# Float Tube or Pontoon



## BrookTroutKid

What should I get, a pontoon or a float tube? I was thinking about getting a float tube but those pontoons look really nice any thoughts???


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## Grandpa D

Unless you want to add a motor to a pontoon, the new U-Boats are great.
They let you set up higher than the old round float tubes.
They are much lighter and will move through the water faster and with less effort than a toon.
In most cases U-Boats are cheaper and they are a lot easier to take down to the water.
With all that said, I have both and use both depending on the conditions and as I said, whether or not I want to use a motor.
Look at the Fish Cats for the most popular U-Boats.


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## Jeremy28

I would say a pontoon for the following reasons:

1) get to areas faster.
2) don't have to get in the water.
3) I made a small platform on mine so I can stand up.
4) Get an ancor and it will stay in place with no effort, whereas with float tubes, you have to kick around alot to stay where you want ESPECIALLY when its windy.
5) More room to put your stuff
6) Sit higher up in the water (for most pontoons anyways).

I have the outcast 8' quad pontoon and would highly reccommend it especially because its only about $500 (good price for a good pontoon). I also have an electric ancor/motor which really helps. If you have these things than its definitely better than a float tube. One benefit for float tubes is that you can turn directions really easily (to fish different directions) whereas with a pontoon, your always facing the way the wind/breeze is blowing (using an ancor). you'd better have an ancor otherwise you would have to be paddling constantly because the slightest wind will take you pretty quick.


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## chuckmiester

get a quad pontoon. living in southern utah i would much rather have a pontoon than a float tube. after i got my toon i never even touch my tube anymore. if you get a tube make sure you have some warm waders on.
pontoon vs. foat tube. 
pontoon pros-stay dryer and higher out of the water, moves along the water easier, can hook up an anchor and/or motor, has oars for tired legs (if no motor), less of a struggle in the wind.
pontoon cons-more expensive, heavy (if you want to carry it into hike in fisheries get a tube.

my suggestion would be a *quad toon* pontoon. they are even smoother along the water, the wind effects them even less, and if one blows on you, you are still safe with three.


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## ScottyP

I have both and haven't used the float tube in years. Pontoon with a motor is how I roll! More room for your fish finder, fly boxes, spare rod, extra reels/ spools, beer, food, net, etc. Plus with a motor you can fish in the wind without killing yourself and cover more water.

Float tubes can be hiked into smaller lakes so if that is what you do most, get one of them.


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## caddisguy

I use both. Try backpacking a pontoon with its frame, oars, anchor, battery, and electric motor 5 miles into a High Uinta lake. A simple float tube can fit into a backpack and be taken about anywhere. It also fits easily onto the back of a motorcycle or four wheeler.

So, I wouldn’t sell my float tube as it still has an important place in my fishing armory.


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## RnF

ScottyP said:


> Float tubes can be hiked into smaller lakes so if that is what you do most, get one of them.


This is the only time I use mine. I don't like using a float tube any other time just because it is a lot of work to use one. If it is windy, be ready for a workout, they are hard to control, and are very slow going.

You will probably get more use out of a toon if you plan on fishing a lot on larger lakes.

Good Luck.


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## ScottyP

The last time I used a tube I fought the wind at Jordanelle to near exhaustion and the time before that I had a bad time at Panguitch trying to get through a big weed bed. After that I got a toon and have not regretted it.


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## .45

What everybody said....I looked for quite awhile before I decided....I ended up with the same as Jeremy28...except double. Motors, battery's, platform, fish finder, room for beer, twinkies, worms, flies, (what the heck ? )...oh, and yeah, fishing poles and fish. ..  

But, it's not really too good for right now....maybe soon??.. :wink:


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## Grandpa D

.45 said:


> What everybody said....I looked for quite awhile before I decided....I ended up with the same as Jeremy28...except double. Motors, battery's, platform, fish finder, room for beer, twinkies, worms, flies, (what the heck ? )...oh, and yeah, fishing poles and fish. ..
> 
> But, it's not really too good for right now....maybe soon??.. :wink:


Just get a sail and you will be ready for Strawberry! -()/-


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## Jeremy28

Definitely the way to go would be to order the 9' quad pontoon they have on the Cabelas website for only $525 with free shipping (I think).


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## FROGGER

I use a float tube but only because i have no other choice at the present time. But if you have the choice to buy either, Pontoon for sure...


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## Fishing31

I am also looking to do stillwater. I am sorry but what is the difference between a quad pontoon and pontoon?


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## americanforkdude

Grandpa D hit it on the head. Get a U-tube they offer the best of both worlds. THe ONLY downside to them is you can't put a motor on them, but in my case i don't need one anways. Too big of a hastle. You won't regret it. I would probably even coniser trading my toon for a U tube but who knows??


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## chuckmiester

Fishing31 said:


> I am also looking to do stillwater. I am sorry but what is the difference between a quad pontoon and pontoon?


i wrote this earlier but here it is again. my suggestion would be a quad toon pontoon. they are even smoother along the water, the wind effects them even less, and if one blows on you, you are still safe with three.

a quad toon has four tubes a regular toon only has two. it is actually easier to fill up because they are four smaller ones. also because you have four toons skimming along the water, it is a lot smoother and is easier to handle in the wind. they barely sink when you put it in the water compared to regular toons. also because you have four air tanks holding you up you can put more weight and force on it. when you have a motor on it it affects the dip less.

i have the one from sportsmans which is the same from cabelas but it is an 8' rather than a 9' and it is my favorite piece of fishing equipment i have.


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## Fishing31

Thanks Chuckmiester, I got it.


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## Jeremy28

how do you do the little quote thing where you can paste what someone else said above your post?


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## .45

Jeremy28 said:


> how do you do the little quote thing where you can paste what someone else said above your post?


Click on the 'Quote' button.....upper right hand corner by the avatar...


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## .45

FishGlyph said:


> .45 said:
> 
> 
> 
> What everybody said....I looked for quite awhile before I decided....I ended up with the same as Jeremy28...except double. Motors, battery's, platform, fish finder, room for beer, twinkies, worms, flies, (what the heck ? )...oh, and yeah, fishing poles and fish. ..
> 
> But, it's not really too good for right now....maybe soon??.. :wink:
> 
> 
> 
> After seeing .45's and luckystrike's pontoonies, I _want one_! Maybe .45 will have enough patience to teach me how to fly fish someday too. :mrgreen:
Click to expand...

You may not want that to happen....even with a fly rod, I use a worm to catch the larger fish.. :mrgreen: _(O)_ :mrgreen:


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## Loke

.45 said:


> FishGlyph said:
> 
> 
> 
> [quote=".45":2hhdglau]What everybody said....I looked for quite awhile before I decided....I ended up with the same as Jeremy28...except double. Motors, battery's, platform, fish finder, room for beer, twinkies, worms, flies, (what the heck ? )...oh, and yeah, fishing poles and fish. ..
> 
> But, it's not really too good for right now....maybe soon??.. :wink:
> 
> 
> 
> After seeing .45's and luckystrike's pontoonies, I _want one_! Maybe .45 will have enough patience to teach me how to fly fish someday too. :mrgreen:
Click to expand...

You may not want that to happen....even with a fly rod, I use a worm to catch the larger fish.. :mrgreen: _(O)_ :mrgreen:[/quote:2hhdglau]
I thought this was .45 and his pontoon... :shock:[attachment=0:2hhdglau]redneck_bass_boat.jpg[/attachment:2hhdglau]


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## .45

Pretty close..   

Missing is the cooler for beer.... :mrgreen:


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## Loke

I just noticed the ducks. Do you take it duck hunting as well?


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## .45

Loke said:


> I just noticed the ducks. Do you take it duck hunting as well?


No....the duck are decoy's....

The decoy's attract duck hunter's that alway's have more beer....


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## Jeremy28

After I go fishing this weekend I'll put up a post with some pics of my pontoon boat and maybe others can post pics of theirs as well. Its pretty sweet, it has fish finder, electric ancor/motor, platform for standing up on and a couple other thingermabobbers. We all need to post em up and compare.


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## threshershark

I have float tubed and pontooned all over the West for about the last 18 years. The only reason I use a tube anymore is for backpacking or very long portages to small lakes (under 5 surface acres). The bottom line is that you should get what works best for the type of fishing you do. Here are my observations:

Float Tube:
- Light.
- Deflates into a very small bundle.
- Great if you just have a car or limited cargo space.
- Limited mobility on the water.
- Hard times if the wind is against you.
- Water pressure from having half your body submerged decreases circulation in the legs and feet, and causes you get cold much faster.

Pontoon:
- Highly mobile.
- Motor easily mountable. I never do this, because I need the exercise and don't want to register my boat -- but many love it. I can oar a 10-minute mile no problem, which is about the same speed as a fast walk across dry land. Plenty fast for me.
- Relatively easy to oar against the wind
- Higher sight plane above the water makes sight fishing easier when fish are shallow.
- More storage. You can take a small cooler with you and stay out all day.
- Did I mention the mobility? This is a must. If fish aren't biting, I think nothing of moving half a mile or more to a new spot.
- Only your legs from mid-calf down are in the water, and you can easily take them out of the water and rest them on foot pegs. MUCH nicer for cold water days.

Quad Pontoons:
- Having 4 pontoons creates a flat table top surface that is very handy to set things on and strip your line into.
- Very stable, big footprint, shallow draft.
- A little easier to oar.
- IMO, EXTREMELY HEAVY. Holy cow, the quad pontoons I have used weigh about 70 pounds empty. This compares to 39 pounds that my single 'toon weighs. This kills you if the places you fish require portaging your boat. It's no worries if you drive to the water's edge most of the time. Many places I fish require a portage of anywhere from 100 to 500 yards. For this reason I don't use one.

Long story short: For me, the pontoon is the absolute best way to fly fish stillwater. I prefer a pontoon boat that is around 8 feet long and under 45 pounds empty.


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## HighLakesDrifter

I fish with a U-boat (Fishcat 4). I also have a Caddis PTBoat (pontoon with 6'2" pontoons). I also have a really old Stansport float tube that weighs a ton when wet.

The Fishcat is great. I have backpack straps for it, so I can hike it when necessary (I haven't gone more than two miles off-road with it, though). I like it better in wind than the PT Boat because I can lean back and get that V to cut into the waves. I mount an Eagle 320 on the right side with no problems. I can put it into the back of a small car to save gas on long excursions. It fits perfectly in the back of a small truck.

The only drawback is to get from A to B quickly over long distances.


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## Riverrat77

.45 said:


> You may not want that to happen....even with a fly rod, I use a worm to catch the larger fish.. :mrgreen: _(O)_ :mrgreen:


You sir...are the Great Satan. We must be related.... fly rods work great with cheese too. :lol:

My vote is for the V-boat. I have the fishcat 4 and I absolutely love it. Its easy to kick into the wind, lots of storage for beer coolers and other fishing necessities, and sits me a little more out of the water. I must have lead in my seat though, because my rear is always wet at the end of a trip... no worries though. That shot of "Weed" at the end of the day warms me right up.


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## southernman

ok only seen these used once or twice so i have some ques for the educated and experienced:

1. do you have to wear waders in a pontoon to stay out of the water? hip boots? im talking cold water, obv water over 70 would feel pretty **** good

2. can you mount a fishfinder easily in a pontoon ?

3. how do you fill the pontoons? a little portable air compressor im assuming . . how much is that? how long to fill? seems like a 8 footer should fit filled up in a truck bed . . im interested in trunk/back seat of small car getting 35 mph, then filling at the lake...

thanks all..

sm


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## Grandpa D

There are several different air fill valves used on the different brands of pontoons.
Most can be filled with a hand pump.
I use a high flow electric pump [12 volt power source] to fill my toon as full as the pump will fill it and then top it off with a hand pump.
I do this if I'm in my SUV and the toon is in back.
When I'm in my truck, the toon goes with me ready to use.
A word of caution:
DON'T OVER FILL THE AIR!!!
If your toon is rated for 5# of air and you fill it to 5# down in the valley and drive up to Strawberry, the pressure in the toon will expand at the higher elevation.
This could cause the pontoon to overinflate and rupture.
Another problem can be filling your toon to capacity at the pond in the morning and then having the afternoon heat expand the air with the same results, blown bladers in the pontoon or ripped seams on the blader covers.
When you are not using your toon or float tube, let a little of the air out and then add it back when needed for a trip.


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## chuckmiester

putting a pontoon into a car might be kind of hard. if you have to take the frame apart it might make it kind of difficult. if you have ski racks on your car then putting it up top would be fine. otherwise i would use a truck or get a tube, unless you don't mind putting most of it together at the lake.

as for the filling of the toons, it takes me about 1-2 minutes per toon (i have four of them) using a foot pump.

if you are using a motor you just rest your feet on the pegs and your feet will never even get wet. if you are wearing flippers i use waders but sometimes wish i had hip boots (i'm assuming they work as i have never tried them on a toon).

hooking up fish finders to your toon depends on the type of fish finder. some hook up easily others might take a little modification to hook it up to your toon. the clamp on ones for small boats hook up really easy. the suction type dont work to well because the suction doesn't keep too well against the canvas. if you hook a board up to your toon then these types work fine.


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## .45

Southernman, on our pontoon's we carry a portable fishfnder, the body actually sit's where our storage compartments are and of course the 'cord' dangles in the water...
Pontoon company's provide a lot of cool stuff for pontoon's....platforms, anchor's, rod holder's, drink holder's and downrigger's. 
I prefer to wear waist hight wader's, at least, to keep my butt dry. I did see some gent's using real small pontoon's at Jordanelle this year and they only wore hip wader's. No rod holder's and no storage....to me, that didn't look comfortable.
I'm still trying to figure out how to mount a TV and stereo on mine...I should have that figured out by next spring.   

Good luck to you, and have fun !!!


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## Jeremy28

In cold weather I always use my waist high waders and wader boots because your going to get wet especially when getting in and exiting the shore. you also dont have to worry about accidentally dipping your feet into the water or waves.


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## BrookTroutKid

Thanks for all of the info guys, i have narrowed it down to a U boat and a pontoon, not a quad. And I think i am going to get a pontoon, any good brands or makes I should Get?


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## GaryFish

The 8 foot boat with the Sportsman's label comes from the same factory as the Fish Cat boats. It is about the same as the FishCat Streamer XL. ither boat is very solid, and I'd recommend it. With the toons - make sure they are all PVC outer construction. Some come with PVC on the bottoms, and a cordura material on the top. The Trout Unlimited boats are this way. Stick with the all PVC construction. It is tougher, and in varying temperatures, will expand/contract consistently - something the mixed material boats don't do.


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## Jeremy28

your crazy for not getting a quad pontoon, everyone that has one loves it.


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## chuckmiester

they are top notch minus the weight. that may be his concern


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## BrookTroutKid

Jeremy28 said:


> your crazy for not getting a quad pontoon, everyone that has one loves it.


 *\-\* *\-\*
In fact im not getting a pontoon anymore I changed my mind and those U-boats are asking me to buy one. They are lighter, less expensive (some of them) and I got some advice on one with a great Warranty.


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## chuckmiester

have fun in the cold weather. i took my tube up to yankee once in july with warm clothes and my feet still froze. they are lighter and less expensive though. they are also easier to move if you dont have a truck.


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## threshershark

If it was me I'd find the lightest 8-footer I could. The major brands are all quite good I've found. Keep your eye on the frame material. The square tube steel frames are the heaviest. Aluminum is ideal if you can find something you like, but stainless round tubing makes light frames also. Bucks Bags makes the Southfork, which is a 45-pound boat with 8' pontoons. I really do suggest you look at the dry weight though. Boats of nearly identical size can easily weigh 70 pounds.


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## .45

Good thinking Thresh.....My Fishcat weigh's in at 70 lbs....battery, a buck a pound, 74 lbs, motor 18 (?) , beer 8 lbs per gallon, gear 25 lbs. (?).....Hard to pack that 9 footer very far. In fact, we've been lucky to use boat ramps to dock. A lot easier for us to get them off the trailer and have a nice clean area to get set up. 

This is 'not' the backpack type of pontoon ....


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## Jeremy28

Yeah, the only reason I wouldn't get one (a quad) is if weight or $ was an issue. Come to think of it, the frame on mine and I think all others that have one as well (8' outcast cougar quad pontoon) is made of aluminum so this should be considered rather light for what your getting...right?


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## orvis1

I personally have gone through the stages of starting with a round float tube, moving to a nice pontoon (skeeter w/ stripping basket and platform) I had a battery and motor on it. The thing that was great was it could get on small waters and I could bring it up in my car. I hated putting it together and taking it apart it seemed like it took forever to set up and was a little small and underpowered for larger waters. So I have graduated and now have a 16ft aluminum w/ motor, it is still small enough to lauch myself and get on most waters easy. We can tow it behind the 5th wheel and not be to long or to heavy. It is great but I still feel undepowered for strawberry/the gorge. After going out in skeet's boat I have boat envy, so going to the boat show and looking but not buying this year need to save my pennies before I make the jump...


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## GaryFish

Its a heck of a slippery slope Orvis. Kind of like the 5th wheel. I'd bet you a six pack of your favorite beverage that you didn't "start" with a 5th wheel.  Lets see - boats it goes round float tube --> pontoon --> 16 foot aluminum boat ---> 21 foot runabout ---> 28 foot cruiser ---> Then you'll sell that and go back to the 16 foot aluminum boat and take the wife on a cruise every year  With campers it goes tent---> Spring bar tent---> Pop-up trailer ---> Hard side --> 5th wheel ---> Motorhome ---> Build a cabin in the woods with a wrap around porch, garage for the wheelers, hot full size shower, big screen and a dish. :lol:


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## campfire

There has been a lot of really good advise, pros and cons for both tubes and toons. I think I may have to get both.  Actually I have a U style tube and a canoe. But I am getting older and I think a pontoon might be a little more comfortable for a long day than my canoe. But I still will keep the tube for portability. Besides, He who dies with the most toys wins, right?  BTW, GARYFISH, I need a new toy hauler before I can afford the pontoon.


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## orvis1

Garyfish speaks the truth. Actually it was the purchase of the 4 wheelers that made us get a toy hauler. We did start out in a shell of a truck, then moved to a 20ft light tow behind trailer, to a 30ft 5th wheel, now to a 30ft toy hauler. But the boat I would like is still a metal boat (crestliner, fisher, ect) but with a 100hp motor and 10hp kicker and an electric with a foot petal up front. That way I can troll, and try some casting while still having a short boat I can handle myself and the power to move on the bigger water. A canvas top would be a nice addition to keep the sun off the wife and daughter as well. But I don't have 20-25K now so just a pipe dream at this point.


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## Jitterbug

I have also been trying to decide if I want a pontoon or tube... until I saw this!!!

http://www.hobiecat.com/fishing/models_ ... erman.html

You get a full body workout but you get somewhere in the process quickly! They look like they glide across the water effortlessly. Only con is they are a little pricey though. Anyone care to give any thoughts about using one of these in our Utah stillwaters?


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## threshershark

.45 said:


> Good thinking Thresh.....My Fishcat weigh's in at 70 lbs....battery, a buck a pound, 74 lbs, motor 18 (?) , beer 8 lbs per gallon, gear 25 lbs. (?).....Hard to pack that 9 footer very far.


.45 -- that is great. You must have had so many hernias that people mistake you for a billy goat from behind. I know that my Dad went out and got an all-steel frame quad pontoon a while back and the first time I went to pick the thing up it was blind luck I didn't blow both nuts.


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## .45

threshershark said:


> .45 said:
> 
> 
> 
> Good thinking Thresh.....My Fishcat weigh's in at 70 lbs....battery, a buck a pound, 74 lbs, motor 18 (?) , beer 8 lbs per gallon, gear 25 lbs. (?).....Hard to pack that 9 footer very far.
> 
> 
> 
> .45 -- that is great. You must have had so many hernias that people mistake you for a billy goat from behind. I know that my Dad went out and got an all-steel frame quad pontoon a while back and the first time I went to pick the thing up it was blind luck I didn't blow both nuts.
Click to expand...

I know....you gotta have some big one's... 8) ......sure is nice on the water though...


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## madonafly

The key to pontoons is to get the smallest diameter toon you can find which the quads offer, but I don't care for the BIG foot print they make on the water. I have a pontoon that is 11/12' X 5' with 12" diameter toons. Cuts through water like a Kayak.

I drive a small SUV and therefore I have a trailer for my toon, BUT, this year that all changed.
I got the NAVIGATOR II with is a true PONTUBE. It folds up and comes with a back pack small enough to fit in my SUV. The TUBE is 9' long and has OARS and an optional BATTERY/MOTOR mount. The tube itself weighs around 30lbs. It combines the best of both worlds in one package. Plus the URETHANE bladders with HALKEY valves it is made of the best.
When I am out on Strawberry or Henry's Lake and that storm moves in, I feel so much safer in this (except when my rod starts clicking and glowing :lol: )
Anyway, I want a good sturdy material. Keep in mind PVC is much more effected by temp and altitude change than Urethane.


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## catch&release

I think it comes down to how far you need to travel to get to your fishing area. When you have to make a kick way out into an area where you cant get to from shore a float tube takes you forever and if the wind is blowing forget it. You can travel 4 X's faster with the oars instead of the fins. I enjoy fishing out of my Super Fat Cat when i dont have very far to travel but if i have to kick a long ways into in area i will take my Dualpontoon Outcast and row into the area alot faster. Both as everyone has said have there pro and cons but if you dont have to travel a long distance to get into your area to fish a float tube will work just fine.


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## caddisguy

If you are still having trouble deciding between a float tube and a pontoon why don't you try one of these?[attachment=0:axco0mhd]giraff.jpg[/attachment:axco0mhd]


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## RnF

If it swam for you, I would be all for it!


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## Mojo

What it boils down to is $$$$$. You can get a cheap toon or tube. Toons-outer skins (nylon and PVC) and PVC vinyl bladders. Simple inflation valves, larger diameter steel frames that don't fit together very well. Mostly made in China. 
The more expensive ones have urethane bladders, Halkey Roberts valves and an outer shell that's a coated vinyl. Better ones have aluminum or stainless and are considerably lighter. For tubes the best out there are NFO (Scadden) H3's, Outcast Superfat Cats. But be prepared to spend around $350-$400 for one.
Quad toon's like madonafly posted have a larger footprint yes, but also more drag than a regular toon. Northfork Outdoors (Dave Scadden), Outcast, Bucks Bags and others.
Then you have the hybrids. I'm familar with Scaddens. Madonafly mentioned the Navigator II. I have one also and love it. It also has the option of putting electric motors on them.
Here's a link to the page with a H3 and Navigator II. And from what I know and have seen, NFO sells for less than what they put on their site. http://www.northforkoutdoors.com/2008we ... 8pg35.html
I don't work for Northfork Outdoors. I _work_ for a living, so that's that.


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## El Matador

I prefer to fish from a pontoon, but I prefer to carry a float tube. I will use the pontoon 95% of the time, but if there's a lake that requires hiking to get in, then my only option is a float tube. If I had to get only one, definitely I would choose the pontoon. I own a Buck's Bags South Fork because for me it's the best combination of size, weight, function and price.


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## madonafly

That is whats so great about the Navigator II. Plus you can row! Minus the shelf, here is the back pack,


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## Packfish

Better bring my goats for that. :lol: If I put that on my back just where do I put the beer?


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## madonafly

Packfish said:


> Better bring my goats for that. :lol: If I put that on my back just where do I put the beer?


In your hand...you could put everything else in the back pack, but I do like the goat thing. I got to get me one of those. Then you could take the deck and the goat could sit back there. :lol:


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## Packfish

The ******* will steal your beer when you're not looking.


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