I've got a bunch of questions regarding small boats that are suitable for converting into a mini bass boat.

I've currently got a 12'3" welded aluminum boat - almost flat, 48" bottom width in the back, and a pretty deep V in the front. It seems like building a bow casting deck would have two undesriable features - instability with a buddy moving around in the boat, and pretty cramped due to the pointy bow.

So, I've started looking into buying a jon boat to modify. My space for storing the boat is pretty tight and fits a 12' boat perfectly. I might be able to force a 14'er into the space, but would prefer to stick to something closer to 12' long. I store the boat on the side of my house, and a 14'er would stick out to the edge of my front lawn, significantly increasing the redneck factor - I a computer geek, so redneck factor is not a plus in my book ;-)

Anyway, I heard somewhere that Jon boats can flip easily with two people moving around in them. I suspect this only applies to the skinny ones (e.g. 36" bottom width). Anybody have any comments on this?

Searching the web, the only wide 12' jon I could find was the Klammath "12' Jac W." It's 12'6" long and has a 54" bottom width. Other than that, it looks like I'd have to go to a 14'er and most of those are around 48" bottom width. The Klammath has a traditional Jon bow (blunt nose, no V), while many of the 14'ers have the modified V bow.

How wide is plenty wide for a Jon boat with two guys moving around?

Would a 54" bottom really be a lot more stable than a 48" bottom?

What are the pros and cons of a modified V bow?

Which would you prefer a 54" bottom, traditional bow or a 48" bottom modified V bow?

Also, I saw a couple plastic molded "mini bass boats." The most intriguing one was the Pelican Predator 114 (http://www.pedalboat.com/index.php/mn=menu4.inc/pg=plc/fb/predator.inc). It's a bit short at 11'4", but is pretty wide. The seat would be better mounted a bit closer to the ends, and it would be a pain to make mods, add wiring, etc., but it's fairly full featured. Has anyone actually seen one of these? Are they junk?

Thanks,

Pete