by John Lemmers
This 23-foot John Boat is a stable and fast river craft capable of carrying great loads.
Anyone who has ridden a John Boat similar to Teslin on swift and shallow river waters will not deny its advantages. It has the stability of a flat-bottomed rowboat, handles with the ease of a canoe, beaches like a landing craft and carries loads like a barge--all with minimum power. It can be rowed, sculled or poled with remarkable ease and a great deal of control. Because of its design, it shines in rapids. The long and slender hull doesn't bob up and down in the troughs--it rides a series of waves instead. Teslin was built four years ago and has been in use on Yukon rivers since. With a Mercury Mark 6. it moves
at speeds judged up to 15 mph with light loads and still has enough push to freight heavier loads upstream in a 5- to 7-mph current. A speed demon is in for a real thrill if he uses up to 25 hp. He need only be sure to have enough weight in the bow.
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