float tube seat height

[sumo]

Ok i am new to this type of fishing I am currently building a version of a float tube/pontoon boat and I have come to the point of determining how high i want to sit out of the water, I have never used a float tube before and would like some advice on how high to mount the seat , I know that the over all height will vary from person to person. I have noticed , by looking at the pics on this site that some tubes sit you below the water line some just at the water line and some out of the water all together, is their any advantages / divantages in each position or is this a personal preference . I have included a drawing to better show what i am working on.
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[cpierce]

If you are using oars a little higher is better and easier to fish from, but not so high that your balance is off. It is harder to kick with fins from higher up.

On the other hand being just above the water level makes it easier to propel yourself with fins, and is not too bad to fish from. It is ok with oars too.

Being in the water itself, I don't consider good. It is cold and harder to fish from down low, and you loose a lot of your mobility and speed because you are dragging your backside all over the lake in the water.
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[flygoddess]

Pontoonman and Shig Speed could give you some technical reasons.

I say, if the pontoons are farther apart you could sit higher.

Most pontoons, the bottom of the seat is at 6" to 10" above the water.
You will notice, pontoons with bigger diameter toons, the frame drops down between them. I had a Pontoon that had 12" diameter pontoons, but the frame sat on top the pontoons (flat frame)

By getting your rear out of the water, specially on the design you have, you will have allot less resistance. Like two water skis.

Now the tubes that you are sitting in the water are pointed, like the bow of a boat. They cut through the water, although they have a big foot print.

Your pontoon with the flat ends, is going to have some resistance due to their shape. If you could cone them or make them sweep up or both, it would track allot better.
And a wider boat is more stable.
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[pontoonman]

Hi, looks like a good project. I prefer height of 6" above surface of calm water and maybe 8" when choppy. So maybe best if you could make the level adjustable to allow for conditions and weight of passenger and equipment. The wider and longer the boat, the more stable and the higher you can sit. Foam is illegal in some locations, unless well encased so I don't know what kind of coating you are planning. High density poly board is very strong and may not need metal reinforcement if thick enough, unless the plan is to use hinges to make it all more compact. Keeping weight down is crucial. One the first boats I made was a 4.5' version similar to your picture and it worked well. I used only 2 threaded rods to bolt the pontoons together and attached a canoe style seat in between to those rods- that kept weight and cost down. The upsides are durability, simplicity, low cost and stability if large enough.

The downsides are heavier than comparable inflatables, less portable, absorbs water if not totally sealed- results of less buoyancy and days to dry out, corrosion embedded in salt water use. The "flying brick" shape is very hard to push through water as goddess pointed out, elongated football shape with your butt out is the most energy efficient.

That's what my experience has taught me, hope some of this is useful. Hope you have fun building, as I did.

Pon

[quote sumo]Ok i am new to this type of fishing I am currently building a version of a float tube/pontoon boat and I have come to the point of determining how high i want to sit out of the water, I have never used a float tube before and would like some advice on how high to mount the seat , I know that the over all height will vary from person to person. I have noticed , by looking at the pics on this site that some tubes sit you below the water line some just at the water line and some out of the water all together, is their any advantages / divantages in each position or is this a personal preference . I have included a drawing to better show what i am working on.[/quote]
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[sumo]

thanks for the feedback. it has been very heplfull. I live on the border of virginia and tennessee my main focus of this design is for use on small rivers and in small ponds, the rivers hear are slow moving with a lot of shallow areas, this is the main reason that the foam is totally caged in by the conduit.. I also wanted a boat that i could put on the racks of my atv and run through the woods without having to worry about snagging the floats on a tree or a rock and cutting them down, foam is not illegal hear when it comes to boats, but I sill don't want the foam braking up when i hit something and littering the banks of the river , by protecting it should last a long time . i pan to seal the foam with a latex paint and in addition i will protect the bottom and top with a pvc material that is used as shower backing . this can be found a lowes or home depot, after reading all of the suggestions on this post i think that your suggestion of making the seat adjustable may be the best way to go , this is not going to be easy due to the fact that the seat is in the middle of the boat and the boat folds in half, but that is the part that i like best , trying to figure out something that i have never seen before. thanks again to all on this site for taking time to help a dumb country boy out.
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