Thread: idea of buying a Jon, then finding and adding a motor?

I am in Leesburg, just outside of Albany. I hoping for some feedback on the pros and cons of possibly buying a used, but like new Jon with a trailer - with no motor, then finding a motor for it. The details are as follows, financially I'm ok, bit I am to be laid off at the end of May. In preparation, we sold most of our toys. My wife is wanting us to get another another boat, but to keep it small, and as inexpensive as possible, but still get a dependable, stable craft. My thoughts are for a 14' deep wide Jon with a decent sized motor. I can do all of the fabrication and rigging myself to set it up like we want it. I have found a few individual owned boats at real good prices, but none have motors on them. Would it be of any advantage to buy them separate or wait to find them together? Any feedback would be great. Also, any leads on boats and or motors would be great also.

I see better deals with the motor included. Most used motors seem to be in the 4 to $500. or more by themselves. I see a lot of used jon boats in this area for $700 to $1000 with everything included. But if you were able to get into a jon boat cheaply and could use a trolling motor until you found a good deal I think I'd jump on it. Buying a motor now is higher than it would be in the fall. I see some areas where small boats sell much higher than they do here. We have only ponds and lakes in this part of the world, no river fishing so I can only go by what works here.
Not much help I know.
Bill

you might look around and find a good used ready for the water for the price of a boat alone . most motors are not used that much . i have several older boats and motors that run good . i have a good 1966 33 hp johnson that runs real good . i would be still running it but got a good deal on a 1979 55 hp on a bumble bee bass boat . Shine runner has one for sale . also trumpdriver also has a small boat for sale.both of those are ready for the water .just upgraded to a bigger boat . if you are looking for something under 1000.00 i have 2 that would need some work on the boats . one needs a motor installed and some fiberglass work where a tree fell on it . the other is a 15ft.walkthrough wendshield . it is water ready . may need a carb cleaned as it has set for a while . will sen picks if interested. a motor is the most expensive thing about a boat .

Normally your best buy is on a complete package, boat, motor and trailer. That's not to say you can't get a bargain buying piece by piece.

PM sent to you

As most have all ready stated, you are better off purchasing a package deal. Jon boats and trailers (without a motor) are relatively cheap and easy to find, but finding a motor for a decent price is usually not so easy. Now, there are deals out there if you are patient.

Try the GON forums (forum.gon.com) and you may find what you are looking for. Simply place an ad in the classifieds, and who knows what you may come across!

For what it's worth, when I'm selling something I'm apt to part it out so that I can get more money overall for it. That said, You'll most likely get a better deal by buying the whole package together.

Check craigslist, they have a lot of boats listed, thats where I found mine. I think they are right, you will get a better deal on combo boat and motor.

Wow, Thanks for all the replies, guys! I will start sorting through the info, and making contacts.