When I started researching jack plates and running jon boats in shallow water I kept seeing float pods come up. I had heard about and seen flotation pods for jon boats but only knew they were for extra buoyancy. Once I started looking more in-depth the advantages and uses were far beyond what I thought I knew. In this article, we’ll talk about what float pods for a jon boat are, how they can help your boat, what size you need, and how to install them.
Float pods or flotation pods are extensions added to the transom of a jon boat typically made of aluminum and welded, bolted, or riveted on. The best jon boat buoyancy pods or float pods, help boats run in shallower water, they also help the boat have better performance when loaded with gear or a big outboard motor because they lift the back of the boat more than normal. Jon boats with float pods float flat and draft less than jon boats without pods.
Other float pod benefits include;
• Reduced engine laboring and fuel consumption
• Compliments Engine Power Trim
• Eliminate transom backsplash
What are the best jon boat float pods?
Beavertail Flotation Pods
These float pods from Beavertail are welded aluminum and the small size is perfect for the average jon boat. The larger size pods are used for jon boats in the 20 foot length range. These are inexpensive compared to custom welded ones and these can be shipped directly to you, click on the links to check them out. You can install these yourself by watching the video below too.
Jon boat Flotation pod sizes
Sizing and buying float pods depends on the bottom width of your boat at the transom. For sizing starters, measure your width at the bottom of the transom then measure the width of the bottom of the float pods and subtract the difference, remember there are two float pods so account for both in the calculations. The difference of the calculation above is the amount of width you have to steer your outboard with. The most important part of buying and sizing float pods is to make sure you have enough clearance between the pods to clear a full turn of your outboard motor from side to side. Beavertail gives a general description of how to size float pods in the diagram below.
How much do flotation pods cost?
A large set of beavertail floatation pods cost about $350. Then there is the cost and materials to attach the flotation pods to your jon boat. You can save some money by installing the pods yourself, but if you decide to have them welded on, consult a professional.
Adding float pods to an aluminum boat
Now that you’ve determined what size pods you need, the next step is how do I put them on my jon boat? Flotation pods for jon boats can be welded, bolted, or riveted to the transoms. When installing bolt on flotation pods or riveted float pods it is a good idea to use a marine adhesive sealant like 3m 5200 and an epoxy for sealing seams and bolt holes. This will prevent unnecessary leakage and secure the pods better to the transom.
Best Bolt on Flotation Pods
Bolt on flotation pods are hard to find. You can make any float pod a bolt on application by cutting a hole in the top of the pod and drilling and anchoring the pod to the transom from inside. This can be done for fiberglass or aluminum boats. Some duck hunting sneak boats actually have fiberglass float pods as well. However, this is one more hole to make and seal up. The good news though, I did find river run marine has bolt on float pods. Their pods include 3/8-16 threaded studs with a drilling template for your transom. The studs are already secured to the pod, so you only need to attach them to your transom.
FAQs
What do jon boat flotation pods do?
Float pods do make a jon boat more stable. But we need to dig deeper if you’ve heard otherwise. Let’s first talk about what stability and what being stable on a boat means to you. Pitch is the up and down front to back motion of a boat. Float pods help reduce pitch by lengthening the hull, more hull surface contacting the water means more stability. However, most people associate stability with less roll, or side-to-side movement of the boat. Float pods do not give any extra width that would prevent roll, so some folks say it doesn’t help stability.
Sometimes stabilizers or outriggers are referred to as float pods, in this case, side-to-side stability or roll would be reduced as the boat is wider
This may be more than you wanted to know about jon boat float pods but hopefully, it will help you in getting started buying and rigging your float pods. If you thought it was too much information let us know in the contact us section or by signing up to our email list. Good luck with your project!
*as an Amazon affiliate I may earn a commission on products linked from this page