Is my little POS boat river worthy?

[ChenBassHead]

I have a little 12 foot aluminum jon (well, not a true Jon boat, but a semi-v). I was wondering if it's river worthy or not? I have a 5 HP outboard and a 34 # trolling motor. Will it be okay in the Susquehanna River, in NY? I want to get out there, anchor, and fish for some smallies, cats, and walleyes. The river isn't generally fast, but it's wide. Is the 5 HP motor enough power for the river? I'm not sure what the beam width is, but it's a stable little boat. Any info would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

-Zach

[Cider]

Sure why not?!  I am familiar with the Susquehana.  I grew up in Del Co. and used to travel along the Sus. on trips into Binghamton to go to the Oakdale mall.  Your boat should be fine as long as it is "seaworthy".  No leaks?  Engine starts everytime you need it to?

Anyway, the Sus. is very similar to our Connecticut River here in NH.  Wide, very deep, apparently slow moving.  I say apparently, because it doesn't have a lot of whitewater and looks fairly tame but, if you were to measure the gpm flow rate you would be surprised at the cubic volume of water that moves through there.

We use boats on the Conn. very similar to what you are describing for your boat.

Just keep your wits about you and remember that it is deep and potentially dangerous.  I used to read in the Binghamton (Daily) Star (I guess they call it the Sun now?)...  The local paper!  I used to read about people drowning quite frequently.  It was usually small children that were playing in the backyard and went off chasing a ball though.

[crappieloo]

Should work out perfect. I had a 12 bass-jon boat with a 6hp evinrude and a 15# troller and it was perfect for river fishing.
crappieloo

[Smelt1]

Just be carefull in anchoring in water moving faster than 4 knots.Around were I live we lose several striper fisherman every year when they anchor they're small boats in the piscataqua river.When the tide turns and the river rips it will suck a small boat under the water faster than a trout on a mayfly.

[fozsey]

The Missouri river where I live has a 7 mph current in mid summer when the river is at its normal level. 7mph doesn't seem like much until you are trying to get to a good spot next to a wing dam or trying to motor into a small inlet or bay to park your boat. I have seen some boats with more than adequate power end up on the rocks because they underestimated the power of the current. I have a 40# trolling motor and it just has enough power to stablize my 16' boat in the river. If for whatever reason I lost engine power and was downriver from where I needed to be, my anchor would do more than my trolling motor to help me out. I am by no means trying to talk you out of using your boat, but it is something for you to stick under your hat. I figured all of this out by accident one day when I went further down river than I realized and ran out of gas on the way back. I wasn't actually out of gas thank g, the siphon hose in my gas tank somehow became suspended above the gas level and was sucking air. I tried to use my trolling motor to get up river. No worky. I ended up having to anchor and work out the problem that way.

[Cider]

Keep in mind the relationship between the size of your trolling motor, size of the boat, and number of batteries on board.  With only a 12' jon boat, a 34 lb thrust trolling motor should be more than sufficient.  Carry a spare battery as long as you aren't overloading the boat.

This is a good point that you bring up though Foszey and it gets back to my original thought that you will be okay as long as you know that the outboard will operate whenever you need it.  It goes without saying that you should always have a full tank of gas before you start every trip out in your boat, so I won't say it!!

If there is any doubt about your engine, get a tune-up or replace it with a reliable one.

[ChenBassHead]

Thanks guys. My boat doesn't leak, so that's probably a good thing...after all, I don't want to be fishing from a bathtub. The engine isn't exactly the highest quality engine...it's an old Montgomery Ward 5 HP that came with the boat when it was new...I believe it's a 1972. I haven't used it yet, and I still have to put in the carb kit, but I'll definatly try it on local lakes plenty before taking it on the river. The problem I see with the engine is that it only has a 2 blade prop. I don't know what kind of effect that will have on performance, but I imagine that it will have some sort of impact. Hopefully I can get a better outboard, but it's doubtful (I'm 17, and I have no money!). If all goes right--personnal issue-- I may have a brand new boat by the end of summer anyway. 2 batteries is kind of a lot for the boat, because the battery I have now is a new, VERY heavy deep cycle battery, from another boat we used to have. I do have a portable power pack that provides power long enough to get me back to the launch, or even just to shore, in the instance that there's an emergency. I'll try that motor out as soon as I can, I report back.

-Zach

[Mackdaddy21]

I would make sure your bottom doesn't get holes punched in easily. The Susquehanna is a very shallow river, and very wide. The deep places on eastern rivers are those behind locks and dams.
The Colorado River around my house is narrower than eastern rivers, but much deeper. But still there are enough rocks and gravel bars to warrant a strong bottomed boat. You want something that can withstand current and debris.

Tyler

[Jigwiggler]

Zach, you may already be traveling the river in your boat by now but the engine you have with the 2 bladed prop will be plenty for the Susquehanna as said by others.  I fish this river for years with a little 6 hp evinrude that is considerably older than you motor.    Keeping your wits about you and being aware of your surroundings are the most important things.  Now get out there (if you already haven't) and get into some of that great fishing!!!