Personal Pontoon Boats in PA?

[skeeter]

Generally speaking, whenever I receive the Cabela's catalog and browse over the pontoon boat section, I always think, “Man only if I lived out west” I’d get one of them. Well after a long personal deliberation, I think I might just wanna save up get one….In the future

Am I wasting my money, does anyone have or know of somebody that has one. Any experience or info would be great, I even prefer criticism considering my fiancé tells me a have a problem with gear in general, she saying it’s only FISHING! She’s Wrong :-D

Thanks in advance.
Skeeter
South Central PA

 

[tomgamber]

Why not? If you've saved the money and you think you might be fishing smaller rivers and maybe use it on some lakes...it'd be fun...of course you must weigh it against the "even up"purchase she will make after buy your new boat...good luck with that.

 

[skeeter]

HAHA. yea she already has me roped in with the "Even-up" rule on this one. She has said something about something at sometime. :lol:

 

[tomgamber]

I brought a couple of float tubes back from Idaho with me which I really like for lakes..I also have a sit on top kayak I used at the beach and I really like that too. You could look into either one of those as well...might be able to get off cheaper and get what you want out of it...You could even get a two seater SOT 'yak and buy her some suntan lotion and a good book.

 

[skeeter]

Well, we already have a canoe, however she ends up doing most of the paddeling. HAHA. Also, it is hard to take the thing out by myself. I have read the pontoons draw as much water as a kayak does but you are able to sit much higher on the water than a tube or yak, thats what sells me. And I don't think I will be doing much in terms of lake fishing even though it would allow me too, this would be more for like Little J sized stream and rivers and less rocks than the Loyalhanna. Actually Tom, my fiance grew up in Greensburg, we go back there at least once a month.
Thanks!

 

[2bonthewater]

I've seen a few gents using them on the Schuylkill River........all said it was fun and good exercise.........one guy had an anchor system rigged up--- said it was for when he hit a good spot, he would drop anchor and fish, or get out of the float and wade fish for a bit while the float stayed in one place thanks to the anchor.............

 

[Heritage-Angler]

Got this one about a year ago.

http://www.northforkoutdoors.com/2008webcatalog/2008pg14.html

Works great on the Delaware and Lehigh River. Lets you cover a lot of water easily. I don't fish from mine, but use it to float and then get out to fish good looking spots while the boat gets tied up at the river bank. Best way to fish the bigger rivers I've found.

 

[jerseygeorge]

Heritage-

I really like those scadden boats. I am thinking of a pontoon boat, mostly for the delaware. A friend recommended these.

Classic Accessories Pontoon Boat

A few questions. I would need to cast from the boat. How stable is yours when casting?

Also, do you blow it up and take it apart stream side, or do you keep it assembled and cartop - pickup truck - trailer it?

How do you handle the shuttles?

How would a Kayak compare for the type of fishing you do with the pontoon boat?

I realize that is a lot to ask, but I am getting very close to buying one!

Thanks

JG

 

[skiltonian]

i have a used orvis pontoon I'd sell or trade, if anyone is interested. located in the philly area - can not ship (too expensive)

skilton1974@yahoo.com

 

[Flydog]

I have a Water Skeeter pontoon boat. It came with a detachable casting platform. This allows you to stand up on the boat while in mid-river. I have only used it a couple of times. The real challenge is the shuttle.

The times I have use it I always tried to fish and float at the same time. Which was really difficult for me to do! Heritage-Angler, great piece of advise.....float to the site you want to fish then wade. I assemble the boat at home with the pontoons almost full then when I arrive at the river I finish inflating them.

It would be great to get a number of anglers together for a float trip!

I have a place on the back to mount a trolling motor. Do you think you could use a trolling motor to get back up stream if the current was not too strong? That would solve the shuttle problem if you are fishing along.

 

[Heritage-Angler]

Hi George -
here goes......

I compared a lot of boats before choosing mine (including Classic), and the Scadden boat won hands down.

stability......
The casting platform is very stable, but there's a catch. When you stand up on the platform and start casting, no one is "driving". Pontoons spin like a top without constant correction. The solution is to drag a hunk of chain on the anchor rope. I refuse to do this because of the damage it does to the river bottom. I'll save the platform for when I'm anchored on still water.

assembly......
I keep the whole frame assembled and the rest in a huge duffle bag. It takes about 15-20 minutes to get it ready to float, and I can put two in the back of my truck easily this way.

shuttles....
My best friend has the same boat I do. We each drive and leave one truck at the takeout point. When we get down to it, we load up and go get the other vehicle..

kayak vs. 'toon.......
There are advantages and disadvantages to both. For me, it's all about stability. I don't think I could flip my 'toon if I wanted to - at least on the Lehigh and the Delaware. I also don't think I could strap a 130qt cooler on a kayak and enjoy the ride.

electric motor in lieu of a shuttle......
Uhhhhhh, no. We drift for a lot of miles, 'nuff said.

When you get one, get a good PFD, an audible warning device (whistle), and a PFBC launch permit.
The fly fishing show in Somerset NJ is a great place to research the major manufacturers offerings. Good Luck! :-D

One more tip:
Get a piece of nylon rope a bit wider than the distance apart the rings are on the front of the pontoons and put a "dog leash" clip on each end. When you assemble the boat, clip an end on each ring. This tether rope should stretch fairly tight from ring to ring. When you stand up in shallow water, the boat stays with you "hands free". Also works great to attach the boat to something shoreside when you get out to wade. I only use an anchor on still waters for safety's sake.

 

[jerseygeorge]

Thanks for taking the time to reply. You have answered a lot of questions that I have. One I forgot is if you just use waders and boots. The scadden website shows lots of usage of fins, even on boats like yours. That surprised me.

I really enjoy the upper delaware. A guide for the day is 350-400 bucks. I can pay for a boat pretty quick.

I have a toyota 4 runner. I will have to see how one of those fit like you mentioned, the frame assembled and the pontoons separate.

I will be at the somerset show on Friday. It is on my list to check out.

 

[Bert]

I'm thinking about swapping my pontoons for a Water Master

 

[Heritage-Angler]

Hi George - The fins allow you to fish and steer at the same time. I really don't care for this method, as by the time you see good places to cast, you only get one shot at it before you're past it. I like to work the water a little slower than that. You can get some great loooong drifts though - everything is moving at the same speed = no drag.
I have a Toyota Tacoma with a cap on it, so it's roughly the same as a 4 Runner. You'll have to deflate the tubes to fit it. You can assemble the whole boat and then deflate the tubes and fold the ends up over the frame. This saves a few minutes of assembly time streamside. Don't forget to get a good double action pump - these can be purchased at Cabela's or even Walmart for under $20. Each tube fills up in under 3 minutes and deflates in seconds with a Halkey-Roberts valve. Look up Larry Tullis at the show (Northfork Outdoors/Dave Scadden). There are some ferocious show special deals available, and ask about getting a pump with the adaptor tube thrown in the deal - Larry may be the most knowledgeable person in the country when it comes to pontoon boats.
Good Luck, and if you need someone to float with, I'd be happy to join you..........Ed

 

[TimMurphy]

Dear George,

If you have a roof rack on your 4runner you should be able to carry a fully assembled pontoon on top of the vehicle.

I have a buddy who owns a 10 1/2 foot Scadden Skykomish Sunrise model and he has no problems hauling it assembled on top of an S-10 Chevy Blazer. He's gone 70 - 75 mph on I-80 and I-81 with the pontoon on top with no problems.

With two or more people together on a float a trailer is the only way to go. You can carry two or more boats fully assembled with a trailer, the only other way to do that is with a full size 8 foot bed pick-up.

Regards,
Tim Murphy

 

[jerseygeorge]

Thanks Tim - Scadden is well represented at the Somerset show. I will have to spend some time with them.
JG

 

[CAMBYSES]

I have had a few of these, all from The Creek Company. My last one, which I sold to Fred had a trolling motor and anchor kit. I used to float mine on the Schuylkill in Berks County and I fished Hopewell and Scott's Run a lot with it.

I have moved on to a 10' SOT yak that I outfitted for fishing. The pontoon was nice because of the ride height, however, I hated the set-up it required. When I got the the site I would have to put it together (which isn't hard) and then fill it up ( a couple of mins with a dual action pump). Pack the gear and then I could fish. With the Yak I just pull it out of the back of the car and toss the rods in the holders and I'm off!

 

[ryanh]

To extrapolate off of Tom's post here is how to sell it.

You:
"Honey all of the other guys have float tubes for ponds"

Her:
OK?

You:
"And kayaks for rivers, and canoes for lakes. Thats about three grand in water craft."

Her:
"Oh my!"

You:
"Yah and all I want is this measely personal pontoon boat with a compass in the stock and a thing which tells time. I will be saving us $2500 buck by getting this thing!"

Her:
"Great idea, come here you big stud"

Fool proof!!

 

[Buggy]

I just won a pontoon from the Penn's Woods West TU "Cabin Fever" event on March 2nd. Sportman's Warehouse was the donating sponsor of the pontoon boat. The pontoon is made by Outcast Sporting Gear and the model is the Sportsman's Warehouse 9. It seems similar to the Fish Cat 9. It is probably the Fish Cat 9 but made specifically for the Sportsman's Warehouse retail stores.

It is much heavier than I expected at 72lbs. The total weight capicity is 375lbs that leaves plenty of room for gear. I picked it up today and plan on assembly this weekend. Now I have something to look forward to when the weather warms. I expect to get plenty of use at Cross Creek Lake this summer for bass.