pontoon or fishing boat... that is the question?

[lkillebrew]

I love to catfish and fish for crappie... wife fishes, but only when the fish are biting, when the action is slow she prefers to sit in camp and do needle point and cross stitch, and who the heck knows what.

I have owned a number of fishing boats over the years, mostly small, mostly vee bottom. With our new found "freedom" (not that our kids were a burden), WE need to find things to do together.

I have sneered at pontoon boats for years, but am thinking this may be the ticket for us. We enjoy doing things together, but don't enjoy the same things.

We have tent camped in Mexico, popup campered in NM and CO, ridden 4wheelers across the Alpine Loop near Lake City several times. That said, we live in SC Oklahoma, a haven for wind, crappie, and catfish.

My main concern is
1. storage, (my two car garage is full of 4 wheelers and a Kawi Concours) AND
2. loading the thing on a trailer in the infernal OK wind! and
3. our tow vehicles... we drive a 2005 4x4 Nissan Pathfinder, and a 1996 4x4 Nissan Hardbody pickup.

Your experience and expertise is apprecitated.

p.s. I enjoyed the "happy birthdays"... (dont tell the Mrs.) AND I turned 50 just a couple of weeks before finding this website! Old enough to be a dirty old man, not old enough for it to be cute, (considered a pervert by society... and the Mrs. and daughters).

[paulangelo]

Welcome to the site you dirty old man.... (in a few years a sexy senior citizen)


1. storage, (my two car garage is full of 4 wheelers and a Kawi Concours) With a nice cover, and I have it shrink wrapped in the winter, you don't need to have it stored inside...
2. loading the thing on a trailer in the infernal OK wind! with practice, you can load these in a hurricane.
3. our tow vehicles... we drive a 2005 4x4 Nissan Pathfinder, and a 1996 4x4 Nissan Hardbody pickup. not a problem, If I need, i can tow mine with a 05 Caravan! My normal tow vehicle is a 05 dakota.

[HandymanHerb]

Pontoon makes a great fishing boat, I have a 20 footer and it great to fish off of, but if you have wind your going to get blown around and pontoons do catch a lot of wind and will do 3 MPH in a 5 MPH wind with no motor.

Great if your tolling, you just go up and let the wind push you, for your wife if the fish aren't hitting she can go sit in the shade and do what ever.

Now you might be underpowered in your tow vehicles if you have to pull far as pulling a pontoon is like a parachute, a lot of drag, but if you don't go far or fast your 4x4's should do the job.

Your not going to get it in a garage unless you have a big one, mine is 8 foot wide by 20 foot then you got 4 foot of tongue, so you need some where outside to store it.

Glad to have you with us and tell us what you decide.

[badmoonrising]

Welcome !

[mike]

I have pulled my toon with our honda minivan quite a distance, not ideal but it didnt have any problems! You will love having a pontoon boat, its perfect for lazy afternoon naps! Welcome...

[Bamby]

You just can't beat a pontoon boat for the purposes you've stated. My wife will also fish when they are hitting good, but a lot of times she also loves to curl up in the shade under the bimini and escape in a book. It's wonderful quality time together plus plenty of room to move around when a person wants. I happen to own this boat so I hope nobody is offended posting it, but one similar to it may suit your needs. http://blog.pontoonhouseboatodyssey.com ... -sale.aspx

[mike]

Nothing wrong with trying to sell your pontoon on this site, why dont you post it in the for sale forum too?