hi everybody,
iam looking at buying my first float tube :lol: and was wondering what my fao friends are currently floating in? and if they are happy with their choices… matt
I have used a variety of tubes (all U boats). While Caddis makes a great tube, I am presently using a TU Togiak. This is a V tube with a seat (with an adjustable back) and cargo area behind. It has 2 main bladders which is comforting after making a frantic kick to shore when a seam leak developed in my Caddis (Caddis Sports stood behind the tube and made it right!!). The V tube moves over the water with greater ease than the round or U boats.
Another great feature of the Togiak is 10 pounds!!! If you are carrying any distance, the lighter weight is great. I know that there are great tubes out there, and in my opinion, this Togiak is one of them. Here is a [url=http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/links/link.jsp?id=0011333315392a&type=product&cmCat=search-perf&returnPage=search-results1.jsp&&QueryText=Trout+Unlimited+Float+Tube&N=4887&Ntk=Products&Ntx=mode+matchall&Nty=1&Ntt=Trout+Unlimited+Float+Tube&noImage=0&rid=0180101070502&cmCat=perf&cm_ven=Performics&cm_cat=Google&cm_pla=flyfish_watercraft&cm_ite=trout%20unlimited%20float%20tube&_requestid=79793:3df64]LINK with info on the Togiak[/url:3df64]
If you are looking to float on flowing water, look into a small pontoon.
Good luck
outcast fishcat 4. great tube. priced right ($150). tough, easy to fill. have had mine for 2 years so far and no problems. highly recommend outcast. have one of their stillwater pontoons that is also tough and a great value as well.
matt:
The tube I have is no longer made so I won’t suggest one but I can make some recommendations:[ul]
- DEFINITELY get a V or U shaped hull.
*If your budget will permit the expense; buy Force Fins for flippers. They are the BEST!
*Make sure to buy AND wear a PFD. I like the SOS CO2 waist belt type.
*Take a look at all of the accessories available once you pick a tube, a REAL rod holder is a plus.
*Make sure no matter what tube you get; that it can be carried with detachable backpack straps. You’ll figure out why very quickly.
*Pick a tube with easily accessible pockets. While the rear pocket on most tubes is big and great for infrequently used items; it is DANGEROUS trying to access it while floating.
*IF possible check out the valves on the tube. Many are just plain lousy and no better than those found on a $.59 beach ball.
*Check the denier weight of the outer shell fabric. The higher the number the more heavyweight the fabric is. My tube is 1000 denier Cordura and almost bullet proof which helps with durability.
[/ul]
I’m sure others will offer lots of other suggestions too. You will also probably get lots of people recommending pontoons instead but I prefer a tube for it’s low profile, wind resistance, no oar requirement, better propulsion with fins, and pack-ability.
Have fun choosing 'cause you’ll have a blast when you finally get one.
Dear matt,
I have a Waterskeeter Daytripper LP and I like it a lot. I weigh over 300 pounds and it’s the ideal tube for a big guy who doesn’t want to spend $ 400.00 for a float tube. It is probably not the best tube for a 150 pounder because you will float very high and be susceptible to the wind pushing you around, but if you are big you will appreciate the huge capacity of this tube. I also like the bright yellow color since I float tube lakes with powerboaters and anything that makes me more visible is a good thing.
I haven’t done anything to trick it out like adding a depthfinder or anchor or anything like that. I mostly fly fish warmwater lakes for bass and panfish and those items really aren’t necessary for the lakes I fish. The tube has plenty of storage and with two small pontoons and 2 additional air bladders I think it’s a very safe tube. It takes a bit of work to assemble it the first time, but I haven’t fully deflated it since I put it together last July after I bought it. It is a little heavy, but I almost always put in a lake with a boat ramp so it’s no big deal to carry it a couple hundred yards across a parking lot. I does come with a storage rucksack that you can carry on your back but I’ve never bothered to do that.
Here is a link to Waterskeeter where you can see the tube.
Best wishes,
Avalon 
I use the Outcast Super Fat Cat. Pricey at $350 but well worth it to me.
Keeps you up out of the water, plenty of storage space, good seats and back rest, very durable, 12lbs, and fills up quick.
If you like fishing out of a recliner, this tube is for you. Very comfortable.
I looked at a Dave Scadden Navigator at the East Idaho Expo last Saturday. It’s a new 2008 model that’s out early that hardly anyone knows about. It’s built a lot like his H3, but has oarlocks built right into the pontoon, It can accomodate a deck behind the rower, The floor behind the rower has a zipper that accomodates an electric motor. It has a 700 lb capacity, and weighs 18 pounds. It has no frame. It rolls up and fits in a case thats approx. 14x24x24. (Not sure of the dimensions, but it’s airline legal) and it has room inside for your waders and fins as well. The show price was $799, so it’s a bit pricey, but I WANT ONE. Uhwaaaahh. I looked for a link on the net, but couldn’t find his site. If you’re interested, they might have tham at Cabelas. I don’t think they’ve hit the catalogs yet.
Hi Lew - Here’s the link you wanted:
http://www.northforkoutdoors.com/homepagedirectory.html
Super nice folks to deal with…Ed 8)
A pair of pre HC model Buck’s Bullets - one circa 1992.
Very happy with both of them and had they not changed the design I’d do it again. I’d probably be inclined to purchase a Fat Cat or Super Fat Cat in today’s market.
Best, Dave
TUBES, right now I have the Freestyle H3, but I am getting the Navigator II as soon as they can ship me one.
That’s what I was looking for Heritage Angler. Thanks for doing my footwork.
I sold my float tube and went to a kayak. Best move I ever made!
Semper Fi!
Didn’t you sweet talk Dave into a sweet deal at the Expo? 8)
FG, Don’t you like the Freestyle?
[quote=“ducksterman”]
FG, Don’t you like the Freestyle?[/quote]
The greatest float tube on the market in my opinion. I love it! I am just greedy. Plus with the NavigatorII you can row if your arms get tired or you can add that MinnKota. I also have an older Cardiac Canyon Pontoon, plus a Venture Outdoors Echo (a 4’ pontoon)
Thanks, FG…I’ve been considering the Freestyle so was wondering.
You know you could be costing me some bucks…I still want your thoughts on those two sunglasses.
matt:
Just wondering; are you interested in a FLOAT TUBE, like the Caddis or TU Togiak or are you interested in a pontoon boat which is what many of the others are recommending?
Each has it proponents but the difference is: [ul]
*Float tubes sit lower in the water; most of the time your butt is IN the water and your legs below the knees; therefore they are LESS susceptible to the wind.
*Float tubes require no assembly other than inflation.
*Float tubes utilize flippers for propulsion; NOT oars; therefore they are better suited for smaller water unless you have strong legs!
*Because of the lower profile and your feet dangling below; float tubes are NOT recommended for use on moving water.
*Float tubes are more easily transported from place to place when ready to go.
*Float tubes are cooler! [/ul]
Pontoon boats are a whole different critter and are better for a lot of things but are more like a boat than a tube. I guess this begs the question; when does a float tube become a pontoon boat?
Just being an inflatable doesn’t make everything a 'tube" IMHO. Even some local authorites have different rules for the two different types of watercraft with pontoons being treated as boats.
Choose what suits your purpose the best and have fun!
[b]My Take on it. Float tubes in the Doughnut or the “U” shape with the straps to hold you in you are sitting as low as you can in the water. What this means is you get beat up more by choppy water, you HAVE to wear chest waders, sitting more in COLD water, less wind resistance, harder to cast from.
“V” float tubes, you sit higher and in some cases, you are NOT sitting in the water (In my H3, the bottom of my seat is 4" away from the water) The “V” shape cuts through the water better, storage behind the seat PLUS the side pockets. Sit higher with lower leg in the water, therefore Waist High or my case Hippers. Wind resistance is a slight more, but the fact they cut through the water better makes it NON noticable.
Again, up side to Tubes, is no frame so easy to back pack and with some an inflateable seat which makes them pack up smaller than the FOAM seats. The Nice think about the Navigator II is it is a TUBE, inflateable seat and packs VERY small, but you have the oar option for the larger lakes, plus the ability to add an electric motor. The best of all worlds there.
Pontoons, it all depends on the DIAMETER of the toons as far as Stillwater wind resistance. I think you would want the larger diameter for Rivers, but stillwater, go smaller. Outcast, Fishcat, while offering 4 smaller diameter pontoons, those four still leave a larger foot print on the water and therefore IMHO are less easy to move than a single toon per side. Again the diameter of my toons on my CC are 12" and I am not a big strong woman. The wind has never been that big of an issue and I have been on some scary water. The Oars are fantastic in these cases plus getting to from A to B in a hurry.
Another plus to a pontoon, you are sitting higher which makes casting a LOT easier. Not to mention the new Pontoons with the STANDING ability. Down side to a pontonn, while they all break down to smaller size, they are still harder to transport.
I use a LVM pump and top off by hand and all three of the above mention inflate in minutes. Plus with the three mention, multi rods is easy. I prefer to take at least three rods strung with different line so I am in the water more than not. I use FORCE FINS and can move easily in any of these.
Things to look for in a Tube or Tune in my opinion is first a reliable name, Urathane Bladders, Halkey Valves, comfortable seat. easy patching if needed and storage, plus a very strong outer cover.[/b]
Final note: I would, and could float a river in the Freestyle due to the length of it and the ability to put my feet up.
I have used a Caddis Deluxe float tube (donut-shaped) for about 15 years. I haven’t yet read through all of the above posts, but I’m willing to bet that many people have suggested various newer designs such as U-shaped, pontoon-type, etc, etc. I’m sure they’re all as happy with their choices as I am with mine. I appreciate the simplicity and convenience of a donut shaped tube. I really don’t mind the 10 seconds of awkwardness that it takes to get in and out of one. It’s no big deal to me.
The donut-shaped truck inner tube style of float tube works just fine, in my experience. I keep my float tube deflated at home and throw it in the back of the vehicle when I go fishing. I use a compressor that works off the 12V cigarete lighter to fill it up when I get to where I’m fishing. This takes maybe 15 minutes, and I just let it inflate while I’m putting on my waders and assembling my gear. When I’m done for the day, I just unscrew the valve core and let it deflate while I pack up the rest of my gear.
gadabout, I started off with that very tube. It is heavier than the newer ones due to that innertube.
I will bet if you had a chance to kick around in a newer “V” you would change your tune as I did.
LOOK AT THE TRUNK SPACE! :lol:
Plus I will also bet it folds up just as small, like I said I did have a Caddis.