Get a carolina skiff J16 with one trolling motor and build up from there eventually getting a 30hp motor or so. Or a same for a flat bottom jon boat at 16ft. You will never be happy with a 12-14ft jon boat so just start at 16 and you can learn a lot before you graduate to a much bigger boat. I wouldnt do a v hull as it wont matter at that speed. Two trolling motors sounds like a good idea....it isnt.

Remember you will need to register and get TX numbers etc anytime you add any power to any boat. Even the tiniest trolling motor mounted on a cement mixing tub becomes a powered vessel and needs tx numbers.....and no they dont care that its just a cement mixing tub and not a boat....I had that discussion.

There are boats rigged out as you describe for sale all the time here....get a deal and get on out there.

Dont over think it. But dont be misguided either. Any nice kayak will paddle faster than a jon boat with a trolling motor....trolling motor just doesnt tire out as easily. But when you run out of battery that jon boat is not fun to paddle so get a big battery and be smart with fishing distance.

 

lOOK AT THE LIVINGSTONS AT THAT SIzE THEY ARE CATAMARAN STYLE SHOULD BE MORE STABLE THAn A JON BOAT

http://www.livingstonboats.com/

 

That 14'er looks neat.

 

I've use a John with 1 trolling motor and 2. Don't get 2. Get one, the biggest 12v motor you can. Most of the time you will be running the motor 1/2 to 3/4 speed. Full power will not get you much more speed, but it will burn the battery faster.

Boat shape - the john will have more room, but will be noisy. The canoe can be as quiet as your kayak.

Also, 3-4 mph seems like a good speed in a kayak when you are the motor, but when you have a trolling motor, that same speed seems verrry slow...

Depending on your budget, I would look at a 5hp outboard instead of an electric trolling motor. The smaller motors have a built in gas tank that will run the motor for 30-45 minutes at WOT, or an hour or more at 1/2 throttle. the 5hp will be more power than most square stern canoes will like, but you can run the motor at 1/2 throttle and still plane the boat, 15mph or so.a 12' john will need WOT to plane with 5hp. Bring a 'lawn mower' cas can with you to refill the outboard tank. 56 lbs, so you can carry it to the launch, no trailer needed. The canoe will not be able to run the open bay on a choppy day, but if you treat it like you kayak, and launch and fish sheltered areas, it will do great.

My .02

 

Try something like this
http://2coolfishing.com/ttmbforum/showthread.php?t=1087018
By the time you buy the boat, the trolling motor(s), the batteries and the charger, you will have more wrapped up in a boat that goes 3 mph than you would if you bought a used boat.
I hope the link works that I pasted. Its a 2005 Allweld for 4500 on the 2cool classifieds

 

I started with a 12' long........ wide semi V flat bottom with a 25 on it.. Worked great just slower that I wanted.. Seems like I paid $650 for it used..

 

In the early sixties half the people you seen on the bay were in a rented wood skiff. Rented them on the TC dike. Those old 10 and 15 HP Johnson Seahorse took two men dang near it to pick one up. Just had to remember
your coffee can cause half the time was spent bailing.
Heck my dad a big boat for the day a 14 ft Yellow Jacket with a 30 HP .
You didn't see all the big rigs on the bay, didn't see many boats period and most of the people you saw you knew. Just had to be careful and watch the weather and be ready to run.
No one had a smart phone with weather on it.

Now after saying all that I would want some gasoline power on that jon in case I had to run. You get the right wind and tide working against you
might make some slow walking and sad singing.

 

2 trolling motors and the batteries to go with them sounds like a pain. If you don't care about speed a tiny Jon boat and small 10ish HP engine should get you around and if you buy used you might get all the required gear with it at a good price too. Check on craigslist, there are tons of small aluminum boats on there right now.

 

Just saw this on TBH:
F/S - 13' Jonboat w/9.9hp Johnson
Title in hand. You get the boat, 9.9hp Johnson motor, trailer, trolling motor, battery, & 3 gas cans $900.

http://discussions.texasbowhunter.com/forums/showthread.php?t=469280

 

My $0.02

Johnboat.......forget the trolling motors for propulsion. ANY small cheap outboard is better. The OMC (Johnson/Evenrude) 9.9 and 15 hp from about 1980 to 1992 are nearly bullet proof, low profile and can be had for around $600. They weigh ~80# and will push you faster than you want to go, and cheap on gas. Or one of the smaller outboards will do....2 stroke only for me.

You said "fishing in the bay".......unless you really just stay in VERY protected waters, you will appreciate having a few horsepower outboard motor on the stern, instead of a trolling motor someday when the wind comes up an sheets of rain and lightning are on the horizon!! LOL

Good Luck
Later
R3F

 

I would say most any 12 alu is suicide in bay, most are too narrow and low side/transom..There are some 14 d&w that would be ok..Another option would be 13 old Boston whaler aqua blue inside wit almost flat stern, lite 300#+ and seaworthy as they come As for Power for all lots info above..I have never been around any of the 36v TM but I wonder how long and far at 1/2 speed one could travel..and what would 1/2 speed be

 

I've got a 14' v-hull on a trailer with a 15hp. It works great for one or two people, I wouldn't fish open bay reefs or cross the bay in it but have spent plenty of time at the all the passes and bayous in the SLP area, SLP bridge, the Causeway, ICW shore line and East Bay shore line. It got around pretty good. Would run all day on 3 - 4 gallons of gas. I think I paid 1200 for it.

I'd probably sell it for 1000 it just sits in my garage now. I have a bigger boat that I fish out of and I just haven't been using the aluminum any more.

 

Crunchakah, did you ever pull the trigger?

I'm a kayaker, too. I'll probably be getting a 15' canoe with trolling motor in the next couple of weeks. I don't want to have to pull a trailer, and I don't want to take up a whole truck space in the garage or park something on the side of the house. I figure canoe, trolling motor, battery, lights, paddles, misc supplies, and govt taxes will be around $650+.

 

I'm going to be selling my 2 flat back canoes with long tail motors soon if interested.

Info on the motors:
http://mudmotorkit.com/

Here is my post on the mud motor kit site:

I will have 2 Coleman Scanoes and 2 small swamp runners for sale very soon. Engines will be brand new never run Harbor Freights 212CC. Everything will be in perfect working condition. Barely ever used. One of the canoes is even registered and titled (Texas). I don't believe the other has ever been titled so it shouldn't be an issue to do so. These boats will run around 12mph with extremely full load (2 large adults - 225 each and tons of gear). I have aftermarket intake, carb jet, and exhaust for one of them.

All together I will sell for $1800. Will be more if separated. They are located in Katy, TX.

I will try and get some pics of the setups soon. Email or call if you want more info.

Jason
jmcnair101@gmail.com
713-805-6954