Tubing and Tooning Buyers' Guide

[flygoddess]

I had one of the Dural pro pontoons.
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]No personal experience but if it is the one I am thinking of it is a Utah company with a great reputation for quality and service. Flygoddess has had some dealings with them.[/#0000ff]
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[tlarson]

what do you think of them.
as in value and quality?
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[flygoddess]

Top Notch. Carol Olsen in Brigham is the owner. The toons are Dura Bladders. Best way to describe them, they are like the Tupperware garbage cans. A hard plastic but flexable. They do not go flat like other pontoons but you can push the air out. So in other words they do not fold up.
There is a fine powder in them so if you get a pin hole, it is self sealing. Frames are very well made. Nice PVC cover for the toons.
I had an Echo which is the small 4' model,but mine had covers on the toons, a padded seat and was red. A delux model.

Things to point out, they are heavier than a lot of other pontoons, but again it is the material. You will be hard pressed to poke a hole in one of these.
The seat has two nice heavy straps holding the back up which make the seat easy to adjust as in tilt back if you need to.
The rockers are pretty big. They are designed for river running but as her ad reads, also smaller footprint makes it easy to turn. But you are also limited to what you can put on the back because of the rockers. If you choose to put a motor and battery on, you will need to slide the frame forward.

Quality is top notch
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[tlarson]

great to hear i am going to be offering there toons and wanted to hear what people thought about tem
tanks again
todd
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[357bob]

Most of what you say is spot on, however...there isn't a powder in the pontoons. There may have been at one time but not currently. I have seen pictures of them with a knife slash in them and still "floating",although not as they should (the design allows them to somewhat hold their shape with a hole them, in the top of course[:p]
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[flygoddess]

It has been a few years, but the the powder isn't like baby powder, it is very thin, more a dusting. The ad read shake the pontoons to distribute it evenly.
Times change
They may have just gone with the form shaped toons which like the Hobie would still float unless it fill with water like a bottle.
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[addicted2fishin]

Thanks for the input. Does anyone have any input on either of these models enough to recommend one over the other (Creek Company Sport LT vs. Classic Accessories Skagit)?
I'm looking to buy one or the other this weekend, unless I find some other bargain on KSL.
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[Tangled_not]

i'm impressed. I've had mine out 4 times so far, with no problems with fabric, or stitching in the pontoons. the frame has been solid, welds seem strong, and the seat is comfy for hours of fishing. not sure what the bladders are constructed of, but the bladder and valves seem to be of good quality and are air tight. i have been watching for any areas that might be wearing through the pontoon fabric due to abrasion, but none so far. it seems middle of the road as far as weight, i can load/unload in my pickup or ATV trailer with no probs, but too heavy to carry very far. setup was easy, about an hour.

i have it rigged with a minn-kota 30lb thrust motor, it'll move at 3-4 MPH(i'm guessing). i can move the boat as fast as my float tube with flippers, and less effort. i'm sure because of less drag than that of the float tube. it's nice to be out of the cold 40 degree early spring water, i can actually feel my feet when i get back on dry land!!

i had the same concerns as you, is it cheaply made because of the low price?? Sure there are higher quality boats out there, but in my research, in order to get into a new boat that would be higher quality you'd be in the $600-$900 range. it seems to be made identical the the Colorado, but for about $150-200 less. for the money, i dont think you can beat this boat.

i've been flshing in a float tube (mainly fly fishing) for the last 15 years or so, and have been toying around with the idea of a toon for the last 5. my thought toward the tube has been "if it aint broke dont fix it". but i really like the advantages a pontoon boat offers over the tube. i can now fish areas that were a LONG kick in the tube(especially the kick back), and can troll lures etc.. if i want to switch things up a bit. [fishin]
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[357bob]

I hope I replied to the correct post ( always confuses me on BFT)
There are quite a few states beginning to require not only an HIN, but also an mso (manufacturers statement of origin) to register pontoons with motors. I don't know if that would even be possible with a Chinese built boat? Get 'er tagged before Utah catches up.
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[chinook]

Thanks for taking the time to give me so much input. Much appreciated. I just might give it a try.
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[flygoddess]

Chinook, I have several pontoons. We need to set up a fishing day at Strawberry. Kind of a try before you buy, however, my are all that funny looking U shape...LOL
It could be fun.
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[chinook]

That would be a real treat as I know that you are a very talented angler. I have seen pictures of giant fish and amazing custom flies. Very impressive, not to mention the good advise your freely share with so many. We should all be as nice as you.

I am always looking for an excuse and can be quite flexible with going during the week as well. If you are looking at a day to go up let me know and I will do likewise.

I was thinking about trying to catch ice off Thursday or Friday.
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[flygoddess]

Sorry, I am tying in Idaho this weekend starting Friday. But any time when I get back.
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