I would be looking for a 16-18' aluminum with a 35-75 hp tiller steer. You should find a real good one with good 4 stroke for under $4000 and a decent one under $2000. I would look at deeper boats with long shaft motors if I was going on the river. A nice big wide 16' V bottom with tiller would be perfect for the river.

That said, I have to ask, have you ever ridden in the front of one on choppy or crowded water? If not, you may be unpleasantly surprised when and if you do. If you have and are ok with it, then carry on.

I've ridden in the front of one more times than I can count. I wouldn't say I've done it in "rough" water, but I've done it in water that was far from glassed over. It's obviously not like riding in a big fiberglass bass boat, but certainly not a deal breaker. Honestly, I have much intention of getting out to begin with if it's super crowded and/or rough water. One of the great things about a small boat like that is that I can avoid a lot of the crowds if I want to by going places they can't/won't go.

I got rid of my 16' Monarch flat bottom because the sides were too shallow for the river. It only had 18" sides and a couple times I got in water with waves big enough to slosh water in the boat when it was sitting still. Only a couple times in over 12 years though that I was concerned while in it.

Like I said before,if you wind up with a full flat bottom get one with deeper sides.

Look at War Eagle boats...

Gomer I have been out of the game for quite a while and I do not know who all is making 1 piece or 3 piece boats anymore. Most of the 3 piece were make by smaller boat builders or on boats that were oversized that would not fit in the manufacturer's press. You can spot them pretty quickly because they typically don't have crimps on the side because they would not fit in a press but you are not likely looking for a boat that big that would be 20+ ft. On smaller boats you will just have to look but.... do look. There are a lot out there.

If you want something to last you that you will enjoy get at least a 16/48 with 20 inch sides and 20 inch transom. Those are common enough on the used market I would not get a 14 footer. The 16 footer is much more boat.

My favorite is not common. It is 18/48 with 20 inch sides. Kinda like a 14 vs 16 it is a lot more boat because of the length. The longer skinnier boat carries a load better with less horsepower and that extra 2' of length makes a huge difference in rough water. There have been very few times I have been out on a major body of water in this state that even when a storm blew up I could not get on top of the waves with an 18' boat or at least move without taking any water. Even at full pool....in rough water at Decatur which is know to sink boats. Always felt safe in a 18/48. That was my main duck hunting rig for years and we went when the fishermen stayed on the bank. In the dark before daylight in freezing weather shinning our way with a Q-beam. My only concern was going to fast, running it up on a stump in the front and the transom going under. I think Weldbilt makes a 18 and I bet Backwoods Landing could get you one. I don't know much about Weldbilt but they seem like a basic welded utility boat and are relatively inexpensive to the tune of a couple grand kinda cheap or at least they were in that dollar range.

A 16/48 with tall sides and transom is about the best all around size for just a utility boat around here. You can get anything needed done in that.

If you know the difference in a true flat vs a mod-v and semi-v then I've got nothing to add on that get what you want. I have run a lot of true flats and they don't bother me that bad either. If you get up on top of the cop the mod-v is mostly out of the water anyway it just keeps you from smacking a big wave but again length plays into all that. I might want a Mod-V if I had a 16 footer.

I agree with that. The one I used for years was a 1648 with a 25 Honda tiller. I would have kept it if it had been deeper and rated for more HP. When I moved up,I jumped a couple pegs though and got a 2072 with a 115 hp CS. I like it but pulling it and loading -unloading is a lot different than the 1648.

I still use a riveted boat that is now 58 years old, and it has never leaked a drop. The transom has rotted out, but it is limited to ponds now and the only motor on it is a foot controlled electric on the front.

I've owned other Jon boats that leaked around the rivets, but it was always an easy fix. One that is my creek boat has a split in a couple of bends and I have never been able to fix it. But that boat has been greatly abused and is at least 40 years old.

I've owned 4 riveted boats with false bottoms and never had a rivet to leak, though one of them leaked where the livewell intake was welded, and it took 3 tries for them to fix it. I wouldn't worry about leaking rivets on a boat from a good manufacturer.