Inflatable raft?

[Josh L.]

Hi all, 

Does anyone have any experience with inflatable rafts such as the two below?  I'm thinking of buying a small raft, primarily for floating the North Branch of the Potomac.  I don't have a car that can tow a trailer and am looking for a two- or three-person raft that's relatively easy to break down and store in a trunk. 

Flycraft Stealth

Sea Eagle FoldCat

Any information or other suggestions are, as always, much appreciated.  Thanks!

Josh

[HeaveToo]

Have you ever considered a kayak or inflatable kayak.

I have been fishing out of an inflatable kayak for 4 years.  I have fished the ocean, rivers, streams, and lakes.  It is pretty versatile and it works good.  When not in use, it is folded and stored in a storage bag in my closet.

A hard kayak, if you have any storage, could be another platform.  The prices range on them and you can get a rack to put it on top of your car.  Eventually I want to move to one of these.

[tperkins]

I saw the FlyCraft at the Somerset show and was really impressed and really want to fish out of one. It seems like it can go anywhere. They even take it to Baja and fish the Gulf of California with it. I would have first hand experience if Scott S. would get around to buying one!

[TurbineBlade]

I have the advanced elements inflatable fishing kayak -- 2 of them actually.  They work just fine and we've caught plenty of fish we otherwise wouldn't reach -- you might look into those.  

Gene

[Josh L.]

Thanks, all!  I will look at the advanced elements kayak.  Unfortunately, it needs to be inflatable as the North Branch has some pretty rocky sections in it--I'm assuming a hard bottom kayak would get scratched up pretty badly after a while.  I saw some of the Baja FlyCraft footage and it looked like a blast!

[Michael Smith]

I have a virtually unused one for sale at a great price.  Call me if you are interested. Michael Smith 703-244-8833

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[TurbineBlade]

They are very, very stable and easy to fish from....if you like the seated kayak position.  I'm a canoe guy and don't use mine much anymore because I personally prefer canoes, but there's really nothing "bad" about them at all.  

Gene

On Wednesday, June 3, 2015 at 6:49:51 PM UTC-4, DCA/ILM wrote:

I have a virtually unused one for sale at a great price.  Call me if you are interested. Michael Smith 703-244-8833

 

From: tidal-potoma...@googlegroups.com [mailto:tidal-potomac-fly-rod...@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Josh L.
Sent: Wednesday, June 03, 2015 6:40 PM
To: tidal-potoma...@googlegroups.com
Subject: {Tidal Potomac Fly Rodders} Re: Inflatable raft?

 

Thanks, all!  I will look at the advanced elements kayak.  Unfortunately, it needs to be inflatable as the North Branch has some pretty rocky sections in it--I'm assuming a hard bottom kayak would get scratched up pretty badly after a while.  I saw some of the Baja FlyCraft footage and it looked like a blast!

On Wednesday, June 3, 2015 at 4:05:46 PM UTC-4, TurbineBlade wrote:

I have the advanced elements inflatable fishing kayak -- 2 of them actually.  They work just fine and we've caught plenty of fish we otherwise wouldn't reach -- you might look into those.  

 

Gene

On Wednesday, June 3, 2015 at 3:44:32 PM UTC-4, tperkins wrote:

I saw the FlyCraft at the Somerset show and was really impressed and really want to fish out of one. It seems like it can go anywhere. They even take it to Baja and fish the Gulf of California with it. I would have first hand experience if Scott S. would get around to buying one!

On Wednesday, June 3, 2015 at 3:28:15 PM UTC-4, HeaveToo wrote:

Have you ever considered a kayak or inflatable kayak.

I have been fishing out of an inflatable kayak for 4 years.  I have fished the ocean, rivers, streams, and lakes.  It is pretty versatile and it works good.  When not in use, it is folded and stored in a storage bag in my closet.

A hard kayak, if you have any storage, could be another platform.  The prices range on them and you can get a rack to put it on top of your car.  Eventually I want to move to one of these.

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[j m]

Hi Josh,

I have an inflatable pontoon raft that is sort of similar to the one in the "sea eagle" link, except it is for one person. I love it and have used it to fish rivers from NC to PA. It fits on top of my car, no problem. No idea if it would fit inside bc I've never tried. I bet if I deflated the pontoons for transport and put down the back seats I could probably get it to fit inside my Subaru. I bought it used off of Craig's List for $100...a total steal :)

Happy shopping!

Jo

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[Scott Stankus]

Yeah, yeah, yeah...  One of these days I'll get around to buying one of those, Thomas! Or who knows, maybe something even better!

--Scott

Sent from my iPhone

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[TurbineBlade]

Alternately, you could go the Jack Gartside route:

On Thursday, June 4, 2015 at 8:05:31 AM UTC-4, Scott S wrote:

Yeah, yeah, yeah...  One of these days I'll get around to buying one of those, Thomas! Or who knows, maybe something even better!

--Scott

Sent from my iPhone

On Jun 3, 2015, at 3:44 PM, tperkins <thomas....@gmail.com> wrote:

I saw the FlyCraft at the Somerset show and was really impressed and really want to fish out of one. It seems like it can go anywhere. They even take it to Baja and fish the Gulf of California with it. I would have first hand experience if Scott S. would get around to buying one!

On Wednesday, June 3, 2015 at 3:28:15 PM UTC-4, HeaveToo wrote:

Have you ever considered a kayak or inflatable kayak.

I have been fishing out of an inflatable kayak for 4 years.  I have fished the ocean, rivers, streams, and lakes.  It is pretty versatile and it works good.  When not in use, it is folded and stored in a storage bag in my closet.

A hard kayak, if you have any storage, could be another platform.  The prices range on them and you can get a rack to put it on top of your car.  Eventually I want to move to one of these.

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[Scott Stankus]

Thanks, Gene! That definitely falls into the "something even better" category! Might be a little tight for 2 people, though...

--Scott

On Thu, Jun 4, 2015 at 8:37 AM, TurbineBlade <doubl...@gmail.com> wrote:

Alternately, you could go the Jack Gartside route:

On Thursday, June 4, 2015 at 8:05:31 AM UTC-4, Scott S wrote:

Yeah, yeah, yeah...  One of these days I'll get around to buying one of those, Thomas! Or who knows, maybe something even better!

--Scott

Sent from my iPhone

On Jun 3, 2015, at 3:44 PM, tperkins <thomas....@gmail.com> wrote:

I saw the FlyCraft at the Somerset show and was really impressed and really want to fish out of one. It seems like it can go anywhere. They even take it to Baja and fish the Gulf of California with it. I would have first hand experience if Scott S. would get around to buying one!

On Wednesday, June 3, 2015 at 3:28:15 PM UTC-4, HeaveToo wrote:

Have you ever considered a kayak or inflatable kayak.

I have been fishing out of an inflatable kayak for 4 years.  I have fished the ocean, rivers, streams, and lakes.  It is pretty versatile and it works good.  When not in use, it is folded and stored in a storage bag in my closet.

A hard kayak, if you have any storage, could be another platform.  The prices range on them and you can get a rack to put it on top of your car.  Eventually I want to move to one of these.

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[Josh L.]

Thanks, everybody!  I will let you know how the inflatable giraffe rides.  I call front end, though.

On Thursday, June 4, 2015 at 9:09:45 AM UTC-4, Scott S wrote:

Thanks, Gene! That definitely falls into the "something even better" category! Might be a little tight for 2 people, though...

--Scott

On Thu, Jun 4, 2015 at 8:37 AM, TurbineBlade <doubl...@gmail.com> wrote:

Alternately, you could go the Jack Gartside route:

On Thursday, June 4, 2015 at 8:05:31 AM UTC-4, Scott S wrote:

Yeah, yeah, yeah...  One of these days I'll get around to buying one of those, Thomas! Or who knows, maybe something even better!

--Scott

Sent from my iPhone

On Jun 3, 2015, at 3:44 PM, tperkins <thomas....@gmail.com> wrote:

I saw the FlyCraft at the Somerset show and was really impressed and really want to fish out of one. It seems like it can go anywhere. They even take it to Baja and fish the Gulf of California with it. I would have first hand experience if Scott S. would get around to buying one!

On Wednesday, June 3, 2015 at 3:28:15 PM UTC-4, HeaveToo wrote:

Have you ever considered a kayak or inflatable kayak.

I have been fishing out of an inflatable kayak for 4 years.  I have fished the ocean, rivers, streams, and lakes.  It is pretty versatile and it works good.  When not in use, it is folded and stored in a storage bag in my closet.

A hard kayak, if you have any storage, could be another platform.  The prices range on them and you can get a rack to put it on top of your car.  Eventually I want to move to one of these.

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http://www.tpfr.org
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[Joe Mathews]

Josh, I have done a lot of research recently on inflatables.  This page gives a slightly overwhelming, but pretty good overview of the types of rafts that are out there: http://aireraft.com/more/rafts-rubber-versus-pvc-the-great-debate/  

Full disclosure: I have seen neither the Sea Eagle nor the Flycraft in person, and I own an Aire.  But here are my thoughts on the boats you mentioned.  First, I think both the Flycraft and Sea Eagle are substantially overpriced for $2995 and $1795, respectively.  As far as I can tell, both are glued PVC boats, which typically do not last as long as boats made of welded PVC or hypalon boats.  The meager 2 year warranty on the Flycraft and the 3 year warranty on the Sea Eagle give you a hint that these boats are not expected to last that long without issues.  I'd also noted that they appear to be rated for up to Class II.  This may be fine for your purposes, but there are a few Class III+ on the Shenandoah, Potomac, Yough, North Branch, etc.

The Flycraft Stealth is pretty and appears to be well-thought-out from the standpoint of frame engineering.  But I have a sneaking suspicion that it's a Chinese glued-PVC boat with a snazzy frame strapped on.  The inflatable component of the Flycraft appears to be a Saturn RD365 Light River Raft (or some slightly modified version of the RD365, probably made by the same Chinese manufacturer but printed with a "Flycraft" logo).  I dont know this for a fact, but just compare the Flycraft and RD365 side by side--shape, design, high pressure air floor, 0.9mm thickness, and length all appear to be the same.  Buying the Saturn RD365 alone costs just $650 (without a frame).  So if you buy a Flycraft for $2995, you're essentially paying $2300 for the frame, seats, anchor system, etc.  Does it even include oars?

The Amazon reviews of the Sea Eagle are just not good, so I won't go too far into that boat.  The reviews even suggest that the black cones in the front of the cataraft tubes are defective...  Not something I'd expect from a $1700 boat. 

I don't know what your budget is, or how much time you're willing to invest in your raft, but I think you can buy/make a superior boat for less money.  For example, you could get a 12 or 13 foot used hypalon boat in good shape, or an entry-level-but-reputable new boat like a Star or Achilles, OR a pair of brand new cataraft tubes, and BUILD YOUR OWN frame out of aluminum/steel pipe and fittings.  NRS sells parts for custom raft frames, but you can also use steel fence post and aluminum speed-rail fittings to save some money.  Hell, if you wanted something like the Flycraft Stealth, you could probably buy the Saturn RD365 and build your own row frame for it with oar stands for around $1000 all-in.  The message board MountainBuzz.com has some good threads on home-built row frames for rafts.

After searching for the right boat for over a year, I ended up finding a used Aire Traveler inflatable canoe in Maryland.  The Traveler is about 15' long and retails for $2200 without a frame.  But it's made of the same stuff as Aire's premier fishing rafts like the Super Puma: an inner urethane air bladder, surrounded by a welded PVC outer shell.  I built a row frame, similar to the one Aire sells for the Traveler, but I added tractor seats and a lean bar.  Still have to upgrade my lean bar from PVC to aluminum or steel, but...baby steps.  The frame has cost me less than $300 all in, including the seats, oar stands, oar locks, etc.  

That's just my 2 cents.  Hope this novel is helpful.  Whatever you decide...good luck!

[Josh L.]

Thanks, Joe--that is really helpful and I appreciate your taking the time to write.  I am definitely leaning towards build-your-own at this point.

[Misha Gill]

Hi Josh,

I own the SeaEagle Foldcat. It has been good to me. I actually bought a used model assuming it had been inflated for a showroom and left that way for a while, and that's what I think I got. I'll share my pro/con list with you. 

I've had absolutely no structural/manufacturing problems with the boat, nor with the accessories. The deflated Foldcat is small enough that it fits in the back of my little Mazda3 sedan (with the back seat folded down), which is pretty miraculous. With the dual pontoons it is extremely stable; two people can stand up and fly cast on it in calm water (that is, stand on the aluminum bars that constitute the "frame"). I've taken out friends that weigh 250 lbs on it, so with them and myself, somewhere north of 400 lbs of humanity plus gear were on the boat, with no loss of stability, albeit some loss of control rowing down rapids. The bass boat seats on the Foldcat are the bomb. You can swivel to cast in any direction that you want, and they are comfortable. I bought a second riser for the other seat, so both seats are raised. I bought a trolling motor for the boat but I never use it anymore, it's kind of a pain to manage, although there were windy days where it was crucial.

The downside to the foldcat comes down to the fact that it's an inflatable (there's a whole pro/con list to recite there as well). It doesn't track all that well when rowing, because it doesn't have a keel. I rowed crew a bit in college so I'm pretty handy around a pair of oars, if that's not you, it will take some time to get it down (nothing I couldn't help you fix in about 5 mins). It gets blown around by the wind a bit. Not a boat that you can row upstream, so when you pass a good spot, you're not going back unless it is slow, slow water. Maybe the biggest drawback is all the pieces. Just making sure you have all the pieces when you get to your destination is a pain, and it can really eff up a fishing trip if you forgot the crucial valve to inflate the thing (done that).

In short, the Foldcat has really broadened my fishing horizons by giving me the ability to access full river floats and take a buddy - all while living in a 700 sq ft apartment in a major metropolitan area and driving a small sedan. My particular boat has never broken down or in some way failed. All the failures have been primarily mine, and hey, that's fishing. 

Happy to answer any other questions via email.