Design
Johnboat
Designed by Paul Butler
A simple flat bottomed jon boat or punt for fishing and duck hunting, drawn in three lengths: 8, 10 and 12 ft, with measurements for all three in the plans. The 8 footer suits one person, takes two, floats in about 4 in of water and weighs around 40 lb in lightweight form, while the 12 footer comes in near 75 lb. Both can go on a car roof.
The wide bottom is stable enough to stand on, and the boat can be paddled, rowed, poled or pushed by the smallest transom motor. Both ends are the same and the sheet ply build is about as simple as boats get, which makes it a sensible first project. Sealed end compartments add strength, seating and flotation, and a graphite bottom allows dragging. Plans come as a 36 page booklet.
What building a Johnboat actually takes
Medians from the build logs kept on this site, not the designer’s estimate. Nobody has logged this boat here yet, so they are empty until the first builder does.
Those medians firm up as more people log this boat.
Builds of this boat
Nobody has logged a Johnboat here yet.
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Start the first log of this boatBoats like this one
Same type, closest in length.
| Design | Plans from | LOA | Logs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bebop | Grandpa's Archive | 8′ 0″ (2.44 m) | 0 |
| Cocktail Class Racer | Chesapeake Light Craft | 8′ 0″ (2.44 m) | 0 |
| Tiny Titan | Glen-L Marine | 8′ 2″ (2.49 m) | 1 |
| XP-8 | Glen-L Marine | 8′ 3″ (2.52 m) | 0 |
| Pee Wee | Glen-L Marine | 7′ 6″ (2.29 m) | 0 |
| Class J | Glen-L Marine | 9′ 0″ (2.74 m) | 0 |