Roanoke Pontoon Boat with Oars, 8-ft

Bought one for myself and one for my son to use fly fishing in Montana. Overall the boats worked as expected. No problems setting up or using the boats. Worked as advertised. Only comments for improvement relate to the oars. Obviously you get what you pay for but the oars need a better lock. The round ring locks just did not stay in place so we were constantly adjusting the positioning of the oars. The oar mounting holders are made of hard plastic which will not last. The foot rest tubes bent as a result of being made of thinner metal. Again, you get what you pay for. We will use these a couple times per year so they meet out needs. Would recommend to others for similar use. More frequent use I would recommend spending the extra money to get a more solidly built boat.

I use this pontoon for lake fishing primarily, but have considered it for river fishing recently. I have the older model, the one with the cloth seat, not the new plastic seat. After having this item for a little over 7 years I have been impressed with the lack of rust on the metal frame and the durability of the parts. I live in a desert environment were I drag the boat across sand/ brush/ thorns to water for use. I am just now ordering a new bladder for the pontoon as I cannot find the lead. The skins are still going strong, as is the frame and components. Classic accessories has provided me with replacement parts when needed that fit well. If they had an upgrade for this model to attach a trolling motor I would jump on it in a heartbeat. All in all, it is a good product. It does not have 5 stars as I dislike the cloth gear "basket" it comes with. I think they should all have a metal basket for use. The cloth basket is the weak part of this pontoon. Mine has torn out at the seams. I no longer use it for storage.

There is a river here in Portland, Oregon named the Clackamas River. Its widely known to the population out here as a river to float using inner tubes, small rafts and basically anything that floats (blown up air mattresses are seen being used from time to time). My friends and I go almost weekly if not bi-weekly as a way to escape the heat and have fun outside on a tight budget. I bought this raft as a way to get out of the inner tubes and also with hopes of being able to lighten the load of other people using inflatable coolers. The raft did GREAT on the first float. I had a small cooler with beers strapped to the back, sunblock in the zipper pockets and a few small dry boxes with peoples id's and car keys. Total over all weight including myself.... 250lbs. The max weight of the boat is 350lbs, so I was under weight of its total max weight by a good amount. Not even TWO (2) hours into the float, I pull over into a jetty to let some of the slower members of the group catch up and while rowing backwards, the right oar bent itself almost in half, making itself useless. The left oar was dented too. I didn't bottom out on the bottom of the river, nor did I strike a large rock, just too much torque or what not. So I bent the oar too and fro until the bend broke the oar making some part of the oar semi-useful. An hour later, that dent in the left oar resulted in the same demise as the right oar. Upon further inspection, these oars are made of some cheap thin aluminum and molded plastic. Now I'm on the hunt for better oars that hopefully will work with these small oar locks. If not, I'm returning the boat in whole back to Cabela's and getting my money back.

this is my first pontoon boat and like previous reviews i really like enjoy it. really easy to put together and to transport. the issue with the oar lock is pretty easy to fix, just wrap with electrical tape on either side of the lock and walla no oar movement. really like it and has helped me catch a lot of fish

I have owned one of the very first pontoon boats from Water Skeeter and have used it very heavy for 15 years until the welds broke on me. This pontoon tubing on this is very thin. If you are not careful it will bend on you. Also the rubber rings to stop the oars from slipping will move on you . The sizing of the tubing is a special size to where you can't add many options example ( oar locking devices ). Some of the straps for the pontoon are too short. Had to drill holes at the bottom of the oars to release water they gather from rowing, now I wonder about rust starting inside the oars. Also starting to see rust already after a two times of use. I was generous to give it a three stars for rating.