I'm a little confused...

So I'm looking to invest in a new fishing vessel and I'm currently only debating 2. The hobie pro angler 14 and a 1236 Jon boat. The Jon boat is only 700$ while the hobie is near 3500$. But my main confusion is the Width. The hobie says 38" width and the Jon boat says 36" hull width. Is this right? Is the hobie actually 2" wider of foot room for standing? That just seems like the Jon is super narrow or the hobie is super wide! Anyone with any insight would be so much help. Thanks in advance.

Ps the hobie seems like the all you need fishing vessel. Does it handle oceans and large lakes with real bass boats well?

I'm not a Hobie guy but I have fished with a few... A PA is there battle ship you will most likely need to trailer it. If your in great shape with good balance try a Hobie outback or if it's still available in Idaho nab that native mariner my wife has one and we both love it. 

I think you are trying to compare two completely different boats.  The Hobbies are going to be "self-bailing" whereas the Jon Boat is not. You will be pedaling the Hobie versus paddling the Jon boat. The PA is the widest of the Hobie line and is quite a battleship! That being said, I would assert that the PA would still be much more efficient to move through the water compared to the Jon Boat. To me there is no comparison. You get a lot more boat for a $3500 PA. Some of the price difference has to do with the propulsion (Mirage Drive) that is included with the Hobie. If you plan on mounting a motor, then that is a different matter. Even then, an electric PA would be DELUXE!

I actually fought with this same dilemma myself. I was looking at purchasing a 12ft Aluminum boat and debated it vs going with a Hobie kayak. Ultimately I've decided that the Hobie is better suited for me. I need the exercise and I can feasibly take the hobie in places I would never take a 12ft aluminum boat. The cost difference was certainly one consideration, but when you add in the registration costs required when you add a motor (if you wanted one) then after several years your costs are higher. Of course if you're looking at a brand new PA vs a $600 jon boat then the timeline is much higher for payback. I was looking at a $600 boat vs a used Outback... The cost difference isn't quite as high.

Its also been my experience that Hobies hold their value well compared to other boats.

So I'm looking to invest in a new fishing vessel and I'm currently only debating 2. The hobie pro angler 14 and a 1236 Jon boat. The Jon boat is only 700$ while the hobie is near 3500$. But my main confusion is the Width. The hobie says 38" width and the Jon boat says 36" hull width. Is this right? Is the hobie actually 2" wider of foot room for standing? That just seems like the Jon is super narrow or the hobie is super wide! Anyone with any insight would be so much help. Thanks in advance.

Ps the hobie seems like the all you need fishing vessel. Does it handle oceans and large lakes with real bass boats well?

Lowe's L1236 jon boat has a 36" floor width, and a 56" beam.  It's much, much wider than the ProAngler.  I think it's kind of a stretch to call a PA a kayak, but a PA and a jon boat are still very different animals. 

While the PA 14 is a great boat to have out on the ocean, it's not a great boat when it comes to surf launching and landing in the PNW.

Its also been my experience that Hobies hold their value well compared to other boats.

+1 As a recovering powerboat owner and someone who has sold one Hobie and looked at countless others used online, I can attest to this.

Also, to the OP: I don't understand your original comparison to the jon boat, specifically what propulsion method the jon boat will use? You're not going to get a jon boat for $700 with any kind of propulsion except paddles/oars. The base price for an 8hp Honda outboard short shaft is somewhere around $2400.

But anyway as a lot of other people have piped up, they're really not equivalent boats anyway. I think a better question to ask is what you want to do with your boat, and then find a boat that fits.

Thanks so much for all the great input! And hopefully I can respond to somethings people have asked about or mentioned.

I currently have a 55# TM that would be my main source of power for the Jon. I also have a 6hp outboard.
But I want to be able to load it in my truck using only launch wheels found online that bolt onto the transom. I went to BPS today and checked out the Jon boats and they actually seem wider than expected.

But my main question was when the Jon boat says 36" width and the hobie says 38" width is the hobie really that wide?
Also I mainly fish low land electric only lakes but would love the option to take something out on the larger lakes and maybe sometime travel and do some ocean fishing. But for now just lakes 50-100 acres and once in awhile 200+ acre lakes.

If I decide to go with the hobie I would most certainly sell my motors but, if I get a Jon boat I would use those on it.

I just want something spacious, stable and that I can load and unload alone in my truck. Even if I get the hobie I would buy the hobie dolly that goes into the scuppers and if I get the Jon boat I would by transom wheels.

It's just so hard to decide! Jon boat would be a little more spacious, but would have to load and unload all my gear/motors every time I load and unload... Hobie would just go in and out no motors to worry about and launch in more places a Jon can't go but also 3 times as much! The 1236 Jon is 649$ at bass pro right now. I just don't know should I save a tad more and get the hobie or or just go ahead and get the Jon!

I really appreciate all the answers everyone has provided and really do take them all into consideration! I hope to hear more opinions and I'm not going to jump right in until I really feel I've made the best overall decision!

Again thanks everyone and hope to hear more.

If it were me, there's not a lot of places I would take a PA that I wouldn't take a small jon boat, so if you already have the motors I'd go with the jon boat.

If it were me, there's not a lot of places I would take a PA that I wouldn't take a small jon boat, so if you already have the motors I'd go with the jon boat.

Thanks for your input! So question... Do you think a 1236 Jon boat with transom wheels and a t-bar extender would be just as easy to load and unload as a PA?

I don't have personal experience loading/unloading either... sorry!

You aren't going to get flamed here for choosing a jon boat, but you are on a kayak anglers forum so most of us might be biased. 

For lake and pond kind of fishing, a jon boat is the better choice in good weather since you have the motors. But no way would I want to be in that thing when and where the wind and waves pick up. Seen many of them in the ocean, but there are few places for that. Crabbing and such in the bay... ok. There's just not enough freeboard and not self bailing beyond that. Now, put that 55# trolling motor on the Hobie and talk about a versatile machine! With or without the motor!

As for transporting, I would say its about a wash inside a truck bed.

PNWoutdoorchannel:

I would also like to add that after looking at some of your YouTube videos, and that you are already into kayak fishing, is to think outside of the box a bit here.

Understand that with your kayak you have A LOT more water you can fish than a typical power boater can. 
So, I know you are really into bass fishing in the relatively safe frog waters that hold bass, but you will find that on this forum a lot of folks here tend to branch out and target a wider variety of species as they go. 

With that, I would recommend looking at and demo'ing as many other brands or styles of kayaks as you can to see and feel how they handle your body structure. 

Read up on primary stability, and secondary stability.  Each have their purpose and can help or hinder your kayaking experience.  Note that in general it's easier to add stability to a less stable kayak when the need arises, than to increase glide to a wide or stubby kayak. 

So, various kayak shapes and sizes will work across a wide range of uses, while other kayaks can really limit you or at least make your movement through the water less than desirable.

You have the obvious lake/pond waters that can handle anything that floats.
Then there are small rivers, big rivers, coastal bays, and the ocean. 
With the ocean comes harbor or sheltered launched to get you into the salt.
Then there are the straight up beach surf launches to get you into the salt. 
Followed by near shore ocean to several miles offshore.

Fishing options are huge, and if you haven't already ruled out specific waters that you absolutely will not venture into, then I would HIGHLY suggest looking at kayaks that can handle as many of the water conditions you may venture into and work well with your body size.  Or at least plan to be adding more kayaks to your fleet, or changing out to accommodate as you gain confidence or desire to target other species.     

This sport is awesome, not exactly cheap, but can be extremely rewarding and HIGHLY addictive.

Ask around to see if you can try out other's kayaks in your area (or travel to their area) to see what is out there, and meet up with others to gain insight on their experiences for ideas.

Obviously if you are hell bent on sticking with just bass fishing frog waters, disregard pretty much everything I just said above and stick with your original two vessels to ponder.   

But my main question was when the Jon boat says 36" width and the hobie says 38" width is the hobie really that wide?

Yes, a Pro Angler is really that wide.  It's one of the reasons I don't really consider them a kayak.  They are far too wide and heavy to effectively paddle for very far.  They are an amazing boat under Mirage Drive power, but they are a wide, heavy battle ship.  They're very popular along the Gulf Coast (TX, Florida, etc.) because the Gulf is usually pretty calm and the weather is relatively predictable.  The picture attached is to scale within a couple inches.