Well, I've asked a lot of questions about pontoons on here, and probably you guys are all starting to think, "geez, just buy something already" but when you're a poor grad student, you have to be sure you're getting the right thing the first time.

I was planning on using my Christmas money to buy either a new tube or a toon (and a couple Berkley AMP rods). I was leaning toward a toon, but I have some concerns which hopefully you guys can answer.

1. I've been tubing since I was 10, and have always used paddle pusher fins. I know its unpopular and uncool, but its what I grew up with and I'm comfortable with. I'm concerned that with the raised seating of the toon, they will no longer work for me. Will enough of my legs be in the water to make use of paddle pushers with a toon? What about with the newer float tubes like the fat cat?

2. Wind. I've heard toons are pretty tough to handle in the wind. since I live in KS, the wind basically blows all the time. Its rare to fish in a wind less than 10mph. Will the toon blow around a lot more than say, a Scadden h3 or a Fat Cat?

3. $$. I can afford to spend about $500 for a new tube/toon, and a graph for it. Is it better to buy a cheap Creek Company toon (classic or xl) or a nice tube?

I mostly fish waters from 25-450 acres, but some waters nearby are much larger (15000) and I'd like to be able to fish them somewhat too. I know that toons have more range due to the oars/tm mounts, but tubes are more portable and can just be portaged from spot to spot for fishing on larger waters too. I just don't know what to do. Obviously, I'd like to have both, but on my budget, that's just not going to happen. So basically, it comes down to portability vs. capacity/range, and the wind factor. HELP!!