Foam lake floats...

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Jake_Daddy
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Foam lake floats...

#1 Post by Jake_Daddy » Thu Jul 27, 2017 1:37 pm

So I am up in Minnesota for my fist time enjoying some lake time. This has been a real treat coming out of the Florida heat and a really nice change of scenery, I have never seen so many pontoons!!

Anyway I keep seeing all these foam lake floats and the house we are staying at has a Lily Pad float. The kids love this thing and I think we would use one out on the river back home but I was a bit thrown off on the $500 price tag!

I would love to know if there are different brands that people have enjoyed with maybe a more attractive price point!! Let me know of any suggestions, Thanks
2001-20' Godfrey Sweetwater
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OCBray
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Re: Foam lake floats...

#2 Post by OCBray » Fri Jul 28, 2017 2:04 am

The pads have become very popular here in the Midwest over the last couple of years. there are several of the one piece foam extruded mats on the market. I think I have seen them sell for 400$ to 750$. I have not heard if one is any better than the other. I have several friends that have them. The pros's are they are great for large groups to hang out on all day. Kids love them. Some of the con's. They are a PITA to roll up to transport at the end of the day. They have to be stored so that they drain to avoid that musty smell. Bluegill or sun fish love to hang out under the shade and will hit you right on the nip if you are floating and hanging on to the side of the mat.

Last year at the local boat show there was a company that was selling a fordable mat that you could buy and add sections to it. I think they were selling it as a 5 section bundle that fit in a large bag for transport. They sell additional sections separately depending on how big you want to go. Each section zipped together. They use the same extruded material as the one piece but cover them with a water proof material in 2' sections. They fold flat for transport. I have never seen one of these in use yet or know anyone that has one. Maybe someone else on here may have some experience with these.

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joe20toon
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Re: Foam lake floats...

#3 Post by joe20toon » Fri Jul 28, 2017 3:31 am

Here's a nice foam pad ...
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JLester273
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Re: Foam lake floats...

#4 Post by JLester273 » Fri Jul 28, 2017 6:43 am

I didn't know what foam pad you were talking about. But somehow strangely think I want one now :)
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guy48065
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Re: Foam lake floats...

#5 Post by guy48065 » Fri Jul 28, 2017 7:28 am

Looks like a gym mat to me. Is there anything special about it to make it cost $500 or is it the same as this:
http://www.thefoamfactory.com/closedcel ... -foam.html

[Edit to add]
Actually the $500 Original Aqua Lily Pad is 6X18' ...so it's priced LESS per sq ft. than the link above.

(Still expensive)
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margaritaman
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Re: Foam lake floats...

#6 Post by margaritaman » Fri Jul 28, 2017 1:41 pm

I would pay more than $500 if it came with the four chicks. :lol3
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JLester273
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Re: Foam lake floats...

#7 Post by JLester273 » Fri Jul 28, 2017 7:45 pm

[quote="margaritaman"]I would pay more than $500 if it came with the four chicks. :lol3[/quote]

I'm pretty sure if it came with the 4 chicks it would cost you more. A lot more....LOL
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TDJ2591
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Re: Foam lake floats...

#8 Post by TDJ2591 » Sat Jul 29, 2017 2:10 pm

Overtons has them on sale this weekend only with free shipping and another 20% off if I'm reading the ad correctly

http://www.overtons.com/modperl/product ... k&i=844086
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teecro
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Re: Foam lake floats...

#9 Post by teecro » Sat Jul 29, 2017 3:26 pm

[quote="TDJ2591"]Overtons has them on sale this weekend only with free shipping and another 20% off if I'm reading the ad correctly

http://www.overtons.com/modperl/product ... k&i=844086[/quote]

NOPE... Backordered till 8/23 & no additional discounts applied...
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Jayjoans
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Re: Foam lake floats...

#10 Post by Jayjoans » Sat Jul 29, 2017 9:30 pm

We have that same Lilly Pad as shown in the picture above. I did a little research before settling on the Lilly Pad as the best value for the quality and thickness of the pad. I'm #275, I can walk on it, I can set a chair on it and sit down. The dog loves to get on it and prance around, but the best reason I bought is because my adult kids and grandkids love it. We call it the pontoon porch. They come with a bungee cord attachment near one end, so I ordered a second bungee part and attached to the other end. We can safely stretch the bungees to clip to the eyes at each end of the port pontoon where the side door is.

The kids can almost step out onto it and play, the adults lay around on it and it's overall like having a pontoon slideout sort of like an RV. Doubles your square footage.

BIG hassle to roll it up and transport it, and tough to keep it from getting gouged, but after a day on the lake with kids you'll put up with it.

Our local Costco had a Lilly Pad for sale for $350 or so, but I checked and it's not as thick as the one I bought, it's an entry level Costco special.

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Jake_Daddy
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Re: Foam lake floats...

#11 Post by Jake_Daddy » Sun Jul 30, 2017 7:15 am

Thanks for all the info. They are pretty sweet we probably floated around with the kids yesterday for a solid 4 hours yesterday. I did enjoy being able to get my fat a$$ on there and lounge around too. Turns out one of the family members new boyfriends sells these things and he stated you should be able to float around 1800# on the standard size one to submerge it and I see no reason not to believe it.

I gotta shop around for a bit and think about it. Anyone in the south use these? I am wondering about UV resistance. I think of all the pool noodles that turn to dust at our pool!!
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jafo9
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Re: Foam lake floats...

#12 Post by jafo9 » Sun Jul 30, 2017 8:20 am

we bought a lily pad brand about 5 or 6 years ago. we don't take it on the boat, we keep it tethered at the dock. all the comments above are accurate about the enjoyability by all ages. another fun use is to challenge adults to try and run the length after having a few. quite comical.

as far as durability, sharp objects will definitely damage the foam surface. dog claws will also damage the surface. ours split in the middle when a teenager jumped on it. i stitched it up with shoe laces and it has held for the past 3 years. leaving it in the sun 24/7 will also take its toll. i try to pull mine out of the water at night (though i only remember about 2/3 of the time) and when we're gone, i roll it up and put it under cover. you can definitely tell ours has some sun damage and it doesn't feel as plush as when the foam was new, however it doesn't detract from its use. we have lake friends that never take theirs our of the water/sun and ours had aged much better. i'm still not sure how/why the kid was able to split the foam and base as literally hundreds of kids/adults have jumped on the thing with no damage.

from a cost perspective, they aren't cheap, but as i'm over the 5 year mark, it's less than 100 a year, so i'm ok with that given the enjoyment it has given us.
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