Pontoon, Canoe or Rowboat?
We are a couple in our mid 60's trying to decide which boat to get to
enjoy the many lakes and rivers here in Wisconsin. Seems to be pros
and cons to either a pontoon, canoe or rowboat. Benefit for us of a
pontoon is being able to get up and walk around sometimes. Arthritic
bones get stiff. Also the idea of a porta potti is appealing. But we
have a vehicle that can only tow 1800#. Wonder if there is any
collective wisdom out there about what the best way to go might be.
We don't want to water ski, just be ON the water, enjoy the sights, do
some fishing. Taking others along is very low on the list. |
chrislamb
Dec 14
2006
|
| My cousin bought a new pontoon trailer. They got the kind you drive
the pontoons onto. They said with the scissors type they found going
around corners, the pontoons would scrape on the road sometimes. The
downside is that the ramps around here are bad news. You back up on
cement, then it ends. When people load their huge power boats, they
seem to use the motor to put it back on the trailer. That washes the
dirt and gravel away behind that cement. Then you you back into it,
down goes the trailer suddenly. When I was pulling a 24' Wellcraft with an F-250, that happened to me
and the whole rig just kept going. I thought I was going into the
drink for sure. Couldn't pull the trailer out again, partly because
the ramps gather so much moss. Had to have a farmer pull me out with
his tractor. So I would wonder about launching a pontoon, getting enough water to
float the thing, even with rollers. From the reading I have been
doing, it seems like a pontoon is the best bet, and to put it on a
permanent mooring location and only trailer it there in the Spring to
put it in once. We live right on a large lake with river access to
about 92 miles of navigable water, so we wouldn't likely get bored
quickly.
>"Chris Lamb" <chrislamb@charter.net> wrote in message |
chrislamb
Dec 16
|
| We have a community ramp and they fixed that problem many years ago by
extending the ramp with bags of concrete. You just stack full bags of
concrete in the blown out hole behind the ramp. You will still feel
the end of the ramp if you back down too far as the wheels go over
these big cobblestones but it won't fall off into a hole. Just pack
them down as flat as you can get them while they are still fresh. They
will set up in a few days and be solid. |
gfretwell
Dec 16
|
| Good suggestion on the PFD...I wear one whenever I'm close enough to water
that I can't pick myself up and walk out of if I fall in. No stamina left
to be trying to swim back to the boat or to shore. And especially in the
Spring and Fall when the water is cold. Tom G |
Tom
Dec 15
|
| I like the 14' Jon boats that are 48" at the rear bottom. They will usually
have a 70" beam and a flat bottom. You can stand up in these boats without tipping over like in a canoe. Plus
you can carry lots of gear and an ice chest. You can put an electric motor on the rear. A 12 volt and 55# thrust tiller
will work on small lakes. Put some good 8 foot oars on it too. Then a 15 to 30 hp tiller outboard will push it around on larger water.
|
Bill
Dec 15
|
| This is a closed system, you don't "run out of oil" any more than you
would in your car. I never use any oil between changes (100 hours). BTW how much hidden damage to you suppose your friend did to his motor
running without oil? I gurantee it will fail sooner than one that was
run properly. |
gfretwell
Dec 15
|
| Actually, I don't know. I helped him put the boat back up on his
trailer and he told me the story. I have heard via third parties which as we all know can be suspect,
that the lack of damage is pretty amazing. I don't plan on finding out myself. :>) |
Short
Dec 15
|
| I have seen lots of amazing things with cars and boats, basically
people ignoring red lights or beepers and seeming to get away with it
but I always understood they were giving up a lot of engine longevity
for a little convenience.
We have all seen those ads where a guy dumps a can of STP in his car
and then drains the oil and drives it around for a while. They
probably went through a lot of cars before they got the magic distance
between "amazing lubrication perrformance" and "smoking on the side of
the road". I don't want to get into the Etec vs 4 stroke debate but I thing
chugging around in a pontoon boat is better suited to a 4 stroke. If
you are tearing around the lake in a ski boat the E-tec may very well
be the way to go. I do believe in raw performance it is hard to beat a
2 stroke. |
gfretwell
Dec 15
|
| how bout a nice deck boat??...has the speed and amenities for a nice
cruiser and the open space of a bow rider....can carry the canoe
kayak....some even have a nice head..kinda cramped but it’s
avail.....something to think about.... :P
"Chris Lamb" wrote:
> We are a couple in our mid 60's trying to decide which boat to
> get to
> enjoy the many lakes and rivers here in Wisconsin. Seems to
> be pros
> and cons to either a pontoon, canoe or rowboat. Benefit for
> us of a
> pontoon is being able to get up and walk around sometimes.
> Arthritic
> bones get stiff. Also the idea of a porta potti is appealing.
> But we
> have a vehicle that can only tow 1800#. Wonder if there is
> any
> collective wisdom out there about what the best way to go
> might be.
> We don't want to water ski, just be ON the water, enjoy the
> sights, do
> some fishing. Taking others along is very low on the list.
|
steve201
Dec 16
|
| That gets you down to price and reliability. |
gfretwell
Dec 14
|
| But...can you get a E-tech in the smaller sizes you'd want for a 9'
cruising pontoon boat?
http://www.boaterslife.com/evinrude-engines-v4-v6.1532.278.6.htm |
Don
Dec 14
|
| Price maybe iffy, but reliability? HAH!! Try running a four stroke at 1200 rpm without oil for two or three
hours. |
Short
Dec 14
|
| Well, that's true. But a 40 would make that boat sing. :>) |
Short
Dec 14
|
| I imagine it is about the same as running an E-tec without any oil or
running with a bag over the water intake but why would I want to do
that? I know I have over 1500 hours on a 2002 60 4 stroke and it is still
running great ... but I do keep oil in it. That's not some exotic $20
a gallon dealer oil, just whatever is on sale at the auto parts store.
Buck and a quarter a bottle stuff. |
gfretwell
Dec 14
|
| The suggestion of a small pontoon boat is excellent. Being 65 and stiff and
clumsy, myself, I can definitely not suggest the canoe. Just sold one after
trying it out once. My 24 ft pontoon is great but I wouldn't suggest it for
trailering. Have to enlist my son and grandson to help me put it in, in the
Spring and out in the Fall. I would definitely look at a "drive on" trailer
for that small pontoon boat. My trailer with the wheels between the floats
is hard to load and wanders all over the road when pulling. Neighbor has a
big pontoon boat with drive on trailer and he pulls it behind his motor home
all over the country without problems. Luckily I only have about 300 yds to
go from the house to the local park ramp. The rest of the Summer it parks
in front of the house at the dock. As for rowboats, I find that when the
boat tips as I get in or out, I tend to lose my balance and likely as not,
end up lying on the floor of the boat...luckily haven't gone over the side
yet. Tom G. |
Tom
Dec 15
|
| Those are certainly short haul trailers.My trailer is one that carries
the pontoons over the wheels (basically a regular traier). I will go
anywhere you would take any 20' boat. It trails on the interstate just
fine. With the PVC guide on's I can load it by myself. It will roll
off by itself. Just be sure you have good load binders so it doesn't
roll off before it's time. ;-)
I use some like the truckers have. They go from the trailer frame,
over the pontoons and back. It only takes a minute to hook it up and
it isn't going anywhere. |
gfretwell
Dec 14
|
| That would be where you are wrong - wrong, wrong, wrong. |
Short
Dec 15
|
| I gave up worrying about this stuff years ago. Wear a good inflatable PFD, buy the biggest boat you can afford and
tow and just go and have fun. :>) So you get wet once in a while - who cares. :>) |
Short
Dec 15
|
| A small pontoon boat is probably your best bet - in particular as you
get older than mid-60's. Look around for something like this. They make privacy curtains for
boats like this for things like changing and porta-potties. http://www.avalonpontoons.com/2007/Eagle.htm |
Short
Dec 14
|
| I'd vote for a small pontoon boat with a canoe. Take the canoe along if
you want to explore narrow passages and such. |
basskisser
Dec 14
|
| You forgot to mention that he should put an Etec 2-stroke on it. I think
you gave him a great suggestion, and picked a nice pontoon boat to show
him.
--
John H *Have a great Christmas and a spectacular New Year!* |
JohnH
Dec 14
|
| Well, that goes without saying. :>) |
Short
Dec 14
|
| The smaller ones might be just what you need.
http://www.princecraft.com/Content/en-US/fiche_produit.aspx?ProductID=394 |
Don
Dec 14
|
| I own a Princecraft Yukon - 14' fishing boat and I'll tell you what -
it's easily the equal of any Lund built for it's size. They build a hell of a boat. |
Short
Dec 14
|
| Bad advice. A nice quiet, clean four stroke would be better for
cruising around on a pontoon boat. |
Don
Dec 14
|
| Hate to tell you this Don, but an E-TEC burns cleaner than a four
stroke. Quieter too. |
Short
Dec 14
|
