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Anybody have any experience with this 9-ft toon, or know of anyone who has, or have an opinion?
Cabelas and several other vendors carry it and it seems to be priced anywhere from about $525 to $599 which seems reasonable. That being the case is there something better in comparable size, and load capacity, in that price range?
I'm comfortable with that price range and might consider another $100 or so but I don't want to push it up to $1,000 or higher. Any thoughts or suggestions in that regard?
Review comments from Cabelas buyers and elsewhere on the internet are overwhelmingly positive with an occasional recomendation for minor adjustment [anchor, transport wheel].
I'm thinking of upgrading from what I have [Venture Outdoors 6T] back to the conventional inflatable with a higher load capacity to accommodate my big a$$ [blush] and the stuff I want to load it up with.
Thanks in advance for your feedback.
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My one and only 'toon was their little Cimarron. That's their cheapest one, retailing at about $289. I used it for four years and found it completely adequate for my uses on small stillwater lakes. The largest water I had it on was Pineview, in the no-wake zone only. Never took it outside the north Marina at Willard.
If I hadn't managed to break the frame and then re-welded it a bit crooked, it would have tracked better, I'm sure. That was its only fault: it wouldn't track straight for beans.
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I recently bought a used Sportsman 9 for 50 bucks. I have had a couple of the Sportsman 9's and I like them a lot. I use this boat in spots where I have to load a boat on the back of my truck and use a electric motor. Used boats are the best value if you can fish what your looking for. I have caught 29 sturgeon in that boat this year. Ron
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[#0000FF]Over the last ten years or so we have had several BFTers who have owned the Colorado. Initially there were some valve problems but those seem to have been corrected and I have not heard of any major problems since.
The Colorado is a heavy duty toon with a high weight rating. It will handle a large person, motor, battery and a bunch of gear with good floatation.
Most folks who buy them are happy with them. But, as has been suggested, there are higher quality craft on the market...for more money (usually). The Dave Scadden line (North Fork Outdoors) are generally considered the apex in quality and design.
Depending upon your budget, your style of fishing and your personal preferences you can do just fine with less. If nothing else, make the best deal you possibly can, use the toon for a year or so to get familiar with all the major issues...and then sell it for a high percentage of what you paid and make an informed decision in upgrading.
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I say go get it wet! If you do want to add a battery/motor or gear you will need to slide that frame forward and put the weight as close as you can to the back of the seat.
Take care and reports with pictures please.
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Absolutely! If you can get any NFO gear for under $50. I would be all over that[cool]
Question though, if you could get anything with Urethane bladders, why would you buy Vinyl?
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[#0000FF]It's the same ol' story. Whatever you want to sell is worth exactly what someone else is willing to pay for it. And there are a lot of differences in different markets around the country...for just about anything.
In our area (Utah) we have a great number of tubers, tooners and yakkers who are generally well employed with some net spendable. They usually shop for quality and don't mind paying for quality stuff. Howsomever, there are also plenty of those folks who buy cheap, beat the heck out of their gear and then expect to get top dollar on a resale.
If you can pick up any tubes or toons at bargain basement prices down there I would do so. Then advertise them on the float tube board...and/or the Utah For Sale board. If you can make a few bucks after adding in shipping costs then go for it.
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