Rigging a pontoon for fish'n

[snal]

I just became the proud owner of yet another project. A 24' Tracker Party Hut. It's in desperate need of a new floor, but the framework, railing, and toons are in great shape. It's currently without furniture, but it does have a deck across the back which covers the engine, and has storage for the the fuel tank on one side...batteries on the other.
I have an Onan electric start generator that I'd like to incorporate...but keep the furniture to a minimum...well...as minimum as the wife will allow.
I'd also like a large center mounted livewell/baitwell.
The boat is setup with about 3' of deck at the bow being outside the main railing...think I'll keep it that way.
Any ideas for setting up the rest of the deck for comfortable, no hassle fishing?

[skiptomylu]

Well my pontoon is much smaller than my sons, but I have at least as much deck space as he does. We both have G3 and mine is 18' his is 22' and both have 8.5' wide decks. I only have one bench seat on the side opposite the console.

We both have 2 fishing seats in the front and 2 in the back. Mine with mostly open deck space makes it better to fish out of. I also have some folding chairs I got a Sam's, not cheap, but will last and are comfortable to sit in and move about. I don't use or even keep all 4 (other than drivers seat) the seats that came with it in the boat. The folding chairs from Sam's were sold as a set of 4 for $142 a set. I know it's high, but these will last for a very long time and are very sturdy since I am not a light weight, LOL!

Also his console is nicer then mine, but mine has a live well in the front of the console and that makes it good to use because it's about in the middle of the boat. I also have one in the back, but don't use it much. He has one in the very front and very back of his boat and does not use either.

Anyway I like having chairs that you can move around to fish any place in the boat. He also has some folding chairs that came from Walmart that were pretty cheap, but nice.

Personally I don't like many fixed seats and they always seem to not quite be in the right place and with one of them and a folding chair 2 can fish the same spot next to each other.

If you plan on having a troll motor don't let anyone tell you a 12V 55# of thrust will be enough, it's not even close. If I ever change mine I probable will go to a 36V 100+# of thrust. It will take all you can get with as much wind as a pontoon boat catches.

He has a pretty good amount more furniture and I think since he's fishing more then riding he would prefer not so much furniture.

Oh yeah one more thing I have a rod box next to my console and I use it for storage since it's not water proof I stopped using it for rods and reels. He has a rod box in teh back going across the boat and he does not like his either.

Hope this helps and if you have any questions...just ask away!

[snal]

Thanks for the input...I'm thinking about a center console. I found a new fiberglass console in the local trader paper...I'm trying to keep the wood down to a minimum.
I also perfer verticle rod holders to "rod boxes"...thought I might build some to fit just outside the railing. I like the idea of the livewell being in front of the helm.
How critical will weight placement be? This boat has a built in fuel tank in one rear corner...thought I might add a second in the other corner...and battery storage in front of the rear enclosure...which is basically a sun deck that houses the fuel tanks and covers the engine. Does that sound like too much weight at the rear? Not sure where I'll try to mount the generator...It's not very big for an electric start Onan...but I could sell it and opt for one of those tiny Hondas.
I thought about the pontoon "deck chairs"...how well do they work when the boat takes off from a dead stop?
Thanks for the help!

[skiptomylu]

I also have built in gas tank and is 23 gallon I think. My batteries are on the outside deck around the motor well. There is also a live well on the other side in the rear. I also have a on board charger next to the batteries. I also have a 75HP 4 stroke motor on this 18' boat.

I also keep a separate battery in front of the bench seat to use for fishing lights so as to not need my cranking battery while fishing.

My chairs do fine when I take off, but I don't remember anyone sitting in one wile running. Also if you have a strong wind you may want to turn the chairs side ways to the wind wile running and fold up when pulling down the Hwy.

The chairs I have from Sam's are sturdy, metal frame and molded plastic seat and back. You can see them on Sam's web site. Just look for a set of 4 at $142 and I think life time or very long warranty. Don't really remember, but I think they will be around a very long time.

On the weight thing. I think it would be about the same as mine if I had the live well full and the gas tank full at the same time. My batteries are there too.

[J White]

On the subect of setting up a 'toon for fishing, has anyone else had this
idea... or actually done it? My inspiration was ice fishing shacks, and those
neat climate-controlled boat/fishing houses some of you guys get to fish
out of... but what about a cabin type pontoon with some trap-doors in
the floor to fish out of, sit on the couch and dunk a minnow. Maybe some
flexible skirting from under the deck down to the water, to seal off from the
elements. Would be nice on some of those smothering-hot summer nights
night stalking too, could run a generator and the A/C! Don't get me wrong,
I sit out in an open boat and sweat and freeze with the best, but had this
idea. :rolleyes:

[skiptomylu]

On the subect of setting up a 'toon for fishing, has anyone else had this
idea... or actually done it? My inspiration was ice fishing shacks, and those
neat climate-controlled boat/fishing houses some of you guys get to fish
out of... but what about a cabin type pontoon with some trap-doors in
the floor to fish out of, sit on the couch and dunk a minnow. Maybe some
flexible skirting from under the deck down to the water, to seal off from the
elements. Would be nice on some of those smothering-hot summer nights
night stalking too, could run a generator and the A/C! Don't get me wrong,
I sit out in an open boat and sweat and freeze with the best, but had this
idea. :rolleyes:

Actually I did hear about someone that did something kind of like that. As I understand it he cut a hole in the deck to fish through. However I don't remember much else about that.

If I can remember who told me about that I will post about it.

[gooch]

One strong reccomendation I would have as a toon owner is to buy one or 2 of the black walmart storage boxes for trucks. They are real heavy duty and big and water proof. Then take them to a trim shop and have them make a cusion for the tops of them. You can then buy a couple of 48 quart ice chest and have the same done to the tops of them. What you end up with is a 8 foot couch and 2 big padded chairs for under 200 bucks. Another thing I did that has worked out well on my toon is to build my rod holders out of 1/2 inch gas pipe. There are pics of Rangos on this site you can reference. I like them cause the mounts you will screw into your new decking are so low profile when you are not using the rod holders. In fact I could send you a couple of rod holders I made to use in that type set up if you would be interested. Let me know if there is anything I can help you with on this project.

[Tommy]

Hi Snal. I am in process of refurbishing & rigging a 24 foot Toon to fish off of myself. I started by stripping everything off of it. Then replaced all the metal around the hand rails, new carpet, and new console. This console is fiberglass lined w/ no wood. I put the hard top back on mine, so you have to casting is a problem unless you are fishing off the front. This hard top has snaps for tarps. I have already spoken to a custom tarp business (Twin City Tarp) and plan to have the custom tarps build before winter. My Plan is to have 3 sides covered with tarps to keep wind and rain out and zippers on the fourth so we will be able to unzip the side that we want to fish off of. The person that I spoke with at Twin City told me that she would install straps to the top, so the tarps could be rolled up out of the way while fishing. I too was considering installing deck furniture but after fishing off of it like it is, I have just about decided to keep using the folding chairs instead. I have 2 swivel fishing chairs mounted on the front, depth finder and trolling motor. So far it has worked out very well. I have attached some pics.

[J White]

I really like that top, man I would fall my clumsy butt off those front chairs
though, and I swim like a rock. Guess it would help if I got more than
3 or 4 hours sleep before going fishing... Jeff

[frank lawhead]

Tommy I Had A Friend That Set His Toon Up With A Four Sided Zipper Walls We Could Fish Real Late Into The Fall In Il. And Its Gets Colder Than H*** Here Lol