Whenever you hit the water with your jon boat, you may notice that it isn’t always level with the water. This can be a cause for concern if you plan on heading out to more shallow parts of the water, especially if you plan on fishing or hunting. Thankfully, installing jon boat floatation pods can resolve this issue and many others.
So, do jon boat floatation pods help for anything? Jon boat floatation pods are effective at keeping the stern of a jon boat and other aluminum boats more upright by compensating for the excess weight found in the stern. This excess weight is usually caused by the engine and the boat’s main operator.
After installing jon boat floatation pods, you’ll wonder how you ever went boating without them. Whether you’re the type of jon boater that likes to get into the more shallow parts of the water or you simply want to increase the overall performance and comfort of your jon boat, look no further than jon boat floatation pods.
Why You Should Install Jon Boat Floatation Pods
Jon boat floatation pods are an excellent addition to any jon boat out there because they solve several problems many jon boaters face. The thing is, most jon boaters want the freedom to explore even the shallowest of areas due to fishing and hunting in optimal locations. Even without the consideration of fishing or hunting, increased performance is always welcome especially if it helps reduce fuel costs.
There are a number of important reasons why you should install jon boat floatation pods, including:
- Reduces how far the transom is in the water.
- Keeps the boat more level with the water.
- Moves more water to the engine propeller.
- Increases the top speed of the boat.
- Improves the acceleration of the boat.
- Reduces the amount of water coming over the transom when stopping.
- Increases fuel efficiency.
Having every advantage possible while fishing or hunting on your jon boat and even just increasing performance while simultaneously saving on costs is essential for jon boaters. Interestingly enough, even though you’ll spend time and money on installing floatation pods on your jon boat, in the long-term you’ll likely save time and money.
When you get in your jon boat, you’ll soon realize that a lot of weight finds itself at the stern of your boat. This, of course, results in your transom dipping further into the water, which can increase the odds of water getting into your jon boat. With floatation pods, this is ultimately solved since they’ll keep your jon boat’s stern propped up by providing more upward force to accommodate all of the back weight.
If your jon boat’s stern (and thus transom) is further up, that means your jon boat will be more level when sitting idle in the water or when you’re cruising around. For me, I realize how much more stable I feel when maneuvering around my jon boat while it’s idle as well as how much more leveled it is when hitting the water. Whenever I get in a jon boat without floatation pods, I immediately realize the value in them.
Another big advantage of installing floatation pods on your jon boat is there’ll be more water moving into your engine’s propellor while driving around. The reason this is advantageous is due to your jon boat leveling out more easily, it’s able to plane much easier allowing more water to move to your propellor. The more plane your jon boat is and the more water moving through your propellor, the faster your jon boat.
By having a jon boat that’s more easily able to enter a plane-mode of movement, you’re effectively increasing the overall performance of your jon boat. That means you’ll be able to hit greater top speeds than you were able to before installing floatation pods. Let’s face it, even if we don’t hit our top speeds all the time, it’s nice to know we have a bit more performance when out on the water.
Not only do floatation pods help increase the top speed of your jon boat, but it also increases the acceleration. Also, the increase of acceleration transfers directly over to improving the maneuverability of your jon boat, since it becomes much easier to change course suddenly without losing out on the momentum you’ve built up while cruising around. In my opinion, this is one of the best outcomes when it comes to improving upon my jon boat’s performance using floatation pods.
On a more comfort-based aspect of having jon boat floatation pods, they also help reduce the transom backsplash you experience when slowing down your jon boat. Whether you stop suddenly or even gradually, it’s almost certain that water will jump up the transom a bit and potentially find its way into your jon boat. Thankfully, floatation pods help reduce this outcome dramatically.
With all the fantastic benefits that come with installing floatation pods on your jon boat, one of the best by far is the effect they have on reducing fuel costs. Since your jon boat will be able to move through the water more efficiently than it once did, your jon boat is expending less energy than it once had to. Of course, if you’re hitting even greater top speeds at high RPMs you won’t really see these gains, but you certainly will if you stay within the range of speeds you normally cruise around with.
How to Install Jon Boat Floatation Pods
Now, to achieve some of the awesome benefits that come with floatation pods, you’ll first have to get them installed on your jon boat. While they’re certainly not the easiest addition to be made on a jon boat, they’re well worth the investment. With a little time and effort, you’ll have your jon boat outfitted with floatation pods in no time.
There are a couple of ways to install floatation pods onto your jon boat. The easiest way to install them is to simply bolt them on the transom of your jon boat and the more difficult way is to weld them on. Depending on your experience welding as well as interest in carrying out a longer project, you may choose one over the other.
Bolting floatation pods onto your jon boat is by far the easiest option, but also the least secure. The problem with depending on the bolting of floatation pods to a jon boat’s transom is the bolts may need tightening from time to time. They won’t always keep their hold, so checking up and keep them tight is a responsibility you’ll need to take on. On top of that, you’ll need to ensure they stay clean and that they’re not becoming corroded or rusted over time, which would require more maintenance.
The best option of installing jon boat floatation pods is to weld them on. This is the best option because it’s by far the longest-lasting solution and you’ll essentially never have to worry about it again. You won’t need to worry about them falling off or corroding over time since they’ll be a solid extension of your jon boat.
One of the great aspects of many floatation pods available today is they allow you to both bolt and weld them on. For instance, you may just want to install them and try them out, which is where bolting them on would certainly come in handy. And, finally, if you decide to keep them for the long-term, welding becomes the obvious second step.
My suggestion is to find jon boat floatation pods that give you the option to do both so that you can try them out without committing long-term. Once you find the floatation pods that are right for you, making it permanent is going to have long-lasting positive effects when it comes to being out on the water in your jon boat.
Effective Jon Boat Flotation Pods
Finding the right floatation pod for your jon boat is incredibly important because it’s truly an important decision due to the fact that it’ll affect the quality of your boat for the foreseeable future. If you’re ready to take steps to getting your jon boat outfitted with some high-quality floatation pods, you’ll need to find the ones that are right for you.
Beavertail Floatation Pods (2-Pack)
Ensuring the jon boat floatation pods you choose are of the highest quality material and have a great reputation is key, which is why I’m a huge fan of the Beavertail Floatation Pods (link to read reviews on Amazon). These are some of the best quality floatation pods you can get for being relatively inexpensive.
These floatation pods by Beavertail provide a whopping 160 pounds of extra floatation force, which will help keep your jon boat’s stern extremely buoyant. They’re also a perfect match for aluminum jon boats since they fit perfectly for jon boats with an overall length of 14-16 feet. While they pose a higher cost than other upgrades you can make to your jon boat, the long-lasting benefits will certainly outweigh this relatively small investment into your jon boat.
