Frameless Pontoons - Any favorites out there?

[SFMike]

Hey Mark,
Yeah, I've seen the inflatable kayaks popping up a bit more lately. I did an overnight float on a two man one with some friends about 10 years ago in BC and it worked great. It handled probably bigger rapids than we should have been taking it down just fine. We didn't fish from it, but for getting down the river, it was perfect.

So after my initial thoughts on the Voyager, Renegade or Fish Cat Scout, I ended up jumping on a good deal on a Watermaster Kodiak. I didn't put it on my initial list because they're a bit more than the other boats I mentioned. It's also the only one that I've actually used and my buddy that has one highly recommends it. Hopefully I'll get to test it out pretty soon and I'd still love to compare it to a Renegade, OSG Commander and the Stealth Pro at some point. Those seem to be the best looking boats right around a grand.

I'm still curious about the Voyager just because it was $400. But no one has chimed in on that. Anyway, thanks for all the replies and please keep any info coming - it's great to hear about all the other options.

Mike

[JAWallace]

SF Mike, I think you're going to be very pleased with your Watermaster. I don't speak from ownership experience, but knowing those who have or have had them. The only complaint that you ever hear is due to the lack of rocker in the bow they can be a bit slow both on moving and still water. Otherwise, great quality and features. You'll get a lot of use from it and will love riding and fishing in it.

For those who still haven't pulled the trigger on any floating device, Creek Company has a terrific sale on their ODC line now. You can get a good enough float tube for $125.

[markz]

Hi Mike,
One thing I like about the kayak is that on the lower American it can be a long paddle to takeout with very little current and head wind. The kayak is very good under those conditions and if you are only rowing or kicking-it's a bear.

I like the watermaster because you can fish and float at the same time and add an electric motor for lakes.

MarkZ

[JAWallace]

If you fish stillwater, the motor option is great. I've done it several times and other than lugging the battery and motor mount it's so nice. You reverse the head so the motor is pulling you backwards, set the speed super low, and steer with your fins. If you want to move, just crank it up and use the motor tiller handle.

I often fish the A with a kayak fisherman, and MarkZ has a good point. He can book downriver and I'm slower. More importantly he can go upstream and that's next to impossible with the pontoon unless you catch a back eddy or want to work really hard. Still, there's a lot going on with paddling and casting in a kayak, especially on moving water, and I can anchor when needed and that's touchy with a yak.

[tdrfishoot]

The Water Strider is another good option for drifting and fishing. Cool video on the site shows how it works and some guys using it on almost whitewater. Plus, you can stop, stand and fish just by putting your feet down.

http://www.waterstrider.com/

Tim

[leicafish]

Mike,

I've had a Renegade for about 2 years now and I am very happy with it. I have drifted and fished the lower sac and it worked fine although there is a lot going on to be drifting and fishing at the same time. You are probably better off using it for access. There is a cool video on the NFO website about using Scadden boats for drifting and accessing the Dechutes. I have also tagged along on some mild whitewater trips and the boat has performed really well. There is a stretch on Cache Creek that is class 2+ to 3 and I have also floated the East Fk Carson at high water which was class 2+. I left it out in some really hot sun and the oarlock started peeling away from the pontoon. I had some other minor issues also but NFO has generally been pretty good about returning my calls. I would still recommend it.

Gary