UltraSkiff. Any good?

[Aaron O]

So I watched this video about a new design and I can't tell if it is a smart design or just ridiculous. I like the idea that your fishing either standing up or at least higher off he water. Don't think this would work on the Potomac though. Let me know your thoughts.

Www.ultraskiff.com

[namfos]

Doesn't seem anymore strange than some of these, http://bit.ly/1Gtd8of

;-)

Mark

[TurbineBlade]

On Lake of the Ozarks where I grew up I saw a lot of people rig up a chunk of "dock foam" with a trolling motor and fish in the coves with it.  

I'd try it - it looks like fun honestly.  

Gene

[Miles]

I don't think it's totally ridiculous, but it is designed for a very specific type of water: small lakes and ponds that are big enough for wind to be an issue but not so big that you have to run any distance to find fish. To their credit, they admit this boat is slow, but I think it would actually be tedious over anything over a mile. And it's really heavy - not something you can car-top to a better spot. Some of the lakes near where I grew up in Florida would be good places to fish this boat, but there are already dozens of comparable boats on the market.

It's also designed for spin and bait casters - not fly fishing. An SUP or a good fishing kayak would be just as good on the same type of water, but also give you the hull speed to go find fish. I think there's also a physics problem with the hull for longer casts, that I will explain badly: in my canoe I notice it is much easier to cast a good distance on the long axis of my boat. If I try to cast to the side, the rocking action of the boat soaks up some of the energy of the cast. Because the long axis acts as a lever (I guess) to oppose the force of the cast, the boat does not rock as much and more energy goes into the line. I also notice the problem in shorter boats, like rec kayaks. In this case, the round hull doesn't have a long axis, so it is not going to provide that leverage for longer casts. Also, the rocking scares fish.

So if you need a stable boat for short casts on a specific small body of water, this might be a good choice. But it's not the only choice, and probably not the best.

MIles