Everyone that has had held the throttle of an engine has thought this at some point: “I wanna go fast.” It’s hard not to get a grin just thinking about it. Regardless of your use for Jon Boats, you will want to know what the maximum horsepower is for your specific boat. It’s a safety consideration as much as it is a logistical one.
What’s the max horsepower for a Jon Boat?
Maximum horsepower is based upon the size of your boat, with the range being around 3-5hp for small 10-12 foot boats, all the way up to 60-75hp for longer 18-20 foot Jon Boats. You should follow your boat manufacturer’s suggested horsepower for the specific size of your boat.
Max HP for Jon Boats by Size
Ultimately the max horsepower of a boat is determined by the manufacturer who takes into the consideration the size of the boat (length and width). When choosing a Jon Boat you’ll notice they are usually just referred to by their length although the width will vary some as well. Length isn’t the only consideration in determining the max horsepower for the boat but it’s a good proxy which is why I’ve grouped them by length later in this article.
I have seen others recommend a formula for flat-bottomed boats that the maximum horsepower should be estimated by taking the length (in feet) multiplied by the width (in feet) and dividing that in half. Then subtract 15 from that figure and you have your max horsepower.
If you don’t want to do the math and are looking for a general starting point, I have researched 33 different boats and their various manufacturer’s suggested horsepower ratings and summarized below. These specs and ratings are solely based on my research and experience so you’ll want to make sure to do your own research in addition to mine.
Max Horsepower of a 10 Foot Jon Boat
10 foot Jon Boats average a maximum of 3-5hp with most being on the lower end of that.
- Alumacraft 10 Foot Jon Boat: 3hp
- Lowe L1032 Jon: 3.5hp
- Waco Jon 1432 Series 10 Foot: 3hp
- Tracker Topper 1036: 3hp
- Smoker Craft 1032: 3hp
- G3 Boats 1036: 5hp
Max Horsepower of a 12 Foot Jon Boat
12 foot Jon Boats average a maximum of 5-7hp.
- Alumacraft 12 Foot Jon Boat: 7hp
- Lowe L1232: 3.5hp
- Waco Jon 1432 Series 12 Foot: 5hp
- Tracker Topper 1236: 5hp
- Smoker Craft 1232: 6hp
- G3 Boats 1236: 10hp
- Pelican Intruder 12: 6hp
- Lost Creek 12 Foot: 5hp
Max Horsepower of a 14 Foot Jon Boat
14 foot Jon Boats average a maximum horsepower of 15-20hp but some will fall outside of that range based on the specific boat.
- Waco Jon 1432 Series 14 Foot: 7hp
- Lowe L1436: 20hp
- Tracker Topper 1436: 15hp
- Smoker Craft 1436: 20hp
- G3 Boats 14 Foot (average of 14 foot models): 25hp
- Lost Creek 14 Foot: 15hp
Max Horsepower of a 16 Foot Jon Boat
16 foot Jon Boats pretty consistently average a maximum horsepower of 25-35hp.
- Alumacraft 16 Foot Jon Boat: 35hp
- Lowe L1648: 35hp
- Tracker Grizzly 1648 Jon: 25hp
- Smoker Craft 1648: 35hp
- G3 Boats 16 Foot (average of 16 foot models): 25hp
- Crestliner 1600: 35hp
- XPress Boats 1650 VJ: 30hp
Max Horsepower of a 18 Foot Jon Boat
18 foot Jon Boats average a maximum horsepower of 40-60hp. This is a larger range and more research should be done based on your specific model.
- Tracker Grizzly 1860 Jon: 60hp
- Crestliner 1800: 40hp
- G3 Boats 16 Foot (average of 18 foot models): 60hp
Max Horsepower of a 20 Foot Jon Boat
20+ foot Jon Boats can have 75hp+ and vary a lot more in their specs, customization, and design. Here are a few averages just to give you a baseline:
- Lowe Roughneck 2070: 75hp
- Crestliner 2070 Retriever: 75hp
- G3 Boats Gator Tough (average of 20 foot models): 115hp
Related Questions
That was a lot of numbers we just went through. What do they all mean? Why does it matter? Here are some more considerations when thinking about your boat’s horsepower.
What is horsepower and why does it matter?
I find it funny that in this day and age we still compare units of energy in relation to a horse. Why do we still do that? Do all horses have the same amount of strength? I learned recently that the unit of horsepower is actually pretty simple: 1 horsepower can move 550 pounds 1 foot in 1 second. That’s the measurement.
To simplify the math a bit for us, each manufacturer has placed a specific horsepower rating on each boat that ensure that it can be used safely and effectively. Abiding by these horsepower ratings isn’t just a suggestion, in many cases it’s actually regulated on the water and law enforcement can check to make sure you are within the appropriate range.
What happens if I put too much horsepower on my Jon Boat?
It’s fun to watch shows and YouTube videos where a boat or car gets modified to have an engine 5x its size. While it’s fun to watch on a screen, it’s not practical for actual use. Manufacturers suggest a maximum horsepower for a reason and that’s primarily for safety. Manufacturers do a great deal of testing each time they create a new boat and determine what the best engine size is for that boat in order to maintain control and maximize effectiveness for that model.
Boats with excessive horsepower can be extremely difficult to control and if taken to the extreme can lead to serious risk of injury. It’s really important that you put the appropriately sized engine on your boat and don’t overdo it.
Jon Boats aren’t designed to carry a large amount of people or gear (see our article on how much Jon Boats can carry) and so they don’t need huge engines to be able to move well on the water. Compared to car engines, Jon Boat engines are quite smaller but they aren’t pushing around nearly as much weight.
How fast do Jon Boats go?
Your boat’s speed will largely depend on the size of the engine, which as you have read above, is largely dependent on the size of the boat. Therefore, the bigger the boat, the faster it’s going to go. Manufacturers design that from a practical and safety perspective so that larger, more stable boats can handle the speed and still maintain the same degree of safety.
Based on our research and experience here are some averages based on the size of your boat (it is going to vary a lot based on your engine size and water and weather conditions):
8 Foot: 5+ mph
10 Foot: 5-10 mph
12 Foot: 10-15 mph
14 Foot 20-25 mph
16 Foot: 25-30 mph
18-20 Foot: 35-45 mph
To read more on this topic see our article on “How Fast Will a Jon Boat Go?“.
When thinking about how fast Jon Boats go, it’s important to think about what you’re actually going to be using the boat for. If you’re rarely going farther than a few coves away, who needs to go 30mph to do that? If you are needing to check trot lines miles apart, then upgrading to the upper end of that engine range starts to become a better idea. For more reading check out “What Size Jon Boat Should I Get?“.
How expensive is it to go faster?
If your boat will handle a range of engine sizes and you are trying to decide what engine to stick on it based on price, here are some averages based on 24 different engines (these prices are for brand new, not used) that I researched.
- 3hp: $575
- 5hp: $950
- 15hp: $1,500
- 25hp: $2,300
- 30hp: $3,200
- 60hp: $6,200
- 75hp: $8,000
- 115hp: $9,000
For any of you numbers people out there, there’s actually a pretty close correlation between horsepower and price in that the base price (3hp) will cost you about $500 new and then add about $80 for each horsepower you want in addition to that. I plotted it on a graph and the correlation stays very consistent. In other words, it doesn’t cost exponentially more to get incrementally more horsepower.
Conclusion
Be smart when choosing the engine size on your Jon Boat. It can be fun to daydream about attaching the biggest engine you can possibly afford to the back of the boat but always take into consideration the manufacturer’s rating for that specific boat. If you’ve maxed out the engine size and speed for your boat and still want to go faster, the answer might involve a bigger boat.
