[deeky]

Dad picked up an inflatable pontoon a few years a go from a friend. I got tired of seeing it just hang in the shed, so I 'inherited' it to my garage. It is a smaller one with only 6 1/2 foot tubes (ok since I won't have to license it to jump across the border into Iowa). A little cleaning and replacing a few pieces of velcro and it is more than seaworthy again. It has the velcro pouches for either side of the seat and I have an anchor on the way, but other than that, what tips and tricks do you have for making it work better? What about rod leashes? They seem like they would be more in the way than anything (and no $1,000 combo to dump in the lake).

Thanks for the help.

Deeky

[Old Hat]

Deeky,

Good accessories to have are rod holders (for trolling) and fins for maneuverability. Even if you have oars, they are cumbersome (good for getting from here to there, not for moving around in place to cast) Some people like small anchors but I don't use them especially if I'm using fins.

Just a couple tips:

The pontoons will expand greatly in the sun if not on the water, so if traveling with them or parking on the bank for a while let a little air out or they will blow. Extreme altitude will do the same, don't know if that is an issue where you are.

Once a year wipe them down with a sun protectant.

Even if the law doesn't require it, have a PFD and whistle with you.

Not an absolute but it is best if they are stored at about 75% inflated.

[deeky]

The air I was aware of - they are actually stored less than 75%. The sun protectant, though, is a good idea. What do you use? Something like a tire or upholstery protectant?

PFD is not a question - it is required here and would be worn anyway.

Fins - what do you use? I'm not ready to shell out $40 - $50 for a pair of good ones. Any old fins work? Not worth it if you don't invest well? I wasn't sure how manueverable the pontoon would be with fins. How much mobility do you have beyond working backwards?

Deeky

[Steve P]

Fins make are handy to turn easily and a little quicker than grabbing an oar. I would buy a decent set of fins (somewhere in the 40 range or so) I personally love my anchor when the wind is blowing but if the water and wind are fairly calm (less than 10-15 mph) no need for an anchor. Anchors can be easily made from something like a 2-5 lb dumbbell or a small piece of steel and a U-bolt if you make one yourself make sure you dip it in palsti dip or something like that so there are no rough or sharp edges to puncture anything. rod holders are super handy but make sure you have a back up plan in case plan A decides to fail from one spot to the next I use a small piece of mason line with a loop in it just slide it over the reel when I put it in a rod holder and it has more than once saved me plenty of heartache and money.

Steve

[Old Hat]

For the fins I just use the Caddis brand. They'll fit right over your wading boots or others. You can almost always find some on ebay. Here is also a link to a good deal. You can use any pair though if you have a set laying around. Fins are nice especially when you hook that fish that wants to run around behind you or go under the pontoon. The fins allow you to turn around quickly. Hard to drop everything and grab the oars when your fighting a fish.

Fins

For the protectant, I use 303 Aerospace Protectant. If you have vinyl, pvc, etc covers on your pontoon. If there is a fabric cover I use the fabric quard of the the same brand.