I'm looking to get a pontoon boat of some sort. I've been doing the drift boat thing for awhile and want to be able to get out a little further into the summer. I have looked at the Steelheader (10' tubes)and at Don Hill's McKenzie Cats. I want something that is stable, that I can stand up on, and that doesn't weigh a ton. (about 85 pounds or so) I want to be able to break it down quickly and tie it to a pack board and pack it out if necessary. I'll be hitting the Sol Duc and other Peninsula rivers with it. Any advice would be great!

Well, I'd say for breakdown you couldn't go wrong with a Steelheader. I have one, I love being able to rip it down and store it in one of the storage areas on my travel trailer when I want to carry a spare boat. The Steelheader is extremely stable to fish from and handle whitewater great.

But, you can really move up if you wanted. Buy a set of tubes and have a custom frame built. It wouldn't take much to make the frame a takedown. Then you can customize the boat to meet your needs. Osprey on here can do the job for you. He's going to be building a frame for me shortly. He does excellent work and can help you also. Just email me or check some of the older posts on catarafts or pontoon boats and you'll see our speil.



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you haven't lived til you've rowed a cataraft. Friends don't let friends run Outcasts.

A couple more questions. How much would you guess your steelheader weighs? Also what does a custom alum frame run a guy. I am looking for something that can be taken down without tools. One final question, if one were going to get a custom alum frame, who makes the best 10' tubes. I have looked around a little, and for what I'm going to be doing with the boat 10 footers seem about right.

EXstream make a get one with a pack if you want more information E mail me.

Well, my steelheader runs about 80lbs complete. It's heavy, but sturdy and stable for whitewater. A custom aluminum frame???? You're talking in the $800 range. I'd go with galvanized. Yes, it's a little heavy, but sturdier. Plus it's cheaper too.

If you want the best tubes, go for Wing. About as top of the line as you'll go. You can also go with NRS, Aire, Sotar, or Maravia. All make 10ft tubes and all are good manufacturers.

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you haven't lived til you've rowed a cataraft. Friends don't let friends run Outcasts.

Bucks Bags out of boise Idaho makes good cats------

I think it all boils down to what you are going to do with the boat and just exactly what you want to use it for.

I have fished both the Pac 8 and the Pac 900 by Outcast. They are both great boats that have a niche and can cover many situations.

The Outcasts are more money then the Bucks Bags but they are a better, more sturdy boat. I have never fished a Cataraft but I dont need the ability to fish out of the boat standing up that comes with the Catarafts. I, in turn, enjoy the packability of the Outcasts.

The Pac 8 and the Pac 9 series are the more inexpensive boats that Outcast makes. The 8 is 8' and the 9 is 9'. The 800 is 8' and the 900 is 9'.

The 8 and 9 run from $600 to $900 while the 800 and 900 run from $1100 to $1300.

The biggest differance between the two series and durability. The 8 and 9's are a thinner pontoon with a shorter warranty while the 800 and 900 are a thicker, seam-welded pontoon with a longer warranty. I also noticed the 800 and 900 tend to sit up a little higher in the water column which can make a differane. The higher you sit the earlier you will see obstacles such as rocks, trees and other stuff that you must negotiate. But at the same time, the 800 and 900 are a little heavier of a boat.

I have floated the Stilly, the Sky and a tributary of the Sky and had no problems with the Pac 8. I in fact liked it because its lighter weight made it very easy to hike a 100 yards into a spot where I launched the boat.

I recently got back from the Coast and floating various stretches of the Hoh, from Spruce Creek all the way down and through the Oxbow. I did this with the 900 and was very very thankful that I not only had the 900 because it sat higher but it is a heavier, bigger boat. It takes alot more to flip a 800 or 900 then a 8 or 9. Plus the engineering qualities of the 800 and 900 just make them a more sturdy feeling boat and more responsive.

It all boild down to just what you are going to do with the boat and how much you want to spend. If you can, spend the more money and get either the 800 or 900.

And pay the extra $120 and get the composite oars by Cataract. They make the biggest differance differance in the world. They are ten times more durable then the crappy aluminum oars the boats come with and they have no give or bend in them, so all of your engery is going into pushing the water and thus manuvering the boat and not into the small degree of bend that the aluminum oars have.


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Ryan S. Petzold
aka
Sparkey and/or Special

Hey Sparkey you are correct Outcasts do have a purpose.

Wait till you ride a real Cataraft....you'll wonder want that purpose is

Seriously for the average Joe who just wats to go from point to point with nothing serious in between there OK.

But be aware there is a BIG difference between a real Cat and an Outcast....bucksbags.ahhhhh that just a pontoonboat ...just my.02......Os

Here here Os, I couldn't say it any better myself. I will add this much. If you're gonna spend the money on a Pac series like Sparkey had said, go buy a Steelheader. It's a MUCH MUCH MUCH better boat. Sounds like basically the same damned price, so why buy a low end boat (sorry Sparkey, but even the high end Pac is still a low end boat). Plus Bill from Skookum makes a very good frame for his steelheader versus the Outcasts. I'd say it's the best "production" boat out there in the "fishing craft" series. Then, you can move into Os's frames , I give them a double thumbs up!!!!!!!!!!!

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you haven't lived til you've rowed a cataraft. Friends don't let friends run Outcasts.

The original post said he wanted a boat he could stand up on and use on the peninsula rivers. I have a Buck's and like it, but they only come in the 8 foot size and you can't stand on them. I'll admit the Buck's is not a good choice for heavy water.
Skookum's sales are kind of screwy.
I know somebody who just bought one and he had a heck of a time getting it.

If you want a cheap boat to float from hole to hole in that will stile do the job and cost 350 bucks try a odc816 from the creek company. My buddies and I take them down some healthy white water and we haven`t had any problems besides the weak oars. Its the most enjoying way to fish the upper rivers during the summer.good luck

The ODC,bucks bag,outcasts are all just transportation period.
The 10 ' models (steelheader and bigger Outcasts )call themselves stand-up,it's more like a balancing act,there's not enough room between the tubes to make it stable ,IMHO
plus tube diameter is always an issue too,the white water boats got it right,not all fishing crafts are created the same.
No too many true white-water fishing boats out there....well besides mine ....Os

Os,

Don't know if you make boats, or is it frames? But in any event, does it come down to making compromises between size, light weight, and portability and larger, heavier tubes, durability, wider frames, heavier boat overall, and less packability? I don't know, but it sounds like if a fisherman wants something that's light and easy to pack in and fish less accessible areas, it's gonna' require giving up some long term durability. I also looked at the Skookum pontoon boat with the steel frame you back a truck over. Nice boat, but I don't want to drive trucks over a boat. I think the attraction to these small craft is the ease in hauling them around and the ability to float small, less accessible waters.

So does the complete angler need two pontoon craft?

Sincerely,

Salmo g.

fishin friend-
I agree. Less expensive and easy to use. If you need to stand go to the bank. Don't expect these to take you through the big stuff, but if you you only go out a handful of times and use some common sense you will will be fine in some of the smaller boats.

fishin friend-
I agree. Less expensive and easy to use. If you need to stand go to the bank. Don't expect these to take you through the big stuff, but if you you only go out a handful of times and use some common sense you will will be fine in some of the smaller boats.

You might want to check out Water Skeeter. http://www.oregonfishing.com/waterskeeter.asp

I purchased the river tamer and have used it often in several small rivers I fish, and canyon water. I have had it in some decent white water and it held its own. I will probably upgrade to a better pontoon craft in the future, but for now, it gets the job done.

I took off the extra stuff on the boat, and really reduced the weight. I can pack the boat a ways now.

Nothing like the solitude of a canyon.

As I've said once, I'll say it again. You really need to decide WHAT you want to use the boat for. He wants a boat you can standup and fish from. I can safely stand up and fish from my 9' Steelheader (Os, I have a good sense of balance ). I do agree, the Steelheader could be a little wider. But it's alot better then using an outcast. Some of us out there want to fish from our boats, like you do from a driftboat. Get you closer to spots to fish then you could cast from shore.

Hey Stilly bum, I can pretty much tell you why there was a problem getting a boat from Bill. I know he had an accident recently, so he's been a bit tied up healing. I think he smashed his hand or thumb. This kind of makes it hard to produce boats when you're not able to use your hand. I got my boat ASAP. Good quick service.

I like a wide stance myself in my whitewater boats. I started out whitewatering, so using it for fishing was a different venture. A VERY good decision on my part. Got rid of the driftboat. If I had a chance to start all over again, I'd go custom fishing frame all the way. Then you get what you want.

Yeah Os, we BOTH have real whitewater catarafts. Mine's older, one of the first catarafts produced, so nah nah nahhhhhh. I have the granddaddy boat. LOL About 12 years old and kicking. (I guess I gotta remember not to float in front of Hey ya'll or I'll be buying a new boat. )

Good luck, and let us know what you get.

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you haven't lived til you've rowed a cataraft. Friends don't let friends run Outcasts.

Salmo,weight has more to do with the frame material and configuration.
tubes are goihng to be pretty close in weight,the big difference here is the Tube material,weather it be PVC,hypalon,a bladder system or the BMW version Urethane,if all lengths are the same ,weight will be with in a few lbs of each other asa far as the tubes go,but it tough to make a packable frame that has a standup on it,unless you're "Timberman".
you'd have to keep you're pack trips pretty short.
All in all I guess you have to decide what you main uses are going to be....and BTW I do make frames...when I'm not fishing or at my real job or doing Honey Do's......I need to fish more......Os