Northwest Fishing Reports

Hey, I really want to buy a pontoon boat for preferably $300 or under but I'm not sure whats important or what to look at. Any tips or advice would be much appreciated!

In the effort to bump up your post, I will also say you should check all the other washington state fishing forums. Everybody has a classified section.

http://seattle.craigslist.org/tac/boa/1742639467.html This looked like a great deal, including neoprene and wading shoes.

google colorado pontoon, then goto shopping. i just bought the Colorado Pontoon in sage & black, its AWESOME!! 9' pontoon, 7' oars, motor mount, anchorbag, 20 pouches and more.

just bought humminbird fishin buddy 120 for it, clamps right on frame, also have 46hp minn kota endura(havent used trolling motor yet)

here is classic accessories page with the specs on the colorado, but walmart.com has it for $338 and free shipping.


http://classicaccessories.com/product_d ... d=54&cid=3

I've been eyeing the one they have at Costco- $269 at the Everett store. I wonder if someone could comment on it?

I have the Costco Outfitter XT and it's a great Pontoon,..I did some modifications 2 it and although I don't use it as much because I'm usually on Bigger lakes, when I have used it I was totally happy. I added a pedestal seat with a swivel and I'm soon 2 make a casting platform on the area where you rest your feet. I think you'd be happy with the Costco Toon,..it's cheaper, has a good rating and if something goes wrong you can return it even w/o the box no questions asked! 2 me that makes ALL the difference in the world! JM2Pennies! Here's a few pics I took this morning @ Wilderness.

BB

Thanks for the report BassinBomber[thumbup]

here is my .02


I have been looking for one for awhile now. The big things to look at are what are you going to use it for and by that I mean what type of fishing? If you plan on taking it down any river at all I would suggest at least a class III rating. You never know how the river is going to be and they change ever year. One section of river that was just slightly rough last year might be twice as bad this year. The next thing is weight, how much weight are you planning on carrying to include yourself? A lot of your weight will come just from your cooler if you are putting one on. Most toons can handle a little more weight than rated for but that doesn't mean you should. For me I would want something that can handle at least 50 more pounds than I plan on putting on it. I have found that most oars that come with toons SUCK, so think about upgrading them. BassinBombers toon looks sweet and that is one I have ben looking at....Want to sell it?

To be honest though, I am now looking more towards sit-on-top Kayaks, they hold up better, have a higher weight rating then most toons and I can crab, shrimp and even on nice days go out for halis and lings on good weather days. Most toons are not rated for salt water but I do know of some that use them out in the salt. the other nice this about a yak is you can stand and cast on some that are made for it. Sure you could build a platform for a toon to do this but I am not sure how stable it would be. The one down fall to yak is cost.

I will still by a toon but mainly for river fishing.

my .02 on this.

BB-
I'm curious as to why you want to add a casting platform. From the photos, it looks like you are sitting fairly high up as is. The pedestal seat is cool. You're probably the first to install one.

I've always been a bit leery of stand up decks on 8-9' pontoon boats. Many 2 man guide boats, like Mike has, have a deck to stand on in front. On those, you have another person in back to balance out the weight.

It just seems to me that if you stand on a platform on the front half of the boat, it would be much easier to tip it forward and end up in the lake. It just doesn't seem that it would be that stable. You do have the weight of the battery and motor, but is that enough to balance the boat? You're a good sized guy.

Vancouverhandyman built a deck on his pontoon boat. When I saw him up at Marshall Lake last year I asked him about it. He told me that it did work, but it was a bit tipsy when he was standing on it.

Marc Martyn wrote:BB-
I'm curious as to why you want to add a casting platform. From the photos, it looks like you are sitting fairly high up as is. The pedestal seat is cool. You're probably the first to install one.

I've always been a bit leery of stand up decks on 8-9' pontoon boats. Many 2 man guide boats, like Mike has, have a deck to stand on in front. On those, you have another person in back to balance out the weight.

It just seems to me that if you stand on a platform on the front half of the boat, it would be much easier to tip it forward and end up in the lake. It just doesn't seem that it would be that stable. You do have the weight of the battery and motor, but is that enough to balance the boat? You're a good sized guy.

Vancouverhandyman built a deck on his pontoon boat. When I saw him up at Marshall Lake last year I asked him about it. He told me that it did work, but it was a bit tipsy when he was standing on it.

Hey Marc,..everything you posted in has been rattling in my head since I purchased the Toon,..my main reason for the casting Deck is I Sight~Fish for Bass alot and it's kinda difficult being as low to the water as I am in the Toon even with the raised seat,..also being that low takes stealth out of the equasion for Bass because you have 2 be almost on top off them to see them,..by then it's 2 late,..I orginally purchased the Toon just for a Small Private Lake,..very shallow,..very clear water,..also for Bed~Bassin on Small Waters,..I have a 3/4" peice of Plywood on there now but I want some Light Aluminum,..still have 2 test it on the water and see if it'll hold my fat butt,..HaHa,..we'll see and I'll keep the thread informed!

BB

Nice Mod BB. I have one of these still in the box.... My wife decided she isn't into it ..... I also have mine that's a year older hanging up. The elevated seat is a great idea.

Big Smooth wrote:Nice Mod BB. I have one of these still in the box.... My wife decided she isn't into it ..... I also have mine that's a year older hanging up. The elevated seat is a great idea.

Cool BigSmooth,..wanna sell it or Barter for it better yet,..lol,..I have tons of gear if you're interested. As far as the Casting Deck goes,..it did really well all things considered,..not a problem standing up just staying put,..lol,..I was able 2 sight fish a LMB and ended up catching it after I threw the tackle box at it,..but,..it was nice 2 be able 2 stand up and set the hook,..this was a "trial run" made out of plywood but the finished product will be Aluminum either Diamond Plate or just some Non Skid Strips. The elevated seat keeps you nice and dry and still you can dangle your feet 2 check water temps,..lol,..I'll post some pics later!

BB

Here's some pics of the Casting Deck.

BB

Post some pictures of you standing on it while on the water.

Marc Martyn wrote:Post some pictures of you standing on it while on the water.

A.S.A.P Marc,..honestly I was pleasantly suprised how well it worked!

BB

BassinBomber wrote:Here's some pics of the Casting Deck.

BB

i pm'd ya about my toon. need help mounting fishfinder

I have the same one from Costco. I enjoy it as long as I dont fall off of it. I fell off once and it was a killer to get my lard rear back in the seat. I had to access it in the shallow water. Mine has a motor transom on it and an anchor.Mine is same as BB.

Wow that`s pretty sweet bomber. Clever clever I`ve seen some nice ones at the lakes but not like that. Look`s like it would be hard to stand up on. They must be alot more stable then they look.

rjn cajun wrote:Wow that`s pretty sweet bomber. Clever clever I`ve seen some nice ones at the lakes but not like that. Look`s like it would be hard to stand up on. They must be alot more stable then they look.

Well I'm 245 lbs rjn and if I can STAND on mine and feel safe,..I'm sure many of you can 2,..lol,..once I put an exstension for my Troller so I can stand and keep position I think I'll be fine,..then later I'll take the design and have an Aluminum Deck made,..it's also nice 2 have something under your feet besides the foot rests they come with and I think I'll have it made with a measuement area 2. Should be cool!

BB

sweet idea, that will be cool when its aluminum! it just doesnt seem stable enough to stand.

mine has 400lb capacity but warns of overloading with motor/battery that you need to slide seat forward to offset it. but thats cool.

i know i love mine!!cant wait to get humminbird fishin buddy 120 on it in the water and track those bronzebacks!!