90s06 The Jon Boat

Near the end of April of 1990, we bought a Jon boat from the elementary principal at WACO. It was a 14’ aluminum boat with a trailer. The deal included an ancient 3-horse motor, a trolling motor, anchor and paddles. I think he even threw in a couple life jackets.

I was thrilled! We had owned a kayak and used it when we were younger but I had always wanted a boat and motor. Terry and I briefly owned a boat but we didn’t use it much and it didn’t have a motor or trailer. You had to strap it to the top of your car. This was much better. I could just hook it up to my pickup truck and we could take off.

The first weekend we had it we took it out on Lake Geode twice. Once I figured out how to start the motor we had a great time. I was so happy I couldn’t wipe the grin off my face.

I fished in the boat a lot and Becky did, too, at first. After awhile she decided the reading and reclining life was better suited for her. She arranged a foam cushion so she could lie down, get some sun and read a book. She loved to sit on the front of the boat when we were moving and hang her feet over and just touch the surface of the water.

My Dad was thrilled that we had the boat. We went on some major trips on the river with it. It was easier to maneuver than the kayak and we could travel faster and effortless. Like the kayak though, the boat was small and you couldn’t safely stand up in it. We were always careful and never had an accident or an unplanned swim.

Our favorite place to go was Geode but we did take it on the Skunk River and the Des Moines River once. The Des Moines River trip was as an escort for our church youth group that was canoeing down from Keosauqua. That day the river was up and swift and we probably shouldn’t have gone.

It turned out ok but the trip was shortened somewhat. The little 3-horse motor didn’t have enough power to go straight up stream in the swift current and so I had to zigzag back and forth to make any progress. It was risky and I was glad when it was over.

I went fishing with a friend several times, too. Sometimes it was Tom Ellsworth and other times it was my cousin, Terry. The boat was so light and easy to handle that one person could easily get it in and out of the water.

Because of its size it had a limited capacity and many times Becky and I dreamed of a larger boat so we could bring others along with us. When we moved to Iowa City we brought the boat along with us and used it on Lake McBride for ten years. When we bought a pontoon boat we sold the Jon boat. I regretted letting it go almost from the moment we sold it.