Opinions??

[ULTRAlite]

 

Details on Creek Company Sport LT

 

Was interested in getting a new belly boat, but everyone I've talked to says to go pontoon. It would be used in potholes 99% of the time, but if I can get onto a river with it, all the better. This one is definately in my price range (ya, I'm cheap!) Would this be better than a FishCat? Is the takedown easy?

 

Any and all info appreciated.

 

Thanks

[ÜberFly]

Hell, I'd be all over Colin's (CDone) 'toon that he has listed on the Trading Post thread!! I was out with him on Don Anderson's fish study last week and was able to see his boat in action! It's in GREAT shape and he is letting it go for a steal! I'd also say that you get what you pay for and a used "WaterSkeeter" is far superior to a "Cabela's special"!!

 

P

[ULTRAlite]

I did see the post you are speaking of, and it does look like a great toon and deal... however it is a fair ways outside of my price range. As a side note, I wouldn't be buying it from Cabelas, they just had the best description.

 

Thanks

[ÜberFly]

Either way, I'd be wanting to see it in person... $250 seems a little "cheap" (quality wise) if it's new...

 

Just my opinion...

 

P

 

I did see the post you are speaking of, and it does look like a great toon and deal... however it is a fair ways outside of my price range. As a side note, I wouldn't be buying it from Cabelas, they just had the best description.

 

Thanks

 

[flytyer101]

Are you able to get a decent toon with 250$?

 

[ULTRAlite]

I would go in and see it in person for sure... but what should I be looking for? Having never been in one nor known anyone that has, I don't know what I am looking for other than general quality.

[flytyer101]

Ive been told you have to spend a few hunderd to get a good one. Some people say its better just to get a good float tube. Fish cat toons are around 500 and there float tube are around 200-250.

[Sean84]

I saw this one for sale in the bass pro flyer, for $220 its hard not to keep looking at it.

[ULTRAlite]

I was definately impressed with the Fish Cat 4 when I was looking in store today. They sure have come a long way from "belly boat". I would consider them more of a portable pontoon really. Is the only benefit of an actual pontoon that it gets you slightly higher on the water?

[brownonbow]

If you want to get a deal look on Kijiji. You will have to be patient, and quick when you see one, but every now and again one comes up for $250.00

 

A pontoon is much more comfortable to be in all day. Especially if the weather turns ugly. You have more options to bring gear with you and even do an overnighter.

 

If you want to float a river, even once a year, go with a pontoon. You are taking your life into your hands floating a river with your feet dangling from a belly boat, waiting for a sweeper or other river debris to connect.

[ÜberFly]

I'd say go to a shop (one of the sponsors or other wise) and that way you can see the different models (and quality)... I think Walmart (and Cost-co) even sell them so you might get a good idea about quality...

 

I'm no expert, but things to look at would be the type of material the tubes are made of and thickness of the nylon cover (if applicable), the type of steel or aluminum the frame is made of, the warrantee that the company offers. Then look at the details, padded seat, side pockets, can you use an electric motor, it is river rated and what's the weight capacity, what other accessories they offer anchor cleat and pulley system, rod holders, length of oars, type of oar locks, etc. As I mentioned in a previous post, quality will always outlast something "cheaper" (in price and quality) and hold it's value better. If you need to cast from the bank one more season to save up for a better quality boat then that might be worth it in the long run. I think U of C and Sports Rent rent them, so maybe rent one to see if you like it or borrow one off a board member if possible...

 

Again, just my opinion.

 

P

 

I would go in and see it in person for sure... but what should I be looking for? Having never been in one nor known anyone that has, I don't know what I am looking for other than general quality.

 

[flytyer101]

Belly boats are not designed to be used on the river, they would be very dangerous. If your looking to use it for the river then get a pontoon for sure. If your looking to kick around in small lake and ponds a belly boat would do . Fish cats look pretty go as they are out of the water and look pretty sturdy. If your looking to hike any where with it get the belly boat. Pontoons are nice for easy to access area. They would be better for the bigger waters and for a more comfortable time on the water.

 

[ULTRAlite]

Thanks guys, all good info.

 

I think U of C and Sports Rent rent them, so maybe rent one to see if you like it or borrow one off a board member if possible...

 

Good to know, thats a great idea. At least I would know what I like and don't like.

 

Thanks

[ladystrange]

i have a fish cat 4.

 

pros - light, no assembly required - just pump it up with a foot pump in minutes, easy to hike in to hard to reach lakes, comfortable all day, small - fits in the back of blazer, great for small lakes/potholes/ponds, pull fish right into your knees with out a net and they are still in the water, have found a scotty set up for rod holder, nose of the fish cat is under water so if you have a dry sack you can keep your food and drinks cold without using a cooler

 

cons - do not use on river, kicking long distances on lakes sux, only has 2 pockets so you cant take a lot, no place for an anchor so you get blown around and drift a bit if you dont kick to try to stay in place, your butt is still sort of in the water, if you use the drink holder use the side opposite of your cast otherwise you will wrap you line around the bottle

 

i have used my friend's pontoon

 

pros - wear shorts and runners all day and stay dry, lots of room for boxes/gear/coolers/gadgets, manuver by rowing/kicking/electric motor, can use on river for drift, able to use an anchor, a lot faster to get around a big lake with little effort

 

cons - tend to be heavy and cumbersome especially when dragging it up to bear pond - that sucked, depending on the vehicle you may have to take it apart for space, more room usually means more crap, generally need to use a net because you need to reach, better to have an electric pump because foot or hand pump takes more time, i kept getting line wrapped around oar locks

 

i think my fish cat cost 160, not sure what the price is now. i have had it for 5 years, dragged it across rocks, sand, grass. i've snagged it with hooks and it actually took the mirror off my truck in a high wind with no damage to the fish cat. great quality, no issues, no leaks, no damage.

 

i would have to ask myself why most pontoons are 700 - 1500 new depending on size etc and what kind of quality you would be getting for 250 for a new no-name one.

[Guest Jeremie]

i put an anchor on my fish cat 4 double fat cat, you need a clip to attach it to on of the side rings, i bring 2 and it works great! Sorry for hi-jacking the thread, but my opinion, lakes like muir, bullshead, star, and smaller lakes like that fish cat 4 is your boat. Anything bigger then that.. pontoon is much better. If you've only got the 250 get a good quality U-boat and pay the price for it! (Super fat cat LCS for 289.99 is an amazing deal.) Like you said only for pot-hole lakes. Problem solve

[Brunsie]

The pomtoon/bellyboat market is pretty competitive, so you're pretty much going to "get what you paid for".

The biggest problem with inexpensive pontoons are the frames which are light duty and the welds tend to crack and

even break.

Even on a small pothole, if the wind comes up and you're in a boat without oarsm it's going to be a long kick back to the other end of the lake.

If it were me I'd be savong my coin and watching for a deal on a better quality used pontoon.

 

[ULTRAlite]

Thanks for bringin me back to earth all - Seen the flyer, and immediately was reminded of all those times that I was told I should get a pontoon. I'm gonna wait for now and get some feedback on it for sure ( I see that there are no reviews on Cabela's ). Hopefully something used comes up and if not, I might just wait another year. Guess I can rent one for this summer if I need it.

[Pipestoneflyguy]

I have both and I can tell you that the only time I choose the belly over the toon is when I have to carry the boat in and it's just too far for the toon. Some folks don't like the toon because it is harder to control drifting and spinning but over time I have gotton to the point that I very rarely ever even use my flippers - I just drop one foot in and rotate it in the opposite direction I want the boat to turn, after a while it just becomes second nature. As for drifting I appoach the toon the same way you would a bass boat - figure out which way the boat will drift and then set up so the natural drift takes you through the area you want to fish - honestly its not that big of a hassle, for me anyway.

 

One thing I would suggest is investing in a decent quality boat either way. I have both a fish cat 4 and a Caddis belly boat - the difference between sitting high out of the water vs sitting half sumberged in the water is signifigant especially on long days with hiking involved - as for the pontoon, well going too cheap, and the repurcussion to that is something you'll have to decide your self - If your a small light person you probably can go a little lower on quality - if your pushing 200lbs, buying quality becomes an important safey issue. give this decision the respect it deserves because bobbing upside-down in either a river or lake with you waders holding your topside under water is a pretty scary prospect (and I rarely see anyone wearing life jackets on either type boat - generally because they are restrictive and no one believe "their boat" will be the one to fail) - also keep in mind if you get a 9' pontoon you'll need the "operators card" (for me it was an easy 2 hour course that cost 70 bucks)

 

I am headed out to Wapta lake this aft and it is still 50% covered in ice - I'll be comfy on my toon but my buds who are going in belly-boats, might have an opinion on the matter after having their "grapes" cryogenically frozen within 10 to 15 minutes on the water LOL

[jack]

Those "pontoons" are short-term solutions, think 2-3 year life span. The frame is not built to last, the pontoons(both bladders and shells) are pretty light-duty. For any river? Nope.

j

[Crowsnest]

echo was has already been said. To add to LS pros/cons

 

Float tube Pros = no set up/take down time.

 

Even with my pontoon frame already assembled and loaded in the vehicle, it still takes me ~15 minutes upon arrival at the lake to inflate the 2 toons and strap to the frame. I utilize an electric hv pump and top off with hand pump. And of course, take down time of approx 10 minutes at the end of the day. With the frame fully disassembled, set up time is closer to 25 minutes and 20 minutes take down time. This is very important to keep in mind, because you could be fishing somewhere and the action is slow and want to go elsewhere, but the take down/set up time of the pontoon is not condusive to moving to new locations very often/at all.

 

I have both, and there has been many times that I have been in 1 watercraft, and wished I was in the other.

 

 

 

[Pipestoneflyguy]

That's a good point - in my case I have a truck (and trailer for the jeep) I did let the air out of the toons the first winter but had trouble getting the bladders lined up right again so now my pontoon and belly stay inflated all year round.

 

A good tip for bellys - I bought a set of quality replacement straps for a backpack at campers village a couple year ago and rigged them to my belly boat with little biners. Makes it so much more comfortable and easy to carry than rigging it to a backpack and my fishcat 4 came with the loops to clip in already there on the boat.

 

 

I feel for you guys with cars - constantly pumping must be a real pain

[ULTRAlite]

All really good points to consider. I definately like the idea of not having setup/takedown time. If fishin is slow at lake X and I wanna move to lake Y, how motivated am I gonna be if it's another 25min takedown, and another 25 min setup. Thats valuable fishin time!! I'm swayin towards a fishcat... but I won't be making a purchases just yet.

[ÜberFly]

If you have a pick-up, it's sooooo very cool to see a 'toon strapped to the topper!! If you don't then I guess you are SOL and have to break it down everytime...

 

P

 

P.S I'd be in the latter scenario, myself (though it might be just as cool to have one strapped to the roof of my Mazda wagon, or Deb's Forester!! Though I doubt it )

 

All really good points to consider. I definately like the idea of not having setup/takedown time. If fishin is slow at lake X and I wanna move to lake Y, how motivated am I gonna be if it's another 25min takedown, and another 25 min setup. Thats valuable fishin time!! I'm swayin towards a fishcat... but I won't be making a purchases just yet.

[PeteZahut]

I have a Fat Cat and always take the air out. I don't use it enough to care about the hassles of inflating and deflating. I like the idea of using straps connected to it but for me I avoided that and bought a huge backpack that I can fit the tube in deflated. I then clip on my flippers and hand pump and I am good to go.

 

It is a lot of fun but does kind of suck when you get blown across a lake and then have to kick your way back. Is pretty tiring.

[Saltamontes]

I have a belly boat, two pontoon boats (both of them purchased used) and a dinghy type boat for 3 people. Don't get the wrong message here, financially I am far from being well off (live in a townhouse with no garage) my go to pontoon stays inflated in a garden shed in the 20 x 15 ft backyard I have, and yes I do have a truck to haul it around with. My suggestion is to wait for the right (used) boat at the right price. I have always thought that going cheap in the long run will end up costing more. A top end pontoon will last forever (1 of mine is 20 plus years old and still going strong). Yes they are pricey, but buying a "disposable" boat might be something you might regret as they are not as sturdy and safety is a must. Cheap boats are cheaply made, with cheap materials, cheap labor etc. The last thing you want is to hear is a weld cracking while in the middle of a lake or floating a river. I have no regrets with my purchases, they were not cheap, but I know I bought what felt was the right thing for me, as I feel safe with any of my boats

If you must have a pontoon for a trip, rent or borrow until you find something you can afford that will suit your needs.

Belly boats do have their place, for myself however I have not used mine in over 6 years, if I ever need one, it is sitting there waiting for its time to shine.

Oh yeah, I am contemplating buying another boat, one with a standing platform, but we'll have to see how that goes.