Pontoon Boats

[gunslinger]

Fellas i got to fish off a really nice pontoon boat this summer out at tobin lake and i have to have one now, any body else using these boats for fishing.

I havent bought one yet and am looking for a place to buy them but i am going to put at least a 115 horse on the back of her.....They are the ticket for fishing with a crowd

[WayneChristie]

Bass Pro has some in their catalogue, the price looks great until you notice that you have to pay extra for a trailer. They do look like they would be great to fish from though

[bobalong]

I bought one this year and they are very nice to fish out of, lots of room. Rigged it with rod holders, sonar, trolling motor etc. It is 20' long but I only have a 60 hp on mine and it goes about 20mph with 4 people and gear on board. Last weekend we had 6 adults and 3 kids on board and had lots of room to fish. I went with the fishing model, 3 pedestal seats with a change room, which I put a porta-potty in, instead of the fouth pedastal seat. They track and handle very easily and are easy to load, mind you I have not had to load in a strong cross wind yet. They do not turn near as sharp as the standard boat, but you will get used to that fairly quick. I bought mine from O'Js in Wainwright.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v45/bobalong/Pontoon%20Boat/IMG_0590.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v45/bobalong/Pontoon%20Boat/IMG_0591.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v45/bobalong/Pontoon%20Boat/IMG_0598.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v45/bobalong/Pontoon%20Boat/IMG_0621.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v45/bobalong/Pontoon%20Boat/IMG_0651.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v45/bobalong/Pontoon%20Boat/IMG_0662.jpg

[gunslinger]

Thats a great looking boat, that is exactly what im looking at , a 20 foot also , i love the family pictures and that is exactly why im buying one, oh and congrats on the baby there. You know you can enjoy it when the tiny ones can even come fishing

[C Taylor]

Not fun to load if theres a wind, way harder to control

[Garry B]

I had a pontoon boat years ago when I was up north. It was great for fishing for me because I use a wheelchair and a pontoon boat was about the easiest boat to get into.

The pluses are tons of room and stability. High sides keeps kids and me in (wheelchairs must be anchored to the floor with straps or rope). The minuses are not too fast and doesn't handle big waves nearly as well as a conventional hull. If the water has any swells you must take them head on or you will be rockin' and rollin' mercilessly (well at least I had trouble handling the pitching - able bodies won't find it as bad). Best solution for a guy in a chair.

Legend boats has some nice ones:
http://www.legendboats.com/
Personally I would not like lots of frills just plenty of empty space to use the way I see fit.

http://i1139.photobucket.com/albums/n554/garryb_9/justpics/FishinFromPontoonBoat.jpg

[dragon]

I bought a Sylvan 8520 (8'6" wide by 20') long. It has a 90 hp 4 stroke merc and is nice. It can pull kids tubing but likely would struggle if they wanted an agressive ride. I would suggest the 150 if that's what you had in mind.

As for fishing it is awesome. Lotsa storage and what not. Lotsa room so the little kids don't hook your nostrils.

One down side is that it is high off the water and if you landed a big ol lady you would have to get down on your hands and knees to pick her out of the water.


As for launching it. They are ok and retrieving is ok too. Make sure you buy the trailer guides for the back of the trailer and cross winds won't be as much of an issue.

We leave ours at pigeon lake and purchased something called pontoon legs.

http://pontoonlegs.com/

They are pricey but as an alternative to a boat hoist (if you keep it in the lake) they are quite slick. Some people have had theirs tip over in high winds and I will say that we had a wind storm a couple weeks ago that took out docks and such and our boat was quite ok.

[sharpstick]

I purchased a pontoon boat this year as well and am very impressed with it so far. It's not the "fishing" model per say, but we do catch fish off of it. The change room/porta potti would be the biggest plus when you have daughters, wife, friends wives and daughters etc. You are good for the day out on the water. Mine has a fridge, but is a waste if you don't have lake front property to run power to charge the battery for it every day. I will likely pull it out and use the space to put the cooler. My neighbor asked me how many people we could take on it, I told him to count the drink holders... LOL.
So much room for the young kids that have no patience in a small boat and nowhere to go. We love to float in the middle of the lake, some fish, some tan, some play games, some swim, nap etc. Shade with the bimini top and 300HP to pull skiiers too. I will second the Pontoon Legs, that has got to be one of the most innovative inventions for boats in many years. Absolutely love ours. Pull up anywhere, drop the legs and your set.
Don't get me wrong, other boats have their place, but having 3 young kids and lots of family/friends that don't have a boat, Pontoon is the answer. No more taking turns for a boat ride, just throw everyone on.

[bluetick]

After a few aluminum and 3 speed boats ,we finally realized we needed more room and comfort and not the speed.
Got the party barge with a 60 merc with the big foot leg and prop.
We pull the tube around no problem but its not a rollercoaster ride like the 150 hrs speet boat would be but still fun for the kids,
Took the 82 yr old mother inlaw fishing which would have never happened in a smaller fishing boat .Stability is awesome ,waves are not really a problem if you are against or with the flow.
Cross winds are a bit of a problem when docking or getting on the trailer ,especially if the top is up!
Got a porta potty from crappy tire for the girls and the coach give the wife and kid a place to sleep while I fish ,,,, Cant beat the deck for a good BBQ or a runway for the kids to jump off and take a swim .
I run this unit all season every weekend last summer and the fuel bill total was 45 bucks !!!!!! Try that in a speed boat.
Never regreted this purchase ,especailly with the long weekend coming and Im gonna fish and relax on the boat all weekend:):sHa_shakeshout: