Hi Noah,

Those old Johnson/Eveinrude motors are very big part of the fishing and
hunting history in the US. I have owned 4 of them and my dad had 2.

I also love Jon boats. I am sure that sales are as high as ever for Jon
boats in the US. I even see them in fishing videos in third world countries.

--
Bill Kiene

Kiene's Fly Shop
Sacramento, CA, USA
www.kiene.com

"noah" wrote in message
...

I took care of the 4hp Evinrude, the 9.9 Johnson, and the 15hp Evinrude
today...
All drained, lubed, and stabilised.
They are all older than my children, and the 9.9 is nearly as old as I am.

Trusted friends, it seems. I give them a little attention, and when I
pull the
chord, they fire up. Of all my boats, I really do abuse the jon boat, and
these
engines. It starts in the Spring, with low water, mud running for fish,
and
extends into the winter waterfowl season, crunching through and over the
ice.
Like that damned Bunny, they go, and go, and go.

I'm not rich, or even "well off", but over the years I've aquired a
pontoon
party-barge, an older I/O tri-hull, and I have a pretty, newer, fish-ski
I/O,
and a canoe, but none of them have given me as much fun as the lowly jon
boat.
I'd compare it to a good woman, but it wouldn't be a wise comparison.
Flat-bottomed, and ready to run!
Nah,...women wouldn't appreciate that...

It was the jon boat that let me run up in the shallows below the power dam
at
Lock 7, where I caught a 10 lb. smallmouth and a 12 lb. walleye in the
same day
(both released, and both possible records if I hadn't released them ).
It's
also the jon boat that lets me do my foolish "ice runs" after ducks and
geese in
the Fall and Winter. I've even taken ol' jon into the tidal race of the
Scarborough River in Maine, and across Old Orchard Beach to the Saco
River,
chasing stripers.

As this year dwindles down, and a new begins, I'd like to salute "Ugly
Jon". As
friends go, he's never let me down. As long as I do my part, he never
will.



Regards,
noah

To email me, remove the "OT-" from OT-wrecked.boats.noah.
...as you were. )

On Sun, 28 Dec 2003 22:06:15 +0000, noah wrote:


As this year dwindles down, and a new begins, I'd like to salute "Ugly Jon". As
friends go, he's never let me down. As long as I do my part, he never will.


Once again, I hear ya!

Here in Western Canada, the jonboat is replaced by the aluminum
"cartopper" - sorta like a jonboat, but shaped more like a boat and wider.
I'd guess at least half the backyards in BC have one around somewhere in
various states of disrepair.

I bought one last spring (basically traded the 18ft Campion for it and
some cash), and it's rapidly becoming one of my favourite boats. It's SO
versatile! It has enough shape and freeboard to be OK in protected areas
of the Salt Chuck, but it's so light you can "hand-launch" it on lakes
that have nothing more than a gravel beach for a launch-ramp. Trolls all
day with a 40-lb Minn Kota, or skims to the Other Side of the lake in no
time with the Venerable Johnson "9.9".

....and mine even has full canvas!

http://www.user.dccnet.com/lsumpter/Skeeter/
I've since cleaned and painted it - looks MUCH better now!

Lloyd Sumpter
"The Tin Boat" Mirrocraft 12

Lloyd, buy a set of beach wheels for the boat. Eide Industries has the best
ones I've seen. I have a set of Wheel-A-Ways. They mount to the transom
and flipdown down to launch and then via a pin arrangement, flip up for
boating. Eide has a spring pin setup that is nice, Wheel-a-way has a pin
you pull.
Bill

"Lloyd Sumpter" wrote in message
news
On Sun, 28 Dec 2003 22:06:15 +0000, noah wrote:


As this year dwindles down, and a new begins, I'd like to salute "Ugly
Jon". As
friends go, he's never let me down. As long as I do my part, he never
will.


Once again, I hear ya!

Here in Western Canada, the jonboat is replaced by the aluminum
"cartopper" - sorta like a jonboat, but shaped more like a boat and wider.
I'd guess at least half the backyards in BC have one around somewhere in
various states of disrepair.

I bought one last spring (basically traded the 18ft Campion for it and
some cash), and it's rapidly becoming one of my favourite boats. It's SO
versatile! It has enough shape and freeboard to be OK in protected areas
of the Salt Chuck, but it's so light you can "hand-launch" it on lakes
that have nothing more than a gravel beach for a launch-ramp. Trolls all
day with a 40-lb Minn Kota, or skims to the Other Side of the lake in no
time with the Venerable Johnson "9.9".

...and mine even has full canvas!

http://www.user.dccnet.com/lsumpter/Skeeter/
I've since cleaned and painted it - looks MUCH better now!

Lloyd Sumpter
"The Tin Boat" Mirrocraft 12

On Tue, 30 Dec 2003 21:15:11 +0000, Calif Bill wrote:

Lloyd, buy a set of beach wheels for the boat. Eide Industries has the best
ones I've seen. I have a set of Wheel-A-Ways. They mount to the transom and
flipdown down to launch and then via a pin arrangement, flip up for boating.
Eide has a spring pin setup that is nice, Wheel-a-way has a pin you pull.
Bill


Thanks, already got 'em! (you can see the channels for them in the photo of
the stern: http://www.user.dccnet.com/lsumpter/...ter_cover2.jpg )

Very handy!

Lloyd
"Tin Boat" Mirrocraft 12