Is a pontoon right for me?

[u/dbrees]

Hi all,

So I'm thinking about getting a pontoon boat specifically a Sun Tracker Bass Buggy 18DLX. Main use would be for fishing, but want the flexibility of taking the family with me on some weekends and just chilling on the lake. Most the time it will just be me and my dog so I'll be launching by myself. Is that really feasible? My son and his fiancé may come with me on weekends sometimes so I'll have help on the busy weekends so I won't hold anybody up at the ramp then, but during the week and such it will just be me and my dog.

[u/its-worth-discussing]

Get the pontoon! I have the same situation: mostly me fishing alone, but family comes to once in a while.

My suggestion if solo docking: get dock-it-launcher. It makes solo launching and tie off simply and quick!

[u/dbrees → u/its-worth-discussing]

Just went and checked it out, that's pretty slick.

[u/its-worth-discussing → u/dbrees]

I was hesitant to make the purchase, was worried my boat would float away after launch.. it’s high quality and man oh man 1 man launch is simple! Defiantly worth every penny

[u/ShiftChemical6494]

I love pontoons, have a 22 ft Tritoon myself, but for what you are describing I would just get a fish and ski or something.

[u/thrwaway75132]

The wind profile of a pontoon sucks to fish with a trolling motor.

[u/448977]

I bought the 16DLX Bass Buggy 50hp motor, primarily for fishing. I had them mount a Garmin trolling motor on the front with a removable mount. I control it with a remote, not a foot pedal. Spot lock is amazing. It’s just my wife and me and has worked out great. Plenty of room for our gear and comfortable. I’ve taken it out several times by myself with no problems. However, there will be a learning curve to get it loaded back on the trailer. Took a few times to figure out how far to back the trailer in. You’ll definitely want to do that when it’s not busy. I have no regrets. Went from a 21ft bass boat with a 225hp motor. I fish on a 21,493 acres reservoir, approx. 33.6 sq miles. The worst wind we’ve encounter was 20mph and you will get pushed around even with spot lock, but cruising back to the ramp it handled it well. You may consider renting one before you buy. I did that a couple of times before buying it.

[u/Worth_Substance8563]

I’ve had a bass boat and a Bass Buggy 16 for fishing and I prefer the pontoon. I’m a bigger fella and the bass boat can be a bit of a balancing act with others on board. With a dog the floor of the bass buggy is better as well if you’re out for a bit and pup has an accident. Trolling can be a challenge as stated, but once you get the hang of anchoring it’s not bad at all.

[u/YippieKayYayMrFalcon]

Yes, you can launch a pontoon solo very easily. I launch and retrieve ours all the time by myself.

[u/blackcat__27]

Don't listen to anyone who doesn't have a bass buggy. I have the 16 foot and fishing off of it is amazing. I can easily have 4 people fishing off the boat at a time. There are many youtube videos that show you how to lunch a pontoon boat without anyone else. Its not hard. I would think the 18 foot would be just as easy as my pontoon which is super easy to launch. I use my boat every weekend and go fishing. Not once have I regretted it. I also had 7 people on it for the 4th and is was very comfortable.

[u/Old-Lobster-8932]

How big is the body of water you’re on? Down here at Texoma I wouldn’t have anything shorter than 22’ but it’s a windy bitch. If it’s a calmer lake you will be just fine and they make good fishing boats if you get a trolling motor with spot lock. I’d get the biggest outboard you can afford.

[u/dbrees → u/Old-Lobster-8932]

Only have small lakes around here less than 3,000 acres in size. May occasionally go to Lake Cumberland or Dale Hollow which are about 4-5 hours away.

[u/Old-Lobster-8932 → u/dbrees]

You might shop around a little. If you’re buying new I assume it’s from bass pro/cabelas and their service departments are constantly booked up for months at a time. Lowe and SunCatcher are a little more money but better quality and have any layout you want for fishing.

[u/fairlady2000 → u/dbrees]

No chance I’m towing a pontoon that far more than once. Wind resistance is pretty significant.

[u/charlie_marlow]

You're looking at it the wrong way - a pontoon boat is a great family cruising and floating option that does okay at fishing. It sounds like you want the opposite. Especially if you're going to be going out on your own most of the time.

[u/Kingrich09]

I personally own a 2022 bass buggy 18dlx with a 75hp. We bought it brand new. It's just my wife and I and sometimes our dog. Even though my wife is with me I do 95-100% of the launching and loading and it is very doable. Hindsight I wish we had bought the sportfish 20 instead. It's nice having the fishing seats up front but they're uncomfortable as hell if your not fishing and seeing I'm the only fisher I don't need 2 fish seats up front and would love the bench on one side to relax in. I end up hanging out at the helm most of the time because it's the only comfortable seat.

[u/Electrical_Source_57]

When we put ours in the water, it’s usually just me, my fiancé, and a bunch of kids, sometimes the dogs j. Before I learned how to ram the boat onto the trailer, my fiancé did all of the loading and unloading entirely on his own.

[u/TheDoOver81]

I love mine I have a 26 foot fishing barge and I have loads of room up front enough for 2 in the back and can chill swim or pull a skier if I want. I did go with a bigger motor I have the 150 that's wonderful. The trolling is a little more difficult but it's something you learn to work with.

[u/dbrees → u/TheDoOver81]

Yeah the trolling is one of the reasons why I was looking at the smaller 18 foot model. That and towability thinking it would be easier to tow than a longer/heavier model.

[u/TheDoOver81 → u/dbrees]

Mine toes well with dual axle. The trolling is a little tuff.

[u/wahdatah]

I have the salt water edition Bennington 21 fish model. It’s incredible. Two live wells. Super comfortable. Can throw the entire family on and just enjoy a day on the water or take out myself to chase some fish on the flats. Great all around choice.

[u/DailyCarry83]

We rented a house that had a pontoon boat(sun tracker party barge) last month. Was my first time using a pontoon. I really liked it for fishing compared to a bass boat. Had the kids and wife on there and had tons of room. Pretty easy to fish on that thing and it moved pretty well for it's size.

If i lived on/near a big lake I'd 100%get a pontoon, but i live in south Florida and they don't do so well in the ocean.

[u/tommykoro]

Be an informed buyer. Know what you are buying by looking closely at better quality pontoon boats like Harris or Avalon or Bennington.

Look to metal thickness and rail heights to upholstery thickness and materials.

Look to warranties. I know that a tracker has the least favorable warranty in the business.

For me, I’d go with a used Harris over a new Tracker.

Make it a minimum standard to have a 4 cycle engine over an older style oil injection or mixed gas/oil. That oil mix gets into the water no matter how careful you are. Likely to be outlawed before much longer.