[Brett]

I discovered that Scadden has bladderless pontoon boats. I suspect that these are made from heavy duty PVC, much like the Watermaster rafts. I like that idea as it's one less thing to go wrong. Anybody have one? What are your impressions?

 

[Robert Engleheart]

Lifetime Warranty on them. Dave's been around and while some have had issues with his customer service, I've experienced nothing but excellent response. On some issues I had, I was given his personal cell number so I could call him while he was on the road to the Denver show.

 

[Kent Lufkin]

Not sure whether Scadden makes the tubes themselves or simply buys them from a supplier. In either case, bladderless tubes are definitely superior, but heavier than zip-in bladder tubes. The material is considerably heavier and thus stronger, but will definitely add weight to your boat.

While bladderless tubes are probably overkill for lake fishing, for rivers they're preferable thanks to their heavy duty material and top and bottom rub and skid plates. Usually the 10' and larger sizes have dual chambers with separate inflation valves, providing a sort of insurance policy against disaster in the case of a catastrophic tube rupture or tear. If you've already got a pontoon boat, you might consider simply buying the bladderless tubes separately and then strapping them to your existing frame.

K

 

[Bill Aubrey]

I have them on his Madison. They are incredible. A friend has a toon with bladder tubes, and spends too much time aligning and assembling.

 

[Dr. Magill]

Have them - they work great - 10'6" Skykomish Sunrise - have had it about 5 years

 

[NW Steve]

I have them on his Madison. They are incredible. A friend has a toon with bladder tubes, and spends too much time aligning and assembling.

Bill, I have a skykomish sunrise. It has the tubes with a bladder. Really do not seem that much harder to get on the water. Why is there so much difference?

 

[Dr. Magill]

Bill, I have a skykomish sunrise. It has the tubes with a bladder. Really do not seem that much harder to get on the water. Why is there so much difference?

I'm not Bill - but my take is this:
Easier to dial in
thicker fabric on the outside
No zippers (probably the best reason)
The more debris (coarse sand, dirt, etc.) that gets between the bladder and the cover would amount to more abrasion on the inner tubes. Under heavy use I think it would be difficult to keep the crap out of the pontoon. I know that we sit around and think "Well, I'll just be more careful", but the reality of it is we launch in the dark, we take out in the dark when we're dog-assed tired, and we just don't treat the boat as well as we probably thought we would. I think they will last longer.

 

[garystrome]

Same tubes as Cataraft.Net RowFrame.Com. Good Tubes with 7-10 Yrs of Service Life, long water line, high floation, low drag coefficient