If you want to know why a flat-bottomed canoe should not be used in the ocean read this.

Flats boat in ocean. Flat bottom boats were not designed to be used in rough waters. Bay boats also known as flats boats are designed specifically to run in the flats which are shallow coastal waters where saltwater species like tarpon redfish and bonefish thrive. The flat bottom design that gives a Jon boat its advantage in shallow calm waters can become a problem in the ocean because the boat has very little wobble room when it tilts and leans unlike a v-hull or semi-v.

Flat bottom vessels loose much far too much buoyancy when heeling. Stability issues with a flat-bottomed boat arise when. A bay boat will often work in waters less than two feet in depth.

They usually have raised casting platforms both fore and aft and often their gunwales are wide enough to allow walking along them from one. One feature often found on a flats boat but not a bass boat are trim tabs. A small flats boat or fishing boat can be used or even a kayak.

The problem with a flat bottom boat in rough ocean water. A flat bottom boat such as a Jon boat is stable when. There are no or very slight waves.

Flats and backwater fishing areas are typically reached by boat. For anglers prowling the flats of Florida or the back country of the Gulf Coast for species like bonefish snook and red drum a highly specialized fishing machine is in order. The boat is used in inappropriate environments such as choppy open seas.

If you are an intermediate angler and transitioning from freshwater fishing to saltwater fishing the backwaters and flats will feel like familiar territory. These large boats are used in coastal areas and are most common in North America along coastal routes between coastal cities. Do not take a flat bottom canoe with straight sides onto the ocean unless the water is completely calm and you know the weather will remain fair for the time you are out there.