2.5 or 3.5 hp outboard

W

Wade

New member
I got a 12' alum jon boat this past fall and was thinking about getting a small outboard for it. I was looking in the 2.5-3.5 range just given things that I have read.

Looks like a mercury is going to be a minimum of $1000, does anyone know anything about a Hangkai or PCC motor? Just came across them on Ebay and notice their extreme low prices compared to the Mercury. Spending a grand on a motor to put on a $175 used jon boat just doesn't seem right in my eyes. Any thoughts?

Don't know the vintange on the jon boat, it is riveted, 32" across bottom, 42" across side rails and 12' long. Was used before just on a farm pond.

Thanks
 
Wade,

In my mind I would run away. I've read that Hangki for instance is a Chinese Yamaha. Support your local shops. There are Chinese companies springing up all over. Ask who their US distributor is. Who handles warranty issues. Ask for a detailed parts list with pricing and ordering information. I've seen where some of these are shipped with an extra water pump. Nice but then when you need another there's not one on the planet. Yes, I'm sure some Yamaha, Suzuki, Coleman are being maufactured in China but to take someones word that yamaha parts fit, well I wouldn't bet my money on it. Keep checking local shops and ebay. Buy a used OMC and you'll be money ahead. Check out smalloutboard.com.
 
ok, thanks for the link. so it would be money well spent for an older model johnson? Would 5.5hp be too much for a 12' jon?
 
Wade,

IMHO, any motor on that size boat is to much. I would row it only and I wouldn't use that size boat for anything other than setting out decoys on a pond. Again just my .2 cents worth. I don't like small tippy boats.
 
There should be a capacity plate on it with max load & HP. If not, look up a similar size jon boat and use that as a guide.
12x32 jon boats are not the most stable, sea-worthy boats and dont have a lot of capacity. Farm ponds and very small lakes are about the only place I would take one. Be careful.
Here is what I found for most 12x32 jons:

Approx. Hull Weight 90 lb 40kg Beam 48" 1.21m Bottom Width 32" .81m Hull Gauge .050" 1.27mm Length 12' 3.56m Max. HP Capacity 3 hp 2kw Max. Person Capacity 2 Max. Person Weight Capacity 295 lb 133kg Max. Weight Capacity 335 lb 151kg Side Depth 16" .41m Transom Height 15" .38m
 
Approx. Hull Weight 90 lb 40kg Beam 48" 1.21m Bottom Width 32" .81m Hull Gauge .050" 1.27mm Length 12' 3.56m Max. HP Capacity 3 hp 2kw Max. Person Capacity 2 Max. Person Weight Capacity 295 lb 133kg Max. Weight Capacity 335 lb 151kg Side Depth 16" .41m Transom Height 15" .38m
Click to expand...


This one that Carl found has a 48" beam. A boat with a 42" beam would probably be less than 3.0hp motor. Just saying....be careful.
 
Good catch. I didnt notice the difference in beam.
Either way, this is not a boat for open water, nor would I shoot 2 guys from it.
 
Wade,
I picked up a used Merc 3.3 about 8 years ago. Once I figured out the shear pin issue (use steel instead of brass), it's been an awesome tool for duck hunting. I think it cost me around $400 but it looked brand new when I bought it.
 
I've got a 3.5 hp Tohatsu. Other than the sheer pin issue, no complaints. I believe the Tohatsu, Mercury and Nissan motors in this class are all manufactured by the same outfit, with no differences other than cosmetics.

FWIW, my motor will push my 15 foot sculling boat (which is VERY much a displacement hull) at around 5 knots. I've also put it on 12 and 14 foot v-hull aluminum boat and can get about the same speed out of them. It's very useful for trolling, as I can idle it down and kick along at under 2 miles per hour very easily.

Have you considered a small electric motor? That might be a little cheaper, and a lot more quiet.

Agree with all the safety comments above. I'm not a fan of small jon boats, and wouldn't use one any place I might want a motor. One exception might be small flatwater streams--but a canoe is a better option for that.
 
I am from SE Alaska. Diving around you will see $800 boats with $5000 outboards on them. Why? When you are fighting tides etc. you don't want your life depending on a crappy motor. Or you don't want to get stuck miles from the ramp.

I wouldn't take the 12 jon into salt water. It likely is a death trap.
 
thanks for the informative replies and concerns for my safety!

i'm just learning, and learning i need a bigger boat.
 
What kind of water do you plan to hunt?
That will help us help you!
 
inland lakes and rivers, nothing too big but certainly no where I would want to tip a boat either. What boat do you guys use for 2 hunters and a dog ?? My ultimate goal is to build one of the devlin boats but that will probably be a while.
 
that is my philosophy, old aluminum boats are cheap so the money you save goes right into the engine. i dont want to spend a night in the marsh, float down the river waiting for a buddy to come to the rescue
 
Wade,

That's a loaded question..;-) You stated your learning so lets start with how much time do you have on the water? You stated inland lakes and rivers so what's an example of a lake in terms of size and depth as well as your rivers? Are they wide and deep with alot of flow or are they narrow and shallow with hardley any flow? How many decoys do you have between you and a hunting partner? How big is your dog? Is it well trained and steady in a boat or is it a first dog or pup that likes to run around in the boat? How about firearms? Do you and your partner shoot 10 ga or 12ga with 3" mags out of a semiauto or perhaps a 20ga O/U and 2 3/4" loads. Are you more comfortable standing and shooting or sitting and shooting? See where this is going. These and many many other questions need to be reviewed when determining what may be a good boat for you. Personally I'm mainly a solo hunter on the other side of 50 years old so I've been on the water my whole live. When I hunt a shallow marsh I've hunted from boats ranging from 8' to 18'. Currently I'm hunting small marshes from a 10' Kayak that is easy to hide. When I hunt the Mississippi River my main hunting boat is a 14' Starcraft "v" bottom with a 15hp motor. The boat has a 67" beam and is 21" deep. I feel safe hunting out of this boat by myself and I just got a black lab for Christmas so we'll see how hunting a dog out of this boat works this coming season. I would not hunt 2 guys and a dog out of this boat. I have a 17' deep V bay boat that is suited better for 2 guys and a dog. Sorry if this is a bit long winded but there are a lot of things to think about when hunting from a boat. Also check you local boating regs to make sure that what ever boat you use is big enough not only for your personal equipment but to have all the legal equipment. Also Inland and Offshore have different legal aspects to consider.

I hope this gives you a little something to think about. Don't be emabarrassed to wear a life jacket. 40 degree water dressed in hunting clothes doesn't mix. Most of us have taken a dunking at some point in our waterfowling adventures and me maybe more than others but none of us want to read a members obit!
 
Wade, I am reminded of a scene several years ago at a boat ramp. Two guys that I can describe as high school football players, a small jon boat full of water and a story about both shooting at once. All they had besides their lives was a single goose decoy that had gotten stuck in the boat when it "turtled". Be very careful and remember no duck is worth dieing over. Skip the motor and save towards a safer rig. BTW, check out the difference between "initial stability" and "final stability" to see why jon boats have a deadly reputation. Good Luck, have fun and be safe out there. Also don't be shy about asking for advice here, best place on the internet.
 
Recently purchased a Torqeedo electric motor. It's German made. Cost roughly $2k but, it's good to go in bodies of water where gas engines are not allowed. Mark my words, this will become a new trend as everyone gets more "environmentally Green friendly". I put it on my Momarsh Fatboy DP and added the extended tiller. It's fast as hell. It's 3 hp. I'll never have to spend a dime on gas, or be bothered with gas tanks. Check it out, it's awesome.
 
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