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Personal Pontoon Boat

4K views 13 replies 11 participants last post by  bugz 
#1 ·
Thinking about getting a personal pontoon boat for fishing and wondering if anyone has any suggestions. I’ve been looking at the Colorado XTS hoping to find it used but am open to anything.

I live right by Chatfield and frequently find myself in Silverthorne right next to Lake Dillion. Would a personal pontoon be good on these bodies of water? I also think it would be a ton of fun to occasionally float a river like the Colorado. Seems like a modest investment to really improve the quality of my fishing experiences but wanted to get some input from others. Thanks.
 
#2 ·
I have an older ODC Sport from Creek Company. They are a Colorado company and I've been REAL happy with it. I probably wouldn't hit Chatfield with it - too many boats going too fast from what I remember (been a long time since I was there though) but might be good for some of the ponds if they are allowed. I don't know about Dillon...
 
#3 ·
I have a 9 foot Bucks Bag pontoon that I have had for about 15 years. Still going strong. I've taken it on the lower Gunnison, Colorado from NewCastle to Silt, and the Green River sections A and B. Never had any problems (knock on wood). I also use it on Miramonte and on Blue Mesa. At Blue Mesa I put in at Elk Creek and then paddle around to several of the small coves where boats have to slow down so I don't worry as much about getting run over in there. I have also used it at Lake Powell - Bullfrog at Stanton Creek, also in the small coves. Personal pontoons are a great way to get away from shore and all the crowding that often goes on.
 
#4 ·
Just my two cents others might disagree but for safety's sake I personally wouldn't run anything less than ten feet down a moderate river. Smaller boats can definitely make it but if you hit a decent size wave less than perfectly you could easily flip either sideways or backwards. Bigger tubes have greater weight capacity too which is important when you start adding up all the things that will inevitably make their way onto the boat (think cooler with a bunch of beer). I had a ten foot fishcat which was stolen but was the boat I learned to row rivers on and was great with oars and a trolling motor on small-medium sized lakes. Either way, any pontoon will be much more comfortable than any belly boat out there. I think the capacity on that boat was 450lbs. and I definitely got close to that a few times. The jackasses who stole my boat left the frame so I have an extra one that I'd sell for cheap if you found some 10-12' pontoons. Maxxon sells them seperately too. Good luck.
 
#5 ·
Carroth nailed it, although I do have a 9' boat rated for class IV water and I am comfortable with it. I have an 8' that is only rated for class I, I have taken it down the lower Gunnison a few times but only in late summer when the water is low. I would definitely recommend Creek Company
 
#14 ·
^^^^^^^^^^^^^Handy for taking the kiddos to the beach too....>:D

I have an 8 ft water skeeter. Don't know how old. I bought it 3rd hand in 2009... for $120 It opened up alot of water for me. I have also run it down some rivers. Mostly the Payette in Idaho. Ran it down a class 3 called Swirley Canyon on the south fork..... It was fun. I had a ww raft with me for safety though and I had run that stretch several times in my IK. It was fun trying to surf that short little pontoon! But the big eddys were a problem. I would get stuck spinning in circles.....
 
#9 ·
Creek company usually will have a sale on select 'toons coming up in the next month or two or so. From what i've seen is they will discount the entry level first then the next and so on. (don't recall the top end one(s) getting discounted) . Something to look for. And they are made in Steamboat Springs
 
#11 ·
My personal preference is the NRS Gig-Bob, funny name great toon. They are hard to find used, (The originals built from 2009-2011, sold new just North of $1700) They just came out with a second edition and it sells at just under $1,000.
This boat can be used on rivers, with proper experience and ratings in the 1-3 range, I use it exclusively on the lakes with a 2.5 hp Suzuki. it handles well with the Carlisle oars it comes with but the motor makes it a go anywhere toon in almost any condition, again consider your boating experience when I say any condition. I have fished all 3 South Park lakes with this toon 100+ days a season and it has never disappointed me.
Bill
http://www.nrs.com/product/84001.02/nrs-gigbob-20-personal-fishing-watercraft
 
#12 ·
I have a similar thread going but I'm looking for something that fits two people. I do have a friend who's an avid fly fisherman and swears by his sea eagle! He's taken it everywhere through the years without problems. It's the pontoon model where it fits one person, has a swivel seat, has a solid floor to stand up on a fish and cast. If I was only fishing alone, I would buy that without question.
 
#13 ·
Kamm,
I too have a friend with a Sea Eagle, he loves it and yes it will accommadate two people. Just a note, he had a 4 hp on it and last season bumped up to a 6 hp, ironically the 6 hp doesn't move the displacement hull any faster than the 4 hp and yes it burns a little more fuel.
Bill
 
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