Looking for real world opinions of these 17-20 foot Jon boats. After spending all winter trying to decide what to buy, I pulled the trigger on a 1754 at Adirondack Boat show a few weeks back. I fish mostly the upper Hudson River south of Hadley/Corinth, Saratoga Lake, Cossayuna and other smaller lakes in Warren/Wash/Saratoga counties in upstate NY. I wanted something open and simple, with a casting deck/chair up front. I am by myself a lot of the time, so I also wanted something light I could launch/load solo.
I went back and fourth a few times from a deep V and these bigger Jon's. I know the ride will be rough when the wind picks up, but also will be lower on the water so my sail wont catch as much wind. I do plan on fishing more than moving, so the stability of a Jon should outweigh the rougher ride.
I maxed out the ponies to what the boat is rated for, so it should have acceptable performance.
What do you guys think?