Average Jon Boat Weight With 37 Examples By Brand & Size

To a large extent, the weight of a Jon boat depends on its size, with its construction material also playing a key role.

The Average Weight Of A Jon Boat

The average Jon boat weighs about 500lbs.

Jon boats can weigh between 78lbs to 1056lbs (35 kg and 483 kg).

The weight is dependent on the boat’s construction material, length and width.

This estimate is dry hull weight only and doesn’t include the motor or fuel.

For a real-world example of overall weight, you would have to add the weight of the motor, fuel and gear as well as crew and passengers.

It is also important to note that the above cited estimates do not include your trailer weight, which will need to be considered when ascertaining if you vehicle can safely tow the boat.

Examples of Jon boat weight by size and length

The most common Jon boat lengths are 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, and 20 feet.

So these lengths will be the basis for our examples.

Keep in mind that the dry hull weight excludes the engine, fuel, your gear, the trailer, and any modifications made to the boat.

As the vast majority of store-bought Jon boats are made from aluminum this is the construction material used in our examples.

Of course Jon boats made from fiberglass and wood will have different weights.

Fiberglass boats are much less common and are difficult to come by.

Most wooden Jon boats are homemade and extremely lightweight and if you are interested in building you own we we demonstrated how to that here).

10 foot Jon boat average weight – 6 popular brand name examples

10 foot aluminum Jon boats have an average dry hull weight of 95lbs or 43kg.

This average was calculated and based on the following models and manufactures.

• 10 foot Waco Jon 1432 series, 78lbs or 35kg
• 10 foot Alumacraft 1036, 100lbs or 45kg
• 10 foot Lowe L1032 Jon boat, 80lbs or 36kg
• 10 foot Tracker Topper 1036 Jon boat, 112lbsor51 kg
• 10 foot Smoker Craft 1032 Jon boat, 100lbsor 45kg
• 10 foot G3 Jon boat 1036 Jon boat, 100lbs or 45kg

12 foot Jon boat average weight – 9 popular brand name examples

12 foot Jon boats have an average dry hull weight of 111lbs or 50 kg.

This average was calculated and based on the following models and manufactures.

• 12 foot Waco Jon 1432 series, 88lbs or 49kg
• 12 foot Alumacraft 1236 Jon boat, 125lbs or 57kg
• 12 foot Lowe L1236 Jon boat, 90lbs or 41kg
• 12 foot Tracker Topper 1236 Jon boat, 126lbs or 57kg
• 12 foot Smoker Craft 1232, 120lbs or 54kg
• 12 foot G3 boats 1236, 144lbs or 65kg
• 12 foot Pelican Intruder 12 Jon boat, 127lbs or 58kg
• 12 foot Lost Creek Jon boat, 90lbs or 41kg
• 12 foot Crestliner 1236 Jon boat, 125lbs or 57kg

14 foot Jon boat foot Jon boat average weight – 8 popular brand name examples

14 foot aluminum Jon boats have an average dry hull weight of 167lbs or 76kg.

This average was calculated and based on the following models and manufactures.

• 14-foot Waco Jon 1432 series Jon boat, 104lbs or 47kg
• 14-foot Alumacraft 1436 Jon boat, 180lbs or 82kg
• 14-foot Lowe L1436 Jon boat, 185lbs or 66kg
• 14-foot Tracker Topper 1436 Jon boat, 162lbs or 73kg
• 14-foot Smoker Craft 1436 Jon boat, 185lbs or 66kg
• 14-foot G3 boats (average of 14-foot models), 190lbs or 86kg
• 14-foot Lost Creek Jon boat, 145lbs or 66kg
• 14-foot Crestliner 1436 Jon boat, 180lbs or 82kg

16 foot Jon boat – 7 popular brand name examples

16 foot aluminum Jon boats have an average dry hull weight of 359lbs or 163kg.

This average was calculated and based on the following models and manufactures.

• 16 foot XPresJonon boats 1650 VJ, 341lbs or 155kg
• 16 foot Alumacraft 1648 Jon boat, 320lbs or 145kg
• 16 foot Lowe L1648 Jon boat, 275lbs or 125kg
• 16 foot Tracker Grizzly 1648 Jon boat, 638lbs or 289kg
• 16 foot Smoker Craft 1648 Jon boat, 295lbs or 134kg
• 16 foot G3 Jon boats (average of 16-foot models), 375lbs or 170kg
• 16 foot Crestliner 1648 Jon boat, 265lbs or 125kg

18 foot Jon boat – 4 popular brand name examples

18 foot aluminum Jon boats have an average dry hull weight of 534lbs or 242kg.

This average was calculated and based on the following models and manufactures.

• 18 foot Tracker Grizzly 1860 Jon boat, 79lbs , 360kg
• 18 foot Crestliner 1800 Jon boat, 475lbs or 215kg
• 18 foot Alumacraft 1848 Jon boat, 370lbs or 168kg
• 18 foot G3 Jon boats (average of 18-foot models), 500lbs or 227kg

20 foot Jon boat – 3 popular brand name examples

20-foot aluminum Jon boats have an average dry hull weight of 828 pounds or 375 kg.

This average was calculated and based on the following models and manufactures.

• 20 foot Lowe Roughneck 2070 Jon boat, 710lbs or 322kg
• 20 foot Crestliner 2070 Retriever Jon boat, 710lbs or 322kg
• 20 foot G3 boat gator tough – an average of 20-foot models, 105lbs  or 483kg

Other factors that affect the total weight of a Jon boat

The motor adds to the weight of a Jon boat

Your outboard motor will have a significant impact on the weight of your boat.

So ensure you include it in your calculations if you want to determine your boats towing weight and its weight while in the water.

Always be sure your Jon boat is fitted with the correct sized motor.

Onboard fuel & the fuel tank add to the weight of a Jon boat

Fuel can drastically affect the towing weight of your Jon boat and its weight in the water so it is important that you are aware of it.

Diesel weighs approximately 7.1 pounds/gallon while gasoline weighs approximately 6.1 pounds/gallon.

So you should factor in fuel weight based upon whether your outboard motor is diesel or gas powered.

The common sizes of fuel containers for Jon boats hold either 3 or 6 gallons of fuel depending on the size of the boat.

Therefore  the weight of fuel based on tank size are given below.

3 gallon tank weight:

Diesel:

7.1 x 3 = 21.3 pounds

Gasoline:

6.1 x 3 = 18.3 pounds

6 gallon tank weight:

Diesel weight:

7.1 x 6 = 42.6 pounds

Gasoline weight:

6.1 x 6 = 36.6 pounds

Note that this is for a full tank of fuel. Obviously if you have a half tank or a quarter tank you will need to alter the above formulas appropriately.

However, it is unlikely you will be using a Jon boat without a full tank of fuel.

If you have a different size of fuel tank then it is just a matter of multiplying the maximum capacity of the tank with the number shown above for either diesel or gasoline.

Stored gear adds to the weight of a Jon boat

When estimating the overall total weight of your Jon boat it is vital to take into account the weight of your gear, especially if you have extensive hunting or fishing equipment onboard.

Gear also includes things like oars, paddles, and personal items.

Gear can weigh more than you think. Even just the essential items on a hunting Jon boat can easily add up to 200 pounds or more.

Crew adds to the weight of a Jon boat

If you want to estimate the weight of your Jon boat when it is in the water then don’t overlook the added weight of crew members.

It is all too easy to overload a Jon boat by simply forgetting to calculate the weight of gear and crew.

A Jon boat that sits too low in the water runs the risk of sinking no matter how shallow the waterways are.

How to calculate the overall weight of your Jon boat fully loaded in the water

To work out the weight of your boat in the water simply add all the weights you calculated above together.

This gives you the equation:

Dry hull weight + Motor weight + Fuel weight + Gear weight + crew weight = Weight of boat on the water.

Just as it is important to know the over weight of your Jon boat it is equally important to know how much weight your Jon boat can hold.

We covered this subject in detail here where we give Jon boat weight capacities as examples.

I suggest you review that article after reading this one.

How to calculate the overall towing weight of your Jon boat

The towing weight of your Jon boat will be different than the weight of the boat in and out of the water.

Just as dry hull weight is different from a fully laden boat weight, fully laden boat weight is also different from its towing weight.

This is due to the added weight of the trailer.

Trailer weight should be included in your calculations

Jon boat trailers weigh about 200 – 600 pounds or 91 kg to 272 kg depending on size and construction material.

Some materials used to make trailers weigh more than others as there are some fantastically sturdy yet lightweight Jon boat trailers on the market these days.

Usually though, the longer the trailer, the more it weighs.

Simply follow the guidelines given above to determine the weight of each of the following:

• The boat itself.
• Motor.
• Fuel.
• Gear.
• Trailer.

Then add these weights together to get the overall towing weight of the vehicle.

Here is a simple example:

• Jon Boat – 400lbs
• Outboard trolling motor – 22lbs
• Fuel – 17lbs
• Gear – 200lbs
• Trailer – 500lbs

Overall total towing weight = 1139lbs.

For a reliable estimate of overall total towing weight, it is extremely important that you get the trailer, boat, gear, motor and fuel weights as close to the specs as possible.

However, be aware that whatever weights you come up with will be estimates only.

Understand the towing capacity of your vehicle as well as the weight of your Jon boat

One of the first things you have to check before you buy a Jon boat is how much weight your vehicle can handle when towing.

SUVs and trucks are the most popular tow vehicles and they should have no problem towing any size of Jon boat.

However, there are smaller cars that can handle towing smaller Jon boats but which may struggle with larger boats that are fully loaded.

You will find that the inside of your vehicle door has a label of the total weight your vehicle can pull.

Although Jon boats are reasonably lightweight if you try pulling a 3000-pound fully laden Jon boat with a small car that cannot handle the weight you are likely to face serious mechanical problems.

What’s more, you would be risking damage to your boat and gear and even putting your own safety at risk.

Towing capacities for popular vehicles

Below are few estimated Towing Capacities for some popular trucks.

• Chevy Silverado 1500, about 12,50lbs
• Dodge Ram, about 10,60lbs
• Chevy Colorado, about 770lbs
• Toyota Tacoma, about 6500 to 680lbs
• GMC Sierra, about 12,00lbs
• Nissan Titan, about 900lbs
• Ford F150, about 12,00lbs

Understanding Jon boat weights is essential before you purchase one because there is nothing worse than buying a Jon boat too heavy for your vehicle to tow.

You may also want to learn how to measure a Jon boat, especially the beam.