Looking to get a pontoon boat

[deaddrift]

Like the title says looking to get a pontoon boat for the upcoming season going to be used primarily for the bow. I am a bigger guy 6'2 240 not sure if that would make a difference in what i should get. Price really isn't an issue as i would like to get something high quality that will last me. wondering if there is a preference on framed vs frame less for moving water? also is it safe to use fins on the bow so you can fish while drifting?

Any help or opinions would be greatly appreciated.

 

[skearns]

HI DD, I am a bit larger than you and bought a waterskeeter ( now out of business I think) about ten years ago. It has a frame and 9 ft pontoons and has served me well with multiple bow floats over the years. If you have a truck then it works well to only have to set it up once at the beginning of the year. After I sold my truck it now goes in the trunk of my car which can be a pain, however I can build it ready to go in about 15 mins. Options I would look for a new boat would include:

• bigger pontoons
• bigger cargo compartments
• better rod holder
• drink holder
• solid back platform for storage
• solid foot pegs
• anchor system ( for lake use only, never in the river)
• better frame harness system than the Velcro I have.

I have never had any near misses safety wise however my brother did get ejected from the same boat on the St Mary's one time after hitting a sweeper so caution when driving at all times. My first few years I didn't use fins and spent the majority of time spinning around instead of fishing. The force fins work well however I have lost a few over the years and now have a mismatched pair. I also use a manual double action pump which would inflate each pontoon in about 90 seconds in my younger years.

I usually wears waders unless it is a really warm day and for the last few years have been wearing the inflatable PFD. Enjoy the experience, nothing like a leisurely float down the blue ribbon hauling in the bow footballs.

[danhunt]

I have had a 9' Fishcat for 12 years and I'd recommend the brand to anyone.  Being a bigger guy you'd probably be happier with a 9' or a 10' model.  I haven't used a frameless boat, but I think the major advantages are the lighter weight and portability/storage.  I think the advantage to a frame boat is that they are stiffer so they are generally easier to row.  If you do go with a solid framed model I would recommend adding some sort of wheel setup for your boat, as it makes it much easier to move it around on land and I think it saves some wear and tear on the pontoons. 

[deaddrift]

do you guys find it pretty easy to control a framed toon with fins or is it a little tougher with the extra weight?

[sldrose]

I've rowed both framed (fishcat style) and frameless pontoons. (outcast commander)

I ended up buying the frameless outcast commander and really like this boat.
I can't speak highly enough about it.

The new model update looks even better, with the blunted nose.
I was also looking at the scadden assault xx and the watermasters, but they were way to expensive.

Coming from rowing driftboats, I thought I would hate the fixed oars, but I got used to it in 20min
The framed pontoons are probably a little better from a pure rowing perspective because you can choose any oars you like and can retract and feather at will,
but you adapt pretty quickly.
It's very important that you carry spare oars though, and make sure you don't jam the oars into rocks etc as i've heard they can break.

I actually prefer the lower position of the frameless, despite being closer to the water. Feels more stable, less affected by the wind.

This is just me being wierd, but i feel like i could slip off the footpegs on a framed pontoon and fall in, whereas i never got that feeling in the outcast.

I haven't tried either with fins so i cant comment on the difference, but the frameless is more stable to me.

I did have to buy some addons for the scotty rod holders with my outcast so it didnt get in the way of my stroke, but they worked perfectly.

I also tried the watermaster which was good, but I preferred the commander was more maneuverable due to the rocker.

Used the commander for about 80km down pacific NW rivers.
I'm 5'11" and 230lb

Also the frameless are lighter and easier to pickup and move, and STACK easy.

I hope that helps.

 

 

[bcubed]

I just wish that someone with the frameless boats would make a better oarlock system. The $10 chinese stick-on oarlock is a joke when it comes to being what keeps you alive. I've broken 3 of them on my scadden, replaced with the same piece from watermaster and same issue.. too much torque on something essentially plastic.

 

The new outcast boats have a great looking oarlock, just not sure there is a way to get that same thing on a 1 person raft.. or why they didnt include it on their new single person boat.

[bcubed]

Talked to outcast about their new oarlock..apparently they tried to get it on the Commander and weren't able to make it work in a way that made them happy.....back to the drawing board for me. Still wondering if i can just bolt an oarlock into the plastic bit of the existing oarlocks..

[mtbkr]

Having owned both framed and frameless boats I agree wholeheartedly with what sldrose just said.  Further to his comments above I can tell you that I find frameless boats much, much easier to kick and control with fins.  Sitting lower in the water puts more of your legs in the water and lets you kick and control with fins much more efficiently.  Now that I've gone frameless I would not go back.

I gave up floating the bow out of a framed pontoon as I found it way too hard to effectively control while trying to fish.  I find the smaller, more maneuverable frameless boat makes controlling the drift much more manageable.

[deaddrift]

I appreciate all the information!  Think ive decided to go frame less probably going to go for the outcast stealth pro. Does anyone know if bass pro or cabelas carries them? cant find anything on their websites.

[sldrose]

10 hours ago, deaddrift said:

I appreciate all the information!  Think ive decided to go frame less probably going to go for the outcast stealth pro. Does anyone know if bass pro or cabelas carries them? cant find anything on their websites.

fishinhole has had em in the past. 
I got mine at their annual sale in May I think. Pontoons are usually 20% off if you can wait and if they're in stock beforehand.

the outcast stealth pro was on sale last year. It looks sweet.