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Hello, Am new on the forum. Looks like a very good group. Am thinking of getting a Sea Eagle 285 pontoon. Will be using it primarily on smaller lakes. Does anyone have any info about them and or advice. Other recommendations would also be appreciated. Currently have an old Wood River float tube. Plan on keeping it as a backup. Thanks.
John,
I purchased one just over a year ago and love it for stillwater fishing. I mainly use it on o'neill forebay and san luis reservoir for striper fishing. For me, it has a number of advantages over a float tube or pontoon, but the biggest one is that I can stand up and cast / fish from it. I absolutely hate casting shooting heads and heavy sinking lines from a float tube, so this was my main motivation in purchasing it. I have not used it on moving water yet, but to me it is more of a stillwater craft, similar to a pram. I haven't used it with a motor yet, but I think it would do great with a small trolling motor or 2 hp. If you want to give it a try, we may be able to meet up some time. I am actually moving in about a year and have been debating whether I want to sell it or move it with me even though I will be purchasing a "real" boat after the move. PM me with any questions.
Ryan
Ryan,
how does it handle in wind? I would most likely put a minn kota 30 on it. Getting older and would like a pontoon with a motor and oars.
It likes to spin in the wind when you aren't paddling/rowing, but it does fine when paddling in the wind / waves i've used it in (up to ~ 15 mph). I usually drop the anchor a few feet in the water to prevent it from spinning when I am drifting and fishing with the wind, if that makes sense. I think it would work great with a trolling motor.
I had the green 286fp Pro series for a year and used it on Yuba, American and on stillwater. On stillwater or frog water, it rows as well as (or as poor as) any other pontoon or inflatable raft. It is about the same as any other pontoon in the wind.. they all spin. Pro Series has rod mounts, raised hard seat and motor mount.
It is best suited for Stillwater, with a motor and on Class I and II rivers. The motor mount is simple and I think it is the best offered in pontoons. I also attached a screw on Scotty Anchor mount to the Sea Eagle motor mount. It is by far the best pontoon for stillwater and for a motor (almost impossible to use with fins) I sold it to another forum member and bought a Watermaster because I will be fishing only moving water. My ad is still on the forum, you can see what other additions I made to the stock boat.
Material is thicker than most bladerless, which is true for everything in Sea Eagle's top of the line.
It is clumsy to carry with the fixed floor- especially with the hard seat and seat post. but I simply used 2 straps around the tubes and it was easy to carry a short distance without gear. I made a dolly out of 1-1/4" sch 40 irrigation pipe, pvc fittings plus 2 wheels from Harbor Freight. Dolly was wide enough to rest on both tubes and about 12" or so long Used 2 flat straps to hold the pontoon on the dolly and used a strap on the front boat handle to easily roll the boat fully loaded with gear, Minn Kota 35 motor and battery. I did not glue the pieces together so it would to take up much space in my SUV.
One issue- the front of the floor ends up sagging in a downward arc lower than the floor, so water can easily splash up on the floor. I used a length of 3/4" black plastic drip tubing (wider than the width between the pontoons) , cut a slit lengthwise & pushed it over the front edge of the floor so it created an upward arc above the floor level. Very little water splashed inside. You will have to measure the drip tube so that is long enough to create the upward arc. Just removed the drip tubing when I packed the boat.
The hard seat with a riser is a must with a motor. I used a $5 mesh lumbar support from Bed Bath & Beyond, worked great, lightweight and it could get wet. I added couple of bars underneath the seat and drilled holes in side of seat-- to hang pliers, knife, etc
If you are buying used, check the wood block/foot rest in the front of the floor to make sure the bolts still hold it tight to the floor. It is an easy $2 fix and will also help to keep water off the floor.
Sea Eagle changed to the green color in 2014 to replace the original gray.
Jim