I have a Steelheader by Skookum. It has 9' pontoons and takes me anywhere. I weigh about 265 lbs. and it keeps me out of the water. The only thing I regret is that I sold my river boat when I bought my steelheader. Although you can handle any water on peninsula in it, there is no place for a heater. I could go on forever about my pontoon boat but the most important thing to me is the ability to stand up and fish, and its ability to handle steep and rocky rapids and still remain upright. The only drawback is not having your feet in the water when you get out in deeper water.(I just slide down to the deck on my butt, this makes waders nessasary but I always wear them anyway.) If you have any questions you can e-mail me or check out skookums web site @ http://www.steelheader.com/ Good luck finding a pontoon boat, they get you where the fish are.