First things first, the Pond Prowler and Quest Angler are both identical boats from the same manufacturer, sold in different department stores. For example, if you walk into Bass Pro, you’ll be buying the Prowler. Dicks Sporting goods, on the other hand, sells the Quest Angler. I personally picked up a used Pond Prowler 10’ for $300 on Facebook Marketplace. Anyway, here’s EVERYTHING you’ll need to know!
Stability
- THE most common question I receive regarding these small pontoon style boats is the stability. These boats are NOT a flat bottom design, they are pontoon boats. Meaning, these have incredible stability compared to a 10’ flat bottom! I was shocked. My wife and I have never felt like we were in danger of tipping, even in white caps on a windy day in the ocean. I’ve walked on the very edge to switch seats with my wife no problem. Most owners would agree the stability is a pleasant surprise.
- I had a West Marine Water Tender 9.4’ and sold it after only 20 minutes on the water. I realized nothing will beat the Prowler in terms of stability. We feel very stable, even when I stand up, take a couple steps and cast. This is built for fishing, so it’s extremely stable for two adults. 10/10 stability. Not hardly any room for improvement!
Maneuverability
- For the first couple weeks I would solo load and unload the boat full of gear into my 6 foot F-150 truck bed. It fits absolutely perfectly! I flip my seats upside down and leave the motor, cooler, rods, batteries, paddles, everything in the truck bed, inside the boat. However, it started becoming annoying loading it up solo in the bed of a truck after a long day fishing. I now have a trailer, but I had one anyway. The 5x8 Tractor Supply utility trailer does a great job. No more lifting/ dragging! I back my wheels right up to the edge of the water line at the boat ramp and slide ‘er right in!
- Speaking of dragging, these boats are a HASSLE to drag. I know people always say you can drag it too hard to reach spots for the best fishing. I’ve done that twice. I only had to drag my boat 25-30 yards and was forced to take multiple breaks. I am a young man, strong and in shape. Still, it was not fun and I now find myself ONLY putting my boat in at places where very, very little carrying/ dragging is needed. Which means, boat ramps. Luckily I have a solid 15-25 options here in Panama City, Florida. I can’t recommend trying/ planning to drag it far.
- Honestly, it’s not a kayak. It’s a little over a hundred pounds which is extremely light, however, loaded with gear and dragging alone, not fun. I estimate my boat now weighs over 250 pounds after all my upgrades.
- 7/10 maneuverability. Worse than a kayak but way way better than standard boats.
Functionality
- Functionality is honestly pretty good. The raised seats allow 360 degree casting with lots of comfort and legroom, depending on your gear. There's no dry storage, live well, or anything too cool like that. Afterall, it is an ultra affordable plastic mold boat. However, there are still a few things I really, really appreciate
- For one, it has 2 bow and 2 stern cleats. Lots of other tiny boats require you to drill into the boat itself and attach your own, like my Water Tender. However, this is a nice feature.
- It’s pre-wired for a bow-mounted trolling motor. There's a dedicated battery slot as well as straps to keep it in place. You can attach the wires to your battery terminals. The boat is pre-wired inside the hull and leads to an adapter on the bow you can directly plug into and have power for your trolling motor. Amazing, amazing feature!
- It comes with two rod holders on the bow, which is nice and looks great. However, honestly a major oversight in the design is not having any rod holders on the stern. I either have to hand my rod to my wife who puts it in the holder or lay it flat on the edge. I did install clamp-on rod holders from Amazon I attached to the transom, next to the motor and that works great for me.
- Water drainage is definitely a welcome feature on this boat. Everything runs to the stern of the boat to pool by the interior drain plug. I have interlocking foam mats. With these, we can take on a lot of water before even getting our feet wet! Features compared to other plastic boats will be a 9/10, nothing has more for the price.
Price
- Let’s talk about the price. For $800, that’s cheaper, way cheaper than some high end fishing kayaks that are pedal driven. I actually bought mine for a whopping $300 used and it came with aftermarket seats, two bow pull handles and a paddle holder! If you can buy any of these for under $500, you’re in profit and can make money. Buy used, folks. Most people will sell way cheaper than new WITH custom mods to save you time and money. 80% of the time they come with trolling motors and batteries as well!
- Price has to be a solid 9/10. 10/10 would be if a trolling motor and battery would be included at that price, then it’d be a truly wild value. But, I don't expect that!
Customization
- Honestly, part of my love for this vessel stems from my absolute passion for customizing this boat. I have only reached the tip of the iceberg on mods you can do. Mods are cheap, anybody can do them, especially if I can. There’s some insane builds out there. I am a part of about 4 plastic mini pontoon style boat facebook groups because people post their amazing mods and you’ll find unlimited inspiration there. Customization is truly a 10/10. You can drill and mount anything, anywhere. Here’s a full list of the mods I’ve done to my boat, to date.
My Tiny Boat Build:
Pond Prowler 10': bassproshops.vzck.net/pondprowler
Trolling Motor: https://amzn.to/3S2GAvE
Battery: https://amzn.to/3TKycSF
Battery Box: https://amzn.to/3TKydWJ
Fish Finder w/ Transducer: https://amzn.to/3S3PUPU
Clamp on Rod Holders: https://amzn.to/3vk6OAZ
Clamp on Boat Lights: https://amzn.to/4aCVxMj
Upgraded Boat Seats: https://amzn.to/3vtNzoo
Camo Boat Decking: https://amzn.to/41J8kJ1
Foam Flooring: https://amzn.to/3NLl38h
Paddle Holder: https://amzn.to/3RKRtAQ
Extra Handles for Bow: https://amzn.to/3U2c32H
Emergency Paddle: https://amzn.to/3vsxU8T
Anchor: https://amzn.to/3RJYIZJ
Overall I give this boat a 10/10. I thought long and hard but comparing how much value you get for the price compared to a kayak and how much cheaper, easier and maintenance free it is compared to a traditional boat, I don’t know what else to give it! It serves a very particular need and does it better than the competitors. Stay tuned for everything tiny boats!