Fishing Forum

This my first post on this forum, so Hello!

I am posting here because I have noticed there are some Scadden frameless pontoon tube users on here and i wanted to share my experience and see if others here might have had the same issues i am having and possibly get some ideas for fixes.


My Story:
I purchased a new NFO Scadden Renegade Summer 2014 and have had issues:

When I fold my Renegade for transport the PVC fabric cracks and it leaks. This happened day one so I called Scadden and was told they “haven't seen the issue before” and to fix it with Aquaseal. There was no offer to replace my boat even when i pushed them on it. They stated that if i sent it back they'd “just fix it with Aquaseal so it was best to just do it yourself”. So as a result of not wanting to deal with shipping I just fixed it myself with Aquaseal.

I don’t fold my boat anymore which kind of defeats my purpose for owning this model which I intended to fly with as checked luggage for destination fishing trips. I emailed and called them a bunch more times to see if they would replace my boat but they just ignored my emails and voicemails.

To try and get some additional resolution from Scadden I made it a point to stop by NFO Dave Scadden booth at the 2017 Somerset Fly Fishing trade show in NJ in late January to see if i could get some help with a warranty replacement. The Utah based staff person who was manning the Scadden trade show booth had no desire to help or even take our names. (I was with another angler who also had an issue with a framed Scadden single pontoon which he sent back to NFO Scadden for warranty service/repair and Scadden lost his pontoon.)

I am lucky enough to own several other float craft so my Renegade does not see use and sits in my garage out of the sun partially inflated.

Against my better judgement this past July I decided to use my Renegade on a local river fishing trip. While on the river one of the black nose cones came unglued causing an immediate deflation. Luckily, I was in shallow water and had a repair kit with me and I was able to use Aquaseal UV, Tear-Aide fabric tape and duct tape to make a quick temporary riverside repair so i could finish out the float. Now I'm even more suspect to quality of these Scadden boats. After this nose cone glue failure happened I completely don’t trust the craft for even light use.

When I got home from the July float I put the Renegade back in the garage and I noticed one of the R&P Oar mount pads was peeling off the boat apparently, the glue had failed.

These boats seem like cheap pool toys to me how can they be trusted for floating rivers and traveling to fishing destinations? I have less than 12 floats on my Renegade and its basically UN-usable.

How does Dave Scadden continue to stay in business with his lack of customer service and inferior built products?

Does anyone have some ideas for a fix for the nosecone coming unglued?

I know i can glue the R&P Oar mount pads back on with a quality PVC glue like Stabond 2 part adhesive and its fairly easy repair if you know how to work with the glue but the nosecone repair isn't as cut and dry and easy.

I know i'm not the only person with the nosecone issues as I seen other forums and blogs where same thing has happened to their Scadden frameless boats. I'm not so sure i want to go the same route as this fellow tuber though, see this [url "http://www.fisherdad.com/2015/07/north-fork-outdoors-not-responsive-to.html#links"]post [/url]
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[#0000FF]Welcome aboard...even if it is not for a good reason. I too am a Scadden owner and a Scadden sceptic. I owned an H3 Freestyle (tube) for a little over a year. Never could get comfortable in the seats and actually had the bottom seat fail...with the seams just coming apart and becoming a big balloon. Because I live in Utah I was able to visit the store and get a replacement. But I know at least two other buyers of the H3 who also had seat failures...with no replacements. So much for lifetime warranty.

I owned a Renegade for a couple of months. I had no problems with it but it was bigger than I liked for my style of fishing. Sold it and moved back to Fat Cat tubes.

About a year and a half ago I bought an Escape...a large float tube somewhat smaller than a Renegade. Just the right size for my large body, a motor and a battery. I was hopeful. But on the initial delivery the side pockets were missing. I aired it up anyway to start working on my planned modifications. The left air chamber quickly went flat. When I aired it up again I found a "fold seam" near the front of the nose cone that had cracked and leaked air. I sent it back and got a replacement....still without the side pockets. Finally got them over one month after ordering and paying.

On my first float, I found that the seat was too short and leaked air so that I would slip out the front while fishing. Not a good thing. Dave's suggestion was to tighten the valves on the seat air chamber. Did not work. Couldn't find any air leaks anywhere. I finally discovered a small leak coming out of the pressure release valve...even under low pressure. After several attempts to reach Scadden...with no return calls...I just filled the release valve with Aqua Seal. That stopped the air leak. But I had to add on an inflated boat bumper on the front of the seat to provide enough length and to raise the front enough so I did not slide out of the seat...even when fully inflated.

In short, I am basically happy with my ride as I now have it repaired and modified. But for the prices Scadden charges and all the hype about quality and service I remain unimpressed with his products. And I am not alone. In addition to other members who have posted on our forum I have had quite a few Private Messages about unhappy Scadden buyers.

If you have to make your own repairs, the best I can suggest is getting a good PVC cement and go for it. Hope you don't suffer a breakdown far from your vehicle. Before I fixed my seat on my escape I had a trip in which I DID slip out the front along a rip rap rocky dike area and had a very difficult time getting back in my ride. But I did discover that my inflatable vest worked.
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Wow, sorry to hear that North Fork is having all those issues.

One way I use on bladder type tubes which strengthens the patch is to work in a try for an internal plug. I do this by enlarging the hole big enough to fit a toothpick. I rough the inside surface with a previously cleaned fine point Dremel tool sand bit which fits through the hole. I spread the aqua seal all around the inside surface of the hole where I have sanded, with a toothpick. This forms a connection to the outside glue through the hole, giving more strength, and a mechanical plug to stop a leak, if the glue fails. The bladder is inflated so that the internal glue cannot touch any other surface until it dries. No patch is necessary, so it works well around seams and inflation ports where a patch cannot be used. Also works pretty well to stop a seam tear from spreading, on a bladder. Don't know if it would work on North Fork stuff or not.

Hope this helps.

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WOW! So sorry about you bad luck.
I am more fortunate I guess, I have had 3 H3's and never an issue, but can understand TubeDudes problem. My seat on one of my Predators did this, Dave replaced it.
I have had several of his Pontoons, now have 3 Renegades, two Escapes, 3 Predator, 1 Carbon Predator, Assault, Assault XX, The Drifter and the Contender, Kayak, SUP Fuzion.
I do roll my up and put them in a duffle bag every year since 2000. Store them in an unheated garage. They all look brand new each year I inflate them.
Like I said, I must be one of the lucky ones as are several of my friends.
I have read this problem before, just never experienced it.
Good luck.
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Message me your name and address and I will try to get ahold of Dave for you.
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[#0000FF]Welcome aboard. But it would help if you would refine your question as to what type of shoe you are looking for...and for what specific use. All of the makes and models listed are no doubt good for their intended use...but some are clearly for defined uses and would not be good for others.
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