Classic Accessories Colorado XT Pontoon Boat

LOVE THIS BOAT ! Best fishing platform ever invented, IMO !!! I could write VOLUMES about how GREAT this boat is !!! I bought my first one 8 years ago and have put it though some VERY rough water. Besides being sun faded, it has held up perfectly!! No issues!!! I bought one for my girlfriend who had never been in a boat by herself. Never used an oar. After one day on the river, she was handling it like a confident professional!!! VERY STABLE!!! You have to work hard to turn it over !!!We liked them so much we bought two more. We now have 4 boats. I bought two small trailers (kits from harbor freight). Instead of breaking them completely down we just stack them on the trailer.We float the local river (Niangua River, Mo Ozarks) every week during the summer. NEVER HAD AN ISSUE WITH THE TOONS !! And we drag the shoals ALLOT ! Even portaging around obstacles is no problem. It’s lightweight makes it easy, AND I’M 60 YEARS OLD !!!It should be noted that unlike a kayak, you can see straight down between your legs into the water. I bought an acrylic serving tray and lay it on top the water between my legs. It’s like looking into an aquarium. We find cell phones, fishing rods, sunglasses, etc. AND, I can see where the big fish are holding!!!Once you set in one of these and row around a bit, you’ll never want to get into a kayak or canoe again.

Ok, so I have owned the Colorado XT for about two months now and are ready to write a review. I took it out for two weeks on a northern New Mexico lake with an added Minn Kota C2 Motor.The first time I assembled it out of the box took about 45 min.- Yes I read the manual...When I took it to the lake I left the frame assembled and the pontoons partially inflated.Using a coleman 12v airpump it took less than 2 mins to fully inflate the pontoons and about 10 mins to fully assemble the boat with all my fishing equipment and the trolling motor.Here are some pros and cons:When you just use the oars it is a little awkward and the boat tends to really veer in one direction or the other. With a trolling motor it works great. It was initially hard to steer since the handle of the motor sat pretty much against my shoulder, but I used the anchor pulley system and routed some rope and steering became a breeze. Storage is awesome and the rod holder works perfect. I purchased a small Battery (for weight reasons) and I used it 2 days in a row using it for 5-6 hours continuously before recharging.Wind is a factor, especially if you are fishing and every cast will pull the boat in the direction you are retrieving... But with the anchor that is not a big deal. It is incredibly stable on the water.I put the boat in the water over rocks every day and there are no markings on the bottom. As for over inflating- I can see the problem if you take it out of the water and leave the pontoons fully inflated as the sun quickly increased the pressure. So every time I took it out of the water i partially deflated the pontoons.Registration was another issue... If you want (and you need to in the state of NM, if you add a motor) register the boat there might be problems. Having it purchased from amazon our DMV did not accept the printout of the receipt (even though I had the manufacturers state of origin).So I called amazon and expected the run around stated in some other feedbacks, but they immediately gave my the address of the director of sport equipment located in Washington state. I send a Bill of sale from my DMV plus the receipt to that department and within 2 weeks I got a filled out form back and after that it was no problem.Overall this boat is a great purchase and I basically love everything about it. For fishing it is great- whether you use it for that or just for cruising around I'm sure you'll love it

I have taken this out 3 times now on a small lake. Grew up canoeing, white water canoeing, rafting, tubing. I've been on rivers from Oregon to South Carolina and all in between. I'll keep this short as possible.Overall, glad I bought it. Perfectly made? Not quite. Excellent all around boat.Negatives: Only 1 really. The seat. I have the regular seat and it slides. Using 4 wing nuts with lock washers was a cheap and poor idea. It's not convenient to adjust either. So you must, and it's not horrible or anything, but you must go out on it once to get an idea where you want the seat and then bring in to shore and adjust and tighten. I found that no matter how hard I turn all 4, eventually it slides slowly backwards.Wind is another problem. Something with this much above water profile catches wind. Fishing during 10mph winds became a chore. I was not using a trolling motor. I believe with one, wind would be a minor issue at worst.Positives: It floats well and holds me. I'm 6'1", 240lb. With gear loaded it was around 260 not including paddles, which are hefty. Adding a trolling motor and 55amp battery puts around 40lbs more. 25% below max cap. So that's good.Put's together pretty easily, especially when you figure out a few shortcuts to the build. E.G. I leave the seat attached to the seat frame and leave the pontoons attached to the rail frames, folding them over into thirds on the frame. I drive a 2016 Sentra, the entire thing minus paddles fits into my trunk. Cool!!! That means I don't need a rack or a truck or a trailer. That's one of the main reasons I bought it.I cannot leave it even partially inflated as it's just a wee to bulky for me to shove it all the way to the front passenger seat coming in from the trunk. Almost, but not quite. Rats. That would have made trunk to water time about 5 minutes flat. But since I have to pump it fully, it takes about 15 minutes. Not bad, but just long enough where you're watching somebody with a kayak pull up, park, and get in the water while you're still pumping. In fact, now I want a kayak from when I'm in a hasty mood to just go and get wet fast!It's sturdy, floats well, paddles well, looks really cool. I cannot tell you how many people say something or stare. Especially when you pull an entire boat out of a nissan sedan.I love the "gear head" engineering (except for the seat). Storage is great. Little things for fisherman is thought of. Everything is easy to get too. I thought I'd hate not having a swivel seat. I'm 52, beat all to hell, disabled vet, high school football, etc. But it's not bad. It would be nicer with a swivel, but it's not uncomfortable to me without one. Additionally, I've heard grumbles about the wheel attachment too. That it bolts on and is a pain and adds 7lbs for a single use. I put a tarp on the ground, assemble it, drag the tarp to the water. It's not so heavy where you have to stop. You can just lean back and pull it no problem over gravel, grass, pavement. Of course, that's only for short distances. If you're camping a hundred feet away from the put in, you'll probably want the wheel attached.Overall I would love to give this thing a 5 star review. Everything about it is pretty clever and made excellently. But because the seat is still an issue for me after 3 trips out, I give it 4.5. I did get it for 25% off. Had I paid full price I don't think I'd be quite as happy given the seat deal.