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Anyone use this tube/toon hybrid? Cabela's has them on sale, and they look interesting, but I can't find any information on Outcast's site. How difficult are they to assemble/ disassemble? I would be packing the pontoons in a large external frame backpack, and the seat would be strapped to the pack. Just curious what the advantages/di  vantages would be over say a Fat Cat. Portability and being high above the water is what I'm looking for, speed is not an issue for me. Thanks!
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Cool pontoon, but it reads like the seat is the Backpack frame and the rest fits right in, no need for any back pack.
I have a small ECHO which is a 4' pontoon, but the toons are small diameter. I do get blown a little more than with my H3, but nothing I can't handle.
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I have one I got from their bargain barn for $140, mainly for the parts I can use in customizing other pontoons.
[quote roosterfisher]Anyone use this tube/toon hybrid? Cabela's has them on sale, and they look interesting, but I can't find any information on Outcast's site. How difficult are they to assemble/ disassemble? Very easy, come preassembled, fold out and inflate. I would be packing the pontoons in a large external frame backpack, and the seat would be strapped to the pack. Just curious what the advantages/di vantages would be over say a Fat Cat. Portability and being high above the water is what I'm looking for, speed is not an issue for me. You will sit in the water, portability is the highest of any pontoon other than my custom made ones. Very high quality pontoons. I am re designing it so the seat is above water Thanks![/quote]
Hope this helps,
New member Pon
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Curious as to what parts. Seems like the whole thing is an inflatable Pontoon/seat/net.
And by the way, Welcome Pon....I have read your other post and we are soooooo glad you joined us. You are a wealth of Knowledge!
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[quote flygoddess]Curious as to what parts. The pontoons are very high quality and compact. I travel with my pontoon boats to different rivers around the country. All parts including motor assembly fit in a medium size suitcase, but I am trying to get it down to fit in a carryon case. That task would be easier with the smaller pontoons.
Pon
Seems like the whole thing is an inflatable Pontoon/seat/net.
And by the way, Welcome Pon....I have read your other post and we are soooooo glad you joined us. You are a wealth of Knowledge![/quote]
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Hey
I just bought one on ebay for $125 I can.t wait to try it out!Like you, I can't find any reviews or info on this craft.It would be nice to see one with rod holders set-up.
I will keep your post and send any info I get.
Thanks
Bri
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The negatives for me of the Discovery are: no footbar, no oars possible, cannot be adjusted so you are not sitting in water (My wt. is 180#), slow with fin paddling due to butt dragging in water, cost high, if you can't get a price below $150, seat may not hold up due to aluminum stays, especially for bigger guys, space may be tight for some fly fishermen, maybe comfort if sitting long periods, nothing solid to mount rod holder or other accessories, short pontoons mean more bouncing and may not take waves well.
Positives: All heavy PVC pontoons and good bladders(partial or full nylon pontoons are useless IMHO), good wt. capacity floatation limit, fastest setup and takedown I have seen for a pontoon, small storage, easy transport may fit some hatchbacks inflated, seat converts to pack frame quickly, very light weight.
Hope this helps.
Pon
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Thanks Pon.
Much appreciated on your review of the Outcast trekker.What brand of fins would you recommend to help with the butt draging in the water? Mares Plana Avanti X3 I hear are quite good.
Bri
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Sorry haven't used fins in over 15 years. Only use electric motor power. But I did see some hinged ones somewhere awhile back that seemed to lessen the drawbacks when walking on land.
Pon
[quote cleaveunto]Thanks Pon.
Much appreciated on your review of the Outcast trekker.What brand of fins would you recommend to help with the butt draging in the water? Mares Plana Avanti X3 I hear are quite good.
Bri[/quote]
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Hi, The Discovery Trekker, with a few free and low $ modifications
make for a great fishing platform. In stock trim it sits too low on
the water. This slows you down while kicking around the lake and
more importantly, it makes my hamstring muscles cold while out on
High Sierra lakes. Cold, sluggish and cramping legs tend to chase me
off the water. A free solution to raise the seat above the water, is to
wrap the nylon pontoon straps around the frame crossbar instead of
the factory set-up. This effectively shortens the straps, reduces the
distance between the pontoons and therefore raises the seat. The
clevis pins under the velcro strap, are secured by a split-ring. If you
are going to pack this boat into back country lakes like I do, then
spend 50 cents on a couple hitch pin clips at your local hardware
store. They're much easier to deal with than split-rings. The pontoon
frame pivots on 2 bolts. Since I take pontoons off the frame to hike it
Into the back country, I've noticed that these bolts tend to loosen up.
I put a drop of Loctite on each bolt and they are no longer a problem.
Scotty's pontoon rod holders work great. They're built on a smaller
scale which is perfect for freshwater tackle. This pontoon is very
comfortable. It has a back rest with an adjustable angle. It's efficient
in the water and I happen to like Force fins to kick it around. I should
mention that since I've raised the seat I now use waist high waders
which are more comfortable than chest waders. With 3 removable
pockets, there is plenty of room for supplies for a days fishing. I carry
a PUR water filter bottle and that way reduce the weight of carrying
water. Just drink the lake. I always wear a C02 waist pouch life
preserver. SPF fishing gloves keep my hands from getting cooked in
the sun. The Outcast Discovery Trekker, once modified is an excellent
choice. Don't ask me what a hoot it is paddling my Pakboat Puffin
Sport around on an 11,000 ft elevation lake full of trout...
[reply][/reply]
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Sounds like you have it all figured out. That is good news.
Mirror Lake is around that elevation as are several other small lakes. Love them! Fish really take on beautiful colors.
Thanks for joining Sounds_Fishy, and hope you stay with us and give great reports like this one. But also, just to say HI once and awhile.
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Glad you got the Discovery working for you, thanks for the post. Appreciate if you can answer a few questions below.
[quote Sounds_Fishy]Hi, The Discovery Trekker, with a few free and low $ modifications
make for a great fishing platform. In stock trim it sits too low on
the water. This slows you down while kicking around the lake and
more importantly, it makes my hamstring muscles cold while out on
High Sierra lakes. Cold, sluggish and cramping legs tend to chase me
off the water. Yes, that was my experience. A free solution to raise the seat above the water, is to
wrap the nylon pontoon straps around the frame crossbar instead of
the factory set-up. This effectively shortens the straps, reduces the
distance between the pontoons and therefore raises the seat. Did you remove the pontoons and retie when you did this? When I tried this, the pontoons were so close together (when the seat cleared the water) that I didn't have much room to hang my legs between and would capsize, but that may be because my weight is greater than yours. Also the rockered pontoons were tilted sideways in this position, which made propulsion slower and harder to control. The
clevis pins under the velcro strap, are secured by a split-ring. If you
are going to pack this boat into back country lakes like I do, then
spend 50 cents on a couple hitch pin clips at your local hardware
store. They're much easier to deal with than split-rings. The pontoon
frame pivots on 2 bolts. Since I take pontoons off the frame to hike it
Into the back country, I've noticed that these bolts tend to loosen up.
I put a drop of Loctite on each bolt and they are no longer a problem. Yes, I noticed this too, good solution.
Scotty's pontoon rod holders work great. They're built on a smaller
scale which is perfect for freshwater tackle. This pontoon is very
comfortable. It has a back rest with an adjustable angle. It's efficient
in the water and I happen to like Force fins to kick it around. I should
mention that since I've raised the seat I now use waist high waders
which are more comfortable than chest waders. With 3 removable
pockets, there is plenty of room for supplies for a days fishing. I carry
a PUR water filter bottle and that way reduce the weight of carrying
water. Just drink the lake. I always wear a C02 waist pouch life
preserver. SPF fishing gloves keep my hands from getting cooked in
the sun. The Outcast Discovery Trekker, once modified is an excellent
choice. Don't ask me what a hoot it is paddling my Pakboat Puffin
Sport around on an 11,000 ft elevation lake full of trout...
[reply][/reply][/quote]
Thanks,
Pon
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Thought some of you that have the Discovery might be interested in some modifications.
I have done some modifications to the Discovery to make it usable by my wife or my daughter. Heck, now I can even use it in a pinch on smooth water. Could this be the smallest and lightest fishing e-boat in the world, he, he......
1. Footbar added. Used a 7/8" dowel thru the upper "D" rings which fits quite snugly. Duct tape at the "D" rings to insure it stays there but not really needed. Footbar must be removed when using the boat backpack straps unless you bend forward while walking to lauch point.
2. Made 2 trolling/still rod holders behind the seat by using 9" X 1/4 " steel
rods from the pontoon horizontal tubes to the lower horizontal cross tube positioned right at the bend. Auto hose clamps hold in place and rod handle pocket size is controlled by where the screw clamps are positioned. Don't have a fly rod around to see if it can be adjusted for that.
3. Adjusted seat so it clears the water by 4". Rather than wrap straps from pontoons around the lower cross horizontal seat tube, I tied knots in the pontoon straps to shorten them. This makes assembly faster and restores the original pull angle of the straps so pontoons don't stay turned inward as much.
4. Added 4 -1.5" key type split rings to the loops at the end pontoon loops. The ends of fishing rods are placed thru the rings making for a more secure stowed flat position.
5. Reinforced the meshed seat which stretches and sags uncomfortably after a couple of hours. This was done by tightening all seat straps encircling frame and sewing a tack stitch to the strap ends so they don't slip. I also added an additional taught strap made from scrap seat belt to the bottom part section under the mesh for greater support.
Enjoy.
Pon
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Blah, blah blah....I NEED VISUAL!!!! LOL[  ]
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Yea, and I need a user friendly way to post pictures, will an attachment picture avoid all the hassel?
Pon
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