Now folks
I have been searching the web for information on pontoons and float tubes. Now I am looking for opinions on both. I would like to know which you think is the best buy and why. The make and model, would you get a float tube or a pontoon boat and why. This is an open posting I am looking for opinions.
Ghost.
I am going to change float tubes.Never had a pontoon boat,but have had different brand tubes.I am leaning toward a n outcast super fat cat ,because of the glowing reviews I have gotten from this website and other sources closer to home.T hey also have a 5 year warranty which really opened my eyes.
Since I am prone to leg cramps & donāt enjoy the āclown-likeā manuevers to get in & out of a float tube, I bought a pontoonā¦ it is much easier for me. Easier to move in the water, to get in & out of, to cast from (sitting higher).
Later,
Peter
Since Terry mentioned FatCatā¦my take on itā¦I got one 1 1/2 years agoā¦higher endā¦price reflects itā¦I like it because my butt is out of the waterā¦well designed pockets on each side sturdyā¦a little heavy compared to others Iām aware ofā¦I havenāt been in heavy winds so donāt know if it is effected more since it seems to ride highā¦
As far as toon vs tubeā¦to me it depends on the waters you are going to fishā¦rivers seldom for tubesā¦for stillwaters it depends on the size of the waterā¦will you fight windā¦etc.
I own both, and the two have pros and cons. The tube is easier to transport (such as if you are hiking to a remote lake), a pontoon boat would make it that much more difficult due to its size and weight. The toon is my choice as I am always sitting above the water, to date I have yet to wear my waders while tooning, I use my wading boots and a pair of neoprene socks. With a 'toon you do not get nearly as cold. If fishing a lake, the 'toon is more prone to be moved around by the wind, the tube less likely as you are below the water level from the waist down.
Always keep in mind that the price range for both units vary inmensely. I would suggest for either product to purchase the higher en models, believe me you get what you paid for. Cheaper tubes are just that, cheaply made, the āinnerā tubes are pretty thin and not very durable, easy to puncture. The same applies to pontoons, a āWalmartā type of pontoon will not be very durable, the frame will more than likely be metal, making it heavy, the pontoons will be bladders covered by a thin layer of fabric, not what you want to have if you are about to crash against a logjam in the middle of nowhere.
Without a doubt I believe the pontoon is the better way to go. I have a top of the line pontoon boat (actually, just bought a second one). With my 'toon I have found myself in the middle of faster moving waters heading straight for a logjam, to my surprise, and relief, I just bounced off the logs and kept going, something I think would be very unlikely with a paper thin bladder pontoon boat. The weight of my pontoon boat is 30 lbs fully inflated, some of the more āaffordableā models weigh as much as 70 or 80 lbs.
My advise to you is to buy the best, quality wise, unit you can. Your safety should be primordial, donāt get the cheaper one to save a few bucks, if you can, get the best out there. Better to buy it now, than 6 moths later wishing you had spent the extra cash for a unit that would be much better/safer/more enjoyable.
To me, comfort is a must, I am NOT well off, yet I refuse to buy something that I would consider not completely to my liking. I rather wait and save a bit, then purchase what I want.
For Godās sake, if you choose to go with the floattube, NEVER, EVER use it when floating a river, these are NOT intended for moving water, your safety and well being is much more important than taking a foolish risk.
Without a doubt, you will get lots of advise as to which brand to buy, and no matter how people try to influence your decission, think it thoroughly and go with the unit that best suits YOUR needs and YOUR budget. Also, donāt be fooled by the bells and whistles (ie. anchor system, rod holder, cigarette ashtray, seat belt etc. you know what I mean. By the way a seat belt is an exageration and should not even be an option) some units include these as part of the package, they do this to overcome the poor quality of the toon/tube, all of these āextrasā can be purchased sepparately.
For the record, I own a Water Otter and a River Otter, both are excellent units and surpass my expectations. My Water Otter is over 20 years old and still going strong, I believe it is one of the original ones that were made. My River Otter was purchased last year, I bought it from a friend a couple of weeks ago, it is in mint shape and I look forward to using it for the next 20 plus years.
Finally, and I will admit that I do NOT use these, get a PFD. I believe these are a must if you are not familiar with the body of water you are fishing. I float my local stream and I know it very well, it is a slow moving river, the water depth is an average 2-3 ft.
Take care,
Saltamontes
If you have read any of my posts, you already know this, but I will answer this question.
I have an 11 1/2ā pontoon and a 4ā pontoon. I also have a SFC and an Escalade.
If I could only afford one, it would without a doubt be the Freestyle H3.
Reasons: I do some small lakes in the mountains and the Freestyle would be easy to pack in. I also do very large lakes, and there too the Freestyle would be perfect. This thing can even do white waters (where aloud of course)
Very well made with bladders that are not as effected by temp, or altitude.
Comfortable as heck, yet not that heavy.
Long enough to take choppy water.
The nice thing about pontoons however is that you have oars along with the legs, plus easier to put a motor on. Down side, hard to get them to remote waters.
Grey Ghost it has been a long time since I talk with you. Your idea of a float tube verses a pontoon boat has many variables. I have the super fat cat and a 10 ft outcast pontoon. I bought the pontoon this year to lower the times I get blown off a lake in eastern washington. It does better and a person have more control with it. The plus of the fat cat is that it donāt take up much room to store and very packable to high mountain lakes. The comfort level in both are very good, with most of your body out of the water. I use kayak paddles with the super fat cat but it still did not have the manuverabilty of the pontoon boat. On the safety side, I would never take a float tube out in a river, the Darwin selection process is to high. Your legs can get tangled in snags very easily and you know the rest. With pontoon boats they are sized for different applications. With the 10 ft outcast it has a bladder and fairly heavy fabric covering. Other pontoons, the outside cover is the bladder also but made out of different material. I picked mine for use on small rivers and lakes. If I wanted whitewater rating a heavier fabric, heavier frame and more bladders would be in store. But the weight of the craft goes up quite abit.
My pontoon is approximately 65 lbs loaded, when compared to the fat cat is around 15 to 20 lbs loaded. There is one hybird out there made in Montana that looks like a life raft with half the bottom out of it so a person can stand up in it. But to me it looked clumsy to use, some people have them around here and really like them.
What is interesting there is approximately 3 manufactures that make all the brands. AIRE makes buck bags, outcast, Aire, and couple of others.
Scanddon makes the one with the outside material as the bladder and have a very good platform for standing that stores when you donāt need it because support rail folds back over your head and the standing platform slides under the seat. The other one is raft like and donāt remember the brand now. Good luck on your journey
R.E.W. 
Grayghostā¦REW pretty much hits itā¦the whole subject is full of variablesā¦you didnāt define where,when, or how you are going to use themā¦the above discussions are good but maybe do not apply to how YOU are going to fish or use the toon or tube
ā¦
BTWā¦ DO NOTā¦and I say again ā¦DO NOTā¦get a tube that is circular!!!..get a u-tubeā¦if you are getting a tubeā¦
Folks
I know that a float tube is to be used on still waters, small reservoirs and lakes. The pontoon boat can do more, lakes and streams, I know you get what you pay for, right now I am looking for opinion on float tubes and pontoon boats. The why you bought and use what you have, why you like what you have. This give me the information that reviews and stats donāt. This is the personal experience of a user. Thank you folk for this information.
Ghost
I have both. I chose to get a [pontoon boat due to the fact my friend had one and fished more water with less effort then I did. I have a creek company. I use mine in still water only because that is my preference for fishing. I like the toon cause it has oars if I need them I donāt get blown off the lake unless the wind is really bad. I sit out of the water, I donāt wear bulky waders, but most of all I feel really safe in a toon verus float tube. I do take a float tube for long walks in. my toon weighs 45 pounds with 8 foot pontoons
Dear Gray Ghost,
I have a Waterskeeter Daytripper float tube and I love it.
I use it to fish warmwater lakes and I like the fact that I get wet when I sit in it without waders. Itās the perfect way for me to access the lakes in my area during the hot summer weather.
I seriously considered a pontoon boat before I got the Waterskeeter and I will probably get one eventually if I donāt get a SOT kayak. For me a pontoon boat would be overkill for the lakes I fish. If I really have to stay high and dry in a lake I have a real aluminum hard boat to use. I see pontoon boats as more of a moving water boat and once you decide to float rivers you need a partner or a shuttle service.
That is why I am considering a kayak. You can put in and paddle upstream and float back down to the starting point. The river I fish most frequently is a mile wide and you can paddle upstream a ways and drift back down and just keep moving across the river as you go. You really canāt row very far upstream with a pontoon.
There is no such thing as a perfect boat for all situations. Anybody that has owned any type of watercraft for fishing will tell you exactly that.
Best Wishes,
Avalon
Avalon,
Makes some good points. As a canoe/kayak kind of guy I am not at all impressed with the way a pontoon handles. They row too much like a rubber dinghy when you are used to the paddle response from a canoe or kayak. Their strength is in floating rivers with a partner and two cars. You would never make headway in a ātoonā rowing upstream in order to float back. It is quite possible, as Avalon states, to do that in a kayak.
I have canoes and kayaks but I love flyfishing from my Outcast Fat Cat. It is total hands free fishing. You can not get that in any other vessel. I havenāt yet encountered a wind that pushed me around to the point I would get off the water. With a good set of fins it moves out pretty well. It is definitely the best fishing platform I have ever used.
A lot of people who use pontoon boats eventually equip them with electric motors. I think that tells something about their inefficiency as a rowing platform. To me if you go so far as to equip your vessel with an electric motor you might as well have a boat. Hope you can make good sense of this. I have had my Fat Cat for 6 years now and have not had any problems whatsoever. My friend bought a Fish Cat 4 which is also made by Outcast. It is a decent tube and is considerably less expensive than the Fat Cat or Super Fat Cat. Creek Co. has copied the design of the Outcast tubes and offers the ODC 420 for a reasonable price (pretty much the same price as the Fish Cat 4.)
I own and use a Hobie Cat 75. Before purchasing it, I did a lot of research and watched others use their crafts to see the pros and cons on the river. I decided on the Hobie Cat 75 for the following reasons:
It has polyethelene (sp) pontoons which means I never have to inflate them, never have to carry an air pump with me, never have to constantly check the bladder to see if I need to let some air out due to higher temperatures or add air due to lower temperatures, never have to worry about a bladder bursting due to over inflation or altitude changes, it stores easily, it disassembles easily, it weighs 33 pounds, it sits higher in the water and rows very easily ( it rows so easily that I usually put it the river and row upstream against the current and then float my way back to the truck), etc.
It fits my needs very well.
They have the Hobie Cat 75 and Hobie Cat 60. I chose the 75 for the longer pontoons and will carry a larger load.
You can look at them here: www.hobiecat.com Just look under āfishingā on their web page.
Gray Ghost,
Check out this posting by trout-seeker on the āThings for Saleā forum.
http://www.flyanglersonline.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=11630
He has a Wood River Glide Rider for sale for a reasonable price. I bought one of these from a friend a couple of years after I got my Fat Cat. I bought it because I got an excellent price and it folds down very compactly for stuffing in a backpack. My Fat Cat has foam block seat and backrest so is not as convenient for packing. This tube is very efficient. You sit a little lower than in the Outcast tubes but you are still largely up and out of the water. For what heās asking you canāt go wrong. Thatās basically the same price that made me jump when I saw the GlideRider offered for sale by my friend.
I purchased a WaterSkeeter Rebellion 8ft toon lasy Julyā¦since my first trip in it I have never used oarsā¦I wet-kik with flippers in summer,ā¦and add breathable waders for fall spring tripsā¦you have way more control over the toon when kikinā as opposed to oarināā¦how would I know you askā¦seeinā as I posted I never used my oarsā¦simpleā¦watch the other guy who is oarināā¦no where near the controlā¦as wellā¦kikinā forces you to slow downā¦which is usually best when fishinā stillwaters for troutā¦mind youā¦the lakes I fish are small mountain lakesā¦donā think Iād take it out on big lakesā¦cos they do catch in the windā¦I also like the fact ya donāt get wet above your kneesā¦good thing in spring and fallā¦and in the heat of summerā¦your legs keep your blood cool so is no overheatinā to deal withā¦of courseā¦your milage could varyā¦;)))
mojo anyone want to buy a pair of new never used oars???
I have a Trout Unlimited madison that Ive used about 3 timesā¦ Has 8 1/2 ft pontoons and weight is about 45lbs. I like it but I donāt use anything in the rivers. I prefer to wade. Iām selling the pontoon boat, kickboat with a small trailer! If anybody is interestedā¦ i added a small anchor to the boat and the trailer is a drop down hitch trailer for a jet ski and works wonderful!
I bought my pontoon for the same reason as everyone else. You sit out of the water, which means I can wear hip waders. Rowing I can fly across a lake. Agreed that trying to row up river could be a chore, although I have never tried, but have been able to master some very nasty winds and waves.
I have put a platform on mine that is 5ā X 4ā, which allows me to take my dog, a large battery, three flush mount scotty rod holders, a waterproof bag with my rain gear, a lunch box and still have room for my dog to walk around and the boat still weighs under 75lbs. I can pick it up, but at 11 1/2 feet long a bit clumbsy.
Another reason I like pontton is I do have a motor (minn kota) that I can use.
I bought an Echo last year which is also a potoon with metal frame and padded plastic seat. But it has 4ā by 12" diameter (same as my Cardiac Canyon) pontoons that are dura bladders (self sealing). Bought it for the same reasons
The Kayak with the paddles is a great idea. I just like more room for my all day-ers