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I'm wanting to pick up either a 'toon or a tube within the next couple of weeks. I spend most of my time fishuing time on Utah lake and the Jordan river with occational trips to starvation, strawberry and the gorge. Anyway looking for pros and cons of each. I'm a big guy (5'10" and 250#) and I'm leaning toward a 'toon but I haven't decided yet. Has anyone mounted an electric trolling motor on a toon? Any info and advice would be helpful.
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The only advantages to a tube are weight and price. I've had a tube for years, and just recently got a pontoon. It's soooo much better. More mobility on the water, more comfortable, and it's simple to mount an electric motor. Check out the float tubing forum though, and you'll see several posts asking this same question. You'll also see all the previous replies. Tubedude is the toobing/tuning god, and he'll give you more information than you can handle.
Either way, have fun with what you get. If you end up choosing a toon, the trout unlimited models are pretty cool, and dang cheap. I got two of them for the price of one Buck's bag. Sportsman's carries them for $219. Sam's club has the larger model for $314.
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I've got a couple of float tubes and a pontoon with a electric trolling motor. To big advantages to the pontoon are I don't waste as much time paddling to shore for bathroom breaks and at iceoff or when its cold I can fish alot longer without getting so cold I have to leave. I keep my tubes for carring into smaller lakes but the pontoon has been well worth the extra money.
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[cool][blue][size 1]Just a quick response on my way out of town for the weekend (non fishing).[/size][/blue]
[#0000ff][size 1]You have already got some good input. Basic rule of thumb is to factor in both the kind of water you will be fishing and the type of fishing you will be doing. If you want to carry your craft any distance, to a honey hole, you need a lighter weight tube, Vboat or Uboat. For fishing bigger waters, where you can drive close to the launch and beaching site, a 'toon will give you more floatation, greater range and more speed...either with oars or an auxiliary motor.[/size][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][size 1]Quite a few of the newer pontoon craft come with frames built to install motor mounts for electric trolling motors. If you get one that is not rigged, it is usually a simple matter to fashion a mount and lash or screw it down to the existing frame.[/size][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][size 1]No question that a 'toon handles more water, but they don't handle wind so good. If a stout breeze comes up you will be spending all your time and energy fighting the wind and not the fish. Tubes and fin power make for better hands free fishing.[/size][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][size 1]No matter what you choose, you will always think you should have gone the other way. Only solution is to get both...after you have finished paying the lawyer for the divorce.[/size][/#0000ff]
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