PONTOONS vs. FLOAT TUBES

[darrin terry]

Benny, this will not help on cost, but have you considered either of these:

http://www.waterstrider.com/

http://www.bigskyinflatables.com/

I would love to get one, but the ca$h scares me off a little. still, kind of the best of both worlds.

[briansII]

So far I have not been convinced not to get a potoon. I think the pros outweigh the cons thus far. The price sure does make me think about it though. Any other pros & cons about the toons or tubes.

Thanks

There are lots of "pros" to owning a pontoon boat. I think the biggest drawback is the price of the top boats. Portability is not great, but if you have a pickup, or a vehicle that will accept a rack, you can haul them around without taking them apart.

4:30 AM pitstop




Wind is an issue, but it's not a lot worse than a float tube. You can haul all sorts of gear. Taking a toon for overnight, or weeklong trips is doable......a small ice chest is nice to have along on a long day.

If you're going to have problems kicking, a pontoon boat can help. You still need to wear fins and kick, but overall, getting to and from areas is a lot easier with a toon. You can put a trolling motor on your toon, and cover a lot of water. I have not used my oars in over a year.

jpeg coutesy of.....


I spend a lot of time on my pontoon boat. I love float tubing too, but lately, I spend more time on bigger waters. I can cover a lot more water in a toon, and that usually means more fish at the end of the day.

briansII

[Benny]

Darrin thanks for the links. I like the potoons a bit more because you sit higher out of the water. Plus did you see BrainsII pontoon

BriansII, that's what I'm talking about. I have the same truck an 03, Z71. What brand is your potoon. I was trying to make out the name, but it has a glare and I can quite make it out. This is the second potoon I've seen with a trolling motor. I am all for more fishing and less paddling. Thanks for posting the pics

[darrin terry]

Cool. But just so you know, the water striders are made to take a motor. I attended a presentation last year by a guy that has 9hp gas motor mounted on his. Takes his dog along.

[briansII]

I have the Scadden, Skykomish Sunrise.

http://www.northforkoutdoors.com/2008we ... 8pg17.html

I have no complaints on the boat, but I do think I bought a toon, too long for my needs. When I purchased the boat, I thought I was going to use it to float larger rivers, like the Lower Sac. As it turns out, I use it mostly for stillwater. I feel, a shorter boat would work better for stillwaters.

The fly fishing shows are just around the corner. If you're interested in a Scadden, you might wait for their show specials. I bought mine at the ISE Show(I think The Fly Fishing Show is better now), and saved myself some money.

briansII

[Benny]

I just saw the price and OUCH!

[Benny]

BriansII, what do you think of the OUTCAST DISCOVERY 9 STAINLESS-IR, on the outcast web site they retail for $850. I like the fact that it has stainless steel tubing for the salt water. The stainless steel would be a plus incase I decide on fishing in the bays.

Thanks

[anacrime]

wait.. didn't you just sell your kayak dude? now you want something even more expensive? what gives!?

[Benny]

wait.. didn't you just sell your kayak dude? now you want something even more expensive? what gives!?

Yes I did sell it. I sold it for more than what I paid for it with all the add on's. so I made out real nice on that deal. I am looking at the Outcast DISCOVERY 9 STAINLESS-IR, it retails for $850, but I found it for $599+FREE shipping via UPS. In addition to the FREE shipping I pay ZERO taxes

[briansII]

BrainsII, what do you think of the OUTCAST DISCOVERY 9 STAINLESS-IR, on the outcast web site they retail for $850. I like the fact that it has stainless steel tubing for the salt water. The stainless steel would be a plus incase I decide on fishing in the bays.

Thanks

I'm not very familair with the Discovery series, but it looks like a very nice boat. I almost bought a Outcast Pac 1000, instead of the Scadden. The stainless would be a big plus if you plan to use it in the salt. The aluminum frames are lighter, but even though they are coated, they will get scratched. If salt gets inside the aluminum frame tubes, who knows what will happen. 9' would be a good all around size. Outcast pretty much sets the standards for pontoon boats, so I think it would be a good choice.

briansII

[Benny]

Some quick stats on the Outcast Discovery 9' & 8' models

Discovery 9' Stainless-IR weight capacity is 400 lbs\dry wt 75 lbs

Discovery 8' Aluminum-IR weight capicity is 300 lbs\dry wt 64 lbs

Both come with a 5 year warranty.

[Rollincast]

Benny,
You have seen mine (toon that is ) It's a Discovery 8ft. The xtra 100 pound capacity on the 9ft would be worth it. Add yourself, a battery, motor and all the other "Have to haves" and you'll be close to the 300 pounds. Although I have never felt "Over loaded" The xtra capacity would be a plus. Stainless? SWEET.

[midger]

Seeing BrianII's toon on top of his rig made me remember my load this summer. This will keep you high and dry, handles Class IV rapids, is easy to fish out of (if you are in the front or rear seat--sucks if you are the rower). Just make sure there are at least two of you to load it, as it weighs in at about 200 pounds with the frame attached:



Sure is nice for running heavy rivers in Idaho though, but not very backpackable.

For packing I use a Bucks Bag or a Caddis tube. They weigh in at about 5-6 pounds. Wouldn't want to carry a pontoon into Cottonwood Lakes Basin.

Actually you probably need one of each.

[Benny]

Nice boat Midger, but does it have a trolling motor

Thanks for sharing

[mk4]

Benny, this will not help on cost, but have you considered either of these:

http://www.waterstrider.com/

http://www.bigskyinflatables.com/

I would love to get one, but the ca$h scares me off a little. still, kind of the best of both worlds.

Inflatables are great except for one area, the proprietary oarlock/oar system. You can't feather the oars. They are also weaker than a regular metal framed oar/oarlock system. It'll probably be the first area to fail. When you dig in and torque down on the oars you can see the oarlock/oar system flex and bind.

I know people that own the Watermaster and the Scadden Outlaw and used the Outlaw on the Sacramento. It's a great boat, but for over $1k, I want a heavy duty oarlock/oar system. I've heard some horror stories about the customer service at Scadden's, so I'm reluctant to buy from him.

Other than that, both boats float high, are easily wade fished out of, and track well, particularly the Outlaw. If'n they improve on the Outlaw, that'll be the boat I get.