Personal Pontoon Boats?

[Gvec]

So I have been considering getting a personal pontoon boat. Any suggestions or advice? These seem like a great option to traditional float tubes.

I'd like to pick one under $500. But the reviews I have seen are mixed. A lot of tubes have problems holding air. Some say it is due to overfilling the tubes, as air expands when the temperature rises. Also some people recommend getting dual stitched tubes to prevent leakage.

The personal pontoons come with oars, but most have a trolling motor bracket. Problem there is in the state of NV, you need to register it. Ugh. I might just take my chances.

Anyways, curious if Amye has any experiences with these. Or maybe someone wants to sell theirs if they upgraded to a real boat?

Thanks!
Example:
http://www.amazon.com/Classic-Accessorie...788&sr=1-1
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[gnelson651]

Yes, Nevada requires registering any motorized boat. But for $20 a year its pretty cheap. You do have to take your boat to NDOW headquarters off Vegas Dr and Decatur for an inspection.

I seriously considered getting a pontoon boat but they are subject to wind and are hard to row. For the money, I decided to buy a used kayak for $275.00. Sit on top kayaks (SOTs) carry more equipment, are easy to carry on a car top and are faster than a pontoon boat. Also you don't need to worry about air leakage. But if you have limited space (either car or home) an inflatible kayak may be the way to go. My first kayak was a $60 Coleman inflatibale tandem kayak . I rigged it for fishing and enjoyed many an hour of fishing before I decided it was time to step up to a plastic one.



Just like a pontoon boat, inflatibles are subject to wind (I leashed myself to the kayak in case of turtling) and they are not very fast. But they are stable and easy to set up. There are several angler editions but they come at a greater cost. But for the cost of your suggested pontoon boat and trolling motor (and battery) it would be in your ballpark $$'s.

[url "http://www.amazon.com/Advanced-Elements-Inflatable-Yellow-8x35-Inch/dp/B0047U2NPO/ref=sr_1_33?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1332811939&sr=1-33"]http://www.amazon.com/...32811939&sr=1-33[/url]

You can find one at a comparable price to the pontoon boat and rig it yourself.
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[victor101]

I bought mine because i wanted something that sits higher than a float tube and would fit in the trunk of my car. . . If you have room for one, get a kayak. If not, a pontoon is a good option. They are slow and kinda awkward to row at first but if you add a trolling motor rowing isnt a problem. Heres a pic of mine


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[flygoddess]

May I offer some things to look for. First off, how do you wish to transport it? They do come apart, but that requires time to put them together. Back of a truck or on a roof, good choices, but then weight might be an issue.
The top things in my book to look for is:

Aluminum frame or no frame
Urethane bladders or bladderless as they are lighter and stronger and less effected by temp and altitude.
Outer material of PVC coated instead of just nylon
A pontoon made for stillwater. By this I mean with smaller rockers that the Creek Company.

The boats wth the large rockers need to be balanced to track level and that is such a short window.

All states make you license them if you put a motor on, but for $38. it is so worth it specially when the wind picks up.

I am going to say, you really do get what you pay for so choose wisely. Some have weld problems on the frames too. This is you life out there so get the best you can.
Craigs list has some great buys.

My choice are NFO, Outcast, Bucksbags and some Creek Co.
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