Pontoon Boats...

[ceyko]

Well, I "close" on the boat next week. It's the one in the original post with the 115 (largest for that boat I could get). I added green LEDs underneath each side (approximately 40' total) for night fishing/bait fishing, red LEDs for interior lighting, an A/B/All switch, an extra motor battery, a trolling battery, a trolling motor, an additional fish finder (only have DSI type now), a 3 bank charger, a ski pole, and some other stuff.

Only question I have now is what anchors is everyone using? I upgraded form an 8# fluke style to a 13#, added more chain (Texoma - sometimes anchoring in 80+ foot of water). I'm trying to debate if the box anchors are worth the money...

Also, any good ideas on a manual anchor winch? I'm lazy and I tend to move around a lot. I thought about just a standard manual winch, just not sure if it would hold up or hold enough line. Currently I have 2 100' 3/8" rope that I'll loop together if I really need the extra length. Also read about those buoys that you basically lift the anchor up through it (Via boat power) and just pull in the slack.

Just curious, I can armstrong it - probably should since I'm out of shape...etc - just the principle of the matter.

[Country cracker]

Throw a power pole on it lol

[ceyko]

Alright folks, for any fishermen/people thinking about a pontoon boat - I say DO IT.

I screwed up a little, but nothing serious or that I can't resolve/live with.

Basically a pontoon boat won't go on plane. However, as I figured out it can get stuck PLOWING through the water which kills speed.

The stern of my boat is heavy. When at rest I swear there is a 1' difference between the rear and the front. (even compared to other pontoons in their slips) Why?

1. Bigger motor
2. 2 batteries instead of 1 (on the very back with the motor (think centerish being fulcrum point - further back something is the worst). Also, one of them prevents me from raising motor as high as I'd like...which needs to go up higher since the rear is low.
3. Livewell (worst when full)
4. Ski pole (solid aluminum, fairly heavy for what it is and way in the back
5. Only couch is in the back (which is heavy-ish and then people sitting on it...etc)
6. Console is towards the back (with trolling motor battery under it)
7. The front is basically empty 2 storage areas/livewells and 2 chairs.
8. 27 gallon fuel tank is in the back/middle

Yeah, you don't buy a 2 pontoon boat for speed. However, you don't buy more HP to go slower either. I was hoping for high twenties and with just 2 coolers, fishing gear, 2 kids and such I get 24mph.

I think I'm going to remove a battery and keep it on standby/in the front when not in use. The rest is sort of stuck there. You can feel the boat grabbing the waves underneath and struggling through. Semi-resolvable, but all are out of budget and I'd rather just buy a decent jet ski.

With that said, that's the only issue I have with the boat. It gets up to whatever speed in a jiffy, is great for fishing and it's the only time I've been able to walk around easily while the boat is moving. I had 6 people on board and barely knew there were that many on board. (Other than speed) I use a 32 gallon trashcan for my shad livewell and it does not get in the way...etc.

Fishing:
Other than being a bit of a hassle to cast a bait net, everything else the is the same. There are areas to cast from and I'm now using a 7', 1.35 lbs per linear foot, 1/4" mesh cast net on this boat. You just have to be aware of what is around. I assumed it being a bigger area and with a bimini top it would drift faster in wind. This is not the case. GPS reads the same drift speed as my old boat. You're more likely to need a fish net for larger fish, but still not hard to bring fish in, casting and such is all easy. The trolling motor (only 55 pound thrust) moves the boat good enough for what I/most would need.

I'm still able to easily navigate between a bunch of other fishmen and setup wherever is available that I want. Also, it seems the other fishermen just assume it sucks for fishing and stay away from you.

The best part is you can really chill out while waiting.

Recreational:
Between deck space and storage this boat is awesome for all things recreational except water skiing. I had hopes of that, but it's not going to happen even if empty and leveled out. I knew this, but I believe tubing and knee boarding are certainly possible. I knew this going into it, I just wanted to have a top speed of 30 mph. However, if this is critical to you - get a tritoon with a 150+ hp motor and you'll do it with no problems. 115 hp was the max my boat was allowed.

You can have a lot of comforts without even beaching. I have a small grill on board, I hooked up a pump to use as a hose for washing stuff/cooling off and so forth. Next up is a small TV/Antennae and maybe an iPad mount.

All-in-all if you need an all around boat that can hold a lot of people/stuff a pontoon (deck boats too) are a great option. If you don't fish, get a cruise/recreational type - if you fish they have 100 different models for that too. I do recommend shopping in different areas besides JUST BPS or Cabelas for new boats. It was a completely different experience shopping at a marine shop as opposed to Cabelas.

However, remember more engine = more gas. Bought a portable gas caddy to help with that, marina gas is pricey.

[motoman]

However, remember more engine = more gas. Bought a portable gas caddy to help with that, marina gas is pricey.

No joke there. Our Chaparral had a 100gal tank to feed it's twin V8's.

[ceyko]

No joke there. Our Chaparral had a 100gal tank to feed it's twin V8's.

haha, I'm watching some of those larger boats do their thing and thinking there is 100s of dollars, maybe thousands just in 1 day of gas. My old boat with a 60 would burn maybe 3-4 gallons in a day. This one burns on average 9-10 gallons a day. (when I say a day, i'm talking 24 hours since I spend full weekends/holidays on board)

Frankly, I'd not be able to afford boating almost every weekend with much more than a 150-200 single motor boat. Of course, you "cruise" a lot more when you have those bigger motors.