Tube Types: There are three basic float tube flavors on the market these days.  The first is your classic round tube that has a truck tire or vinyl tube encased in a fitted nylon bag.  The second style is the U-Boat which as the name implies is U shaped to allow easy entry and exit from the boat.  More recently there have been some boats introduced that are like mini pontoon boats with separate pontoons and a small frame between them.  There are advantages and disadvantages to each so let’s discuss.

Round Tubes: Round tubes can have a truck tire inside or a vinyl inner tube.  The truck tire based tubes are going to be your most durable option and durability is important when you’re bobbing around in open water.  The sacrifice for durability weight because frankly, truck tires are heavy!  Another drawback to the truck tire boats is the fact that you’re going to want to inflate them at a gas station with compressed air.  It is possible to inflate them with a hand pump but my experience has been that it’s inconvenient and difficult to get enough pressure to blow the boat up fully with a bike pump setup.  Truck tires also take a ridiculous amount of time to deflate which can be frustrating if you need to inflate and deflate your boat for transport.  Despite the inconveniences of the truck tire, if you’re going to buy just one float tube, I would strongly consider this type. 

Tubes with vinyl bladders are much lighter than truck tires.  They also offer the added convenience of being able to blow up your tube by mouth or using a generic electric pump with cigarette lighter adapter.  On a warm day if you hit the water and the water is cold,the air in your tube will become more dense and your boat will sag.  Being able to add air while you are on the water is nice when that happens.  The drawback to a vinyl bladder is durability and risk of puncture.  My dad and I both owned Lew’s brand tubes with vinyl bladders for several years and although they served us well for the price, both of them eventually developed leaks.  A vinyl bladder tube is still a good bet if you want to carry your tube long distances or you need the ability to rapidly inflate and deflate your boat. 

There is another tube type you will see occasionally, typically in the $50 price range.  They are vinyl, like a rubber raft, and they have no nylon cover.  Do not buy this type of tube.  The nylon cover helps deflect hooks and other sharp objects and without it, it’s very easy to puncture your boat.  This happened to a guy I used to fish with about 100 yards offshore in the ocean.  He barely made it back to shore before the tube was completely out of air. 

U-Boats: U-Boats were marketed heavily when they came out, and I was swayed into purchasing one when my Lew’s tube gave up the ghost.  The boat I bought was a Caddis with a vinyl bladder (most U-Boats have vinyl bladders) and it was definitely the worst tube I’ve ever fished out of.  The mouthpiece to add air was underneath the boat which made it impossible to add air while on the water if the cold water shrunk your boat.  I also found that the U shaped design was hard to maneuver and annoyingly saggy in the front.  U boats are typically larger than their round counterparts which means more effort paddling, and if you’re like me and you’ve figured out how to paddle forward in your boat, you’ll find it’s very frustrating with the open front if you are trying to stay in position while facing into the wind.  There are some high end U-Boats made by companies like Bucks Bags that look nice and feature more rigid construction, but I would stay away from the inexpensive U-Boats and any boat that inflates by mouth but does not have on the water access to the valve. 

Mini Pontoons: The mini pontoon boats are interesting and I haven’t had a chance to try one yet but judging by the design they are probably not the fastest boats out there.  They strike me as being a very stable platform to fish from, just like a full sized pontoon but with squared off ends I can’t imagine they are very fun to kick into the wind.  If I was choosing between a U-Boat and a mini pontoon, I would go with a U-Boat with the tapered ends in the back.