# Question on tunnel hull jon boat



## langkg (Oct 26, 2004)

Greetings......few more months to duck season...

I'm about to purchase a used Lowe 16' tunnel hull jon boat with a 25hp Mariner for duck hunting and fishing. Beam is 6' so nice and stable for shooting. Have any of you owned or operated a tunnel hull jon boat? I have a smaller 12' jon boat that runs fine with a 5hp merc. 

I'm concerned about splash from the motor with the tunnel. Current owner had problems when it was new (original owner) and the dealer added a short 'angle' at the top of the tunnel on the transom that extends out about an inch and he claims it's dry now. He has two bilge pumps (one on either side of tunnel) so I'm still a little nervous about the boat staying dry.

thx.

-KEN-


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## bvd7 (Oct 22, 2004)

langkg said:


> Greetings......few more months to duck season...
> 
> I'm about to purchase a used Lowe 16' tunnel hull jon boat with a 25hp Mariner for duck hunting and fishing. Beam is 6' so nice and stable for shooting. Have any of you owned or operated a tunnel hull jon boat? I have a smaller 12' jon boat that runs fine with a 5hp merc.
> 
> ...


If you are worried about a boat staying dry, don't take it waterfowling....:lol: :lol: 
Sorry I couldn't resist the attempt at humor.

I am not sure what you are refering to when you say tunnel jon boat. I don't think I have ever heard that term used......


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## doubleshot (Sep 21, 2004)

I think as long as you stay on smaller water you will be fine...There is no ModV john boat that is going to not get you wet when the waves are over 1.5-2'...I know this personally...:sad: 

I wouldnt hunt places like hougthon lake with it before first checking the weather,wind, nad wave forecasts.....They have good initial stability but really suck in waves when running....

2 bilges are a good thing! YOu will also like the tunnel hull so you can get back into saome shallower areas...Did you say it was a prop or jet motor? that will make a differnece too on how the boat performs...

As to the tunnel hull ?...A tunnel hull allows the motor to sit up about 5-6" higher off the transom so that now the skeg and prop can get you into shallower water...A "tunnel" is cut into the back of the transom on the bottom so that water can pass into the tunnel and feed your water pump on the motor....Bottomline is that they get u into shallow water


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## bvd7 (Oct 22, 2004)

doubleshot said:


> I think as long as you stay on smaller water you will be fine...There is no ModV john boat that is going to not get you wet when the waves are over 1.5-2'...I know this personally...:sad:
> 
> I wouldnt hunt places like hougthon lake with it before first checking the weather,wind, nad wave forecasts.....They have good initial stability but really suck in waves when running....
> 
> ...


Thanks for the explanation. I don't think I have ever seen one, and this is the first time I have heard someone use that term to describe a hull.


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## langkg (Oct 26, 2004)

thank for the feedback gents. This is a prop model. Should have known I'd get some humor on this site - but then again, if we can't laugh at ourselves then it isn't much of a sport.

Yea, the way I understand it the tunnel allows you to run a full height transom with a short shaft outboard to go shallower. My concern is that I've heard that tunnel hull jon boats can create a splash where the water hits the motor lower unit. I still plan on making the purchase unless someone gives me some horror story. 

This is a regular jon and not a mod-V jon (I'd prefer that but the price is right).

thx again.

-KEN-


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## doubleshot (Sep 21, 2004)

langkg,

Not necessarily so...If the transom height on your tunnel hull is at 25" at the motor mount and a short shaft motor is 15" typcially you will not be able to feed water into the intake fast enough and it will overheat....If the transom height on the tunnel is 20" then you would be OK....Typcially long shaft motors are 20" which is what most manufactures would tell you to put on a 25" transom

Its best to take measurments before buying...If the prop is too high out of the water it would get you wet! :yikes:


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## TSS Caddis (Mar 15, 2002)

I have an 1872 tunnel and have never heard of any kind of splash and with the jet shoe there is a lot more for the water to splash off of than a prop. Those plates extending off the tunnel are made to help facilitate more water getting to the pump on a jet and should have no effect on splashing.

Biggest thing to remember when running a prop on a tunnel is that you'll need to change the pitch on your prop. Any large boat place will know what you would need to run.

IMHO, most tunnels are only 2-3" deep and work great for a jet, but don't buy you anything with a prop motor. Some like Sea Ark can come with tunnels what are 6" or so deep and would be a lot better.


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## steve ypsi (Nov 24, 2002)

heres my tunnel hull 18 ft


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