Reading back over this there is one important point I missed. I think a depth finder is important even though you don't fish from the pontoon. When we had ours 25 years ago I had a separate boat to fish from. But, I always wanted to see what's down below. I don't know how many times I have seen recreational boaters unknowingly pulling skiers or kids on a tube fast over deep water that had submerged trees within a couple of feet of the surface.