Pontoon Boats?

[fullstringer98]

I got a Kennebec pontoon boat on friday and was wondering if anybdy out there has one and is willing to tell the pros and cons of these things. I am going to take this out tommorow to Beaver lake in king county. I had to get some hip waders because your legs hang off the seat into the water and you kick with these big flippers,in june i could go without but for now ill need the waders because of the water temp. :bounce:

[The Quadfather]

Fullstringer,, No worries. On your original post, just go back and open it up. Hit the "Edit" icon. When you edit, sweep everything, (hold the left button of the mouse, and make it all blue.) Then hit back space/delete or whatever. This will leave your post blank. You have to put one character in to make it a true "Edit" Put a period or something.:bball:

[Mike Carey]

I got a Kennebec pontoon boat on friday and was wondering if anybdy out there has one and is willing to tell the pros and cons of these things. I am going to take this out tommorow to Beaver lake in king county. I had to get some hip waders because your legs hang off the seat into the water and you kick with these big flippers,in june i could go without but for now ill need the waders because of the water temp. :bounce:

I had similar type which I sold.

Pros: light and easy to transport, relatively comfortable, easy to be steathly around fish. Kick-fins mean you can be hands on at all times with your rod/reel and stripping, makes for increased hookset ratio.

Cons - cold on the legs in the early season! Moves slow so better suited for small lakes (safety issue anyway). Can't see whee you're going easily (but that's true of all these types of float devices), In cold water the tubes will start to shrink as the air in the tubes compresses from the cold so after a few hours the tube gets "mushy", limited storage capacity.

One thing I did with my rig which was very helpful was put a flotation cushion on the seat and secured it. This did two things - got me a little more out of the water for warmth, and got me sitting upright a little higher which improved my casting abilities.

Overall they are fun little tubes and I think you'll enjoy yours. Let us know how it goes.

[fullstringer98]

I got a pair of neoprene waders and they kept me dry and warm today on the slough wich was freeezing

[Marc Martyn]

If I were you, I would wear breathable waders all year long. I never go without waders. Some of the lakes during the summer develop a parasite that causes "swimmers itch". I had a friend that got a pontoon boat and met me out at Amber to do some fishing. He had his legs in the water about 6 hours without waders. The next morning his legs were inflamed from the water line down. I saw him and it looked like he had a real bad sun burn. His wife was an RN and she tried every cream and ointment she found, but nothing would relieve the itching. He has worn waders ever since then.

I wear breathable hip waders with the neoprene stocking feet with boots. Orvis has them for about $70.00 and they are very good quality. I've had my pair for about 8 years now and they are still in good shape.

You can take the chance and go with bare legs in the water, but it is a crap shoot if you'll get through the day without getting "the itch".

[fullstringer98]

Thank you for the helpful responses. Marc Martyn I got some neoprene waders and they work great. I used them on the sammamish River picture in my report on the pontoon boat.

[racfish]

I like pontoon boats except one small item. Im a big boy.I fell off one time and had to kick to shore to get back in the seat. I found it damn near impossible for me to get back in. Other then that it was fun.