sharing
Why would anyone need a bass boat for saltwater ?
Bass cant live in saltwater
@norml.hugh-mann because everyone knows the only fish you can catch from a bass boat are bass.... good thing sea bass are not a thing...
@@norml.hugh-mannever hear of a striped bass?
I bought a 11 ft kayak and it works fine for small lakes and streams but you are stuck sitting the whole time and it gets uncomfortable after awhile so I was looking for a 10ft jon boat so I could stand and move around and now you can't get them so it sucks that they don't make them right now and trying to find a used one is hard up north I see them all over in southern states cheap but here in North Dakota they are rare and hard to find and when you do find one they want more than they sold for new
Plastic has a shelf life when it comes to us rays
I have a polycraft tuff tender 3m plastic in Australia ,it's 2o yrs old been in sun and daily service since 2oo6 had no maintenance bar new bungs,on its 3rd Yamaha all new ,we still have aluminium dingys but not many under 14 ft
It's almost like manufacturers have planned for consumers to come back into the market once what they have depended on starts to fail.
How many cell phones have you owned...? See how they got you buying and replacing or "upgrading"..
@@1101agaoj Exactly right, engineered obsolescence. Because you're not allowed to truly own anything of high quality anymore.
Never understood why they use a material that breaks down in sunlight to be used on the water
My boat is made of "Flex Seal"! Thanks Phil Swift!
Interesting take! That is a good observation people may be leaning towards small plastic boats and kayaks and even paddle boards these days.
I live in a pretty rural town on the west coast of BC Canada and by far the most common boats i still see out here is the classic sears 12’ tinner theyre unmistakable. The dirt road boat ramps are still littered with them chained to trees on the side of the road. I personally know 2 people that have had one in the family for decades. Maybe thats part of the lack of demand is that they last too long haha! Or maybe all the hipsters are just buying plastic boats!
I was fortunate enough to be able to purchase a brand new 16’ alumacraft last spring. I cant say enough good things about that boat. Its got about 300hrs on it already many of which in the ocean under less than ideal conditions and she has landed some big fish! I still love the ole 12’ sears and my 10’ flat bottom smoker craft that i throw in the back of my truck for lakes with no boat ramp
16 ft is a great size!
In away I think it is a blessing in disguise, It is saving alot of older boats from going to the scrap yard. As a teenager back in the 70's I grew up on the older Crestliner's and Starcraft's and so far I have 2 that I have rebuilt and fish with all the time, I have a 1976 16 foot Crestliner voyager deluxe and a 1973 18 foot Starcraft SS inboard. And I would not trade either one for a new aluminum boat in the same size class. Like the old saying they don't build them like they use too.
They're sticking it to us. 75000 for a pickup. Greed will be the end of us
i tinted a 92k jeep wrangler the other day lol
Ford has lost 4.7 billion on EV’s. GM has lost 1.7 billion on EV’s. The government is pushing them to make EV’s regardless of their shortcomings in range of operation in really hot or cold weather. The charging infrastructure isn’t there. And the mining of the resources needed for the batteries is extremely hazardous to the environment as well as the disposal of depleted batteries. But all of that and the others negative ramifications of EV’s doesn’t matter. Full steam ahead. The manufacturers have to try to make up some of the lost revenue on combustion engine vehicle sales. So if you want to find someone to blame look at Washington DC
Greed and regulations.
Fact ..
@@Davidhillborn Hyperinflation.
In Alton bay newhampshire their is a small boat and jet ski shop that has two small Jon boats for sale out front as of this weekend
I'll hold on to my 12ft, it's easy to handle for an older fella.
I still have my old Grumman 14' modified Jon since 1988! She's logged many adventures from deep in Canadian lakes to 200' feet plus lakes in PA to Lake Okeechobee FLA she will be with me till the end! Same boat old boat with original a Mercury 20 HP !
I was looking into buying a small aluminum boat just in the past year. I wasn’t told they weren’t making them anymore. I would just have to order it and wait like everyone else. No, they’re not running off stock inventory, but they’ll still make them.
From the comments on this video, it seems like some companies may still make them (or do so again) while some others might not.
This explains a lot. I've been looking for an aluminum canoe for a while. I have a beautiful fiberglass canoe but as I'm getting older, it is harder for me to lift/handle my heavy fiberglass canoe especially by myself. Aluminum is much lighter. I've seen several used aluminum canoes for sale but they ALWAYS have issues (sun damaged, dented up with loose rivets, dirty beyond power washing cleaning, etc.). After about a dozen times traveling miles to look at someones garbage, I decided to just buy brand new. The only thing out there is fiberglass.
I think the system is failing us
That or we are failing the system....I'll think about it.
It failed long ago.
No the system is busted by a bunch of politicians that have never held a job or balanced a check book!!! The country is being ran by a bunch of buffoons and the biggest buffoons are biden and giggles!!!
Pond Prowlers, Bass Raiders, Quest, Sun Dolphin, not to mention, kayaks that keep getting better. You're right! I have a kayak, and a Bass Raider 10. So yes, my next move, if I need to make one is, a 16ft aluminum boat. Right now, I don't need it, but if the grandkids ever decide they want to fish, I will be picking one up!
I am a tinsmith/roofer. I've put on metal roofs for 45 years. I follow the price of metals closely. This spike in aluminum prices directly corresponds with Mr. Trump's tarrif's.
That's how that works. Tarrifs are designed to keep the countries manufacturing competitive with foreign ones. It's the reasons sugar isn't used as much as corn syrup.
@@TheMysteryDriver Funny you mentioned that. I consider it a treat to find a Mexican Coke, in a glass bottle, made with cane sugar. And I pay $2.50 for that 12 ounces of heaven !! LOL
@@calliecooke1817 a treat? They're at every Sam's Club and Costco I've gone to and usually other grocery stores carry them regularly as well nowadays
@@calliecooke1817 ...might wanna rethink that. Turns out they were using corn syrup.
You can walk into Bass Pro shops and walk out the door with one. They are more expensive than they was a couple years ago. But they have Jon boats right in store. They start with 10,12,14,15 + up.
Thank you for the information.
Hate to say it but a heavy duty plastic boat, while a bit heavier, are far better for my purposes than AL. Rinse and forget especially when in brackish or salt water, dont have to worry about dragging it over rocks and so on.
The avg. American has gotten bigger. I would imagine the average weight for an average male would be 225 and about 6' tall. So if you going to fish 2 per boat the 10 or 12 ft boat are probably too small for comfort or safety.
Average person is NO WHERE near that size....
My 12 ft Lowe had a sticker limiting weight to 365 lb. I was over weight with a gas 5hp and fuel tank so I moved up to 14 ft with a 695 lb sticker. Still mostly a one man boat for me and I would like to go bigger for safety.
I just paid $3700 for a riveted 1448 G3. In the first few months of the pandemic I paid $2800 for a sea ark welded 1648. Prices are insane right now. My local dealer does have pretty much every size of Jon boat… but you’re gunna pay
WAYNE IS BEING DISINGENUOUS HERE! HE'S AFRAID OF ANY BACKLASH IF HE SPOKE THE TRUTH HERE! MOST YOUNG FAMILIES USUALLY START OUT BUYING A 10 OR 12 FOOT JON BOAT AND IF THEY ENJOY BOATING, WILL GRADUATE INTO A 14 OR 16 FOOTER!
SO, THE BOAT MANUFACTURERS ARE DOING THE BUYING PUBLIC A HUGE DISSERVICE
BY REFUSING TO MAKE, WHAT THEY'VE BEEN MAKING FOR 50 YEARS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I am a welder in Canada and will make 10ft to 14ft boats for anyone who want to pay the costs.
Not how that works … you’ll have to have a design that is coast guard certified and I hope you don’t mind bucking rivets
@Budd Todd who says I don't already have the plans from a marine boat designer.
WOW! I feel very lucky considering. I bought my Lowe 1240 brand new in Spring of 2021 and have made a few mods on it. Cost about $1K before any mods made. I'll think twice now before letting her go, if I ever do, lol... Awesome skinny water boat I can STAND in and work the shoreline for bass on a variety of waters... Bonus is I can put it in the back of my 8 foot pickup bed and hand launch with the transom wheels I put on it. Cheaper than a high end kayak and more versatile IMO...
Most people buy their first "tinner" used.
I have owned 3 Grumman Sport Boats over the years. I love 'em! Why have I owned 3? Because when you're young you tend to do silly things you learn to regret. Like selling your aluminum boat! The one I own now was built in 1974. I will never sell it! 15'x 52" 110lbs dry. But it can haul 700lbs of people and gear. I row it, stand and pole it, or use a SUP paddle. And from time to time I use a 35lb thrust trolling motor. Really a good choice for skinny water bayous. Lightweight, durable, and considerably more stable than a canoe. And even though I store it outside bottom up on a rack in Florida, the summer sun has no effect. Love it. Yeh, the wonderful old Grumman Sport Boat is hard to find, but if you do find one grab it! Your great-grandchildren will thank you!
I will never buy a plasticboat.
I will point that while my brother retired from the boat business and we are almost done with the cleanup and recycling of all the junked out old motors, we were getting almost .70 cents per pound for clean cast aluminum when we started to about .30 cents a pound today. At this time period the spread between market price and recycled price got wider and wider. I feel that even accounting for fuel costs today there has been some serious gouging going on. Also to add that after recycling about 30 tons of aluminum ( still not done) this amount would have made a lot of john boats. The last boat we had left was a small john, ironic.
Yes! Your point is well made! I've been in the outboard motor service business for 35 years!
Scrap irony/alum. was up as much as 60 cents and clean cast alum. was bringing $2.00
a pound back in 1995/96 up on Long Island, N.Y. and I had the sense enough to scrap a whole bunch of outboard motors I think I had around 1,000 plus pounds of combined scrap.
The scrap buyers are ripping people off too! They're not paying the current advertised market prices so the public always gets shafted!!! In my opinion, these boat manufacturers are simply forcing the public to buy the more expensive bigger jon boats, and if they discontinue the smaller boat line(s), people are forced to spend many thousands more than they would normally lay out!!!! Sad state of affairs in today's world!
It's like the so-called ~inflation~!!! Biden shuts down the Keystone Pipeline,, and almost overnight,,, gas prices went up over a dollar a gallon, and hit $7.00 a gal. in some states!!!
I was used to buying the 18 count carton of eggs at Walmart for $1.87 each, and less than 4 weeks later I was shocked to see the price rose to: $8.07 a carton?!?!?!?!?!?!?!
Could have said the same thing about wooden boats a 100 year ago.... A nice wooden Dorry replaced by those cheap aluminium boats.....
Great point!
Back in the late 90s/early 2000s there was a brochure from one of the jon boat makers (alumacraft i think) that had a 20ft (maybe bigger) jon boat with a dodge neon inside of it.
Time for wooden boat artisans of old to rise up.
With plywood and "stitch and glue" you can be your own artisan.
There are sheet metal workers that can start building small aluminum boats, too.
Our savings are being bled but at least we can afford the war machine in other countries.
@@tsriftsal3581 Yeah it's great. We're helping secure the Ukrainian border, but our own southern border? No way
@@Shade_Tree_Mechanic When Mexico starts killing 100's of thousands of Americans I'm sure we'll also find resources to address it. Your comparison of the 2 borders is so wild it's as if your doing a Parody.
I work next door to a Lund dealer in Canada and they have about 15 brand new12’ aluminum boats stacked up in their lot
The problem with aluminum prices is not the ore. To extract the metal aluminum takes tremendous amounts of energy, mostly in the form of electricity, and not in the amounts supplied by windmills or solar.
And the government wants to tear down the dams and close up the coal power plants. Ya think your power bill is not going to skyrocket to the moon? It's not just aluminum boats that are going away. Oh well, what do we need cheap power for anyway?
I have not been in a boat for 50 plus years the family had one aluminum double ended duck hunting boat with flotation cells and tubes for poles to anchor it in shallow waters. 2 canoes made of wood one built in the 1890's. Club boats were a split between clinker built and wood with fiberglass sheet to seal the outside the clinker built date from the 1900 to 1940's with the newer designs still being assembled on the private club property in Northern Michigan.
I follow all transportation modes online which have the slightest chance of being used by military units around the world. Our local boat dealer in Northern Illinois shut down in the late 60's last boat I looked at there was priced in the several 100 thousand dollar range with Teak and Mahagony planking.
Gosh darn it Wayne, I love your videos.
Thanks buddy!
5:58 "And I still thinks that" 😝 haha awesome! I like this guy and the fact that he didn't edit that out. We all get a little tongue-tied from time to time.. About time to get some lines in the water.!
I work in manufacturing. Most of our parts are made from aluminum. Many of our jobs have come to a halt because of aluminum shortage. Thank Joe Biden.
Biden seems to be the most powerful man in the world.
🤣 Dark Brandon is responsible for ALL that ails us!!!!
So in March 2022 the president waved a magic wand and made sheet aluminum go up in price are you delusional. It supply chain issue.
No.
You really think Joe makes decisions?
Our financial problems exist because both parties in congress have been writing hot checks for decades.
That & fed reserve. Both parties support fed reserve.
Funny how price of scrap aluminum hasn't gone up much.
When my sister bought a house, it came with a small aluminum boat. She uses it as a garden bed.
😅
Build her a new one and empty the boat.
Great now is there anything else you forgot to tell us about going on in your personal lives?
Good information! I got lucky a month ago and found a used 12’ Lowes boat, all tricked out, with new trailer.. trolling motor and everything for $1500
That is awesome!
Most states have passed laws were you cannot register a boat or motor without a title big brother trying to save oem and Johnson failed but there's lots of boats sitting in yards that can't be used .
Consolidation of manufacturing is how we got here. Remember when the biggest companies paid the best wages.
Back in the late 1980s, a boat like this caused an interesting thing to happen in the old railroad yard. At the west end of the yard, the tracks funneled down to a three-way junction and the switch and signal "interlocking plant" was remotely controlled by an operator in the yard office about half a mile away. The old trackside tower, where the operator had formerly been posted, had been taken out of service by this time, so the operator could no longer "see" what was going on, except for the indicator lights on his control board. Anyhow, one night about 10pm the track circuit lights started blinking on and off in progression from the bottom of the board to the top. Then about 2am the track circuit lights did a reverse, blinking on and off from the top of the board to the bottom. The next night the same thing happened. I don't recall how many times over how many days this occurred, but one night they had a signal maintainer parked in his truck beside the tracks. In short order a pickup truck with a boat in the open bed showed up. It turned out that two fishermen were dragging an aluminum john boat across the tracks to the river. The unpainted bottom of the boat was bridging both rails as it was dragged across the tracks, causing the track circuits to shunt and showing indication on the board. The maintainer advised the fishermen to stop doing that and find another way to the river or they could expect a visit from the railroad police. Thus ended the mysterious lights on the control machine.
That's a cool story - thanks for sharing!
Hehe! Definitely fits the "You can't make this up" category. Gonna hafta tell a few people about this.
They have a stack of the Lund 1040 at Dothan Offroad and Marine in Alabama.
I love my 250$ plastic kayak
Thats cheap, mine cost over 1k
I love my $2800 plastic kayak. 🐟
Mine was $199.00 at Costco..
Bought one used at the pawn shop for $125.00.
16 ft royalex (plastic) canoe for 500 bucks
I bought a new 12 ft inflatable Inmar with a 20 horsepower Mercury for $4000 , very stable and will carry up to 6 people. This boat is a blast.
Good video. I was wondering why these boats were all gone!
You and me both!
Back in 2003 you could buy a 17 ft aluminum jon boat with 50hp Honda, trailer and even a cover for $8k out the door here in Wisconsin. Even at that time it was a great deal.
Cabela’s has the grizzly
Bass pro owns cabalas
Have a Lowe 1430 Jon Boat for ponds. Never get rid of it. It's seen 1K's of bass come over the side.
Probably why Lowe stopped making a tiller option
The fishing kayak trend is taking over the small boat market. So many choices when it comes to those.
I think that sucks I've been looking for one .
face place book market place has a shit tonne of used boats
I love my 1236 Alumacraft- paid $900 for it with a trailer, trolling motor and an 8hp Yamaha last month
That's a win!
also in consideration is that those cheap riveted boats are not really in as much demand as fully welded; given the small cost difference between the two designs in smaller sizes (10, 12 foot and to an extent 14 foot as well). In this area, 15', 16' are the most common size and you rarely see one that is not fully welded. The duck hunters out here dictate what boats sell, and a lot of duck hunters have money-and they certainly spend it on boats. A 1548-1553-1653 can easily be $20,000+ once rigged and on a trailer....but these guys don't care, they'll spend what it takes to go chase birds. Glad I bought mine when I did.
Went through this recently, was looking for a little run about for the kids to take out on their own this Summer. Couldn't find one, used ones either didn't have a title or were scrap metal. Ended up buying a BRIS.
Much has changed. When I was growing up in the mid-1950s, our fishing boat was a 14 foot Lone Star.
I had a 15 ft aluminum canoe back in the 70s. It was a Michicraft which was probably the chief competition to Grumman. Every bit as good for a lot less money.
Meanwhile small fishing kayaks are popular as hell.
Wayne ye old fart ye stand corrected!
Good news for me as I will be selling my 10' jon boat this summer. Gunna raise the price!
I make custom Jon boats, I can tell you that it's expensive for me to buy the raw materials needed. Just for a 14x40 aluminum Jon can cost as much as 2000$ to complete the project as ordered, That's not including my labor costs. In the recent years I've taken a massive hit in sales, and I've seriously considered closing my doors for good. I'm located in southern Alabama
Dang - that's not nice to hear.
@@WayneTheBoatGuy it is what it is unfortunately, ship wrighting and hull building is a skill I learned from my father, and he from his father. My family comes from a long line of ship wrights from Norway, and as materials get more and more expensive, I fear that my son will not be able to carry on the family business. But we will continue to build for as long as people are buying. Currently we have some really nice Jon's, and V-hulls for sale, on trailers that are also built in house here in Florala Alabama.
@@trevorstravels6751 what's the name of your company? Do you have a website?
I'd much rather pay you $2k in materials and $3k for your time and hard work than hand over $5k to a local company that pays people like my neighbor with minimal skill $15 an hour to build their generic 12" aluminum boat. Market yourself and you can still make money with expensive material costs!
The plastic boats are actually nice ! The old aluminum boats are nice to if you can find one with a title. It’s a hassle but with the proper leg work, you can get a title for it
I just picked up an 1970 sears aluminum 11 ft boat and trailer with the trade of my basic Lincoln stick welder . I’m currently getting it ready for the water and waiting on a title
Good Luck fishing this year and safe boating
What's the fascination with a title?
What's crazy, aluminum may be HIGH, but, you wouldn't know that if you sell scrap aluminum!
This! 😂. I refuse to take it in, I could probably make better money looking for dropped change at a McDonald’s drive thru. No thanks. I’m not that broke!
Thats the fact man
Cant belive the low scrap prices here on the eastcoast
@Fivespeed 302 I used to restore classic mustangs, and would buy "Donor cars", saving radiators untilk you had a truck load would yield a few hundred bucks! Not much work for a weeks pay.
Now I am a cement Mason, when I find scrap copper or aluminum, take it home put it in a pike out back, get a slow day every winter take it down and get a few hundred bucks, not bad for nothing! But, cast aluminum like a car transmission isn't worth jack, extruded aluminum, like a screen door or window WAS worh a buck a pound if you pulled the screws out. Yeah, I make 6 figures a year, but an extra 500.00 for NOTHING. if you beat that, I am interested in changing occupations.
Marlon production makes small aluminum Jon boats and V hauls still. My brother in law bought a new 12 foot last spring
Tracker isn’t even making the 1448 grizzly either!
It sure has affected the used boat market, too. My sons have gotten more into fishing and I wanted to pick up a 14' boat to fish the mountain lakes here in AZ. What used to be a 1000 dollar boat on a trailer is now a 3500 dollar boat. Assuming you can find one that isn't completely roached out.
I like 12' aluminum boats from a reliable manufacturer.