Get to the storage unit and I see that criminals have gotten there first cleaning my unit of nearly all quick to pawn items such as the trolling motor, battery, fish finder, air compressor and my custom pulling cart for some reason. As soon as the feeling of violation fades I quickly realize things could have been much worse. They left the red tooner with custom mods as well as the comic book collection I started as a kid. This break in will set me back a little bit in regards to electronics but nothing I can’t overcome. The best part is that I was still able to roll out and hit some water that morning. But that is not what I wanted to talk about.
Introducing the Sport LT ODC from Creek Company
With the red tooner showing signs of wear and nearly 5 years long in the tooth, I decided to start shopping around for a backup or all out replacement (which means that I still can’t find\fix the tiny pin hole leak on the red one). Looking over the new models of tooners on the market now I chose the Sport LT for it’s lightweight construction and sale price of 199.00.
After a month or two of use I can say that the Sport LT is one of the best “kick-boats” on the market and should be classified as such. The Gunnison model is a perfect example of a “tiny tooner” with roughly 350-375lb payload. Kick boats are meant to be worn with waders and can accommodate the use of fins rather than oars. An actual tooner is larger and the oars or motor are more practical. The payload increases with the larger models ranging anywhere from 450lbs and beyond. Better classification is needed for pontoon boats across the board in my opinion. If such classification exists, please forgive my ignorance and post a link to that reference in the comments section. I would be forever in your debt.
Pontoons: 8’ in length, 16” in diameter, heavy duty 840 denier nylon outer covers with 30oz PVC coated bottom panels, 30 gauge PVC single chamber Bladders fitted with Boston Valves. Comes with oars, seat, frame, built in cargo pockets, a stripping apron…pretty much everything you see in the photo.
A quick breakdown on the basic stats:
Weight Capacity: 375lbs
Overall Weight: 50lbs
Overall Width: 54”
Overall Size: 96”x54”
The back section of the frame is fairly unique as it has a mesh top and a bar that is raised just behind the seat. This allows a lot of options for me in regards to tying off anchors or adding accessories that clamp on.
The main advantage of the Sport LT is the lightweight design. This thing is a feather compared to other models and about half the weight of my red tooner. The swivel seat option will be my next upgrade as well as a continued migration of my custom mods. The frame diameter is smaller than the red one so re-doing the clamps is taking some time.
If you can go the extra cabbage I would suggest the Kenai model that retails anywhere from 400 to 500 clams. Basspro link provided below. The Kenai is a true “get what you pay for” version with higher quality materials and construction. The seat is slightly raised and the frame design is a higher profile lifting you out of the water more than the Sport LT. The Kenai is slightly heavier then the Sport LT but both are very light for their size. Kenai version states a 350lb pound payload as well but just looking at the thing in the store I know that a person could push the threshold more than the Sport LT. Not saying that I dispute the 375lb rating of the Sport LT model…just stating that the Kenai appears more durable and would have slightly more payload.
