Ok I have seen lots of posts about fishing boats, even commented and posted my self when I was looking. Now I am thinking a pontoon would better suit my family. I'm looking for opinions, experience and advice, so far I think my favourite is the Avalon 24 rear fish.
Ps anyone interested in 2010 crestliner 1850 Canadian 150 opti
Pontoons are a great family boat. We have had ours for three years now and I am very happy with it. I bought a smaller model, a 20' Sweetwater fishing model with a 60HP Evinrude 4 stroke. The boat only goes about 20MPH with 3-4 adults on it, but I have another boat that I use for big water or when I am fishing tournaments. We do a lot fishing so I bought a fishing model with the ped seats and livewell. It also has a flip up change room at the back but I put a porty potty in it which is handy for the kids and wives/girlfriends.
I mounted a 70lb. trolling motor on the front and a few rod holders around the boat. It is very stable and nice to fish out of, but being higher off the water you may want a net with a longer handle than you have now.
We just finished season 2 on ours and love it. Take your time and pick the floor plan that suits your use. I'm not sure there are better or worse boats but defintely different floor plans and configurations.
I have a sylvan 8520 mirage with a 90hp merc 4 stroke.
One adult I can do 28 mph but it goes down hill fast from there. 20 mph with 4 adults
We also have pontoon legs on ours. They are a must have as far as I'm concerned. No boat hoist required if you have a cabin and you can put them up anywhere beside the dock on the beach...
we just bough a 14 seater sylvan, it is the best investment we made. I can fish while the kids all play, or there is a ton of room for 4 guys to fish together. I cant get to any of my favorite little spots, the lil' aluminum will allways be needed but I would recomemd one, especially if you can leave it in the water, I dint enjoy trailering our its a bit of a pia
Loading in a wind ( daily ) can be a bit of a chore , for that reason we went with a conventional style fishing unit . I'm the first to admit that I have never had to load a pontoon boat in Alberta , but I have had to watch & help others at the boat launch in the wind and it wasn't pretty .
Loading in a wind ( daily ) can be a bit of a chore , for that reason we went with a conventional style fishing unit . I'm the first to admit that I have never had to load a pontoon boat in Alberta , but I have had to watch & help others at the boat launch in the wind and it wasn't pretty .
Their are interior and exterior guides that can help you line up your pontoons. You are 100% right that if you are inexperienced and in a cross wind you should take along a set of waders.
They also don't pull very well down the highway with a small vehicle. They are fairly light however have an extreme amount of drag. I have pulled mine with a honda pilot and if I was going farther than an hour to Pigeon lake I would opt out on using the Pilot. I would never pull one through the mountains with that combination.
On the plus side , there is a lot of room on board for friends , kids , pets & gear . We had a long discussion for & against . The daily wind and loading by yourself was my biggest concern . But pontoons do have lots of space !!!
Pontoon boats
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