Thread: Sardis Boat info?

Need to get some info on the little john boats people use to fish The timber on Sardis lake and some of the others? There I'm guessing about 8ft long and they sit down in the floor of them.
Anyone got some pictures of them? Along with the length? Width in the bottom and across the top? How high the sides are on them? I think I remember someone telling me Polar Craft used to build them?
I'm looking at making one out of 1/8" plywood, Fiberglass and Resin. That way it will not weight but around 75 lbs at the most.
Thanks for any info on this you can help me out with.
Pete

Don't know anything about them, when I was young, long time ago, my uncles made jon boat from cypress planks, didn't have plywood and thats what we fished from, good old days, ha,ha. I tried to find some plans but didn't find much.
One Sheet John boat...

SmallBoats.Com

http://www.vintageprojects.com/boats/jon-boat-plans.pdf

I see them alot at Enid and Sardis. They look real neat. I have seen alot of them that have a cool pulley type set up to stear the TM with your feet. I have seen them for sale at Hwy 14 Marine near Atoka TN on Hwy 14. With trailer and wired for a trolling motor they ran around $1200

Pete, most of the boats are built by individuals. It takes about a sheet and a half of plywood and a little woodworking skill. I have seen some welded alum. ones cut down from the front half of an old jon boat. I have some rough, hand drawn plans that I might be able to scan to you, or certainly mail a copy to you.

I used to see people on the water way in them. Like a really short deep vee bottom with these pedals up front you steer your trolling motor. I always wondered where they got those too.

there is one for sale on cr 108 just about 4 miles from the landing at hurricane. 750 boat motor and trailer.

Interesting, wonder if go-cart pedals and linkage would work a TM like that? I guess a fella could always run up to reelfoot and nab one of them scary little jon boats they use on that place they call a lake.

Thanks guys the ones I have seen were built or they told me they were from Polar Craft. But I do think they cut down a longer boat and it did have a V front end.
The steering on the ones I have seen were only a Throttle cable hooked to a stick up front and runs back to the motor. Push and pull to steer the motor. Then switches in the floor to adjust the speed and the on and off was a Dimmer Switch .
SteveJ we also used to build our own 14ft boats out of Cypress then went to Cypress and marine Plywood then to treated lumber and normal 1/2" plywood and the ribs were ever 16" and were 1.5"x1.5" treated boards ripped out of a 2x6 Best fishing boats there was for years. I helped my Uncle build a few of them. He would have one in some stage of the build all year long. Most times He would build at least 2 per month from April until Oct.
Pops thats great my address in on the contact page of Wildwolfproducts.com Would even pay for your troubles.

I'm not sure I will be able to fish out of one long. But do think theres going to be one built anyway. Looking at the Stitch and Glue method. As there though boats that are light and hold up well. More like the Lost Mold form of building the 1/4 or 1/8" plywood is the mold and you glass it in and its ready to handle years of fishing.
Pete

Pete, plans are in the mail. The boats take a little getting used to, you are fishing with your legs straight out in front of you. They are great for slipping up on fish in some tight places.

This is a article that was in Bobby Clevelands outdoor section today on the Clarion Ledger web site.

Informative and is about a man in Brandon that builds one man boats.....ohhhh, and he sells them as well....

Hope this helps

The Clarion-Ledger - Outdoors