Deadliest Catch From A Pontoon Boat

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pontoonfisherman
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Deadliest Catch From A Pontoon Boat

#1 Post by pontoonfisherman » Sun Aug 23, 2015 8:18 am

Just joined this forum, been looking for someone who knows about pontoons and rougher water. I have a 21 foot Bennington Pontoon with large diameter pontoons. I use the boat to fish out of Fort Myers Florida and it has all the fishing gear including ship to shore, livewell, electronics and 75 horse Optimax. The boat runs around 20 mph with just me in it.

I fish the flats all the time in Pine Island Sound on just about any day without a small craft advisory for wind and weather. I do go out on days with a rough chop with no hesitation because I know how well the boat handles it, (had the boat 15 years now).

I also fish offshore now and then up to about 5 or 10 miles on days that are fairly calm and good weather is predicted. Many people through the years have told me how terrible it is to go offshore with this boat. I have had weather come up while out there but never had any problems or even any really scary situations but I do know how to handle the boat in higher seas. I think I've probably experienced around 4 to 5 footers a time or two and know that's the case when I've had larger boat wakes pass even inshore. Simply, I've just slowed the boat way down and waited to bob up on a wave instead of plowing into it. Following seas seem to be the hardest to navigate but with those I usually crab up to the crest a little sideways and let the boat settle a little straigher in the ditch. Then back up sideways just a little for the next one.

My point...I want to go further out, like 20 miles but only as a calculated risk, not an almost certain death if weather happens. Thor Heiderdahl on the Kon Tiki rode his little raft across the pacific ocean with only wind power. Large boats that go down and their passengers live while drifting in a little dinghy. Why don't they sink? Isn't it because they float the waves just like a bobber on your fishing line? Isn't this the same thing a pontoon would do if you don't power into and plow a wave? It just seems to me a pontoon should be almost safer than other boats with a bow because it is not going to fill up with water, (we have scuppers all the way around and no need for a bilge).

I'm looking for comments from experienced captains who also really know about pontoons. I was thinking this forum may be the place to finally get some informed answers.

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COTTS4x4
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Re: Deadliest Catch From A Pontoon Boat

#2 Post by COTTS4x4 » Sun Aug 23, 2015 7:29 pm

I've run mine over 25 miles out while in the keys. Not many people can say they have trolled with a pontoon and picked up dolphin and blackfin tuna. We made sure the weather was good and getting better and had no issues at all. We spent a week down there and fished everyday. Just watch the weather and you'll be fine. We're headed out of Crystal River this weekend. I've been extremely impressed with how well my boat handles rough water. Just make sure you have all your safety equipment and that someone knows when your going and when you'll be back and you'll be just fine.
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Re: Deadliest Catch From A Pontoon Boat

#3 Post by pontoonfisherman » Mon Aug 24, 2015 4:33 am

COTTS4x4 wrote:I've run mine over 25 miles out while in the keys. Not many people can say they have trolled with a pontoon and picked up dolphin and blackfin tuna. We made sure the weather was good and getting better and had no issues at all. We spent a week down there and fished everyday. Just watch the weather and you'll be fine. We're headed out of Crystal River this weekend. I've been extremely impressed with how well my boat handles rough water. Just make sure you have all your safety equipment and that someone knows when your going and when you'll be back and you'll be just fine.
Thanks, have you ever been in rougher water? I bought my pontoon 15 years ago up there at Crystal River and the guy that owned the dealership and his family used to go 30 miles out from that area catching tons of Grouper. Thanks for your reply.

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Re: Deadliest Catch From A Pontoon Boat

#4 Post by Tlowry » Mon Aug 24, 2015 9:36 am

Luck of the draw. If weather blows in on you, you won't be able to outrun it and heavy waves can be a bitch in a toon. We submarined ours once on a lake when a blue front kicked the waves to 3 foot going the same direction we needed to go. Big wave came in under the stern and we punched right through the one in front and took green water over the bow. Being an older boat with no spacers under the railing, took for ever to shed the deck water. Scary moment...
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Re: Deadliest Catch From A Pontoon Boat

#5 Post by trucky » Mon Aug 24, 2015 10:43 am

Thor was just one that happened to miraculously survive...
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Re: Deadliest Catch From A Pontoon Boat

#6 Post by zoom650 » Mon Aug 24, 2015 1:05 pm

I've gone out of Panama City Beach, maybe 7 miles or so. I felt limited since I didn't have a radio, only my cellphone. That's the only thing that gave me pause. I make sure I have enough anchor rode to set a good anchor if the engine were to quit. I've got the other safety gear that I moved over from my fishing boat.

If I was in your shoes and wanted to go out 20 miles regularly, I'd look into adding a kicker engine on a drop-down mount like sailboats use.
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Re: Deadliest Catch From A Pontoon Boat

#7 Post by pontoonfisherman » Mon Aug 24, 2015 3:33 pm

zoom650 wrote:I've gone out of Panama City Beach, maybe 7 miles or so. I felt limited since I didn't have a radio, only my cellphone. That's the only thing that gave me pause. I make sure I have enough anchor rode to set a good anchor if the engine were to quit. I've got the other safety gear that I moved over from my fishing boat.

If I was in your shoes and wanted to go out 20 miles regularly, I'd look into adding a kicker engine on a drop-down mount like sailboats use.
That makes sense but I always keep thinking I've go Towboat US if needed. That's one of the things I always wonder...if not under power will the pontoon just be like a bobber anyway and not be a problem.

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Re: Deadliest Catch From A Pontoon Boat

#8 Post by pontoonfisherman » Mon Aug 24, 2015 3:38 pm

Tlowry wrote:Luck of the draw. If weather blows in on you, you won't be able to outrun it and heavy waves can be a bitch in a toon. We submarined ours once on a lake when a blue front kicked the waves to 3 foot going the same direction we needed to go. Big wave came in under the stern and we punched right through the one in front and took green water over the bow. Being an older boat with no spacers under the railing, took for ever to shed the deck water. Scary moment...

Yes, I know that wave situation you're talking about and have experienced it many times. Have always been able to avoid a problem by stopping almost dead in the water as it passes under then go ahead again with forward speed.

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Re: Deadliest Catch From A Pontoon Boat

#9 Post by Seon » Mon Aug 24, 2015 5:23 pm

pontoonfisherman wrote:
That makes sense but I always keep thinking I've go Towboat US if needed...
It could takes hours before they arrive...not a good "comfort zone" while dead in the water :roll: .
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Re: Deadliest Catch From A Pontoon Boat

#10 Post by COTTS4x4 » Mon Aug 24, 2015 7:07 pm

pontoonfisherman wrote:
COTTS4x4 wrote:I've run mine over 25 miles out while in the keys. Not many people can say they have trolled with a pontoon and picked up dolphin and blackfin tuna. We made sure the weather was good and getting better and had no issues at all. We spent a week down there and fished everyday. Just watch the weather and you'll be fine. We're headed out of Crystal River this weekend. I've been extremely impressed with how well my boat handles rough water. Just make sure you have all your safety equipment and that someone knows when your going and when you'll be back and you'll be just fine.
Thanks, have you ever been in rougher water? I bought my pontoon 15 years ago up there at Crystal River and the guy that owned the dealership and his family used to go 30 miles out from that area catching tons of Grouper. Thanks for your reply.
I've been offshore in 3-5's with this boat and it handled it well. Some of the bigger waves did break on the front deck, but mine drains off instantly. I've also got a 150 horse engine so I can move weight toward the rear and really get the bow high out of the water if I ever feel the need to. A 4' boat wake doesn't even compare to an ocean full of four footers with a dominate period of 4 seconds. Just pick your days and know the forecast and you should be fine. I have a vhf and all the safety equipment in mine also.

I fished out of Venice Louisiana a few weeks back catching yellowfin tuna, we were about 120 miles offshore when a couple storms blew in and the weather and seas got a little hairy. We were in a 36' Contender and lost a fuel pump one of the 350 Yamaha's right when we decided to make a run for it. Situations like that are when you get into trouble really quick on a single engine boat. Luckly we were able to take turns pumping the bulb on that engine to keep it running and get the boat on plane and head back in.
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