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Pontoon Overview

One of the best-rated inflatables pontoon boats on Amazon, it’s the Classic Accessories Colorado XT pontoon boat. This is what most fishing enthusiasts would call a “top of the line” pontoon, it’s packed with loads of nifty features, all to make your fishing experience as enjoyable as possible.

The Colorado XT Pontoon boat is 9 feet long and has a carrying capacity of 400 pounds. It comes with a removable transport wheel for an easier launch, it can be easily removed and placed into one of the storage compartments. Some of the many features on the Colorado XT include a weatherproof motor mount, two removable gear bags with 20 pockets in total, two insulated cup holders, a wire basket for rear storage or a battery, two detachable foam fly patches, multi-position rod holders, and much more.

The bottom of the inflatable pontoon boats is coated with heavy-duty PVC for excellent abrasion resistance, getting punctures, and air leaks because you accidentally brushed against rocky surfaces is no longer a problem. The top of the pontoons is made from tough nylon. The bladders are made from cold and heat resistant vinyl, in other words, they’re not going to shrink or expand depending on the weather. The pontoons take about 2 minutes to fill with air if you’re using a small electrical pump.

To summarize, the Colorado XT Pontoon is everything an avid fisherman would want. With all the storage capabilities the XT has to offer, there’s no need to worry about not being able to bring all the gear with you. Even with all the gear packed, you will most likely have storage space left. The smart anchor system allows you to stay in your favorite spot without drifting away, something which we really enjoyed while we were out fishing.

Features

• Two removable side pockets, including 20 pockets and two insulated cup holders
• Loads of storage space for all your fishing gear
• Transport wheel makes it easy to transport from your car into the lake, river or ocean
• Smart and easy to use an anchor system
• Weatherproof motor mount with two positions for trolling
• Two detachable foam fly patches

Specifications

• Dimensions: 108 inches in length, 56 inches in width, and 26 inches in height
• Pontoons: 9  foot long pontoons
• Capacity: 400 pounds
• Weight: 77 pounds (Fully assembled)
• Material: Heavy-duty PVC, Nylon and Steel

Our Review

We were psyched when we got to try this Colorado pontoon boat this summer. We’ve all been fishing for most of our lives, but we never got the chance to fish from an inflatable pontoon boat, up until last summer that is. We were pleasantly surprised, the experience was quite different from what we’re used to, but we quickly got used to it and had a blast all day long. If you’re looking for an inflatable fishing boat, this is it.

Assembly takes a little bit of time, but is easy and straight forward

To fully assemble the Colorado XT (assemble the steel frame, install the seat and inflate the pontoons) takes about an hour or so, depending on how fast you’re going. At first, we were worried that assembling it would be a little like assembling IKEA furniture, luckily we were wrong. It proved to be an easy and straightforward assembly, if you struggle a quick YouTube search will help you out.

Seat made our butts numb

The frame is made out of rigid steel tubes, which have been powder coated multiple times to ensure that the paint sticks, even with heavy usage. It looks good and it works. One thing we didn’t like however was the seat. It could be because we’re used to soft seats from inflatable kayaks, but we just found that our butts became numb after a couple of hours, even with the padding. We put a small pillow on top of the padding and managed to squeeze out another few hours or so.

Awkward motor mount

So while the above mentioned “problem” is mostly personal preference, here’s one thing that could be a potential deal-breaker for some of you. The motor mounting bracket and basket to carry the battery are all in the back, right behind your seat. If you’re using a heavy battery or motor, the boat becomes very unbalanced. With all the weight in the back, the front will rise up and the back part will start to sag, which makes for a really awkward experience. As if that wasn’t enough, because the motor mount is directly behind your seat there’s really no comfortable way of steering the motor with one hand. It might work if you’re a very flexible elite gymnast, but for the rest of us, it’s very unpleasant.

Luckily there’s a fix to this problem, a Youtube user called Nate D invented a way to mount the motor in the front. This helps to shift all the way from the back to front, but it also makes steering the boat a whole lot easier. It does require some DIY (Do-It-Yourself) knowledge but it shouldn’t be too hard to do, even for people with handyman skills.

Abrasion and puncture resistant pontoons

Next, we have the pontoons. The bladders are made from a vinyl material that is both cold and heat resistant, this will prevent the bladders from either shrinking or expanding in different weather conditions. The bottom side of the pontoons is coated with heavy-duty PVC which makes them incredibly abrasion-resistant. We cannot stress how important abrasion resistance is, even if you launch your boat in a silky smooth area, the possibility of scraping against rocks or other hard surfaces is huge! During our testing we “accidentally” hit a couple of rocks to see how it would hold up,  no punctures or leaks were found and we could continue fishing. The top part of the pontoons are covered with tough nylon, not as strong as the bottom part, but it doesn’t need to be either since it will be above water level all the time.

Fits in a medium-sized car without problems

When completely deflated and disassembled, the Colorado XT will easily fit into your car’s trunk. We packed the boat into a Honda Accord, a relatively normal-sized car. Trying to fit your boat in a smaller car might prove to be a little more difficult and you will probably have to use the back seats to store some of the parts. This is not a boat you can easily transport, by the way, so keep that in mind. If you need something highly portable, opt for a kayak instead.

Pros

• Easy to assemble
• Heavy duty and tough pontoons make for great abrasion resistance
• Option to choose between rowing or using a motor
• Loads of storage space
• Transportation wheel for easier launch

Cons

• The seat can be quite uncomfortable if you’re not used to it (easily fixed with a cushion)
• Motor mount is placed at an awkward position, making it hard to steer with one hand (can be fixed with DIY)
• Using a heavy battery or motor without any DIY will cause the back end to sag

Conclusion

If you want a long-lasting, tough, and versatile inflatable fishing boat, this will be one of your best choices. You can take it to the ocean, the lake or a class 1 river. If you’re an avid fisherman wanting to try something new, the Classic Accessories Colorado XT inflatable pontoon boat is definitely a great choice. It’s easy to assemble, has loads of storage room for all your fishing gear, and allows you to choose between rowing or using a motor. Rowing can however be a little difficult, without any skegs going in a straight line is not the easiest of tasks so we recommend getting a motor. If you’re going to be using a heavy motor or battery, be prepared to do some DIY to make it function properly. Luckily there are plenty of video tutorials on Youtube where Colorado XT owners share their tips and tricks.