Is this silly ?

pinstriper · Apr 7, 2015

As an old fat guy with a bad back, I'm not so much down with the prospect of oars, or tippy kayaks and canoes. And pontoon floats with your feet dangling above the water inevitably lead to feet IN the water. Plus they also have oars.

I guess the questions are:

1) Would this work ?

2) How big/fast a body of water can such a thing handle ?

c) How hard would everybody laugh at me (and the poor sap I enlist to sit the other seat, since this is too bulky to load/unload in the pickup bed solo ?

Please be firm but gentle in your constructive criticism. I have a fragile self image, for a dude.

fish4life · Apr 7, 2015

I rented one of these and fished out of it years ago. Why not just get a small boat 12'-14' with electric trolling motor or small gas outboard. You can find small boats on craigslist with trailers for $500.

pinstriper · Apr 7, 2015

fish4life said:
I rented one of these and fished out of it years ago. Why not just get a small boat 12'-14' with electric trolling motor or small gas outboard. You can find small boats on craigslist with trailers for $500.

Well, no motor to maintain. Only weighs around 100#, is NEW for $500. Self propelled with no more skill or strength than pedaling a bicycle (rowing a boat requires skill and more exertion). Two people pedaling makes it even easier.

Also you CAN put an electric trolling motor on these (maybe not the one I linked, but that was just for general reference). The pedals become the backup propulsion.

Also, 825# capacity. Dunno how that compares to, say, a 14' open rowboat.

jamisonace · Apr 7, 2015

To answer the question posed in the title of your post...Yes. LOL

I would, however, pay money to watch you troll for fall kings in tidewater from that thing.

rogerdodger · Apr 8, 2015

based on my experience trolling on a variety of waters and conditions (including the Siuslaw fall salmon circus) in a pedal boat (Hobie ProAngler12), I think the wind is going to be a big problem for that boat: the wind will decide where it wants you to go and you will go that direction....also not sure how the propulsion in that boat would work in moving water, drag is the enemy in a self propelled craft...

few more thoughts, setting aside cost but not capacity, these all have >600#:

pinstriper · Apr 8, 2015

jamisonace said:
To answer the question posed in the title of your post...Yes. LOL

I would, however, pay money to watch you troll for fall kings in tidewater from that thing.

If I can build on this, I could afford a real boat !

pinstriper · Apr 8, 2015

OK Roger. That youtube cured me of the kayak thoughts you planted at the top of your post. That's exactly why I want anything BUT a kayak.

rogerdodger · Apr 8, 2015

pinstriper said:
OK Roger. That youtube cured me of the kayak thoughts you planted at the top of your post. That's exactly why I want anything BUT a kayak.

LOL, which youtube did it for you?

FYI- my definition of a SOT fishing kayak (sit on top) is a self draining (has sculper holes) and self floating (full of water, still floats) boat. so the NuCanoe is a SOT Kayak, all the Hobies are SOT kayaks, and so on...

some things that I like about fishing from an SOT kayak, besides not using any fuel and hours of low impact exercise: you are always prepared to be in the water- PFD always on and when appropriate, immersion gear, plus VHF radio. my concern with people on big water in small powerboats is they don't expect to ever be in the water and that can lead to tragedy.

and other powerboats and even the bigger guide boats are really good about speed and wakes around kayaks. they are, to be kind, not so good around small powerboats and drift boats.

but regardless of how you get out on the water, nothing better than catching big fish from small boats...

DrTheopolis · Apr 8, 2015

Rented one on Devils Lake many, many years ago, possibly after a couple of barleypops too many (we had some time to kill waiting for someone).

Was all well and good until the wind kicked up. Then it became a nightmare. Of course blowing the opposite direction from the rental return.

jamisonace · Apr 8, 2015

I didn't mean to offend. I've been in them too. I just don't think they are engineered for anything more than a slow, cumbersome stroll on water. There are much better options that are made for fishing.

Billamicasr · Apr 8, 2015

Pinstriper, the specs say it is 52" wide. I would imagine they are referring to the top of the gunnel.
I used to have a 10' Tracker Jon boat which was 48" wide at the gunnel and 40" at the bottom. The water line length wasn't actually 10', due to the up-swept bow the actual footprint in the water was a little less than 8' X 40"; one of the tipsiest boats I've ever been in. I believe I would contact Dick's to ask how wide the boat is at the bottom, it may be a bit tippy.

jamisonace · Apr 8, 2015

I've had a similar Jon boat. Very tippy. I think you would be disappointed.

Raincatcher · Apr 8, 2015

I would say it's unwise, rather than silly. There are places these boats work, mostly very calm, slow moving waters. You may want to consider a 10' driftboat, which can easily accommodate 1-2 fishing folks and is easily handled by 2 companions. Take your time making your decision, and remember, it is your decision. Whatever you decide on, make sure it's safe!

jamisonace · Apr 8, 2015

Good point RC, but I would suggest a 10' pram rather than a drift boat. A 10' drift boat is going to be tiny.

DrTheopolis · Apr 8, 2015

A 13' driftboat is "tiny."

Camo · Apr 8, 2015

Pinstriper,
One old fat guy to another…. Comfort for long periods of time is the most important aspect in deciding the boat that is best for you. After that, ease of getting your boat into and out of the water with a multitude of gear like battery, oars, motor,(or out board) tackle box, pole, net, LUNCH, beverages, passenger, anchor, rain gear, Not to mention safety stuff……You get the point!

The best boat (in my humble opinion) Would be a modern Barnegat Bay Sneak Box.

The perfect boat should have a beam of more then four feet, approximately twelve feet long (like the originals), more then one means of propulsion with enough displacement for many usages and stow. (I am soo prejudice when it comes to boats!) and be trailerable so you don't have to pack everything out to car-top to and from the water.

Sorry for the blurry photo. This one is set up for sail, but and be motored or rowed.

Camo

plumbertom · Apr 8, 2015

Just a thought. I do know people that have used those on the Colorado south of Parker where the river is slow.
Might get a bit tough in faster water.
Kayaks are quick to learn and not all are tippy. My Cobra Fish and Dive is so solid you'd have to make an effort to flip it.
The trade off is it handles like a tank. not that it's hard to paddle but you ain't gonna do any finesse maneuvering in it.
On the plus side, it carries my fat butt and all the gear I need with no problem. These pics before I added a through the hull transponder and mounted my fish finder.

bass · Apr 8, 2015

I own a Coleman Crawdad which is similar to the Sun Dolphin. It is in my garage and I keep it registered even though I have not used it in years. I used that boat by putting the trolling motor on the front and then I put the battery all the way in the back. I also built a plywood keel that I would hang off the back. Without the keel it was terrible in the wind, with the keel it was pretty nice. The thing I did not like about that boat and the reason I eventually got a Hobie Outback was that the Coleman Crawdad did not have much freeboard. When I would bob up and down on a large boat wake I would be very close to taking on water. I am not sure how the Sun Dolphin compares in that regard. I would not regard the boat as tippy in any regard, just dicey in rough water.

Rogerdodger also mentioned a Nucanoe Frontier as an option. I got one of those a couple of years ago and I go out in it with my son on Hagg lake. It is great for that. I have not had two big people+battery+motor so I am not sure how it would handle that. The self-baling capacity is 400lbs. The scuppered capacity )scuppers blocked) is 650lbs. I usually have the scuppers blocked. This boat tracks much better than the Crawdad and also has better secondary stability than the Crawdad. The sides are more beveled rather than vertical like on the Crawdad. This helps apply restoring force when you lean.

Best of luck on whatever you decide. Personally I would get a kayak or a "real" boat.

jamisonace · Apr 8, 2015

Livingston is the best option I've seen here so far.

pinstriper · Apr 8, 2015

Yeah, um. I wouldn't exactly list any kind of exercise, low impact or other, as a plus. Not the "always be prepared to go in the water". I actually want the boat so that I DON'T end up in the water. And I'm fully willing to burn fuel in return for effortless movement.

The youtube that scared hell out of me was the one where he...ends up in the water, then climbs back on, only to roll it again. And this is in freaking Australia where I'm pretty sure such things always end up with the person seeing the insides of a great white. In fact, I don't know a single person who has fallen off a kayak in Australian waters that didn't end up eaten by a shark.*

The real appeal to me of a pedal boat is:

1) Very hard to fall out of. So hard that they are widely used as rental craft in places where idiots, drunks, and kids make up the vast bulk of the clientele.

2) No rowing.

3) Well nigh unsinkable in calm water.

4) No rowing.

5) Unlike a kayak, cannot possibly be mistaken for a seal by even the most myopic shark or orca.

6) No rowing.

* I don't know of anyone who has fallen off a kayak anywhere, including Australia. So, technically this is a true statement.