How Safe Are Personal Pontoons On Tailwaters?

[Gavin]

I'd go with a pontoon over a canoe or kayak for floating the White or Norfork when they are running generators. Swamp a canoe or kayak in big fast water and your gonna have a problem.

I wouldnt want a toon if I had to cover allot of slow water, paddle upstream, or fight the wind.......but they do excell on fast flowing water, mild whitewater, and they are virtually impossible to flip....Wear your PFD, carry a pump, and you should be just fine in a toon. Cheers.

[sean c]

Rocky,

Toons are great for what you are wanting to do. They are very stable, very easy to get in and out of on the river(you just put your feet down and hop out of the seat) and much more compact to transport to and from the river. I can only speak for myself but I personally much rather have my wife in a toon than a canoe or yak. They are slow, tough to paddle in frog water, you could never go upstream, they track like crap and are heavy and bulky compared to solo yaks or canoes.

If your wife has any reservations about floating down the river she will be happiest in the toon. Much less likely that she capsizes or takes a spill getting in and out and we all know a happy wife on a fishing trip means more fishing trips.

Sean

[Wayne SW/MO]

I've had several and they, like all craft, have their ups and downs. They are not all created equal and the size of the individual and the environment should be taken into consideration. Their biggest drawback is two fold on a river. One is wind, they are more susceptible to it then either a canoe or a kayak. The other is that depending on design, they can become hard to manage in a strong current.

If it were me I would lean toward a couple of Sit On Top kayaks in the 9-10' range. They should come in around 40#, be unaffected by wind, unsinkable and easy to tether when you're wading. Depending on the intensity of the flow, you can paddle upstream some distance, but that would depend on each persons physical ability.

As too getting ashore, yes, just move towards the shoreline and catch an eddy.

[gotmuddy]

You had better know what you are doing on the Norfork whether it be river jon, canoe or pontoon. It gets sketchy pretty fast.

I agree 1 million percent. The norfork is NOT a place to mess around when they are generating. It is incredibly easy to swamp a boat in that river.

[id10t]

I wade fish the White & Norfork tailwaters and like to explore and get away from the crowd. I would like to get a couple of 9' inflatable pontoon boats for my wife and myself that would be used primarily to float from one wading spot to another (not necessarily to fish from) and provide a safe down river exit if the water comes up. I am concerned how safe these boats are if they are generating four or more units on the White or full units on the Norfork. How difficult are they to maneuver and can you get to shore when need be? I appreciate everyone sharing their experience with these craft before I make a costly mistake.

Ain't river fishing fun. What I enjoy about this site is folks passion and anal retentivness (is that a word) for the river and fish they go after. Pretty much everything has been covered in the responses above. I use 4 different boats for the river. Each type has its positives and negatives.

Pontoon: I don't ever take it out of the bag anymore. For me they are just to cumbersome on moving water with rocks just below the surface. Dealing with the oars and rods and everything else was just a bit to overwhelming for me. Worked great in pools and relatively calm water. I seemed to spend more time bouncing off rocks and spinning down the river than I did fishing. I just don't think they are very versatile.

Canoe: I have a 16 foot Mad River Explorer. Great all around boat. I use it for camping or when I take a second person. It makes my wife happy. She can sit up front and read or tan while I do the work in the back. It can handle all the camping gear you need for multi day trips.

In most cases this is the boat I take to new water. I will use it over my other boats when I go to places I have never paddled. I turn the boat around and sit in the front seat and paddle solo. I can stand in it and it is also a very dry ride.

SOT Kayak: I have a Perception 12.5 Caster. Great boat that I take during the summer to water I know and fish often. 45 lbs easy to handle. Class I & II rapids are no problem if you should run into them. I have used it on the Little Red & White when they are generating and it not a problem. I like using it in the summer because it is a wet ride. You tend to stay a bit cooler on this boat. Not a lot of room for gear if you plan on camping. It works fine if you use solo camping gear. When I bought mine 6 years ago it was a 1000.00 boat Gander Mountain has them for 500.00 now.

Hybrid Kayak: I have a Native Watercraft Ultimate 14.5. It is part kayak & part canoe. It is quickly becoming my favorite boat. It is a tandem boat so you can take your wife but it can quickly be changed to a solo boat. It is roto molded plastic like a kayak but it is open like a canoe. Plenty of room for gear if you decide to camp. You can stand in it and fish. The seats are the best I have ever used and can be taken out and used as lawn chairs on the gravel bar when you stop for lunch. I have used it for one season. Its big test will come in October when we do our annual 10 day Buffalo Float. So far so good. The only downside to this boat is it can get wet in large rapids because the gunwales are lower than my canoe. I got a skirt for the bow which solved the problem.

Having said all of that I would say you should look at renting a few boats and see which you are the most comfortable with on the rivers you want to float. I think you will find after you get a boat you will want to float a lot more water that now you don't even consider. Your options really open up when you float and fish. I started out with the same thoughts you have had. Wading had it limitations. Crowds have their issues. 10 years later I ended up with the boats above. The canoe is by far the most versatile and cost effective all around solution.

Which ever you choose spend some time learning your boat and the river. Play in your boat and learn how it handles. Learn how to get back in or on the boat when it tips. You don't want to try and figure those things out when you are in water flowing at 15 mph or in water over your head. It will happen and you will get wet. Above all wear your PFD in water you are unfamiliar with. I admit I don't wear my PFD all the time.

A majority of the rivers I float and fish are less than knee deep on 90 percent of the river. If you tip you just stand up no harm no foul. I would never go without it on water that is moving, either from generation or rain. Better safe than sorry.

Good luck on picking a boat. It will change your perspective of river fishing forever.