# Pontoon questions???



## STEVO (Sep 13, 2007)

Does anybody on here own one of those Dave Scadden Skykomish sunrise pontoons with the standing platform on them? If so, how do you like it? Is it worth the thousand bucks theyre charging for them? Are there any other brands out there that you guys could recommend for a good pontoon? I want something that will hold a lot of weight. Im a bigger guy, might want to put on a trolling motor & battery, mabey let my chessie ride on the back  when the motors not on there. Would I be better off putting the money into a regular boat?


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## threshershark (Sep 7, 2007)

Hey Stevo: I don't own the Skykomish but I have fished from them and have a buddy who has owned two. Here is my take:

The standing platform is solid if you do a lot of sight fishing. Personally, I very rarely need to stand up on my 'toon, so 99% of the time the platform apparatus is just extra weight.

Point #2: With the platform and accessories, the Skykomish is an extremely heavy boat. You need two people to load/unload it, and it's 11 feet long so it is cumbersome in a pickup bed.

Point #3: The Skykomish has 16" pontoons, some of the biggest in this class. It is heavily buffeted by the wind and is a bear to maneuver when there's anything more than a stiff breeze.

On the upside, yeah it's a big boat and I'm sure it would hold you, gear, motor, etc. no problem.

I think the best stillwater pontoon out there is the Outcast PAC9000, but it's twice the price of a Skykomish. Outcast makes numerous models in all price ranges, and something like the Fish Cat Panther or Cougar would be good options for a motorized setup. These use 10" pontoons so the wind profile is 60% smaller. The quad pontoons provide plenty of load capability. That's my 2¢.


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## deadicatedweim (Dec 18, 2007)

Get a klamath aluminum boat Mine was only 4k and can take the wife, dog, & kids. It will last forever.


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## .45 (Sep 21, 2007)

Stevo...Cabela's has the 'new' Fish-cat on sale with the standing platform. I wish they had these available when I bought mine....

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templ ... ISO-8859-1


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## STEVO (Sep 13, 2007)

Thanks for the info guys. Wow, that outcast PAC9000 is a awesome boat. i do like the lower profile pontoons, But I kind of like the back deck on those skykomish sunrise. The weight factor wouldnt be too much of a concern because I would probrably end up getting one of those wheel kits. Not sure if I could justify the 1900.00 kick in the junk right now :lol: (Let alone the grand :roll: ) The 10 or 11 foot pontoons do freak me out a little bit because I have one of those Nissan Frontiers with the 4 ft bed :lol: , But I think I could rig up something to be able to pack a toon around fully set up (I mean I pack my 12ft flatbottom around in it  )

That new fishcat does look like a pretty nice pontoon, But I kind of want one of the diamondplate back decks so i can build up some sort of a dog dock to let my buddy ride with me. I was thinking about trying out one of those ones at Sams club for 300 bucks to start , just to see if I like them, But then figure what tha hell, Might as well get something I can use.

Dedicatedweim, thats part of my dilema. I would really like a boat & i kind of wonder if I wouldnt be better putting the money towards a boat, but then again, If I ever have a wife or a kid, I might not want them to go :lol: j/k


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## LOAH (Sep 29, 2007)

STEVO said:


> I would really like a boat & i kind of wonder if I wouldnt be better putting the money towards a boat, but then again, If I ever have a wife or a kid, I might not want them to go :lol: j/k


Honesty like that won't get you either very quickly.:lol:

Family trips are priceless, but you're right. Sometimes that water only wants YOU fishing it and sometimes your soul needs the rest.


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## BROWN BAGGER (Sep 13, 2007)

Very good answers to your question. My two cents is, with the pontoon you can also float rivers with it. This opens more fishing to you. Pontoons are awesome for the green, and many more rivers up north into wyoming and montana, if you like to travel. My dream has been to own a two seater, one person to oar the other to fish and trade off.


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