Should I Buy A Pontoon Or A Fishing Boat?

[mt_bulldawg]

Re: Should I Buy A Pontoon Or A Fishing Boat?

I switched to a pontoon last summer after 30 years in a bowrider. I got a deal on a Lowe Suncruiser Angler model - came with seats in the four corners, rod storage and live well. Within a month, it will have downriggers added on as well. Mine came with a 60 hp bigfoot - I can cruise along just under 20 mph which bothers me some...(Flathead Lake is a BIG lake)...so wish I would've gone with a 90 hp, but my wife is not into speeding around and the walk-around room on deck is great. So overall, I'm happy with switching to the 'toon...we still do everything we did before here in western Montana....only at times a bit slower.......

Oh yeah, with the Bigfoot, I've found I don't need a kicker motor - I can troll along at 1.5 mph or more, so all is good that way.....

 

[achoefs]

Re: Should I Buy A Pontoon Or A Fishing Boat?

all i had to fish with when i was in high school was a pontoon boat. it was big enough for friends and family to fish with me and i could let the dogs run around and not get in my way. the only real problem was when i wasnt anchored, i was trolling, the rear of the boat would be hard to control on windy days. after some practice its not too big of a problem. another plus is that if you just set up your rigs and get tired or just want to relax you can go under the canopy in the shade or take a break from the rain. plus now that im older the pontoon can be used as a party boat

 

[merykonil]

Re: Should I Buy A Pontoon Or A Fishing Boat?

Go for fishing boats.
Grady-White Boats was recently awarded its eighth trophy from J.D. Power and Associates when the company was ranked "Highest in Customer Satisfaction with Coastal Fishing Boats (17 to 30 Feet)" for the eighth time in a row. Also, the National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA) awarded Grady-White Boats its seventh CSI Award in 2008 for customer satisfaction.
Other fishing boats that ranked high in the 2009 J.D. Powers customer satisfaction survey were Boston Whaler and Century boats. For the complete coverage of the 2009 best boats

 

[ba_50]

Re: Should I Buy A Pontoon Or A Fishing Boat?

We picked up a 16' skimmer with a 35hp on it this year. It's a lot more stable than a 16' Sylvan and easier for handicapped people to get on and off. The wind doesn't bother it much more than the bass boat. It is more trouble to get on shore with davits than the Sylvan. It moves a lot slower and uses more gas because it takes more power to move the extra weight.

It will go in 1 foot of water and turns very sharp. We like it.

 

[gilby1955]

Re: Should I Buy A Pontoon Or A Fishing Boat?

I just sold my Ranger 357V to get a "new to me" 2000 bass buggy 18 to fish from. Wife likes to fish and we had to have more room. Just have to get it changed a little to suit my needs, like move batteries from under seat to back deck so she can have more room to store "sutff".

 

[imported_John o]

Re: Should I Buy A Pontoon Or A Fishing Boat?

I have a Bass Tracker 175 with a 75hp and love the thing. But now I have a wife daughter and one on the way.
I am going to miss my 40 mph bass boat... but family time is always better than speeding around all by my lonesome. Toon here I come.

My fishing pontoon does 37.7 mph (GPS). Once I get the correct stainless prop I should break 40. Then I've got another couple "tweaks" that a fellow Manitou owner developed that should get me near 45.

Not bad for a big pontoon boat.