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hey everyone.. im looking to find a new way of fishing on rivers and lakes... but dont really want to go for a full size boat.. wanted something a bit more portable, that can go more shallow so i was thinking of something like those inflatable pontoon botes for a single seat...
well, i was wondering what it would take to build one of these.. either with homemade inflatable pontoons, or plywood pontoons...
also, is there any reason why the seat is in between the pontoons with foot pegs?.. would it be possible to have a flat surface with a swivel seat?... and if so, how would you move it in the water?
ive heard of people converting weed eaters into small outboards for small boats such as these, would that be a possibility as well?..
anyway, im just looking into my different options for now.. but id like to keep it relatively low cost
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[font "Calibri"]I built boats similar to what you are talking about. I have a few pics listed on this site. If you are looking to go cheap them maybe a tube would be the way to go, you probably cannot buy a good seat for what you could get a used float tube for.[/font]
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[quote jason41987]hey everyone.. im looking to find a new way of fishing on rivers and lakes... but dont really want to go for a full size boat.. wanted something a bit more portable, that can go more shallow so i was thinking of something like those inflatable pontoon botes for a single seat...
well, i was wondering what it would take to build one of these.. either with homemade inflatable pontoons, or plywood pontoons...
also, is there any reason why the seat is in between the pontoons with foot pegs?.. would it be possible to have a flat surface with a swivel seat?... and if so, how would you move it in the water?
ive heard of people converting weed eaters into small outboards for small boats such as these, would that be a possibility as well?..
anyway, im just looking into my different options for now.. but id like to keep it relatively low cost[/quote]
Not sure how one would go about building a pontoon out of wood, but anything is possible and it certainly wouldn't be easily portable (weight)
Seats are between the pontoons and foot pegs so one can row, which is the intended purpose of a pontoon over a tube.
You can probably make a motor with imagination, but then again, it is a motor and you will have to license the pontoon.
Maybe you could look at one of those inflatable rafts.
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i seen a video from the 50s or 60s that was a boat kit... they used like 1/4" thick plywood sections pieces together like a puzzle and then stretched fabric over it, brushed epoxy into the fabric and when it dried they had a composite hull that was shown being used as a speed boat
i have an idea of making two pontoons out of canvas and using a weather balloon (for like $10 for the balloon) inside it and inflated so the pontoon holds shape, brush resin into the canvas and let that harden, remove the balloon and inflate the other one to repeat the process
if i did this, i could then fiberglass over that structure if i needed more support, but this old video suggests i probably wouldnt
the pontoons would be shaped the same as the ones you buy, only difference is they would be hardened, rigid which is actually what i want so i wouldnt have to worry about the occassional hook or jagged rock with it... and i can build up an extra layer or two of the canvas on the bottom for more strength
with that i could build a structure for the seat, a place to hold a tackle box, maybe a place to store fish, though i usually just catch and release
i may try this out.. see if it works... but im also considering the fabric and resin idea for a homemade jon boat hull... ill probably try this out with the small pontoon first and see how it comes out
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On that hobie link.. the only place you can find those now is on sites like ebay etc.. hobie does not make them anymore .. which pisses me off.. they come in 60" and 75" inch.. or at least they did...
from what I remember they were relatively light in weight but still heavier than an inflated tube/pontube...
.. do wish they had NOT stopped making those..
MacFly
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Ive often wondered why makers of kyaks dont make pontube shaped water craft for fishers... they would be ideal (at least I think) for stillwater fishing and would probably handle very well and be just as stable on rivers as top of the line inflatable craft are... I mean these guys make all kinds of variations of kyaks they design and build specifically for fishing... ??
has never made sense to me..
the big advantage would be not having to inflate the craft.. that would stop the possibility of over inflating and having a tube blowout..
durability... I would think it take a lot more to puncture one of these than an inflatable craft...
ease of transport.. maybe.. Ive seen one guy who has/uses the 60" hobie float cat and when he is done.. he picks it up and tosses it into the camper on his pickup.. and as for set up.. just as easy.. grabs his gear.. and the craft.. walks to the edge of the water.. and away he goes.. he was on the water 20 - 30 minutes before anyone else... ??
anyway.. just a thought.. :-)
MacFy
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these pontoons are cylindrical in cross section, right? (referring to the inflatable single seat pontoon fishing boats)...
well, what if i took a wooden board 8 feet long, maybe 18-20 inches wide... and then using my bandsaw i could cut out semi-circular pieces of plywood to glue to that board for the length of it
then i could stretch canvas over this bore.. perhaps tacking it to the underside.. and when all stretched i can brush the resin into it.. let it harden, and then remove it
then i could make a flat top for it for the top of the pontoon, and maybe put doors in it for extra storage... maybe rod and tackle storage in one pontoon, extra storage in another
im sure you could find a couple electric motors to mount in the rear of each pontoon.. maybe with a jet-ski impeller....
to power these, you would have a throttle control to increase the amount of power going to the motors, and then a balance knob on a small control stick for steering by putting more power into one of the impellers to turn it
with this setup, youd have a single seat fishing boat with greater storage, and even electric trolling with no chance of getting seaweed caught in a propeller or smacking it on a rock... which would mean this setup could go into VERY shallow water
what do y'all think of this idea?
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Maybe check out this site
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hmm, i was trying to get some feedback on the pontoon boat idea i just mentioned?
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It would be pretty heavy. Unless you are looking at just driving up and dropping it in the water, it would be very difficult to move around.
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Yes you were talling pontoon, and what you describe makes sense. Figuring how to add a seat in the middle. As Albino mentioned.....heavy
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[font "Calibri"]If you are going to use fiberglass resin how about instead of using wood as a frame use Styrofoam blocks and cover with mat and resin. I would think that it would be lighter than using wood. And you would have a virtually unsinkable rig. [/font]
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that wood is just a mould/form... once the shell hardens its removed from that and used as a hollow composite pontoon.. very little extra weight compared to an inflatable, but its rigid and almost impenetrable by hooks, jagged rocks, or the occasional toothed fish thrashing around
researching other designs like this it seems the shell is self supporting, you would just need to find a way to attach a seat... and well since the pontoons are rigid/solid, you could mount a bar directly between the pontoons, no need to build some heavy cage around them like in the inflatable ones
so... id probably just bolt some PVC pipe flanges to the inside of each pontoon, glue 1" or 1.5" piece of PVC between them to hold them together and give you a place to sit
also with this design the pontoon is flat on top so you could add a small ledge around it and use as much of the pontoon top as you wanted for storage... and maybe have a door on top of each pontoon to store things inside them....
im even trying to work out a way of installing lovewells in them if i have enough flotation after partititioning a section off for this
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I would think you could use some heavy dense foam like in the kickboat from sumo... shape it as you like.. then cover and resin is.. that would give you extra flotation plus just as in sumos pose you can cut into the foam.. not damage the pontoon.. and set it up with holders etc that way .. as for seat.. maybe use a smaller frame just for the seat that way you could adjust back and forth along the pontoons to keep them balance and riding in the water correctly..
MacFly
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foam is less buoyant than air.. so just having air in it would give you better flotation.. but the foam would continue to float even if the skin is punctured... however, the skin on mine will be very hard to puncture so im not too worried about it...
so i still think building a form to make a hollow rigid shell with would be the way i would go... but im still not sure i want to fish off a personal size pontoon boat which is the real decision im facing right now.
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Interesting concept and good luck with it. Have you looked at Venture Outdoors Pontoons. They have three or four models that are hard plastic (like the plastic dumpsters).
The boats can not be deflated. Run off the same concept you are doing but with plastic instead of fiberglass
http://www.ventureoutdoors.net/pontoon_boats.htm
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[center]I got whatcha need right chere!
[/center]
[center][inline RedNeckBassBoat.jpg]
Or another option
[inline PoolToon.jpg]
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What's wrong with just buying a factory inflatable kickboat and staying away from sharp rocks, trees and other objects that thousands have been doing for years now?
Or buy some pram plans and you'll be lighter than what your talking about now.
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