Size Of Pontoon?

[bbhill]

So I've heard mixed things about what size of pontoon boat you want/need for the bow river. I've read that at least a 9' is necessary and also heard that a 7 or 8 foot pontoon doesn't sacrifice stability or maneuverability. I thought I'd ask what the general consensus is and what the experts say?

[DRock]

I have a 10.5 foot scadden pontoon and its nice I think it tracks better than a 8 foot buck bags that I used before. A couple guys I floated with had 8 or 9 foot fish cats and they seem to manage on the bow just as fine. I guess for longer trips the bigger toon is better because you can load more stuff like bags and tents etc

[Fred]

I have the 9' fishcat and it works great. I primarily fish the bow with it, but I have had it on some lakes as well. In hind sight I would've rather gone with the 8' just for a little bit lighter weight, smaller size, and little bit easier manoverability on moving water (when kicking with fins). Hope this helps.

 

Cheers.

 

Derf

[wayne]

I have a scadden Assault which is 8.5' it is very maneuverable and you can navigate most water just with the fins, more time fishing less time rowing. This is a pic of my boat set up for Stillwater, it looses a bunch of the extras for flowing water! It has a fairly aggressive rocker , kind of hard to tell in the pic with the weight of the trolling motor and deep cycle battery.

If your primary use will be flowing water find a toon with a good rocker to the toons this makes it more responsive and easier to navigate the stream. The only reason I would go with a longer toon would be if you are a fairly large guy (250lbs+) or you are planning on overnight trips and need the extra room/capacity for packing gear. A larger toon may also be beneficial if you plan on floating water that is rated for class 3 or higher, the added length and width can be a advantage here as we'll.

Wayne

[DonAndersen]

Fish...

 

I just ordered a replacement for my 8' pontoon. Ordered another 8'er. I use my pontoon all over the place and have ran most rivers from the Blackstone>St. Mary's in a 8'er. While conventional wisdom says extreme rocker is best, what this means applies only to maneuverability but if you drop nose first in a bog hole with 10" of water in it, extreme rocker means you will whack the river bottom hard.

As far as the Bow, it can be floated on a couple of beer coolers.

 

Don

[bbhill]

Thanks for the suggestions. I am considering buying an 8' fish cat cougar which sits much lower in the water and would allow some control with fins. The other boat would be a fish cat 9 ir. It would be my first pontoon and boat to float the bow so I wanted to make sure I had a safe, stable boat that I could control well. I've heard great things about those scadden boats but its a bit above my price I think.

[DRock]

Get a scadden and you won't regret it

[budd77]

I have a Outcast Discovery 9ir and I like it but its the only one I've used. When I bought mine I phoned Outcast and talked to them about their pontoon boats. Boats like the cougar, panther or any of the ones that sit really low in the water are more for still waters. The 9ir has more rocker and is better for flowing water. So it depends where you are going to do most of your fishing but both styles will work in flowing and still waters.

Cory

[budd77]

I got the Discovery 9ir over the regular version because of the aluminum frame, the aluminum deck on the back and the padded seat. I put a trolling motor on mine as well and the deck is a lot better for holding the battery and all the other stuff that you may pack onto it compared to the net.

[bcubed]

If you get a scadden, it's worth talking to a few folks and getting their ideas. If i could do it again, i would just buy the raft, and do everything else my self (oars, accessories, etc). All of Dave's "stock" accessories are crap and the upgrades are seriously overpriced

 

however, after using it for almost a month straight in Northern BC, the thing rows circles around Watermasters, and in my mind way better than a pontoon.

[wayne]

Thanks for the suggestions. I am considering buying an 8' fish cat cougar which sits much lower in the water and would allow some control with fins. The other boat would be a fish cat 9 ir. It would be my first pontoon and boat to float the bow so I wanted to make sure I had a safe, stable boat that I could control well. I've heard great things about those scadden boats but its a bit above my price I think.

 

I had the fish cat cougar before I sold it to purchase my scadden, I sold it through the forum to Murray and I know he floats the bow quite a bit. You may want to get some feedback from him on how well it performs as I only ever used it on lakes.

Wayne

[jnovlan]

I too, am looking to get something with oars--- as my 'aging' legs don't handle the wind and longer outings in my float tube. I am still trying to wrap my head around the 'frame vs frameless'. Have been looking at the huge variety of Outcast and Scadden Series as well as others. I would appreciate reviews from anyone who has experienced the different models-- such as two separated pontoons with frame; frameless scadden renegade/escape style, and the Outlaw Assault style.

 

I have read reviews of each, however I have not been able to find reviews of the various styles by any one person.

If you have experience with mopre than one style, would you please comment.

Thanks

 

PS I would use approximately 70% still water and 30% river-- the two cooler (Don) kind!

[DonAndersen]

Jerry N,

 

I've got a Scadden Escape as a backup boat. I travel a lot and carry spares for nearly everything including boats. The Escape, like most frameless styles, uses an oar lock system that might not last long under heavy use. For the occasional user, it might last well but I tend to wear things out through use. My present pontoon is composed of many parts as each of them wore out. The seat and rear storage bags are Bucks, the oars and frame are from Outcast 9 IR, the main storage bags are Scadden, the tubes were built for me by a fellow in Red Deer. The boat just ordered is a Outcast 900. I will continue to use all the existing parts except for the tubes which will be switched to the new Outcast tubes. I frankly don't like aluminum frames after I and the guys I fish with broke three aluminum frames. As i use a pontoon <> 90 days a year, things break.

The Escape boat has a pitiful foot rest and is impossible to use with fins. The oars are very thin and will probably break under heavy use.

I've only used Bucks, Outcast parts and Scadden Escapes and therefore have no experience with other manufacturers.

 

Regards,

 

 

Don

 

[bbhill]

Thanks for all the advice and although I did not get a scadden (I'm sure they're great but out of my price range) I did get a great deal on a discovery 9ir. I finally got it out on a lake the other night and loved it as I haven't done much lake fishing and found it so much more enjoyable from a boat. I did find my feet were dragging a bit while on the foot pegs. I think I needed to fill the toons up a little more but I'm afraid of overfilling. Any advice on how to gage it as it gives a psi to fill to but my pump doesn't have a gage? Also, I think I needed to set the frame back a bit more to balance it out better. Also, I'm now in the market for an anchor and rope as it was a pain to try and fish while floating into shore every two casts. I'd like a trolling motor too but not sure it's in the budget right now, but are there any specific things I should look for in getting a motor for that size of pontoon?

Thanks

[Tungsten]

A tire gauge for a quad,reads from 1-5lbs pontoon i'd guess at around 3.5lbs

[fishguide76]

you should be tight enough to push the tube in aprox 1 inch with your thumb when fully inflated but you do need to adjust if you get out of the water on a hot day as the air will expand in the hot sun. I generally release the air out for the count of 5-8 when i'm done for the day or going to be leaving my boat out of the water for a couple of hours. I do this always since having a thwart blow out on a raft a few years ago.