11-14-2005, 11:50 AM
Hey smallmouth89,
You've made some valid observations on pontoon boats. I also have one of those in addition to my tube. As TD pointed out, the two are complimentary rather than exlusionary. One does what the other cannot do very well. That said, here are a couple of my observations and experiences with the two.
My tube is a stealth machine - a commando raiding watercraft - it's light(when I leave all of the extras at home), manueverable, packs up small and easy to carry quite a distance to a remote fishing hole(even inflated). And most of all, it's just fun !
My toon is designed such that it can handle a class 3 river - even a class 4 if a person is experienced and gutsy. It rows and handles wonderfully in any water and only draws a couple of inches of water(with out motor - with motor it draws another inch and a half). But, it is far more robust than the toon you borrowed and with a motor(electric or gas), or, with just oars it can fly across the water. The down side to it is that it was very expensive and depending on the configuration of it that I use, it can be quite heavy(at it's lightest configuration, it weighs in at only 55 lbs). In comparison to my first pontoon boat(similar to the one you used), it kicks like a dream.
The answer that I came up with to your concern about holding position against the wind or mild current, is the anchor(I would recommend learning good anchoring theory beforehand) - for both my toon and a kayak. I've borrowed one of my fishing buddies kayaks on a couple of occassions and experimented with a number of those concerns. My next watercraft(to compliment not replace) will be a kayak with an anchor system. A pontoon(even without a motor), like a kayak, can be a trolling machine with the addition of stratigically placed rod holders and a fishfinder - which I have both of on my pontoon as well as an easy to use anchor system for holding stationary.
As far as transporting my pontoon, I have a pickup truck and it fits in the back when it's fully loaded. However, it is also very easy to assemble and dissassemble when I take in my other vehicle that does not have all the room. My first pontoon boat was also quite easy to take apart but heavier. With some practice(I'm talking doing it more than a dozen times at your house), you can get a routine down that will allow you to put almost any of the pontoons together and tear them down in just 10 or 15 minutes - about the same amount of time required to get on the water with a fully blown float tube system.
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You've made some valid observations on pontoon boats. I also have one of those in addition to my tube. As TD pointed out, the two are complimentary rather than exlusionary. One does what the other cannot do very well. That said, here are a couple of my observations and experiences with the two.
My tube is a stealth machine - a commando raiding watercraft - it's light(when I leave all of the extras at home), manueverable, packs up small and easy to carry quite a distance to a remote fishing hole(even inflated). And most of all, it's just fun !
My toon is designed such that it can handle a class 3 river - even a class 4 if a person is experienced and gutsy. It rows and handles wonderfully in any water and only draws a couple of inches of water(with out motor - with motor it draws another inch and a half). But, it is far more robust than the toon you borrowed and with a motor(electric or gas), or, with just oars it can fly across the water. The down side to it is that it was very expensive and depending on the configuration of it that I use, it can be quite heavy(at it's lightest configuration, it weighs in at only 55 lbs). In comparison to my first pontoon boat(similar to the one you used), it kicks like a dream.
The answer that I came up with to your concern about holding position against the wind or mild current, is the anchor(I would recommend learning good anchoring theory beforehand) - for both my toon and a kayak. I've borrowed one of my fishing buddies kayaks on a couple of occassions and experimented with a number of those concerns. My next watercraft(to compliment not replace) will be a kayak with an anchor system. A pontoon(even without a motor), like a kayak, can be a trolling machine with the addition of stratigically placed rod holders and a fishfinder - which I have both of on my pontoon as well as an easy to use anchor system for holding stationary.
As far as transporting my pontoon, I have a pickup truck and it fits in the back when it's fully loaded. However, it is also very easy to assemble and dissassemble when I take in my other vehicle that does not have all the room. My first pontoon boat was also quite easy to take apart but heavier. With some practice(I'm talking doing it more than a dozen times at your house), you can get a routine down that will allow you to put almost any of the pontoons together and tear them down in just 10 or 15 minutes - about the same amount of time required to get on the water with a fully blown float tube system.
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