Pontoon Boats

[camillj]

Giving some thought to buying one for cruising around the big Muskoka lakes... but of course I'd have to rig it up for trolling ... just looking for feedback ... I have an 83 yr old "date" that would love to cruise but couldnt manage the off-n-on on a boat with sides

[Leecher]

Camillj I can't help you on this but PM trout&muskyhunter.... he owns one and I'm sure he'll be glad to help you out on some good advice

Leechman

[setomonkey]

My in-laws own a pontoon boat and we've fished off it.

 

Definitely a comfortable way to travel around the lake. Very stable platform too for someone with mobility problems or if there is a group. Haven't tried it but it would probably be good for a bunch of kids too.

 

The downside for fishing is that you can't get as close to shore, rocks, etc. as you could in a tinny and you won't exactly be able to roar around the lake looking for spots.

 

A pontoon boat wouldn't be my first choice but it's a solid option if you need a boat for multiple purposes.

 

My two cents,

 

Mike

[Jonny]

I don't own a pontoon boat, but I've fished from friends' pontoons. It's a very comfortable way to fish. The drawback is the speed (moderate to slow) and the fact that you probably won't range too far. If those things aren't important, I don't see why a pontoon can't be both a good fishing platform and a classy way to take out your "date" (your mom?).

 

Make sure you have a long-handled net.

[blaque]

if you go to a few websites................google suntracker, or crest pontoons, you'll see that they have fishing packages. I dont know what makes them differnet from the other pontoons lol, but i think most pontoon manufacturers have a "fishing line" of pontoons. They probably put a rod holder on it and call it a Fishmaster 5000 or something lol.

 

Anyway, one thing for sure..........aside from the major drawbacks on performance, the pontoon is alot of bang for your buck.............if your looking for a living room on skis. They are quite the comfortable party barge

[Gerry]

I've never owned one but I have had friends and relatives who've had/have pontoon boats. The only caveat is that the shorter ones, under 18 feet, are difficult to control and handle in tight spots. Pontoon boats are verrrryy slowww, but as mentioned, are quite stable. They are a good choice for someone with mobility issues. I know of one that is for sale at a good price.

[blaque]

Who needs a pontoon when youve got that sweet rig in your avatar gerry.........now thats a fishin ride

[POLLIWOGG]

Slow? compared to what? I think the pontoon would outrun any mono hull of the same length and width and HP. They are making pontoons now for tubing and water skiing.

 

I know a couple guys that have them on a small lake and they'll never go back . Lots of deck, lots of comfort but you have to look after them, your looking at at least couple grand in upholstery keep the sun off it or in a few years it'll look like a cadilac covered in primer.

[camillj]

Thanks for the feedback guys ... yes actually its my Mother in law ... they have a cottage on a small lake near Minett and I have been thinking of leaving it at the marina for day cruises .... and of course I would HAVE to fish on it

 

Gerry, please send me the details of the one you have a handle on.

 

Thanks agin folks ... and If I get her we may have to arrange for 'timeshare'

[Jonny]

Slow? compared to what? I think the pontoon would outrun any mono hull of the same length and width and HP. They are making pontoons now for tubing and water skiing.

 

I don't know if they make a mono hull like that. Pontoon boats have a wide beam for their length. But you're right about some pontoons being pretty quick.

 

I've always had the impression that a pontoon needed a LOT more horsepower to get it up to mono hull speeds. As far as I know, they don't really plane. The other impression I have is that you would want to be on pretty calm water at higher speeds.

 

But all round, on some lakes, speed/wave height etc. likely aren't really a factor.

 

I suppose it would be best if a pontoon had removable upholstery to keep it out of the sun and weather. It would be a bit of a hassle but worth it in the long run. You can buy them completely "zipped in" but I'm thinking that would be as much of a hassle to open up.

[blaque]

the small inland lakes near me are littered with them, because they are small water boats.......youll never see one out on erie lol. i dunno, i would LOVE to have one if i had a cottage on a small lake, on top of my fishing boat........just to entertain.

[POLLIWOGG]

Ive seen a guy downrigging on L. O. with one.

 

The hull speed of a 24' boat is something like 7 mph so if its going faster its planing, the new ones made to go faster have a strafe to give some lift.

 

There's a video around where they put a couple huge mercs on one and got it over 100mph.

 

Most of them only have a forty or fifty on them, put that on a mono hull deck boat and see how long it takes to get on top.

 

One problem a guy had with big pontoon was, he was out cruising with a load of people and somebody on the front said look at that, they all moved to the front and the boat was going fast enough that it nose dived. He said he thought he was driving a submarine.

[Jonny]

Not to be argumentative but it seems to me that you can't compare a 24' pontoon boat to an average 24' mono hull. When you're comparing what is essentially a catamaran to a mono hull, I think that changes things like top displacement speed. But I'm no marine engineer.

 

I've gone a lot faster than 7 mph on a friend's pontoon boat and I don't think it was planing.

 

Planing depends on the horsepower and hull configuration lifting much of the boat out of the water. Most pontoon boats I've seen seem to be plowing rather than planing, even at moderate speed.

 

Not that a pontoon boat with a few "tweaks" couldn't plane, but they might be the exception rather than the norm?

[Jer]

There's a pontoon cruising around Chemong with a 115 on it. I've seen him at full speed, I don't think my boat could keep up.

[blaque]

How bout 600 horse lol

 

[Dara]

There is one up here on Big Basswood that the lodge owner has.

He fishes off of it constantly. Lakers, whitefish.

Everebody looks and says,,,Yeah,,,thats the way to go.

Stand up, walk around, lawn chairs. Downriggers mounted on it.

If I had a cottage to leave it at, I would get one.

its just very tempting to take brewskies on it

[Dutch]

Good for cruising around, but probably not the best for fishing except on super calm wind-free days.

 

Those things sit up so high in the water with those flat sides, they are like a big sail, you'll get blown all over the lake in pretty much any amount of wind.

 

If you were putting a TM on it, you'd need a heck of a lot of thrust to move it around in the wind.

Edited July 1, 2009 by Dutch

[blaque]

very good points dutch

[blue pickeral]

Something else to consider....do a Google for UFab pontoon boats in Smith's Falls. We needed a small basic barge like boat for our little lake '8 feet by 14 feet - that required no bailing' and I bought a kit from them for around $3,000.00. You can buy all kinds of options - seats, walls, roofs, etc. but we just got a plain boat, assembled it, and covered with marine plywood. If your passenger has mobility problems, you could probably attach a self-designed ramp for easy on / off and then modify it as funds allowed for your swivel seats, umbrella etc.

 

Assembly went so smoothly that I rechecked the instructions just to see if I missed anything! I like the idea of bolt attached pontoons - in the event of any damage, you remove the pontoon, not having to tow the whole boat to get fixed. I picked up the kit in Smith Falls, but they will deliver to your site for a fee.

 

-you will need a marine surveyor to check off the boat after you've built it if you need to insure it. Running a 9.9 on the same lake all the time, so I did not.

-some confusion over transom motor attachment height on mine, supposed to be 20", but got such a good deal on a new non-current motor, I may have a 25" shaft, just built up the transom to accomodate.

[Greencoachdog]

Good for cruising around, but probably not the best for fishing except on super calm wind-free days.

 

Those things sit up so high in the water with those flat sides, they are like a big sail, you'll get blown all over the lake in pretty much any amount of wind.

 

 

That sounds like fishing out of my Deep V. .. and I'm pretty sure that's what they make drift socks for.

[TroutnMuskieHunter]

Camillj...I've had my pontoon boat since 1994 and it's still in great shape other than wear and tear on the upholstery now...it's extremely stable and I don't have to constantly worry about wind and waves

 

I only have a 40HP and that's plenty for us....the boat is 20' and we'll get around 17mph but usually, my wife and I just putt around and enjoy...

 

pm me if you have any questions...

 

Steve

[JohnF]

I've never owned one but I have had friends and relatives who've had/have pontoon boats. The only caveat is that the shorter ones, under 18 feet, are difficult to control and handle in tight spots. Pontoon boats are verrrryy slowww, but as mentioned, are quite stable. They are a good choice for someone with mobility issues. I know of one that is for sale at a good price.

 

Tell 'em to mount a MinnKota on the front end (Can you get 'em with a remote?)

 

Seems to me that would address the handling issues in confined spaces and also may be useful for fishing.

 

JF

[JohnF]

Good for cruising around, but probably not the best for fishing except on super calm wind-free days.

 

Those things sit up so high in the water with those flat sides, they are like a big sail, you'll get blown all over the lake in pretty much any amount of wind.

 

If you were putting a TM on it, you'd need a heck of a lot of thrust to move it around in the wind.

 

I'd want one with drop in sideracks like pickups used to have, and some kind of plug in seating, sort of like a bassboat only some would be benchs. That way I could strip it down for fishing (with an electric TM on the front end). It wouldn't be as fast as a real bassboat but it might just be a great multi-purpose boat for a cottager who liked casting.

 

JF

[TroutnMuskieHunter]

I just read though all of the posts and started to laugh at some of the comments ....

 

My 20' pontoon with a 40HP planes out just fine with the use of tilt and trim......I can get as close to shore as any tinny can....

 

For anyone that knows the Ottawa River, we can easliy get 4 -5' waves in no time depending on the wind direction and it doesn't bother us in the least when we're out on the pontoon fishing, compared to the other tinny's being rocked around like rag dolls while trolling....

 

[Whitespinnerbait]

I just read though all of the posts and started to laugh at some of the comments ....

 

My 20' pontoon with a 40HP planes out just fine with the use of tilt and trim......I can get as close to shore as any tinny can....

 

For anyone that knows the Ottawa River, we can easliy get 4 -5' waves in no time depending on the wind direction and it doesn't bother us in the least when we're out on the pontoon fishing, compared to the other tinny's being rocked around like rag dolls while trolling....

 

 

I was going to vouch for ya Steve ...

 

But its been such a long time that i've been on it ,,I don't remember the ride...