Jon or pontoon?

[kissarmygeneral]

Hi all,
I'm looking to buy my first boat and am settled on purchasing a nice little pontoon unit or a 12 ft jon boat. The main disadvantage of the pontoons i've been looking at is that it only fits one person, limiting me from bringing a buddy or god forbid, my old lady. Disadvantage of the jon is buying and transporting gear( trolling motor, possible small outboard, batteries etc.) Both seem like good economical choices for getting out on the lakes out here.
Thoughts?

[isoseeker]

I had the same issues as yourself. I ended up buying a pontoon instead for ease of transportation and storage. Bought a small trolling motor for it as well.

Fishing solo is a disadvantage, but other models for more than one person are available.

I bought the Colorado XT from WSS.

[Mountain Guy]

If you can get your truck to the water than go with a Jon.
If you have to walk to the water any distance than pontoon.
If u hope to fish both than get both :)

[mayuan]

I had the same dilemma and decided on the pontoon also. I figure that when I get a full size boat that the pontoon will still be useful for me. Most people seem to get the Jon boat then want to get rid of it and get the larger boat and a pontoon.

[-JR-]

I heard small jon boats are not stable ,kind of like sliding a sheet of plywood around on a skating ring,can anyone else confirm this.
I would go for a large ponoton with electric motor or one of those inflatable boats . You could also go on kijji and rent a boat !

[RapStaff]

I've got a 12 foot boat on a small trailer. Can't speak personally as for how a Jon boat handles as I've never owned one.
All I know about pontoon boats is I've never seen one on a lake in 2 foot chop.
Maybe I'm wrong but I've managed some rough water in my boat where I'm pretty sure I would have dumped a Pontoon boat over.
If all you want to do is putz around on Star lake a pontoon boat is great.
But sooner or later you'll get the itch to hit up some bigger water and your pontoon may not be substantial enough to do the job.
I'm sure you'll be happy either way ,but remember it sucks trying to get good fish pics
W/O a camera man.
And without pics or a good buddy (or your wife if all else fails) its just a fishing story.

[Teshalee]

I bought a 14ft tracker Jon boat last year from bass pro and love it. I can fit 3 people fishing comfortably, with all our gear(cooler too ;) and a 7.5hp motor and gas tank. Before I bought this though I can honestly say I had no experience with boats, so to compare stability with other boats I can’t. I know I tend to be able to get into a few spots that other boats can’t. But I like that I can have people with me, maybe just my own personal paranoia but if something happens on the water it’s nice to know someone is there to help if needed. I will say that if it’s really wavy/windy it’s a bit of a rough ride. Too windy/wavy I probably shouldn’t be there anyway. Good luck, either way you’ll have fun.

[TROLLER]

Jon boat is more an all purpose you can use on lakes when it is not real windy but also on a slew for duck hunting.

the pontoon is very safe but in the wind can be somewhat difficult to manage. If you do not want to get into migratory hunting then if you buy a boat I would strongly reccomend a 12 or 14ft crestliner or lund. They both have a somewhat deep V and are more wind friendly than any Jon.