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st johns river...airboat or john boat?

J

jaxbrian

Well-known member
my name is brian thomasson and i'm attempting to travel the entire st johns river by boat. i'm planning to start in jacksonville, where i live, and end up somewhere close to the head waters. marshbunny directed me to this forum hoping that someone could answer a couple questions for me. i was going to start my trip with a john boat (25 hp) and end with an airboat. the problem i have, is where i need to switch from the john boat to the airboat. can i get all the way to camp holly with a john boat? if not, do you know how far i can get with the john boat? one more question...i do not have polymer on the bottom of my airboat and i'm worried about stumps, rocks, etc....do i have to worry about these boat benders in south end of the st johns? any help would be appreciated. thanks! --brian
 
You can do the entire trip via airboat. as far as the need for polymer, folks here in the South St. Johns ran for many a year without it and many still do. mostly here its just to make it easier to load on the trailer and to help ya over some sandy spots here and there. Since you are just traveling the length, I am of the opinion you wont miss it.

Keep us all posted as we would love to follow you as you begin and maybe meet ya out on the water for the finish of the trip. :)

Scotty
 
Hi Brian,

I would jon boat until you get to 46 (Jolly Gator Fish Camp) and then use your airboat from there south. You don't need polymer for your last stretch because we have few trees and not to many rocks that I know of.
 
I don't see why you can't run a little john boat all the Way to the dam at lake Washington if the john boat is small you should be able to pull it over the dam not sure how far south you are going to go but you can go all the way to the stick marsh by john boat if you know how to go. and witch trails to take but it sounds like alot of fun.
If you take the air boat you should be able to go the whole way just have to find where to get fuel not to many places on the water to get fuel if any.
 
If ya coordinate it just right folks might even bring ya fuel at certain places along the way.

Jus thinkin out loud.

Scotty
 
That is good advice from Billalvord. But how experienced are you at an airboat?

There is a stretch between Hwy 50 and 46 (the area around Bear Bluff and south of it) where the deepwater snaky river in the tall grass is just plain dangerous - to yourself and to others on the blind turns.

I like the idea of a group ride or fuel relay along the way. That sounds like a lot of fun!

If you were in an airboat, Hwy 46 to camp holly would be an easy day of riding... maybe even further. In a jonboat = slower.

Are you the guy who came to my house and bought a set of maps for the St. Johns last fall? That guy had mentioned doing the whole river by jet-ski. Jon-boat sounds better just from a cargo point of view.

Are you camping along the way? Got a ground team following and doing motel layovers? Got news coverage? This sounds like something that you could get a little publicity for. It's quite a feat.

I've heard that technically, the water path is started to be called the St. Johns River at 3 forks. But since the canal digging and ag land draining has destroyed the true 3 forks geographic feature, WHAT EXACT POINT does the river begin? Felsmere Grade? South of that? Maybe up around Bulldozer canal or Lake Helen Blazes?

Keep us posted FOR SURE!!!! And if you need aerial photo maps - check my website. I've got the St. Johns covered from Hwy 46 south to Felsmere Grade. http://www.airboatmaps.com

:)

matt.
 
thanks for all the help!! i don't know where any of these places are (highway 46, jolly gator fish camp, lake washington, etc.) but all figure it out. i can see i have a lot to learn before i take off.

dams???? what kind of dams? are there a bunch of them? can i pull a wide 14 foot john boat (25hp) over them? where is the most northern one? i assume airboats can go over them, right?

THANKS AGAIN!!!

--brian
 
thanks matt! i am a experienced airboater...i've been stuck and sunk...that's official, right? my problem is not experience, it's a major lack of knowledge about the area.

i'm sure we'll do a little camping and some motels. i'm just starting on the logistics now (trip is planed for may). i was looking at your website yesterday....i'm sure i'll need one of your maps.

oh, i'm not the guy with the jet ski.

thanks for the input.

brian
 
There used to be a really nice photo of the dam at Lake Washington in Cntry's gallery of Stan riding in the airboat crossing. But it looks like Cntry's photos are all gone. Deleted. Or somehow blocked where I can't find them! What up with that??

There is only one dam you need to worry about - and they've put a nice ramp over it for airboats. I've not seen it in person or used it, but it looks nice in the photos. You could probably drag a 14' jonboat across it no problem if you have a couple of people.

There is a levee crossing at Felsmere Grade. I've never seen that one either - except for seeing in in the aerial photos. Most airboats handle it with no problem as I understand it.

Good luck.

Don't hesitate to call if you have questions about the maps.... And that goes for anyone reading this. :)

matt.
 
Brian, I live in Orange Park (on Dr's. Lake, which connects to the St. Johns) and I have been thinking of making that same trip one day.
Two boats would be safer than one, and I kinda already know my way around up on this end ..... I've been all the way out to the Atlantic, and South to Silver Glenn.

PM me your phone number and we'll talk about making a trip like that.

Definitely an airboat, sir.
 
Yes it is, Jdot ... I can see the Hwy.17 bridge from the dock. It's about a 1 mile reach from here to the St. Johns.
Whitey's fish camp on Hwy.220 is a 10 minute run from here. It's on Swimming Pen Creek, which is on the South end of our lake, and Clark's fish camp is maybe 20 minutes away over on Jullington Creek, . The River House (waterfront club) is 10 or 12 minutes away. It's on the river.

If you don't let deep water scare ya, there is some fun runnin up here.
 
Olf Art":1q4ie95m said:
Whitey's fish camp on Hwy.220 is a 10 minute run from here. It's on Swimming Pen Creek, which is on the South end of our lake,
Click to expand...

I just got back eating there tonight...the softshell crab was awesome as usual!!!!

Adam
 
.... and the draft beer was also cold. Am I right ? Cool place in the Summer when they've got the outdoor bar open.
 
I was project superintendent for a transmission powerline project built alongside Doctor's Inlet Rd for Clay Electric Cooperative back in 1997. If I remember correctly the line came out on Doctor's Inlet Rd just west of the railroad tracks and went west for a ways before heading back south to an existing substation. Me and my crew spent many a evening at Spindrifter's lounge at the Best Western not far from there. That was the year the Florida Marlins beat the Cleveland Indians in the World Series. We watched the whole playoff series at Spindrifter's. I have some family that live in the Doctor's Inlet area of off Doctor's Inlet Rd. Had a few good meals at Whitey's too!
 
There ya go Olf, time for a St John's river End to End run. I know I can make it to Lk Washington in a John Boat, after that it's all new to me but I'm ready to try it all the way in a Jon Boat. Come on Geneva, Skeeter, Let's get it on!
 
I WOULD LOVE TO JOIN IN AS WELL a buddy of mine told me they run from Melbourne to Jacksonville with about 7 or 10 boats quite a few years ago and said it was a blast but the took there time and done it in a 2 week period
 
Sounds like a road trip to me! The ultimate airboat ride/adventure. Maybe we should look at other rivers as well, such as Peace River, Suwannee River, etc. :?:
 
I say we do it and get sponsors like when they sponsor someone running for a cause. Get so much a mile then we give it all to St Judes Children Hospital or something like it. Maybe more care packages for our troops.
 
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