DS . . might be interesting to peek around if you have some free time . . love them old boat.

https://www.retrocrestliner.net/crestliner-catalogs.html

Those older small v-bottom boats most generally have a rounded bottom all the way back to the transom. Not stable enough to be doing any moving around in while trapping or doing much else. Get yourself a 14' long - 48" wide" flat-bottom and you would feel/be much safer.

Well . . . my folks used the one I have now for many years mostly for fishing. They moved around in it and never fell out or rolled it. After Dad's stroke I bolted the 9 horse Go Devil onto it primarily for trapping pre-ice/post-ice conditions, small marshes, back sloughs, creeks. Up and over logs and beaver dams. Never fell out or rolled it.

So, each to his own I 'spose. It's probably what you get used to. The wider jon boats are indeed more stable. And it's fair to say the term stable is defined differently by most any boater.

Try 4' swells in each and get back to us.
No small flats for me, and no bass boats on Erie.
Newt used to argue me till the cows came home.
And that's fine.

Lighten up, Francis. The OP shouldn't expect 4' swells in creeks.

That's exactly how it starts.
"I'm geared up, I'm legal, I'm setting it"

I'm lightened. If you have no big water,,,
or wind, or barges,,,

I miss it lol.
I've not boated youns area and will shut up.
Have fun and be safe.

Replaced the transome today and smashed it up a creek until we had to walk, when that quit being fun we spun around and went home.

Any 4' swells?

Any RR crossings?

No but we brought life jackets just incase the creek really kicked up.

LOL