BigTony

Thanks for some great info. The larger jet motors seems to be incredibly expensive, and I sure don't want to toss my 5 yr old into an unsafe boat, and don't want to purchase a craft that I can't take my son with me. If I could catch a 16 foot Jon with a decent outboard prop, how limited would my fishing be? Would I be able to get it through shallows with some effort, or would it pretty much negate summer fishing? imreally appreciate all the help!

Thanks for the heads up. Might be SoL on the boat until the wife can give me a bigger budget. Bigger boat, bigger motor, etc. with the bigger boat I'm a little concerned with dragging it through the shallows, any guidelines I should follow to make sure it's light enough?

Thanks for the reply smalliebigs, I guess I didn't realize that above had that curve. I am looking at a 14 ft Jon to get me around. I will usually be alone or with my 5 yr old, but I am sure the wife might want to go for a ride once in a great while, and when my dad or bro visit we may fish. Would a small jet (25 hp) be bad for 2 guys in a small Jon? My wife isn't letting me run away with our saving so the budget is a little tight. I might be able to get a boat with a bigger prop motor, just don't know what to expect when getting through the shallow areas.

While I appreciate the pretty distinct negative opinion on that boat, my supply of options is fairly limited to used boats. I am completely green about boats. Is the hull size about appropriate? I can fix the size of motors at a later time, or is this hull completely not going to work? I certainly have a limited budget. Thanks for the continued help everyone is supplying!

How does something like this compare? https://columbiamo.craigslist.org/boa/5514410094.html

17 ft too big for that section near the state park?

Well that's a touch out of my price range, haha. I hope the advice about the channel is genuine, if so then thanks. I am looking at used boats with and without jet motors, anything in particular to avoid?

Hey all Meramec anglers, I was hoping you veterans could help out a new fisher on the hunt. I moved into the area about 3 years ago, and finally have a situation where I can restart my desire to fish. My wife has offered to purchase a boat for my birthday, and I am looking forward to taking out my 5 yr old son fishing with me. I understand different stretches of the Meramec River are fairly different from one another and was hoping for some guidance on the boat that would best suite the river. While I live right next to the state park, I have no qualms about driving for some quality fishing. It was suggested to me that a 14-16 ft flatbottom jon boat would suite my purposes, large enough to be versatile and comfortable, yet light enough to pull through shallow sections of the river. While this seems like it might work, I was wondering if the seasoned fisherman who venture these waters on a regular basis might have addition or more specific insight on a craft that would work best. I prefer to fish for bass, however I have been unable to fish for such a time that any bites would mean a good time. I understand jet boats are all the rage and work well in the shallows, I am unsure if my budget has the room to fit the luxury. Any help would be much appreciated, thanks!