ya i was thinking the beer chest and trolling motor and battery should counter it enough ill test it outin my pool though, i stand with nothing on back and see what it does than ill add the weight
ooohhhh man i cant wait to get this thing on the water!
Re: Pontube roundup
Originally Posted by Socal Bassman
Socal Bassman
GETTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR-DONE
Z
FISH ON !
Thanks for the input everyone. Yeah I hear you Ron, that the NavII wouldn't be as versatile as a craft with a frame. I called NFO and the guy told me that the backrest of the seat can be folded back, which will allow me to stand up. The problems I see with that is I won't have a backrest to lean back on when I'm sitting, limited space to stand with that rear cargo deck attached, and stability.
Matt also brought up a good point about weight. That's one of the major things I had to consider. I'm not that big of a guy so hauling a 70-80lb. toon (unloaded) from the parking lot of 11/12 down to the water might be a little cumbersome. That's pretty much the main reason I'm considering an 8' model. A wheel attachment like the one I saw on Tackletour.com would prove invaluable because it would allow me to set everything up at the truck and roll the whole thing down to the water.
The other main consideration is price. I'm pretty sure I could find a lower price out there on the Creek Co. boats if I did some research. The prices they have listed on their website just doesn't separate them far enough from the Scadden crafts. A considerable price difference would definitely sway my decision towards Creek Co. though. As I see it now, the Scadden crafts offer the most bang for the buck. The things I like about the Scadden boats are: an adjustable seat which will help offset the weight of motor, battery, and gear; the standing deck can be slid under the seat allowing the use of fins; and of course a 15 year warranty might come in handy. :lol: There are a couple more differences, though minor.
Yeh SoCal, the Scadden pontoons are very nice. Ztunakiller knows where to get a 1018 like mine and his for 650 or thereabouts. He posted it somewhere and we should ask him. As far as lots 11 & 12 I think you can launch at the boat ramp and get there easily. These toons will cover an amazing amount of water in a lot less time than you might think. I towed 3 tubers and myself on mine from the island to lots 11 & 12 in 5 minutes. When you can drive close to the water getting in is a snap. The wheel is cool but not at all critical. Just go where you can drive to and let your boat do the rest. That's one of the MAJOR advantages a toon has over a tube.
The pontoons are definatley fast. I was keeping a pretty good pace today and made it back from across the channel in 5 mins as opposed to 40 mins on a tube. That was paddling without a motor..
I would say.. anything you can do to get your legs out of the water is going to increase the speed you can travel.
Also, Consider seat hight. Having a higher seat helps alot! I had great visibility on the toon today, and when I Stood up, it was even better. I felt like I Was fishing off a lilly pad. :lol:
OK tj, tell the truth..... give us the pro's & con's of your first tooning trip... what would you change/add/take off/add on/etc. and dos & don'ts?
Z
FISH ON !
My anchor pulleys don't allow me to pull the anchor up from the front as they should. I think I ran the rope the wrong route. I had to inch the anchor up by hand at the rear pulley while taking up the slack with my other hand. the anchor rope cleat worked great with the diameter rope I chose and holds the anchor up when I'm rowing. I can drop anchor and be perched in a second.
Speaking of rowing,
It's like trying to steer a spinning top :lol: I'll be looking into something to keep me on track soon (rudder?)
I could get places 10x faster than in a tube. I Was at my spot in 5mins.
I would anchor, catch 2-3 fish, move to another spot, anchor, catch 2-3 more fish. I didn't hit a spot where I didn't catch any fish, and I only fished a shoreline of about 600 feet or so.
Fishing off the boat was fine. No problems hooking the pontoons at all. When you are looking out, you don't even know the pontoon is there. The toon rode light. I was able to park ON TOP of weed beds and was floating in 3-5" of water at times. Rowing through the weeds was easy.
I could stand up on the seat, although a bit sketchy. I took off my shoes and cought a few fish standing up on the seat in my socks :lol: Didn't get wet launching or landing.
I might want to add a seat swivel after all. It was akward fishing the back of the boat. Also, it would be nice to anchor the front so the wind doesn't change the boats direction as much. I have a 1lb tube anchor that might handle that.
I found that while fighting fish, I had to be rowing around too :lol: The larger fish I cought took me all over the place and actually steered the boat towards a bed of weeds before getting wrapped up. I kept one oar in the water and one tucked away, in case I needed to change directions quickly.
I want to add a standing platform and the trolling motor/battery, then reroute the rope through the pulleys and I couldn't ask for more! All in all, I did good compared to how I normally do. It was an experience to remember for sure! Didn't farm any fish and I only lost one nice one to a break off (thrice used knott, should have retied)
It was worth the work to carry, pack and haul the toon around.
I like it :twisted:
sweet! i cant wait! ya i think i might wat to but the swivel first as well as the seat riser
WOW.......I'm really JONSEN now......all sounds pretty basic...Good ..the less surprises the better. I'll tell you what, if i figure this thing out on sat. at the goon.... may try the upper.... for some of the night action ??? .. I'll have to see what lights are needed ... red - green bow and i think just a white in the stern ?
wheres one_leg....... he seems to very knowledgeable about all things boat/fishing/human dictionary?
MATT U GOING? :thumb:
Z
FISH ON !
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote