It seems that some of you transport your
assembled pontoon boats on top of your rigs. What kind of distances do
you feel comfortable in travelling? What kind of speeds? What do
use to strap them down? I suspect the boats and wind (like we never
get that in Eastern WA, right?) cause some issues.
I have a PAC 800 that I have used only a couple
of times. It's a great craft, but it does get to be a hassle
assembling and disassembling the frame and inflating and
deflatingthe pontoons each time I use it.
By the way, I have a '95 Grand Cherokee
that is a very good vehicle. It serves as both the recreational and
the around town vehicle, and although it does not excel at either, it does
well in each. An assembled 9' rod fits inside it.
It's comfortable, reasonably economical (it's a straight 6), and seems
tough. It has a 108k miles on it, but it's still tight and appears to
be running just fine. The downside is sometimes it is a little tight
for room if I'm hauling 3 guys and all their gear. However, when using
the vehicle around town (which 90% of the time, unfortunately), the slightly
smaller size (relative to a Suburban, Durango, or Tahoe, say) allows it to
be very maneuverable in traffic and park easily.
I see the vehicle choices like boats; they
are all compromises in one or another, and there isn't the 'one' answer or
perfect vehicle or boat. Like my dad told me, the well-equipped,
versatile sportsperson should have at least 6 different water
craft. I'm still trying to convince my wife of that; and, if I'm
ever successful in that endeavor, I'll write a self-help book on it.
:-)
Richard
Embry
