As this column is being written, this writer has been the owner of a pontoon boat for about five hours.
Those who know me will be surprised to read this, as my lack of interest in “those boats” was no secret. It was fishing boats only and the two boats that have been my access to the water for fishing, cruising and water sports have both been the “Fish’N Ski” style runabouts.
The first was a 1988 Proline 18’ 6” walk-through aluminum boat with a 115-horsepower outboard. That boat was perfect and outfitted to troll for big brown trout, coho salmon, steelhead and king salmon on Lake Ontario. It was also great for fishing for striped bass off the coast and spent endless hours pulling teenagers around the pond on tubes and water skis.
After 30 years of service it was “upgraded” to a 2007 Tahoe Q6 Ski/Fish. That was a huge step up. It is a super fishing platform with great spaces both bow and stern, and the heavy fiberglass boat is absolutely the best in seaworthiness, as it takes waves easily without pitching. As a cruising boat it comfortably seats eight (with eight cupholders).
When I bought it, the decision was made to completely reupholster the interior and it looks like a brand-new boat, with cushions and pads fore and aft, making it ideal for loafing and swimming. The Mercruiser 5.0 L inboard/outboard is rated at 220 horsepower and it really moves.
So, you ask, why get a pontoon boat?
The Tahoe is maybe more boat than is needed for a small pond. The past three years we have towed the boat to large Maine lakes on trips with my wife’s twin sister Pam and her husband Norm. Norm likes to fish and Pam likes to explore antique shops and the Augusta, Maine, area with Penny, where they spent time at their grandparents’ farm growing up. The boat was perfect on those big lakes. It would also be great for fishing Boston Harbor or the coast but at this point of my life, those adventures are less likely. It is also not as easy to board as the “floating living rooms” that are pontoon boats.
So, we have a person who has never even ridden on a pontoon boat taking the dive. Usually, my process in making major purchases is thoughtful and planned. My recent exploration of the upgrading of my Silverado ended with the decision to put money into the truck (brakes, shock absorbers, etc.) and that leaves some room in the budget.
A trip to Precision Water Sports in Gardner to pick up parts resulted in the discovery of two used pontoon boats being offered for sale by the owners. They were different, with one being practically new with only about 50 hours of operation and the other being older, but having the entire seating interior reupholstered and a new Suzuki 115 HP outboard added a year ago. That got me thinking and that is always dangerous!
After a lot of thought, the older boat looked like it was worth taking a shot and after some discussion, an offer was made and accepted. Pontoon boats range from smaller boats around 16 feet to the bigger boats now available at 30 feet long or longer. It turned out the boat was 24 feet long, putting it in the big boat category. Again, a big first step for someone to take. That size became obvious when backing the pontoon boat into the launch ramp. That is a lot of boat to maneuver and not a one-man operation.
Once launched and docked, the boat was taken on a maiden cruise and it was “thumbs up” from the family and, of course, the dogs. It was also my good fortune to have the inaugural voyage joined by two great first mates, as my friends Benny and Elsie Hause, who with their mother Jess were on board as we tried to figure out the new boat.
Now, truth be told, there is a really fast-growing interest in pontoon boats as fishing boats. Bass Pro Shops/Cabela’s offers fishing models in the pontoon boats they now sell, and trolling motor producers are offering models and mounts to retrofit a pontoon boat for fishing.
The newly-acquired boat has a deck forward for fishing and we will look into what the marketplace has to offer. The Tahoe is still at the dock and we will make a decision by fall as to what we will do going forward. The longer pontoon boat may not be the right one and we will look at options, but the boat will be perfect for Fourth of July festivities.
Earlier this week, yours truly had the pleasure of fishing the Quabbin with a veteran deep troller in his very well-equipped “Quabbin boat.” We fished out of Gate 8 in Belchertown, my first time in that section of the reservoir. The downriggers and wire line brought back memories as we caught a few small Landlocked salmon, missed a few others, and boated one nice rainbow trout. It was a beautiful summer day, in more ways than one.
The oppressive heat and humidity combined with Wednesday night’s thunderstorm provided a real test for the solar panel upgrade on our place at the pond. The newly-installed battery performed perfectly when the power went out and we were totally unaffected. The SunRun system allowed us to be really comfortable in a cool environment made even more pleasant by the reduced humidity. This is an old-fashioned heat wave!
Mike Roche is a retired teacher who has been involved in conservation and wildlife issues his entire life. He has written the Sportsman’s Corner since 1984 and has served as advisor to the Mahar Fish’N Game Club, counselor and director of the Massachusetts Conservation Camp, former Connecticut Valley District representative on the Massachusetts Fisheries and Wildlife Board, a Massachusetts Hunter Education Instructor and is a licensed New York hunting guide. He can be reached at mikeroche3@msn.com.