i know this thread has come up before, but i wasnt interested in one then, but anyways, im wondering how many people here fish with these on the rivers around here and how long of pontoons 8' or 9' etc, should i get to do both lakes and rivers around, and is there a certain length of oar that is better for manuverabilty and control? has anyone used anchors in the river or is it dangerous? these are the type of questions i have, and last, what is a good quality pontoon for the price, thanks for any replies..

Yes, you'll find lots of posts about pontoons/catarafts on here. Os and I have been using them awhile. I originated with whitewatering before using for fishing.

First off, you can anchor with a cataraft. I do it all the time, with both my 9ft and 16ft cats.

What you need to decide is if you want a vehicle for going from point A to B or do you really want to fish on the way? Do you want to be able to stand up and fish? Do you only want a one person boat, or possibly taking on one extra buddy? How much do you want to spend? Do you want easy buy it ready or would you be willing to have a cat custom built? Do you want lightweight or sturdy whitewater?

I'll just say this, you get what you pay for in a cataraft. I've been using them over 10+ years and have yet to see a "cheap" cat that wasn't used. If you only want a "cheap" floating vehicle to get you to a fishing point and don't plan whitewatering and using lakes go with an Outcast or Bucks. Cheaper the better. But YUCK to that. If you want a good premade boat, then step up to a steelheader. 9 or 10 ft if you want a one man. But if you have the money, go with a 12ft custom made. You can make it adjustable for a 1 or 2 man boat. Still portagable by yourself, just not as easy as a 9ft. There are alot of good manufacturers of cataraft tubes. There's Maravia, Wing, Sotar, Aire, NRS to name a few. All make good tubes. I have a set of Aire tubes that are over 10 years old and still going strong. I know alot of whitewater guides and enthusiasts and you get a Ford/Chevy debate on tubes. I like the Wings, I know Os does, but I do like my Old Aire too. They don't make it anymore, and will hate to retire it someday.

Oars. Hmmmm. Well, I know alot of guys who retrofit their small cats with 8ft oars. Get alot more Umphh on the boat. But wouldn't advise for Outcasts/bucks. Their hulls aren't designed to take that much pressure. You'll do more rocking then actually pushing water. A Steelheader can take bigger oars. I use 9ft's on my 16ft Aire and 7ft on my 9ft Steelheader. I use cataract oars. You can get by with the higher end Carlisles. They're good oars and if you don't plan any hard whitewatering then they'll do you well. I have seen (and have video) of using Carlisles vs Cataracts. In solid class 4+ have seen carlisle bend while cataracts have either popped oarlock/pins or pushed boat around. I'm tempted to buy a set of 10ft carlisles for my cat. Want that extra Umphh when in swift water. May just buy a few more extensions for my cataracts.

Well, answer a few more of the questions above and Os or I can help you further.

Good luck......

Oar length...thats easy take ,a measurement from Oar-tower to Oar-tower multiply by 2 add 6 inches (if you want)this will get you close.

Just like anything else you get what you pay for,I've used my 12 cat on several lakes,with an elec. troller on it makes great BassinBoat

"once you row a Cat you'll never go back"

hey, thanks for all the info stealheader and osprey, some of the info confused me, especially the "oar talk", so you say you got a 9' stealheader? can you stand up with this model and it seems to work fine for ya on rivers ya say but what is the cost and where did ya purchase it, im hopin that bad boy isnt over 750$$, if it is, i may have to go with a slightly less expensive one..see, here is my dilema, i may be moving over to eastern washington this summer, and i wont be needing a stouter cataraft/ pontoon, over there, for there isnt many rivers on that part of the state, but however, i will use my pontoon/cataraft when fishing over in idaho for smallies and for winter run steelies on the clearwater river when i make it down to orofino that is, so should i jus go with the stealheader anyways even tho i will be fishing in lakes more than rivers, or will sumthing else suffice? thanks again for the info, i have been looking thru websites and thru mags tryin to find my perfect fit of a pontoon...thanks..

I bought a year old PAC1200 model made by Outcast. Paid $1000, and got some cataract oars with it. It can be a 2 person or a 1 person since it is a modular frame. The front person has a standing deck, but don't stand in it without the guardrail that attaches to the frame. It's an all right boat, especially for the money I paid. It's 13' long (Aire tubes), but I don't like its 2' width. One day I'll be in contact with Osprey's Custom Cataraft Frames about getting a frame with a standing deck for the rower and front seat, plus make that thing wider so it will be more stable. Other than that, I'm pleased with it. For your price range, check out Outcast. www.outcastboats.com

Although a 9' or a 10' steelheader wouldn't be too bad for you either.