Things You Need To Know Before Choosing A Pond Boat
The need for a pond boat is an important consideration for anybody who keeps koi. Whether you're keeping fish in the garden, the backyard, or want to take your hobby of keeping koi to another level by setting up a pond of your own, then at some point you'll probably need a boat. There are many factors that influence why you might need a boat, and it's important to be aware of them before you make any decisions.
There are different types of pond boats that can be used for different purposes, such as fish transport boats; fish transfer boats; fish retaining nets; fish nets; over-wintering troughs; and feeding boats. The choice of boat will depend on the size of your koi and other factors such as convenience, budget and design.
Before we detail the different types of boats that can be used for various purposes it's important to understand three things: wind; tides; and water depth. If you don't take these factors into account before making a purchase then there may be occasions when you'll need to compromise.
Wind
Strong winds can cause problems for a variety of reasons. Firstly, it's important to be aware that if your koi are being transported by car and the wind is strong enough then they may escape from their transport boxes or nets. This can be prevented by securing them more securely, but this is an inconvenience that you should avoid wherever possible.
Secondly, strong winds can make koi feeding boats less easy to control; and they can make water transfers more difficult. This is because the boat will be pushed away from you (and the fish) making it harder to scoop up or push fish into your net.
Sometimes windy conditions are unavoidable, but there are some measures you can take to make caring for your koi more manageable.
Tides