[lemaymiami]

Won't comment on brands since it's been years (nearly fifty now) since I put together the Starcraft riveted hull that I ran for about seven years since we rigged it in 1976... If I were looking for any small aluminum hull today I'd want welded hull (avoid rivets if at all possible...) with at least .100" skin thickness. There's probably still a lot of lighter weight hulls (skin .080...) on the market to avoid... That lovely lightweight old Starcraft was only .080 - and we ended up putting it back together three times in the years I ran it hard...

 

[lemaymiami]

In my early years (early seventies) - the standard jonboat setup that most recommended was a 16' hull with a 40 horse motor, tiller steered... That rig will do a bunch of backcountry running, draft around six inches with two anglers - and if you run out of water - it can be dragged back to where you're floating again... Wet riding, beat you up in a chop but scoot right along in sheltered areas (and not much money to get into one).. You'd see quite a few of them back then - and still today although the rise of microskiffs certainly eclipsed them...

 

[lemaymiami]

One other option to consider for anyone wanting a jonboat - that's not exactly what you'll find at boat dealers these days... is to hook up with commercial fishing small craft builders in places like Louisiana - where you might find a small local operation that builds up aluminum skiffs to order, and all welded construction, etc.