ok guys this is the problem my wife wants a pontoon and i want a bass rig .
my whole family loves to fish but a bass rig
oooooohhhhhhhh baby ,storing the bass rig (no brainer garage) pontoon to large for garage. do ya'll see the problem with this
plus pontoon well they are slow (i think )
PLEASE ADVISE???????????

------------------
Mad Fisher

Hey JD, sounds like your between a rock and a hard place! You either need to convert your wife into a bass fisherman, or try and strike a compromise with her, like a fish & ski or something to that effect that will more comfortably accommodate more than just two fishermen and it will still M-O-V-E instead of wallow! Good luck!

------------------
[img]http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0UACvBOcX6M1ZgpxK5UwWhJT24u0A8ZvJTnq0eyC7wNu5!CBKvGdG0nc1fD1SZoIXuy8LHGh9aPjJaJTcixS!49okTvqW8ej15v1BaZPhZA2jKNCd0tFTOYyCtBkccLQZ/RoadRunner-18.jpg?dc=4675400504701073152[/img]

I would suggest maybe getting a deckboat it is a combination of both. It is big enough for the whole family and you can put a big motor on the back and zip across the lake as where a pontoon can only go approximatly 25 to 30 mph. Personally I would want boat that can get me to the shore fast if a storm came up unexpected. I would'nt want my family stuck in a storm in a slow pontoon. A family was on O.H.Ivie a few years ago when a storm blew in and the canopy caught wind and turned over. The kids made it to shore but the granddad drowned.

JOEY!!!!

a new truck, and now a boat? This woman ya betta keep around, how about mine? Maybe if I don't own it, I can find more time to actually GO fishin'.

I still promise ya, we are going fishing one of these days.

------------------
jerrybign
Trust in His providence, be quiet, and go a-angling.....Izaak Walton

I'm with Joe Dogg. Check out deck boats. You can do anything in a deck boat that you can do in a bass boat except go 70mph. And if the wife gets bored there is room for her to "lounge" around while you keep fishing.

Whole family likes to fish? Forget the
bass boat -- get a center console. I had
the whole family out in a bass boat one
time. Two adults and 3 kids trying to fish
out of an 18 ft Astro. NO FUN--
Kids are grown now , but I have fished
out of my Blue wave with 4 adults on many occasions and had a blast each time. Have had
6 adults and 2 children aboard to watch
fireworks and everyone was comfy. Try to
do that with a bass boat.
MO

We saw a pontoon boat on CC 2 weeks ago. That thing had 250 Mercury on the back they left the cove past the no wake zone and took off. First one I have seen. It was pretty cool. That boat should solve your problem with speed and room.

------------------
David


"Git-R-Done"

_Hey Joe Del: Check out the Hurricane Deck Boats at www.boats.com and the center console Xpress Boats at www.westboats.com

_Xpress has a 21ft Center Console that will hold the Whole Family with room to spare!! With a 225 HPDI Yamaha Vmax it will more than get you there and back for some bass fishing!!

_Bass Pro Shops has a Deck Boat as well...so you have many options!! Personally a Deck Boat or CC is the way to go...Pontoons are a pain to load and launch or hold in position while fishing!!

_Hope You Find A Solution You Can Both Live With...Good Luck Yall!!

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Bazztex<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

I have had both the Bass rig is quicker easier to fish out of and easier to tow. The pontoon is roomier more comfortable easier to swim off of a pain to load and a pain to tow and load!. I now have a center console and it is by far the best of both worlds easy to tow and load, gets into the trees has plenty of room rides great is deeper so there is more sense of safety the wife love it and its easy to keep clean.
Thanks
Marty

i have had my playcraft tri-toon two years next month. i am getting real close to 400 hrs. on the outboard with very limited trolling. i've got a 225 merc on it, max is two of them! mine runs around 47-48 mph. it also has a solid upper sun deck 8 1/2' by 10'. it handles 2'-3' waves great. with double 225's, this thing will run 80 mph! this dude is rock solid. i was in your same position. she wanted a pleasure boat-me a fishing boat. i call it a pleasurable fishing boat. take a test ride in a playcraft before you buy something else.

JD,
Let me tell you what happened to me. I own an 1984 Skeeter SD 80 that is a good little two man boat. However, my wife LOVES Possum Kingdom. I decided to cater to my wife and bought a 22' pontoon boat. So all of last summer I skipped fishing and drove my family around PK. If the fish kill hadn't happened it would have made a big difference, but only dynamite would catch anything on PK. Now I own a boat that depreciates by about $1000/year that I have to rent dry storage for. And it is sometimes pure HELL to get it on the trailer.
If it were me I would get a fishing boat big enough for your whole family. Then about 3 times a year go RENT a pontoon boat and take her out to PK. She will love it. By renting a boat, you will probably save a thousand dollars a year by avoiding depreciation, taxes, storage, and/or payments.
So now I have two boats and neither one is really suitable to take my son and another adult fishing.
Hopes this helps.

Bill

Joe Del,

I as happy with my 21' Starcraft deck boat as I could be with any compromise solution. It runs nearly 50, handles big water well, has plenty of trolling motor up front, and keeps the freezer full. It is a little tough to fish standing timber with it, but it's still better than a pontoon boat in the same situation. It does a good job pulling the teenagers on skies or a tube, and can comfortably haul 10 adults out to the lake to watch Fourth of July Fireworks. It is not bad to load on the trailer, but did take me some time to get that down to the point that I always get it on straight the first time.

I'd still rather have a center console, and will get one once the kids are grown, but for now the deck boat does everything I need and keeps the whole family happy.

Only problem is when you drive a big boat like that some smart a** will start calling you CapnJoe Del! My wife is the one that nicknamed me CapnJoe.