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Mitey-Toon Eleven Footer

Finding the right boat for your boating application is the key to maximizing fun.  One boat that is not on enough lists for consideration is the mini pontoon.  By mini, I mean a two-sponson pontoon boat that is under twelve feet in total length.  The sponsons (those tubes that the pontoon’s platform rests on) are typically aluminum, but could also be plastic, or wood.  Load capacity is normally under 800 pounds.  Power could be electric or gas.  (Yes - some are pedal or paddle powered, but that is another direction than we are heading here.) 

Mini pontoons can be used for slow water strolls around ponds or small lakes, or on bigger water under little wind and no water current conditions.  If getting on the water and sitting in a comfortable boat seat on an elevated platform that moves along in virtual silence appeals to you, then look at the mini pontoon.  It is an easy in and out for all ages, and the stability of the pontoon configuration makes for a relaxing experience. 

Fishing from a mini pontoon offers more comfort and stability than a conventional mono-hull small boat or canoe.  You can enter shallow waters with ease, and organize your equipment any number of ways on the usual six foot by eight foot platform.  The available biminis keep the sun under control - a feature not usually found on the other small boat options. 

For motorized mini pontoons, power can be electric or gas.  An electric option frequently used is the Minn-Kota 55# thrust trolling motor.   With an onboard battery charger, you simply refuel an electric-powered mini pontoon by plugging in the charger when you return to port.  Nothing could be simpler.  A battery will keep you moving at sea (read pond) for six hours or more. 

Use Gas power for a mini pontoon if it will be used where there is a need for more thrust power to deal with wind, or for a little more speed.  Yamaha has a great four-cycle long-shaft F4 four-horse motor to fit the bill. 

True - a mini pontoon does not have the same asthetics as a curvy painted and varnished wood launch made for two.  But for every other nautical reason, a mini pontoon may serve your small boat purposes very well.

• low-cost ($3-4,000)
• stable
• easy in & out
• light weight (250-400#)
• multi-use
• environmentally friendly
• low-maintenance
• simple to use

An online search for mini pontoons will kick up a number of manufacturers.  Among those, here is the one I like:  the Mitey-Toon manufactured by Northern Exposure in Minnesota.  Designed for electric or gas, you can buy a complete electric Mitey-Toon with power and charger for under $3,500.  The quality of the design and welds is first-class.  The eighteen inch sponsons give an extra lift under load, and the manufacturer will customize as needed for railings. 

Here is a bit of Mitey-Toon video.

There are many rewards for a day of fishing, but one of the best comes when you can sit down and enjoy a meal of your fresh catch.  By dinner time, after a day on the water most are tired and well north of hungry so the simple solutions to a great meal can be the best.  Read on to see what DNRguide likes to do. 

Find a ready-made coating mix that will season and coat your serving portion fish pieces, and prepare them for pan or deep frying. 

• Moisten the fish with water, milk, or lightly beaten eggs. 
• With the coating mix in a bowl or in plastic bag, coat or shake each piece until covered.
• Pan fry for about ten minutes.  Or deep fry for about five minutes.  Shoot for golden brown.
• Eat. 
• Relax. 

What seasoning is best?  That of course is a matter of taste, and many do make their own.  Two popular ones that I use are Shore Lunch and Fryin’ Magic.   My favorite was confirmed again today with a batch of fresh northern caught under Minnesota ice - Fryin’ Magic.  An awesome flavor and a coating that came out of the fryer with a gorgeous golden brown.   

Enjoy. 

DNRguide

Acipenser Fulvescens - One of twenty species of sturgeon.

If you are out fishing for the familiar walleye and northern in Minnesota waters and you hook into a Lake Sturgeon, it can be quite a surprise for those who have never met up with these big swimmers that have an ancient-looking design.  Out in Lake Superior, they average four feet in length and thirty-five pounds.  But if your “fortunate” enough to hook into a big one be prepared to see a fish that has set a record at seven feet and three hundred pounds.  This bottom-feeder can live up to one-hundred years so with all those years of eating some size is more than possible. 

Fishing for sturgeon in most states is limited in some way.  Far less seen now than a century ago, over-fishing put a dent in their slow-producing population.  Sturgeon can’t reproduce until their third decade, and the females only spawn every four to five years. 

When it comes to priorities for boaters, having the right sort of dock comes in near the top.  Dock varieties come in many flavors:  wood, aluminum, steel, and even concrete and plastic.  Whatever the material, the purpose of a dock is to create an artificial extension of the land to permit solid footing alongside water that is deep enough to secure and board a boat.  Without it, a boater is at the whim of the shoreline. 

In the freezing regions, lake cabin owners mark the beginning and end of the season by when the dock is in and out.  As part of the support scene for all waterfront activities, the dock is the visual and functional hub at the water’s edge. We need these pedestrian walkways for our fun.  Yet in spite of this recreational reliance on docks, few are enthused at the twice annual (for most of us) “messing with the dock.” 

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