# John Sport boats



## SHOALWATER TV (Apr 8, 2008)

Anybody here have a new 19? pros,cons? looking at them on their site they look nice i like the small edge(gunnels) on the floor but i have never seen one on the water or on a trailer for that matter.Just want some input please.Thanks.


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## jabx1962 (Nov 9, 2004)

SHOALWATER TV said:


> Anybody here have a new 19? pros,cons? looking at them on their site they look nice i like the small edge(gunnels) on the floor but i have never seen one on the water or on a trailer for that matter.Just want some input please.Thanks.


Nope, never seen one....just buy a Shallowsport....Quit trying to save a buck...


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## D-kirk2 (Sep 4, 2007)

Someone had one for sell a while back cant remember if it was in the 2cool classifieds or craigslist if you can find it they could probably help.

DK


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## 05starkid (Jun 13, 2006)

contact (davisadams) he has a 19. He likes it alot but is more into marlin fishing now. It has nice aluminum work, a platform, and is in great condition.


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## D-kirk2 (Sep 4, 2007)

http://houston.craigslist.org/boa/699872540.html
here ya go it was an 05 but the guy could probably tell you likes, dislikes
DK


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## Slimshady (Jan 11, 2005)

For that price, I would look into a new 18' no-sides scooter that Shallowsport came out with last year. Its lighter, has the newer tunnel design, a true SS, better resale. I recently read that Coastline Marine had one on sale. Either way, the Johnsport is a nice boat.


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## davisadams (Nov 7, 2006)

i have one. i think it is incredible and i have been on most flats boats. my boat is bascially new. I have barely used it. It is the exact same mold on the bottom of a shallowsport. It will run in 2 or 3 inches of water if you trim it way up and are going 35 to 40 mph. It will drift in exactly the top of a regular wading boot (i guess thta is 5 to 7 inches) with no one on it. i measured it. It will get up really shallow as well just depends on the bottom and how many people you have on the boat. It doesn't slide like most flats boats and it is incredibly dry. I almost never get any water spray, while all the other will absolutely soak you in a rough bay. It will also run smoother in rough water than any of the other flats boats. Any of the shallowsport hulls do this. I think the shallowsport design is the only way to go for flats boats unless you go extrememe with a hells bay, glade skiff, etc. with a jet propulsion engine. but then you can't fit anyone on it and can't go across open bays. I bought the john sport because it was considerably cheaper than a shallow sport and i had heard lots of complaints about the "nida core" (sp?).


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## kcliff (Dec 18, 2004)

sport marine in richmond bought the mold and builds them ALL composite. 10yr warranty. i had a 15' hull and really liked it. i got it from the original builder of john sport who used plywood. i liked it but couldnt get over the fact it had wood. never had a problem i mostly sold it because i put a 70 4stk on it. it went 30 but i wanted a 90 2stk. it has been 3yrs and i am still looking. anyway here is a number for sport marine 281-238-0060 ask for John Long


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## bb1234 (Dec 24, 2007)

Kcliff, you always have good feeds on the flats boats, i think we think a little alike, i am interested in the shoalwater 16, babycat 17 comming soon and the flats cat 17, all with a 2 stroke, i looked at all the options with motors and the 70 you mentioned was going to be my choice but what was the diff.? its got alot of cc's, just slow on the holeshot?. I know the johnsport 19 has always caught my attention as well, i saw one in poc and it was nice, super nice, he didnt have the backrest console storage, but he added a couple boxes in the back that the shallow sport doesnt have. the only strange thing i noticed is when i got up on the deck i felt it flex, and i weigh a duece, so ?????


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## Spots and Dots (May 23, 2004)

davisadams said:


> i have one. i think it is incredible and i have been on most flats boats. my boat is bascially new. I have barely used it. It is the exact same mold on the bottom of a shallowsport. It will run in 2 or 3 inches of water if you trim it way up and are going 35 to 40 mph. It will drift in exactly the top of a regular wading boot (i guess thta is 5 to 7 inches) with no one on it. i measured it. It will get up really shallow as well just depends on the bottom and how many people you have on the boat. It doesn't slide like most flats boats and it is incredibly dry. I almost never get any water spray, while all the other will absolutely soak you in a rough bay. It will also run smoother in rough water than any of the other flats boats. Any of the shallowsport hulls do this. I think the shallowsport design is the only way to go for flats boats unless you go extrememe with a hells bay, glade skiff, etc. with a jet propulsion engine. but then you can't fit anyone on it and can't go across open bays. I bought the john sport because it was considerably cheaper than a shallow sport and i had heard lots of complaints about the "nida core" (sp?).


We have a Marshall Topwater (same hull) and I agree. That hull design is amazing. I would be hard pressed to buy any other hull design for a flats boat. I've never been on a cat, so can't compare them.

Lure_Man has a JonSport, and he really like it.

The hull design isn't fast, but it'll do everything you hope a bay boat will do.


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## kcliff (Dec 18, 2004)

bb1234 said:


> i am interested in the shoalwater 16, babycat 17 comming soon and the flats cat 17, all with a 2 stroke, i looked at all the options with motors and the 70 you mentioned was going to be my choice but what was the diff.? its got alot of cc's, just slow on the holeshot?.????


bb the hole shot was good, and it ran as shallow as any boat i have been on. i mostly ran it by myself, but i noticed it lacked a little on all categories when there was 3 people on the boat. I know a 15' boat you cant expect too much from, but I had a friend who had the exact same boat with a 90 etec and that thing was just a better boat. I would be hard pressed to pick the 15' johnsport over the 16' baby cat from tran though. I feel there is a big difference. I told myself after that boat i would never under power a boat again. it may have been because the 70 was a 4stk and i didnt get that much torque. I dont want to second guess buying a smaller motor ever again so i plan on getting the max horsepower i can. i plan on taking the Laguna Tiger for a test ride. the 18' all aluminum. from the video it looks like a great versatile boat with easy maintenance- that is another subject and i dont want to take away from this thread- you can PM me for more info or do a search. Anyway the John Sport which Sport Marine builds is a great hull and at a killer price.


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## SHOALWATER TV (Apr 8, 2008)

Spots and Dots said:


> We have a Marshall Topwater (same hull) and I agree. That hull design is amazing. I would be hard pressed to buy any other hull design for a flats boat. I've never been on a cat, so can't compare them.
> 
> Lure_Man has a JonSport, and he really like it.
> 
> The hull design isn't fast, but it'll do everything you hope a bay boat will do.


I like that Marshall with the no sides like that i wonder if they can leave those back boxes off? I'm going to look into those right now.Still on the prowl for a mid 80's Shallowsport.


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## Clubfoot (Jun 26, 2008)

jabx1962 said:


> Nope, never seen one....just buy a Shallowsport....Quit trying to save a buck...


LOL!!!! no kidding. Jumex


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## SHOALWATER TV (Apr 8, 2008)

Clubfoot said:


> LOL!!!! no kidding. Jumex


Do you ever have anything good to say?! geez.....


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## Clubfoot (Jun 26, 2008)

SHOALWATER TV said:


> Do you ever have anything good to say?! geez.....


You gonna buy a steak stick to go with it? Fat ralph awwwwwwww


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## SHOALWATER TV (Apr 8, 2008)

Clubfoot said:


> You gonna buy a steak stick to go with it? Fat ralph awwwwwwww


You have lost it!!!!


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## Spots and Dots (May 23, 2004)

SHOALWATER TV said:


> I like that Marshall with the no sides like that i wonder if they can leave those back boxes off? I'm going to look into those right now.Still on the prowl for a mid 80's Shallowsport.


Norman will build it however you want it. I'm not a huge fan of the hatches wither. Maybe just good lids on the floor would be the ticket, maybe they'd fill up, to.

They are nice for sotrage tho. We put 3 sets of wading gear int eh port boax, and other junk in the starboard.


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## Coastline Marine (Jan 27, 2008)

Ahhhh The saga of Shallowsport...Everyone profits off of their design....


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## FXSTB (Apr 23, 2008)

Had John build me a 15'er in 2005. I rigged it with a 90 Etec. Been a great boat that is a good compromise all around. Runs pretty shallow, gets up pretty shallow, is kinda fast, is fairly dry. The only change I would make is getting rid of the wood (which apparently has been done) and making the tunnel a little smaller. Didn't realize that it was 'cheaper' than a Shallow Sport until today. I had John build it because I liked his attitude, quality, and the ability to have it built per my specifications. 



On another note.....I have also owned a 'cat' bay boat.....a 20' Bajo.....I'm not a fan of 'cat' hull design for the same reason I don't care of a large tunnel in my John Sport. It make's the boat float deeper in the water which compromises the ability to get up in shallow(er) water.


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## FXSTB (Apr 23, 2008)

Here's a picture


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## Sonnysmarine (Mar 18, 2007)

John make a good boat, I have the first one, that we tested with and made a couple improvements had a 150 trp on it,,, too much motor, and scary fast, I never would run it wide open... He now has the front and rear decks molded , to save weight, and has two boxes it the front for more storage, and dryier. I now have a 2004 carb, 115 60 deg. Johnson on it plenty runs in the 40's with low water pickup,, Heck I water ski behind it, easy to get back on after a 3 mile ski run... now Johnsport has a 21 ft. mold he is building.


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## shallowgal (Jun 11, 2004)

Gee, guess we should just be flattered that Johnsport, Clifford, Marshall, JH, etc. are such big fans of our design that they decided to call it their own. 

For the record, I've done a lot of pricing out at boat shows and I think you'd be surprised at the actual price difference. My advice to anyone considering purchasing a Shallow Sport copy is to get a quote from a Shallow Sport dealer on a comparable package. You might find that the copy isn't such a good deal afterall. Particularly when you take into account the resale value, customer service, fit & finish,and reputation factors.


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## SHOALWATER TV (Apr 8, 2008)

shallowgal said:


> Gee, guess we should just be flattered that Johnsport, Clifford, Marshall, JH, etc. are such big fans of our design that they decided to call it their own.
> 
> For the record, I've done a lot of pricing out at boat shows and I think you'd be surprised at the actual price difference. My advice to anyone considering purchasing a Shallow Sport copy is to get a quote from a Shallow Sport dealer on a comparable package. You might find that the copy isn't such a good deal afterall. Particularly when you take into account the resale value, customer service, fit & finish,and reputation factors.


That is correct! past couple of weeks i've priced them all out and found the ShallowSport is not much more than the knock off's.I have decided to buy a new Shallow Sport 18.5 classic no sides.Thanks for everybody's oppion.


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## shallowgal (Jun 11, 2004)

I was actually surprised myself when I discovered how much other companies were asking for their copies, the 21' Topwater with 150 Yami was actually _more_ expensive than our 21' w/ 150 Yami!

Either the other companies are trying to make huge profits, or we are just able to build the boats in a more cost effective manner becuase of our volume even with better materials.

People are under the impression that our boats are way more expensive than others, but that just isn't the case anymore.


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## JLKing (Jul 17, 2008)

SHOALWATER TV said:


> That is correct! past couple of weeks i've priced them all out and found the ShallowSport is not much more than the knock off's.I have decided to buy a new Shallow Sport 18.5 classic no sides.Thanks for everybody's oppion.


That's what I found when I priced the copies as well. The Shallow Sport actually wound up in the middle price wise.

I received my new 18.5 Classic two weeks ago. The fit and finish is excellent and it is one of the few hulls I have been on where the shallow water performance matches the manufacturer's claims. It's very stable in rough water and has a decent, dry ride for a skinny water boat. I've ran up 18 hours in the first 2 weeks seeing what it can do, and the only time I've had spray is running across Emmord's Hole into a 30mph east wind just to see how bad it would be.

I don't think you will be disapointed.

I went with the the Yamaha 115 2 stroke and it seems to be a better fit than my buddy's boat which is the same hull from Clifford with a 150 HPDI. On a GPS it will hit 41mph WOT at 6k, and cruise 30mph at 4k with an excellent hole shot. My buddy's boat will probably run faster, but you really don't want to push the hull more than the low 40's or it starts to get squirrelly and the 150 cost him some shallow water ability.


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## SHOALWATER TV (Apr 8, 2008)

Yea i'm going to put a 115hp 2-stroke on mine too.


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## TexasWhaler (Jan 19, 2006)

shallowgal said:


> Gee, guess we should just be flattered that Johnsport, Clifford, Marshall, JH, etc. are such big fans of our design that they decided to call it their own.


I know it's got to be somewhat frustrating for ya'll.

Boston Whaler has had to deal with the same thing for years, from boat makers like Tran Sport, and Gulf Coast. Both Tran, and Gulf Coast are great boats, but it would've been nice if they would have at least given props to the original designer of that hull, Bob Dougherty. Same thing if the other boat companies you mentioned would at least give a shout out to Willis Hudson.


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