i shoulda bought a pontoon. anyone else feel that way?

[boataway]

don't get me wrong, i love my 23ft cuddy, but sometimes i feel cramped!

anyone here have ideas on how to increase my space?

i'd like to have something like a floating platform that's easy to pick up; maybe even mount vertically on my swim platform. or an inflatable dingy or something (but on the cheap). it would be great to have some extra space for the cooler and maybe one or two people to sit on. tie it up right next to my boat.

i saw the porta-bote but those things are expensive!

i even mulled building something out of materials i can get from my home improvement store. maybe something foldable?

 

[ricohman]

Re: i shoulda bought a pontoon. anyone else feel that way?

I just bought a 22.5 ft Starcraft Islander cuddy. But I feel the opposite. This thing is huge and I don't know what to do with all the space.
What make of boat do you have? I have seen some larger cuddies that have very little deck space.

 

[Don S]

Re: i shoulda bought a pontoon. anyone else feel that way?

Here are a couple cheap options.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: i shoulda bought a pontoon. anyone else feel that way?

sounds like you want to tow a dinghy, maybe an inflatable, but i don't see why your crew would want to sit in one tied to the boat as if they are in "time out." Likewise towing cargo such as a cooler doesn't work on boats like a trailer on a car.

Hull design is so much more important than length when it comes to being comfortable on a boat. There have been a lot of comments here from people who realize that having a cabin is not such a good idea--no one uses them, they are cramped and hot, and they take up valuable space. For most recreational boaters, everyone wants to be out in the sunshine and open air. IMO getting a cabin just so someone can pee indoors is a huge waste of space and money.

Likewise, inboards take up room inside the boat--not an issue in a 25' boat but absurd in a 16' boat. In between, I would rather have the room than a box, and anyone can sit anywhere to get sun. Excessive built-ins like fancy dashboards and consoles, padded seats, loungers, padded bulkheads all compromise space. Pontoons, followed by deck boats, give the big box but compromise performance, and can be harder to trailer and store.

While it may be too late for you since you have the cuddy and it isn't working out, this is why when we get the frequent "what should I buy" question, we share experience that may show that appearances, sales pitches, appealing ads, and assumptions about use and needs, do not always result in the best purchase. Often features that sell a boat end up being a negative to the user. The best decision comes after you try out other people's boats, and see for yourself what works, but that is not always feasible. But when you learn from other's mistakes, they aren't all that expensive!

 

[etracer68]

Re: i shoulda bought a pontoon. anyone else feel that way?

Don, Im not to sure how cheap those are, but they are some interesting ideas.

 

[haulnazz15]

Re: i shoulda bought a pontoon. anyone else feel that way?

I'm not sure there will ever be a time in my life where I will utter the words "I should have bought a pontoon", lol. Nothing like a slow, poor handling, bow-stuffing boat to make my lake-time worse, lol. Sure, they make tritoons with 500+HP on them to get to 60mph, but I don't want to be on any pontoon going 60! A deck boat would be my solution if I needed a floor plan like a pontoon.

If you wanted more open space, the cuddy was the wrong choice. It seems like most anything with a "cuddy" cabin is a 22-24ft boat with outside seating for 5-6 and a hot space under the bow to use as a sauna, lol.

 

[ricohman]

Re: i shoulda bought a pontoon. anyone else feel that way?

I've found, at least where I live, that pontoon owners are pretty much not boating "enthusiats".
They like floating around and socializing, which is good. But they don't talk boats, and their pontoons are treated with as much ethusiasm as they would treat the family station wagon.

 

[lakegeorge]

Re: i shoulda bought a pontoon. anyone else feel that way?

I've found, at least where I live, that pontoon owners are pretty much not boating "enthusiats".
They like floating around and socializing, which is good. But they don't talk boats, and their pontoons are treated with as much ethusiasm as they would treat the family station wagon.

Ricohman, After 51 years of boating and talking to people until I was Blue in the face we got a Pontoon and guess what, it's great. You sound like a younger person, and that's ok as I wouldn't think of a toon when I was young also.
We have owned 21 boats in those 51 years plus 1 Jet Ski and 1 Canoe, not sure what you consider a " boat enthusiast "

 

[boataway]

Re: i shoulda bought a pontoon. anyone else feel that way?

actually i got the cuddy cuz of peeing AND pooing AND young ones that need to nap or else they turn into monsters. SWMBO would only comply with the purchase if it had those capabilities. i said the pontoon thing more of as a joke.

i did think about an inflatable dingy, maybe thats the best bet. i kind of wanted something firmer. i can't do a regular dingy cuz that takes up more space at the dock.

ideally i'd make a fold-up swim platform or something...

 

[Philster]

Re: i shoulda bought a pontoon. anyone else feel that way?

Ricohman, After 51 years of boating and talking to people until I was Blue in the face we got a Pontoon and guess what, it's great. You sound like a younger person, and that's ok as I wouldn't think of a toon when I was young also.
We have owned 21 boats in those 51 years plus 1 Jet Ski and 1 Canoe, not sure what you consider a " boat enthusiast "

Well, maybe after 51 years and 21 boats, he'll opt for a pontoon.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: i shoulda bought a pontoon. anyone else feel that way?

decent inflatables don't really take up less room; they stay inflated.

A friend who would be a "boat enthusiast" added a basic old pontoon with a small motor to the fleet so his teenage daughters could go put around with a large crowd but not have the risk/expense/handling logistics of a regular boat that large.

the bottom line is, no boat is an all purpose boat. If your boating is only one "purpose" then one boat may suffice. Most boaters I know do lots of different activities with different sized and age crowds in different conditions--and the solution is simple--lots of boats.

And the whole bathroom thing causes so many problems and irresolvable conflicts (boat big enough for an enclosed head, fighting against budget, storage and other size issues). You don't see back packers dragging a portajohn along with them. It's not that hard to adapt.

 

[boataway]

Re: i shoulda bought a pontoon. anyone else feel that way?

decent inflatables don't really take up less room; they stay inflated.

exactly. can't have that

A friend who would be a "boat enthusiast" added a basic old pontoon with a small motor to the fleet

i'm in downtown DC, if i could add another boat, i so would love to do that! sometimes i dream about that exact thing.

 

[floatfan]

Re: i shoulda bought a pontoon. anyone else feel that way?

If all you're looking for is more "space" for people to relax while anchored, maybe something like this would fit the bill. Just tie it off to the stern.

http://www.gandermountain.com/modperl/product/details.cgi?r=view&i=14206

 

[hostage]

Re: i shoulda bought a pontoon. anyone else feel that way?

I would never utter the words, "I wish I had a pontoon". This is coming from someone who has a 19ft Cuddy. I got it for a couple of reasons, but mainly was the best condition boat I found for the price. There is only two of us so we don't need all that space and it is not like I could legally carry as many people as I could fit on a open bow version. My g/f loves the "changing room", we have never used the head though. She also loves being able to toss all of the crap in the front and not worry about it we can lock it and go. Kids like cuddies, my neighbors kids (all 3 younger than 8) like being in the cuddy and I remember being young and wishing my grandfather had a cuddy. Kids don't hold heat as well as us adults so having a place that is a few degrees warmer and out of the wind is nice. Though diagress, in about 5+ years I could see us moving to a 23ft open bow w/ a head/changing room. We like bringing friends on and when we have kids we will need more space.

 

[Maclin]

Re: i shoulda bought a pontoon. anyone else feel that way?

We have a 22 foot Cuddy, and I have been wanting to downsize some, well maybe more like Maximize, as we use the boat like a Runabout for day boating. The cuddy is a space waster for how we boat 90% of the time. It is not very breezy in there and we have no options lke a/c or anything. There is a spot for a portapotti but we usually just head back to shore for doody duty.

I looked around some this year thinking an 18'-19' bowrider would fit us better, then looked at a couple of deck boats, like the Bayliner Rendesvous and Glastron DX 215. THAT is the next type of boat we will get .

 

[boataway]

Re: i shoulda bought a pontoon. anyone else feel that way?

If all you're looking for is more "space" for people to relax while anchored, maybe something like this would fit the bill. Just tie it off to the stern.

http://www.gandermountain.com/modperl/product/details.cgi?r=view&i=14206

that thing is awesome! i read all the reviews and someone mentioned that Seadoo does some floats at a better quality.. some searching got me to this
http://www.seascooterexpress.com/store/page7.html

i think this solves my problem well. thanks floatfan!

 

[MH Hawker]

Re: i shoulda bought a pontoon. anyone else feel that way?

they make tritoons with 500+HP on them to get to 60mph,

And a FYI thier several pontoons around that run in the 100 MPH range

 

[cribber]

Re: i shoulda bought a pontoon. anyone else feel that way?

There is no rule that says you can't have two boats.

Bubba said it best!!!

 

[Jeep Man]

Re: i shoulda bought a pontoon. anyone else feel that way?

I've found, at least where I live, that pontoon owners are pretty much not boating "enthusiats".
They like floating around and socializing, which is good. But they don't talk boats, and their pontoons are treated with as much ethusiasm as they would treat the family station wagon.

RIcohman, you sir are a BOAT BIGOT.
I own a pontoon, as well as 4 other types of boats, and I enjoy the 'toon more than the rest put together.

 

[The Rooster]

Re: i shoulda bought a pontoon. anyone else feel that way?

I guarantee "Don S." got those pictures down here in Louisiana. I've seen those rigs !!! And heard strange Banjo music as they went by !!!