Colorado XT Pontoon?

[JBplusThuy]

Anybody using the Colorado XT pontoon boat?

The Cabela's Father's Day catalog came yesterday and they have them on sale for $499.

Most of the reviews are very favorable, but some points that seem common in the negative reviews are:

-Seams coming apart

-Offset trolling motor block is awkward to reach compared to a center-mounted one and the offset makes it possible for the trolling motor blades to cut into the tube (could that possibly be true?!?!) if a person is inattentive

-Low-quality oarlocks easily break or slip

-Built-in transport wheel is difficult to use, stow, and balance the boat on

If you have or have had a Colorado XT, what is your take on those complaints?

A comparably priced pontoon with about the  same features include the Creek Company Super Sport XR1 (doesn't seem to have a transport wheel, though). If you have used that one (or, ideally, both), which do you think is better?

Final question: if you use a trolling motor on your pontoon, do you still wear fins, or just wading boots or water shoes?

Thanks!

Jonathan

[Leo Nguyen]

I used one in the past. Not the biggest, but much lighter than most inflatable pontoon, beside from the fully inflatable pontoon only. Plenty of XT users hang around the Lake Elsinore and Perris, using 15lbs and 30lbs battery powered trolling motor to comb the lakes.

"Seams coming apart": Yep. What you expect from it being sewn in countries that don't have quality check.

"Offset trolling motor block is awkward to reach". That goes for all pontoon. Mine is a huge pontoon, and I still have awkwardness to it. Costs me another $200 to make that awkwardness goes away.

"Low-quality oarlocks easily break or slip": Low quality oar locks. You can get a better quality nickle/stainless steel ones for $20 at BPS or online.

"Built-in transport wheel is difficult to use, stow, and balance the boat on": sure does. But, that's pretty much for all pontoons. I have to redesign mine with dual wheels rather single to remove that balancing issues, and allowing me to go a lot further with less stress on my body.

If you have room to store, able to haul behind/above/inside your vehicle, forget the inflatable pontoon and go for broke on the kayak. Trust me on this. Since you have a boat, utilize the boat over the pontoon. If you want to access waters that the boat can't get to, use the float tube. If you want to access areas that the boat will be taking the heavy damages which you don't want, stick with a sit-on-top kayak.