What's your favorite float tube

[quilbilly]

My wife is tired of waiting for me to take the boat out so wants a float tube. Which one do you think is the best?? It will be used in lakes for trout and bass plus in the fall in saltwater for coho salmon nearshore.

[rush1886]

Float tube or pontoon boat? My wife likes the "Bucks Bags" pontoon boat. Can't recall the model off hand, but the pontoons are 9" long. I like my Northfork Outdoors, Dave Scadden Signature Series, U-Tube. It's about 7'-8' long, but rides much lower in the water, than does the pontoon boat. Less wind resistance, easier to get back to shore, when you "gotta go".

As for "float tubes", the "U" style, open front/bow, are much, much easier to get in and out of the water, with.

The pontoons for the most part, are oar friendly, whereas the float tubes are fins only. Do Not allow any one to talk you into the Caddis brand Force Fins. They are pure junk. Search out a good pair of "diving" fins. Much more bang for your buck. Do invest in fins for either pontoon or tube.
Also, if you go the pontoon route, look for or buy oarlocks that will allow the oars to slide up/down. Fixed position oars are a death sentence. Turned over a pontoon in the Salt River, Wyo, one time, because of fixed position oars. Not a pleasant experience, or memory.

Pontoons, most anyway, you're looking at waist high waders, or just go wet.. U tubes can generally work well with waist high waders, but some will require chest waders. Use the stocking foot type waders, and a pair of "wading" type neoprene booties.

Lastly, consider transportation. You can disassemble a pontoon into mostly compact pieces, but then you have to re-assemble when you reach your destination. Tubes, you just deflate, roll up and go. You do have to blow it back up when you arrive, but much more ergonomic, for transport.

My personal choice: U Tube, hands down. Though, I must admit, the pontoon would have a built in safety buffer for the saltwater.

Feel free to pm me about questions or concerns.

[MaryB]

I used to use a small inflatable pontoon on the local river. Had a seat and oars, feet got wet is it. Also allowed me to put a small electric motor on for when I got tired of rowing or needed extra power into the wind. This was back when they were just becoming popular and I do not remember the brand. Served me well for 6 years of rough river use bouncing off rocks and dead heads. That river changed every year so until you learned where the floods moved everything you hit a lot of stuff. I could handle it solo even inflated to slide it onto a small flat bed trailer at the boat landing I used. Very similar to this http://www.cabelas.com/product/Boating/Canoes-Kayaks-Small-Boats/Pontoons|/pc/104794380/c/104710680/sc/104508180/Creek-Company-Sport-XR1-Pontoon-Boat/1441219.uts?destination=%2Fcategory%2FPontoons%2F1 04508180.uts

[MT Gianni]

I started with a Browning float tube in the 80's. I now have a pontoon and love it. The float tube carries easier but that is about it. Still use a flotation device, MT law requires you to have one with you.

[onceabull]

I won my first float tube( Round, BucksBag,here in town) at a Lions'club casino night..Got more use out of it than any since,but that's an aging thing! Everyone since has been the U-Tube pointy frontend type..To me ,those are the ticket,and even the attraction of the pontoon boats doesn't change my mind..(Perhaps due to doing too many high country lakes via straight leg,or horse transport.)Good to have the choices available today,though... Onceabull

[popper]

Sounds like a sit-on kayak would work better. There are some set up for outriggers if needed. I would definitely NOT be in a tube any distance from shore or in saltwater. You can't get through any surf.

[quilbilly]

Sounds like a sit-on kayak would work better. There are some set up for outriggers if needed. I would definitely NOT be in a tube any distance from shore or in saltwater. You can't get through any surf.
One of the nice things about Hood Canal is that it is not much bigger than many lakes around the country (although one heck of a lot deeper at 0ver 600 feet deep) and the only surf is from the occasional Trident submarine escort ships. There are many locations to use a float tube quite safely. Even out on the Straits of Juan de Fuca, fishing the kelp paddies with a float tube is very productive if you are careful of the fish spines, stay out of the path of gray whales (they will stop and stare at you with those serving dish sized eyes from a few feet away occasionally which is a profound experience), and carry some string to tie off on a floating kelp frond.
I have been fishing for 30+ years in the "salt chuck" out of a 10-foot jon boat comfortably around Puget Sound but you better believe I listen to the NOAA weather broadcast and have a healthy fear of tugboat wakes.
My wife is still researching but she is narrowing the field.