****** - Verified Buyer
4.5
This float tube is an incredible value. I have numerous classic accessory float tubes and you will be hard pressed to find a guy who fishes one any harder than I do. I fish from ice out til the water freezes again. I fish in every type of condition from blazing heat to freezing cold, wind, rain. I fish all kinds of bodies of water. Many I fish require hiking in and out of rugged terrain with the float tube either inflated or not on my back. I have fished this in the heaviest of cover from thick vegetation, thick deep mud that requires me to hop across it in my float tube. You cannot kick through the mud it is so thick. Any type of structure and cover you can think of I have float tubed through. I am not afraid to put myself or my float tube in the thickest nastiest stuff on a body of water. That is often times where my best fishing happens.I am primarily a bass angler, but because I live in an area that gets cold winters, I will do some trout, salmon, pickerel, pike ect..fishing as well as it gets very cold and the fishing can get slow. I tend to carry anywhere from 2 to 4 rods with me. 4 rods is a bit much for this thing just using the rod straps. But I deal with them getting tangled up ect..at times because it is what it is. I carry bait binders and other bait cases when I fish. I usually dedicate one storage side to baits and the other to drinks, snacks, hook outs, pliers, fish grips, action cam, deeper sonar, towel if need be. Basically whatever I need I make it fit. I put my pump and hose in a plastic bag and put it on the rear netting of my float tube. It holds it fine and some times I have had to add a little air after getting out on the water.These float tubes are easy to carry, and easy to set up and then break back down. I can't imagine anything that allows you to fish so effectively to be any easier.For me, these float tubes tend to last me one full fishing season before I need a new one. And over that time it usually needs repairs. The pvc cross bar that has the bib attached to it, it is pointed and you always want to set it into the sleeves so it goes in the correct way. Do it incorrectly and you could get a tear in the bladder. take your time with that and do it right and you'll be good. I have had leaks in my bladders before and they are usually slow leaks and I have never had an issue getting off the water. I would suggest to have a spare set though. You'll be glad you did. It sucks to get out on the water and have your planned day of fishing ruined by a leak. Keep a spare with you, go back to the car, replace it and get back on the water. The bladders are very well protected though. The float tube is very rugged and I have hit everything from tree tops to rocks and the float tube just bounces right off them without issue. The quality control for the valves on the bladders is not good from classic accessories. I have had numerous float tubes with valve issues out of the box. I have also had issues with the zippers on the storage pockets. The handles have broke on me and the zippers themselves have broke on me. This has never happened right off though. It tends to happen when I have used the float tube long and hard and it is simply starting to break down under the use.I would have knocked off a star or more because of these issues, but the fact that classic accessory has been so good to me as far as customer service goes, I figure I would put a star or two back because of that. They have always been quick to send me replacement parts if need be, or a new float tube if need be and it has been without hassle. They stand by their products.I have been fishing these float tubes hard for years. I am a big guy at 6ft and can weigh as much as 285. one con is they do not sell replacement foam for the seats for this model. You would have to cut your own to replace them. The seats are not the most comfortable seats on earth, but they could be a lot worse. I have fished morning til night hundreds of times on these and usually I need to pull up and stretch out a bit at some point during the day. But overall I like the seats. They adjust to my liking and they keep you high enough above the water that you can effectively sight fish and fish beds ect..Overall, this float tube is more comfortable than any other ( stock out of the box) float tubes or kayaks I have usedEvery boat has its pros and cons. A kayak can cover water many times faster then this thing can. It is not even close. These things are slow going. And on bigger bodies of water, especially on very windy days, you're going to be kicking a ton. But using your legs allows you to hold your position even in very windy conditions. It is very difficult to hold any type of position in wind with a kayak. I guess it just depends on what you are looking for and what suits your needs best. There are numerous pros and cons for each type of boat.Overall I love my float tube. It is not perfect for all situations of course, but for where I live, the types of bodies of waters I fish, I can get out there and catch the heck out of fish. And its a unique experience fishing from a float tube. You are very connected to your surroundings.A couple more things I have found very helpful. One is, take either some duct tape or even epoxy, and cover the sharp ends of the pvc cross bar. The sharp edges of that cross bar are probably the easiest way to get a puncture in a bladder. Any time you move or adjust those edges tend to rub it dig in. Just use tape or epoxy to dull the edges and you'll never have to worry about that.Second, get yourself some good uv protectant for your boat. The sun beats these down. You can prolong the condition and life of your float tube if you use a quality uv protectant every month or two. Makes all the difference.
