What is a Jon boat?
A Jon boat is a small, flat-bottomed fishing boat measuring between 9 and 16 feet, although some models exceed 20 feet. This type of craft is mainly used on lakes and rivers. In fact, the name Jon Boat is fairly general, and while everyone agrees on the flat bottom and generally square bow, there are many variations.
The flat bottom allows the boat to venture into shallow waters for fishing or duck hunting, while offering good stability.
Originally, the Jon boat was made of wood, then sometimes steel. Today, there are many models made of aluminum, a light, hard-wearing material that dents but doesn't break. There are also models in fiberglass and even polyethylene, which require no maintenance.
Jon boat layout is fairly basic, often consisting of one or two bench seats. Sometimes there are one or two lockers, or even seat supports for comfortable fishing.
Originally row-powered, these boats now use a small outboard gas engine or trolling motor.
Jon boat or John Boat?
So why the name? Well, there are several theories.
The first hypothesis stems from the fact that the first boats were made from "Jack Pine", another name for grey pine. In fact, some writings evoking "jack boats" have been found. As Jack's nickname is often John, we can imagine a distortion over time to call these boats Jon Boat.
Another, maybe more credible theory is that the Ozarks region, where these boats are from, had a large Scandinavian population. Jon being a very common name in Scandinavia, it's possible that many boat owners or users were called Jon, and that one thing leading to another, these boats were called Jon Boat by attribution.
In any case, the name gradually became part of the oral tradition, and was soon attributed to different types of boats, provided they had a flat bottom.
So it's hard to be sure, especially as over the years, for some Americans, Jon has become John, adding to the confusion.
