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[size 1] [#505000]I posted this on the float tube board but I know there are quite a few folks on this board who tube who I don't see much of over there....[/#505000][/size]
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[size 1] [#505000]Ok Tubedude talked me into float tubing last year (didn't have to talk very hard either [cool]) and I loved it. A member from the Utah Board was kinda enough to donate his old float tube to my cause. Shortly after hitting the water I upgraded my ride to the Fishcat 9 pontoon.... I love it even more....[/#505000]
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[#505000]I have to agree with Tubedude though that there is a time and a place for each craft. I have lugged pieces of my toon to hard to get to waters and hated every minute of it. I have decided I need a float tube for those waters I can't easily toon. I still have the freebie tube, but I have some issue with it I don't like and want a new tube. [/#505000]
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[#505000]The choices for me are obvious.... either the Super Fat Cat ($350) or the ODC 420 ($150). [/#505000]
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[#505000]Now here is where I start to have a dilemma.... Obviously $200 price difference is a big deal, but since I like toys and I'm bad with money, I am of the mind set thought that I would rather pay a little extra for more or better quality than to pay a little less and regret it down the road. [/#505000]
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[#505000]I know we have hashed this over several times on the board but I would certainly like some input, and opinions. One thing I know I don't like about the ODC is that awful baby blue color. Zonker's "sage" colored SFC looks really sharp. [/#505000]
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[#505000]Next piece of advice I would like some input on is what is a good brand/model of two way hand or electric pump for inflating craft. I have used a Coleman 2 way hand pump for my toon, but I'm getting far to old and fat to keep up that kind of exercise. The Coleman is also falling apart... [/#505000]
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[#505000]My pump requirements are that it be easy to use at the lake, and have the power to inflate the craft, and be some what reasonably priced....[/#505000] [/size]
Also thanks UTBASS for the cool new Carp Punisher Avatar!! [  ]
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I was wondering about those two tubes as well. What does TD use? It will be interesting to see the responses you get and I kinda hope the ODC wins out because of the price difference. But I will agree the color is not good on the ODC.
I could afford on ODC but not the SFC.
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Just throwing in a thought - Kent (kentofnsl) had a great 12 volts inflator that he used to blow up some air matrasses camping up in Idaho - you might consider spending some of your hard earned $$ for such a device - it did work great and involved NO exercise.
Maybe he could throw out the details of the device and see it fits into your budget.
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I bought the Stansport dual-action pump from Sportsmans and couldn't be happier. $13 or so but much better than the coleman. As for the tube dillema, good luck with that.
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I dont have any information about tubes, but I sure would like one.
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If you are looking to pass on that old tube let me know!!! I am trying to get one for me and one for my wife.
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Anytime Brotha!
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My advice..... Go the cheaper route? Why? Its sounds as if you like the pontoon better and I would guess you would use the tube very little. Spend the extra cash on fishing gear. Just my opinion.
I guess to each their own; but I can't imagine going back to a "Tube" after using my pontoon...... good luck
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[#505000]I think I am leaning more and more toward the ODC 420. I just can't get past that awful baby blue....[/#505000]
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[#505000]As far as my other tube goes.....[/#505000]
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[#505000]I haven't quite come to a decision there either. I want to try and get my wife out but I need her to stop being pregnant first and give it a try. I don;t think that will happen until the 2007 fishing season.[/#505000]
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I just got my wife "unpregnant", and am loving every minute of it! Now, i just need a bigger boat so the whole family can fish together.[  ]
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Carp Punisher, its just the opposite for me, I'm thinking about getting a toon, but not sure which one. I was at the Utah catfish floatilla and saw you getting around really easy. What size and brand do you recommend. Are there any under 200.00 that would do the job.
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[cool][#0000ff]I have already chipped in on the tubing board, but will also do so here, for the benefit of the "tubing challenged" who cannot find the other board.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I have tried just about every new tube design that has come out over the past 30 years. Before that, it was strictly donuts. Today we have a whole buncha tubes, toons and hybrids. It is more difficult to make a decision, especially if you are a first timer.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Unless you have fished from both a tube and toon, you cannot understand and appreciate the differences. As CP and I have both found out, both tubes and toons have their places. It is not a matter of one against the other. If you have the budget and the space to keep them, you can have both and use both.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]If you have budget or space limitations, then you have to look closely at your own personal fishing situations and ask yourself two questions: "What do I WANT?" and "What do I NOT WANT?" Simple. Just like life in general.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The first choice should be budgetary. How much can you squeeze out of the family finances without taking on the added expense of a divorce? The good news is that there are some very good beginners tubes for well under $100. Better tubes, like the Fish Cat 4 and the ODC 420 run about $150. The "Beemers" of tubeology are the Fat Cats ($279) and Super Fat Cats ($369). [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Your personal size and physical condition are next. If you are "substantial" in size, get the biggest rated weightload you can afford. If you are under 200 pounds, don't sweat the size rating. Virtually all tubes will easily float over 250#. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]If you plan to get a craft that will allow you to walk back in a ways from the end of the road, you need a light weight tube. Toons are designed for being able to drive right up to the water, or a launch ramp. You can add a wheel for longer transport, but basically they are too heavy for long distance trudging.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]If you are only going to fish small ponds and lakes...or just limited areas on bigger lakes...a tube will work fine. On the other hand, if your honey hole is quite a ways from your launch spot, you will appreciate having the oars or an electric motor on a pontoon. Ditto if you want to troll a bit. Try to troll from a fin-powered float tube and you get a hernia. Forget towing a water skier.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]On the other hand, if your style is quiet hands-free fishing, then tubes are best. You can use fins with a pontoon, once your oars or electric have gotten you to your fishing spot, but compared to tubes pontoons are heavier and require a lot more kicking to maintain position. And, if even a light breeze comes up, you can beat yourself to death trying to maneuver a pontoon without oars. But, having to keep grabbing the oars to control the pontoon drastically cuts into your fishing time.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]There are lots of plusses and minuses for both tubes and toons. It always comes down to personal preference and what are we willing to give up for what we expect in return.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]There are quite a few small and less expensive pontoons in today's market. Creek Company and Water Skeeter both make some budget models just over $200 that are great learners. Most who buy them immediately start lusting after bigger and better made toons. There are a lot of differences in frame design, materials, seating, pockets, motor mounts and other features. But, until you have a chance to try them, and figure out what is important to you, it is hard to decide.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]My personal recommendation for anyone who can afford it is to not spend less than $300 for a pontoon, and a couple hundred more will buy a lot more quality and solid features. Having the hard seats (preferably swivel) and a good motor mount and cargo platform are quality extras not always found on the cheaper models, but well worth the extra. Also, having a lot of abrasion resistant PVC on the bottom and exterior will add years of wear, as will having good urethane bladders rather than vinyl.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Hey, CP, about that baby blue color on the ODC. Nobody is gonna suspect you of being "Brokeback" if you go that route. And, since the cover is chemically resistant nylon, there is no reason why you can't paint it any color you want. A lot of guys repaint their covers in their choice of colors. I have seen custom camo jobs and even saw a pic of one painted black with some wicked flames on it. Heck, no reason you can't do something with that new avatar of yours too.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]If you find a craft that has all of the features you want, at a price you can live with, go ahead and buy it. Too bad some manufacturers don't offer more custom options but they gotta be budget minded too. The good news is that there is almost no alteration or tweak that is not possible with a bit of creativity and PVC. We gotta live with that until manufacturers listen to the masses and come out with models that are already perfect in design and tricked out the way we want 'em.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Have I used up my bandwidth allocation on this post?[/#0000ff]
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[#505000]I got the Outcast Fishcat 9 and I love it. It was about $350 and has 9 foot [/#505000][#505000]pontoons. For the $350 I got the hard seat with padding and a loot of good features. The only thing I don't care for is the steel frame versus a light weight aluminum. If you get an aluminum framed Toon expect to dole out a few hundred more bucks. Aluminum is lighter and doesn't rust. [/#505000]
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[#505000]ODC has an 8 foot pontoon which sells for under $200 which looks like it might be a good budget unit too. Only down side to the cheaper ODC is it doesn't have a motor mount if you are planning to use one. It does have a bar behind the seat however that is just asking to have custom PVC rod holders and other toys attached to it.[/#505000]
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[#505000]The biggest bonus in my opinion of the pontoon versus the tube, is I can cover a lot of water in a short time. I can easily fish the Lincoln Beach Springs then go to the far south side without wasting much time.[/#505000]
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There you have it from the TubeDude, he just put it all out for us. Thanks man[ ]
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