Float boats aka pontoon boats

I'd been contemplating buying a float boat (the type with inflatable pontoons) for fishing lakes and rivers. I recently had an opportunity to rent one at Bridgeport Reservoir, and am I glad I did.

My first impression was that this boat was all but impossible to get into from a dock. and was best 'walked in' from a ramp or from a beach. I was glad I was wearing waders, otherwise I'd have been wet and cold launching the boat.

Maybe it was something about the brand of boat, but I found it awkward to row and, when headed into the wind, it was hard work!

This boat was rigged with an anchor via a quick-release mechanism on the frame. The way it was set up made it virtually impossible to orient the boat once anchored. It would have been nice to be able to move the anchor from the rear to the front of the boat, so as to change the orientation, but there did not appear to be any way to do that with this particular frame design.

I wished I was wearing my fins that I normally wear while on my float tube. They would have added a greater degree of maneuverability.

The boat was fitted with a single wheel which was turned through 90 degrees and locked in place with a clevis pin when launched. Re-deploying the wheel when I brought the boat to shore was a real pain. I had to kneel in the water and raise one end of the boat high enough to be able to change position of the wheel. I'm glad I was wearing my waders and wished the wheel was in a fixed position.

Dragging the boat up on shore required two hands &/or two people due to the single wheel. After a couple of unsuccessful attempts, I went for help. If there were two wheels, it would have been a lot easier to manhandle the boat up the beach.

I came away from this experience believing that the only way I'd buy and use one of these boats is if it was equipped with two wheels and an electric trolling motor. The $20 rental fee proved to have been money well spent to avoid making a costly purchase mistake.

Talking later with a couple of float boat owenrs, I learned that a motor with 30 lbs of thrust would be ample. I also learned from these folks that, in choppy water, they got quite wet, and they had given up trying to fish Convict lake that morning for that reason.

Tom,
    You can be sure those fisherman were dead on. I like you rented before buying. You can get very wet in choppy water, just hope it's a warm morning. Seeing I live on a lake I am still using my old alum. 12footer untill I find something I like better and can travel with. Bill

I had a chance to use a float boat once and was impressed just as you were.  Of course I never bought one.

Thanks Bill. I have a 12' aluminum boat that drifted into in my back yard and I haven't been able to find an owner (or someone who'll own up to owning it). The Sheriff told me it's mine if nobody claims it after all the attempts I've made to find the owner. I thought of putting it on the roof of the Suburban for trips like this, but then realized the Burb doesn't have rain gutters, so it would be tough to mount a rack or a winch up there.

I might still buy a pontoon boat, but I'll be getting a motor and battery to mount on it. I have a little better understanding of what to look for, and maybe I'll be able to pick up a used one. I have a couple of pairs of chest waders, one of which is neoprene and the other is lightweight. I've used the neoprene waders with the float tube in pretty cold waters and they help quite a bit.

Another consideration with the float boat is how I'll carry it &/or whether I'll inflate and deflate it every trip.

Every time we're camped at/near a lake I'm wishing I had my 18' bass boat along. However, the only way to tow it behind the coach would be to leave the Burb at home, so we'd have no local transport. That's been a motivator for me looking at pontoon boats.

I think Terry & Betty have a pontoon boat hopefully they will jump in with some information and suggestions.

Thanks Ron. Marsha and Tim have them also.

Well, having just had lunch with Tom and Chris here in Kernville, I can tell you his float boat story is told much better in person.  I burst out laughing at his recollection of the event.  Come to find out, Tim and I think he had a catamaran frame raft on pontone floats which is a bear to manuver.  His story is a riot.

Yep, we do have an inflatable.  It's a Sea Eagle Paddle-Ski with seats on 2 pontones.  But like the one Tom rented they are hard to manuver in wind.  Ours uses kayak paddles.

Marsha~

LOL Marsha, that pontoon boat I rented sure felt more like a Sherman tank than a float boat.

We enjoyed lunch with you both. Hope that Tim's voice returns soon.

I saw the same pontoon boat at Costco a few days ago. The price was right and I was tempted, but then remembered my experience with the rented one.

Maybe I'll stick with my float tube.

BTW anyone notice what's missing in the photos?

Beer.

Try again.

Fish.

Here's the answer to what's missing ......

I wasn't wearing a PFD (personal floatation device, aka life vest). Prety dumb of me, especially since I'm a long time boater who continually tells people to wear their PFD. There was no excuse - we have a number of inflatable PFDs like these, both manual and automatic. I now also have a fishing vest like this with built-in inflatable floatation.

Tom, I have two "float" boats.  One is a pricey Outcast, the other is from Costco.  I like them both very much, though all I've done has been on a river.  The Outcast is far more maneuverable, the anchor works great, and it's pretty relaxing to fish from.  The Costco model is a bit more cumbersome; I took the wheel off an stored it to cut down on weight.  Friends who use one for the first time go around and around, like a windmill, but once you get the hang of rowing, they move pretty fast, either upstream or downstream.  By nature the "float" boats are difficult to handle in the wind as they have a large footprint catching any breeze.  For me, I really like the "float" boats as they give me a lot more options than I would have otherwise.  Oh well, just my 2 cents.

Friends who use one for the first time go around and around, like a windmill...

Click to expand...

I resemble that remark  ;D

I've wanted a float boat for so many years and, when I had the option of renting this one, I jumped at it. But it sure truned me off.

I might look at other brands. The Yuba River, not too far from us (en route to our daughter's place), is a great float boat river that I've wanted to try. I waded the Yuba last year, but it was scary - deep and fast.

Tom said:

I saw the same pontoon boat at Costco a few days ago. The price was right and I was tempted, but then remembered my experience with the rented one.

Maybe I'll stick with my float tube.

BTW anyone notice what's missing in the photos?

Click to expand...

Attached is a photo of what may be an much earlier version of your float tube Tom. ;D

LOL Ron, that looks more like a coracle used for salmon fishing on some Welsh rivers.

When I saw this in a museum in Cody, WY I thought of the photo you posted with you in the float tube. ;D 

Now Tom,  I think that "boat" would be just grand.  You could carry a cooler, a bucket for the fish you catch and 3 days worth of laundry.    I can just see it going down the river...spinning like a carnival ride. 

Ron, thanks for the good laugh.  I also noticed the "McClellan" saddle perched above the float boat.  As you probably know, but others might not, the McClellan saddle was the primary saddle for the cavalry units.  The saddles were light weight, very well balanced, as they were double rigged, and provided air for the horses so they cooled quicker.  I've always wanted one; but the ones I found were so dried out and brittle that I was afraid to use them; plus they are very hard to find. 

Marsha~

Marsha/CA said:

Now Tom,  I think that "boat" would be just grand.  You could carry a cooler, a bucket for the fish you catch and 3 days worth of laundry.     I can just see it going down the river...spinning like a carnival ride. 

Ron, thanks for the good laugh.  I also noticed the "McClellan" saddle perched above the float boat.  As you probably know, but others might not, the McClellan saddle was the primary saddle for the cavalry units.  The saddles were light weight, very well balanced, as they were double rigged, and provided air for the horses so they cooled quicker.  I've always wanted one; but the ones I found were so dried out and brittle that I was afraid to use them; plus they are very hard to find. 

Click to expand...

I did admire the saddle as it looked to be in good condition.