Pontoon boats.

[Larry954]

Does anyone here have any experience with pontoon boats. I am considering getting one and wanting to know what others think and what their recommendations might be.

Thanks,in advance, for you input and have a great Christmas.

[ducksterman]

Larry,
It would be better if you tell us what kind of fishing....e.i. moving water...rapids, etc. ...stillwaters...they are rated differently....going to mount a motor?

[Larry954]

The fishing would be for small mouth bass on moving water. Any rapids would be minor in the I to II range. Some of it could also be on ponds of medium size and some decent size trout streams.

[Old #art]

Larry,

Check your PM's We are neighbors.

[jsmartt]

A friend of mine has a pontoon "boat" that he uses to flyfish from. I use a kayak. Both boats have advantages and disadvantages. You sit higher in the pontoon and it probably is somewhat more comfortable, but it is pretty useless against any real current. On the smaller rivers here in NW Arkansas the more manuverable kayak is definately the safer vessel. I can travel upstream against a pretty fast current (3 to 4 mph) for several miles by reading the river and keeping to the areas of slower current (backeddies and inside edges of the turns). I can fly fish effectively from the kayak but I usually get out and wade fish when I get to a good hole or run.

[Tim Stanley]

jsmartt,

Why is the pontoon useless in fast water? Are you just talking about for paddling upstream its useless?

Tim

[Thomas]

Larry,i just bought a creek company xl model 8 foot by 4' for pond fishing,not moving water unless the wind blows me around,i felt for around 200.00 i could not find a similar craft to explore the areas on ponds that i could not walk too and many people look for used ones also

[wonderrod]

Larry,

I have one of the Arrow backpacker models 8ft.x 4 1/2ft. and have used it on both moving and still water. It excells on still water even in wind but it's a little tricky on the river. I blame it mainly on my inexperience. For just drifting down river, getting off and fishing all is well. The difficulty I had is trying to get across current or and tracking straight in moderate to heavy current. Like I said though, experience should be a great teacher.

JA

[kengore]

I own a Water Skeeter River Tamer II, I have also used several other boats borrowd from friends. I use the pontoon for rivers and have enjoyed water up to class III. While I would agree that a river kayak can paddle upstream with less effort than the pontoon, it's kind of tough to play and land a fish while paddeling a kayak.

With swim fins I can float most sections of the river with my hands free for fishing, I only use the oars for rapids or moving against current. I added a casting platform to my boat and can park in an eddie and cast from a standing position. (Lets see you do that on a yak!)

I can carry a cooler, spare oar, fishing gear, pump and even a small tent and sleeping bag for overnights. Sometime I even carry extra gear for a buddy of mine that likes to kayak. I can carry 2 boats on the top of my subaru fully assembled, or broken down they fit easily into two large duffel bags.

Wind is an issue with small light pontoon boats, a stiff breeze will make for a lot of hard work. An anchor helps keep you in one spot when parked. Swim fins are a must for keeping your heading while hands are busy fishing, with out them you will spin in the slightest change of wind or current.

For moving water I would recommend at least a 9' long pontoon, smaller ones are too easily flipped. Some boats have multiple air chambers in each pontoon, a nice safety margin for bigger water. An aluminum frame is great for keeping the weight down and it doesn't rust. River gear tends to take a beating, so durability will count in the long run.

There are several boats in the $300 price range, but you probally want to look at some in the $600 - $800 range. The more expensive ones are lighter and more durable. That could be important if you end up trusting your life to them. Higher end models have larger diameter aluminum tubing, pontoons made of Hypolon (a white water raft material) or bladders made of urethane. Some of the rivers in my area require at least three floatation chambers. The lower priced boats have steel frames and PVC bladders.

[billknepp]

One thing is to give considerable thought as to how much time you really want to spend on the assembly, after you arrive at your destination...If you can haul the toon whole..you'll enjoy it much more than if you need to break the thing down every time you need to transport or store it...Hard poontoons help greatly in that reguard..as well as durability issues... NO inflation time required...