advice on pontoon boat

[bowchaser]

Looking at getting a personal pontoon boat, not a zodiac. Want to keep it under $650. Thinking about getting one from the US as family is going to Cabelas in a few weeks. Don't know too much about them, I will mainly be using it for some smaller lakes and would like to use it on the bow. Will 9' be enough? I think the stitched and welded seams are best? Any brands to stay away from, any advice appreciated.

thanks.

[mud slug]

if you here in edmonton the army and navy sells one man pontoon boats from $250 up

Whatever you do do not get those blue & white cimarrons from crappy tire. My son had his out our first time at struble, hooked a trout, caught it, released it, and then the hook punctured a whole in the side and down he went, lol. Let's just say he had a chilly swim back to the boat launch.

[m82fish]

Hey Bowchaser, I bought a Water Skeeter 9' pontoon and I love it.I do alot of rivers and lakes with it,it has a motor mount and standing platform,7' breakdown oars and a good size gear bag as well as a swivel seat and anchor rope system.so far I've done the Bow from Castle Mtn. to Seebe and a few rivers in northern BC as well as many lakes around here.It floats like a cork and handles whitewater really well.Good luck.

[duffy4]

What does a skeeter 9' cost and where did you get it? I am thinking of getting a pontoon boat myself. Anyone ever use one for shooting water fowl from?

Robin in Rocky

[Morph1]

Hey bowchaser,

Take a look at a Baltic inflatables on ebay.
I would recommend one of those as I got it myself last summer, had that unit about 30 + times out on the water and it works like a charm, never had a problem with it , buddy of mine has a 9 ft zodiak and tells me my boat looks and feels more solid...,
The same units Mr. Zebec Canada sells for $2000 plus on special ,
exactly the same boat just a few added extras like protective strake on the tubes etc. and a patch with his own name, an upgrade that you can do yourself for under 100 bucks.,
Sorry I don't mean to expose mr Zebec , I mean that's business and hes trying to make money of course, that's what business is all about...,

I owned one of those dual tube pontoons with the seat in the middle,
and after 1 year I switched to that Baltic inflatable which I trully enjoy,
a more comfortable unit and you can pack all the gear that you can imagine,
plus you can move, sit , lay down or stand, a lot more comfortable than sitting for hours in one spot, now add the price of fins and neoprene, and it will end up about the same cost.
One more thing I also paid customs taxes on my boat under $200,
all together I think it was just about $900 us, boat shipped within 2 weeks.
I forgot too add the boat folds into a 3' x 2' bag comes with pump a seat and 2 oars,
I keep it inflated and load myself on top of my truck , the boat weighs 85 lbs.
Just hit ebay and type in search window inflatable boats to see more details.

Well good luck on your purchase,
Hope this helps on making a decision.

Cheers !

[uicehole]

Don't forget the Outcast line of pontoons in your evaluation (yes, I'm partial). Good quality and the big stores carries them. http://www.outcastboats.com/outcastboats

I would suggest a minimum 9ft for rivers. Ditto "stay away from the Crappy Tire C-morons" if you value your life.

[BUD]

Originally Posted by mud slug

if you here in edmonton the army and navy sells one man pontoon boats from $250 up

The one in Calgary has them too , they look pretty good too.

[orca]

I have a Outcast Discovery 9 and love it . Have used it on river and lake find it very stable. Has motor mount but have not used it .The only problem I have is when using flippers boat wants to go in circles . Using caddis flippers with booted chest and hip waders can anyone help. Heel seams too loose wondering if flippers are turning.

[Coldhill]

You can get a water skeeter from the Fishing centre 0n 82st in edmonton. I got mine from there and if they don't have what you are looking for it should only take a week or two for them to get what you want.

Whater skeeter is the ONLY way to go...

CH

[skykomish sunrise]

the other thing is the boats are often designed for either stilllwater or rivers or both. the banana shaped ones are great for the river use but suck in the lakes. flat bottom boats are nice and stable in the lakes but lack the turning ability you want in the river. if you do both then you are stuck with a compromise one that is flat bottomed but has harsh upturned ends. hope this helps.
fyi: i have a 10.5 foot for the lakes...it is nice to be able to stand up and be stable