I guess it was easier to find folks than I expected. 
Thanks for the replies. I’ll be in touch!
Thanks for the replies. I’ll be in touch!
Float Tube Safety
- Thread starter jaredoconnor
- Start date
I recommend a pontoon boat. They keep your butt out of the water and afford you the flexibility of having both oars and kick fins. It's a lot easier (and safer, should a stiff headwind come up while you're at the far side) to row across a lake than to kick across it, and when you get where you're going, you have the kick fins to stay in place and make small movements.
Plus... as long as you get a decent one, you can use the pontoon on rivers, too!
The downside versus a float tube is when you need to hike in. You can drag a sturdy pontoon a lot of places, but I wouldn't recommend any more than about 1/4 mile for that one, especially if any uphill climbs are involved. That's where the donut rules....
Plus... as long as you get a decent one, you can use the pontoon on rivers, too!
The downside versus a float tube is when you need to hike in. You can drag a sturdy pontoon a lot of places, but I wouldn't recommend any more than about 1/4 mile for that one, especially if any uphill climbs are involved. That's where the donut rules....
I agree , the days of float tubes are done for me , although I used to hike into lakes never used a float tube anyway . Pontoons are so much better on so many levels.
I enjoyed my float tube years , but don’t miss them at all now that I have pontoon boats .
Do they even make quality donut tubes any more? I'm surprised they still call float tubes, "tubes" since the majority of good ones out there currently are in the FishCat/FatCat mold. more of a V-boat powered by fins. kinda the perfect hike in craft right there. Throw it on your back, sit just above the water, fin powered.....
I float tube alone all the time. Often at lonely hike-in lakes - where I worry more about somehow breaking an ankle or rattlesnakes. Like the others said, use a tube with at least 2 chambers and a pdf. If you go often enough, eventually one of your tube bladders will get a leak, sometimes pretty large. I've had that happen way out on Crane and Davis, still got in fine, though I'd probably be more cautious on how far I go out on a windy day. When inflating your tube, especially in the morning of a hot day, be careful to not over-inflate, make sure there is a decent amount of give when testing with your thumb. When you get out for a break, etc on a hot day, let some air out of the tube.
I've also managed to fall out of my tube. Don't recommend it, but even with waders and no wading belt I was able to get to my tube ok. I could have inflated the pdf, but didn't seem necessary.
I've also managed to fall out of my tube. Don't recommend it, but even with waders and no wading belt I was able to get to my tube ok. I could have inflated the pdf, but didn't seem necessary.
Shameless plug!
FS - Estate fishing items for sale
Caddis Belly Boat - $50 This looks like it has never been used. It comes with: Fins Two anchors and some rope Pack straps Stripping apron Rod holder Orvis Fins - $15 Not looking to ship any of these items and would prefer you pick them up in the Mount Vernon/Clear Lake area.
www.pnwflyfishing.com
Jim in Anacortes
Life of the Party
For me, fishing alone is similar to diving alone. When getting certified, divers are usually taught to never dive alone, and always be in sight of their buddy. Many diver fatalities are two people... that were using the "buddy system". IMHO a "buddy" can often be used to justify being in a situation that you have no business being in. Overestimating your "buddy's" ability to save your ass...is a real threat. Of course having people around to save you is a good thing,, But if you are fishing in a manor that you only feel comfortable with when you have a "buddy".....I say fish elsewhere.
wanderingrichard
Life of the Party
This week's safety topic at work was water safety. It was really dismissed and glossed over until myself and two former coasties took charge of the topic and shared this video via internal email. Management freaked , but only because we pulled an external site inside the firewall.
Personal note. Have flipped my yak twice. Both times were a surprise. Had I not been wearing my knife equipped pfd the 2nd time I might not be writing this.
Personal note. Have flipped my yak twice. Both times were a surprise. Had I not been wearing my knife equipped pfd the 2nd time I might not be writing this.
hall of float tube shame...last day at a cool high altitude lake wife and I had been camping at, bungied our pumped up Wood River V boats onto the bike rack, headed for home on the coast...pulled over for coffee in the sweltering valley...and numbly noted the blown bladder and split nylon seam on one, the other looking like a swollen German susage.. being the dumbass who forgot to let air out before departing
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I thought going to high altitude with a fully inflated tube was the problem?
Maybe it was more of a heat thing? Every +1000’ is like 3-4 degrees colder if I remember from hiking. Drop 6000 feet in elevation and you might gain 20-25*F.
Admittedly I cut most of my high school science classes and went fishing instead, but I also thought it was the other way around for pressure. First time I ever flew with a waterproof backpack (Fishpond Thunderhead) as my carry on, when I went to grab something out of it mid-flight it looked like it was about to blow.
wet adiabatic lapse rate = 3.3 degrees of cooling every 1000' of altitude gain...without it, no snow
yea, left the mountains in the 50's, hit the summer valley floor over 100...pop
That's a pressure related deal on flights. Less pressure up higher, volume of gas expands. Boyles law I think? Which requires temperature be constant, which it typically is on commercial flights. At least relatively constant.
Boyle's Law - something one get's introduced to on day one when getting scuba certified...the 'bends' being a divers worse nightmare (other than Whitey sneaking up behind him)
^^^ +1
I've always worn a Type III on rivers but also made this change when fishing lakes beginning this fall.
However I will continue to use an inflatable when hiking into lakes with my WL BP Pro for size & weight reasons.
Bottom line, I always wear a PFD when floating.
Re-reviving this thread with "thread drift" -
Both my pant waders and chest waders come with neoprene (stretchy, very stretchy) wading belts that aren't very tight (I can pull my pant waders down to pee without undoing the belt and the belt is stretched to the max). I'm curious about wading belts for skinny old farts. Amazon seems to offer wading belts that look like something a lineman uses.
@jaredoconnor time for you to update your float tube experience. (Ps. I float tube alone often and worry more about car breakins than drowing, never without wearing my NRS Chinook PFD)
Both my pant waders and chest waders come with neoprene (stretchy, very stretchy) wading belts that aren't very tight (I can pull my pant waders down to pee without undoing the belt and the belt is stretched to the max). I'm curious about wading belts for skinny old farts. Amazon seems to offer wading belts that look like something a lineman uses.
@jaredoconnor time for you to update your float tube experience. (Ps. I float tube alone often and worry more about car breakins than drowing, never without wearing my NRS Chinook PFD)
I hate the stretchy belts. They are useless for hanging things off (water bottle, bear spray, etc). If you look for nylon security guard belts, on Amazon, there are a million choices.
I haven’t been able to use my tube yet. The old ball and chain made me promise to get some projects done first, but we have been permanently sick since my daughter started daycare. Progress has been painfully slow. Doesn’t help that I completely f****ed the final coat on our dining table and had to start all over again.
Hopefully will get my first trip report up, in the next month or so.
