Simon Foord sent us some great comments and photos of his Jon Boat.

It's 15' 7" long, floor is 46" wide and sides approx 17" tall.
(click here for Simon's comments and building photos)

Hello, my name is Joshua White, and with an itch for a project and feeling excited to start fishing again ( just moved from the desert in southern California to beautiful Washington State), I stumbled upon your page by searching, "build a wooden boat" I was sold.
(click here for Joshua's comments and building photos)

 Here are a few pictures of my recently finished Jon boat. I acquired a vintage 1958 Johnson 18hp outboard motor recently, and just didn't feel right putting it on a new aluminum boat. When I came across your Jon boat plans on the internet, I knew they were just the ticket.  (click here for comments and building photos)

 Thanks for the plans and the experience.  I had a blast building it.  Many people dropped by while the boat was in the construction phase, and also when it was completed to say they enjoyed watching it being built.  What a nice compliment.

Enjoy the pictures and videos. 

Henry Lawrence

Brandon, MS               (click here for Henry's comments and photos)

Thank you for a great set of plans and for giving me a hobby project.  My wife and son were outstanding assistants when I needed to move the hull .  People who have seen my boat are amazed that someone took the time and made the effort to build a boat.  I recently drove by our local Bass Pro Shops and saw stacks of “cookie cutter” Jon boats in their storage yard, each one just like every other one.  My boat is unique I know every piece of wood, screw, bead of caulk and strip of fiberglass cloth.  I did not clean up the paint drips because I think they lend character and individuality to my boat. 
       If you all ever come to Northwest Florida (Destin/Fort Walton Beach area), give me a call and I’ll be glad to show her off to you.  Thanks again!

  Frank Weech

  Niceville, Florida  32578              (click here for Frank's comments and photos)

In the spring of ’08, I got my first look at a “home built” Jon Boat in a little lake here in Northern Virginia.  I was so impressed that I looked on the internet for some information and found your web site. I purchased your plans and begin to build immediately. Didn’t take too long to construct the boat.  Coving, fiber glassing and sanding was another matter. Couldn’t do much fiber glassing in the winter.

Max Goodgion

Manassas, VA 20110                (click here for Max's comments and photos)                                      

Ordered my plans early last year and finished in six months.  Almost took longer to get the trailer overhauled, painted and finished.  Made a couple of modifications mainly changing the height of the sides to 21" - can handle rougher water.  It's 15' 8" long, 4' bottom and almost 6' width at the top.  I have one waterproof compartment in the front which steps down to another compartment which I keep anchor, ropes, etc. in and it has a drain hole.  I took pictures during each step of construction and the album is also rather cool to look at.  Enjoy bringing it out when company comes over.  They can't believe that I actually made the boat myself.

As the pictures show, my wife and three boys are enjoying our new boat!!!  I bought a 18HP Nissan from Cabela's to move us to and from the fishing holes.   

Thanks again,

S'Bone                                              (click here to see Robin's Album)

Here is a picture of your Jon boat that I built. I opted for the 15 ft 8 in. size, it's 4 ft. wide at the bottom. As you can see I put in the third seat and the forward deck then closed it in for storage and flotation, also to  get a little more rigidity. I also added four more stringers to the bottom for much needed strength. With the 25 HP. Merc. pushing her at 25 M.P.H, you can see why she needs a lot of beefing up.

The working drawings you provided were precise and easy to follow.

 Yours Truly Bob Schaefer

A Tale of Two Boats. The plans look good, I almost understood them and they are liberal enough to allow one to personalize the design. But I had zero boat building skills or experience. So I did the only logical thing to overcome the learning curve, I built a canoe and johnboat at the same time. Since I decided to build two boats, that certainly qualified me as an expert, I had read both sets of plans, so, being an "expert" I took great liberties with the design of each.