04-26-2010, 04:02 AM
I finally got on the river this weekend with my new Renegade. I have thousands of hours on a couple of other "classic" pontoons, and just two floats down the Green in this one, so I'm still getting used to it, and these are first impressions after 20 hours of floating.
Overall, I'm enjoying the ride and liking some features I didn't have in the past.
I LOVE the way the oars stow out of the way when placed alongside the pontoons. They're down and out of the way for casting, yet become readily available with just a small "twist and pull." Great design.
I like the simple bar for a foot rest rather than the braces on my framed models. The bar is more comfortable, gives a little, and makes it easy to just stand up "inside" the tubes and wade fish. Its easily removed as well.
The seat is WAY comfortable, more so than the hard plastic seats I had in my last two 'toons. The inflatable "mattress" is soft on the buns, and the soft back rest is fully adjustable and quite comfortable. For a while, I even added my Thermarest seat over the existing seat, and that was just TOO comfortable. I wanted to take a nap! The seat was not quite as dry as the plastic boat seats on my framed boats, but that's because its slightly lower, and the inflatable bottom makes contact with the water. Minor detail. I love the seat.
The feel and ride of the boat is a little more "sporty" than the regular 'toons, but not as drastically different as advertised, at least in my opinion. Yes, its a little faster on the back stroke. Its lighter due to no frame. It tracks "a little" straighter and easier when controlled with the flippers, but VERY similar to any other 'toon. (And today, I was floating and fishing in 15-30 mph winds down the canyon!) The stern does not dig in as bad when anchored in fast current, so that's a plus. The boat does "sway" about the same as a regular 'toon when anchored.
I found the inside pockets on the cargo pouches to be great for holding my rod. Way better than the PVC and Scotty rod holders I've used before. Just put the rod in the side pocket at whatever angle you want, and hook the velcro strap over it. I had the rod stowed in this manner through all the rapids, and in 30 mph wind gusts. The rod never moved. Easy in, easy out, and easy on the rod and reel!
The cargo pockets are HUGE! Plenty of room for rain gear, an extra jacket, fly vest, "possibles", things I don't need, and room to spare. More space than I'll ever need for a day trip.
I still don't know if I like the valves better than good 'ole Halkey Roberts. These new ones don't seal themselves closed as easily, but its a minor thing.
The storage behind the seat is smaller than I originally thought it would be, and a bit flimsy because you're basically storing on an inflatable "air mattress". My small cooler, for example, wants to tip over. I'll get used to it, and might even put a flat surface of some type over the inflatable "floor."
The Scotty anchor system worked fine, except for a design flaw explained further below. It is an easy to use system though.
There were two things I really didn't like. One is partly to mostly solved, the other needs some ideas.
At first, the oars seemed way too short. And they still may be. However, the real problem I first noticed was that the oar locks and side cargo bags were too close together. The oars came in contact with the bags near the end of my back strokes. The bags were in the way of the oars, and very bothersome. After about 1/2 mile, I pulled over and moved the bags! I moved the bags back about 6 inches, and that solved most of that problem. I fastened them to the carrying handles instead of the front D-Rings, and it was just enough to allow for a full back stroke. Oars about a foot longer would be perfect, and I'm looking into that.
The other problem is the anchor system. The pulley does not extend past the rear far enough to prevent the anchor from coming in contact tithe the boat when being raised and lowered, and when secured in the raised position. This concerns me because constant chafing on the rear of the boat can't be good in the long run. I secured a couple of layers of heavy plastic beneath the straps that hold the anchor pulley on, but I need a permanent solution. More material? Something like the "skid plate" material on the bottom? It needs something! (See photo)
Attached below are photos of the oar/cargo bag problem, both before I moved the bags, and again after I moved the bags. Also a picture of the anchor. The "anchor system" NFO provides is a stock Scotty anchor system, in Scotty packaging. They just buy it and provide it, they don't make it specifically for this boat.
So, I think I'd like oars a foot longer, and I need some way to protect the rear center of the boat from the anchor. Those are the major things. The little things like valves and awkward storage are just different things I'll likely get used to and forget about.
Bottom line: I'm keeping it!. I think it will end up being $1,000 well spent.
On a side note, I bought and paid for the boat on March 21. It was finally delivered April 14, and the "backordered" anchor system arrived April 23. Basically, one month for complete delivery, from Ogden to Flaming Gorge. Be patient if you buy.
[signature]
Overall, I'm enjoying the ride and liking some features I didn't have in the past.
I LOVE the way the oars stow out of the way when placed alongside the pontoons. They're down and out of the way for casting, yet become readily available with just a small "twist and pull." Great design.
I like the simple bar for a foot rest rather than the braces on my framed models. The bar is more comfortable, gives a little, and makes it easy to just stand up "inside" the tubes and wade fish. Its easily removed as well.
The seat is WAY comfortable, more so than the hard plastic seats I had in my last two 'toons. The inflatable "mattress" is soft on the buns, and the soft back rest is fully adjustable and quite comfortable. For a while, I even added my Thermarest seat over the existing seat, and that was just TOO comfortable. I wanted to take a nap! The seat was not quite as dry as the plastic boat seats on my framed boats, but that's because its slightly lower, and the inflatable bottom makes contact with the water. Minor detail. I love the seat.
The feel and ride of the boat is a little more "sporty" than the regular 'toons, but not as drastically different as advertised, at least in my opinion. Yes, its a little faster on the back stroke. Its lighter due to no frame. It tracks "a little" straighter and easier when controlled with the flippers, but VERY similar to any other 'toon. (And today, I was floating and fishing in 15-30 mph winds down the canyon!) The stern does not dig in as bad when anchored in fast current, so that's a plus. The boat does "sway" about the same as a regular 'toon when anchored.
I found the inside pockets on the cargo pouches to be great for holding my rod. Way better than the PVC and Scotty rod holders I've used before. Just put the rod in the side pocket at whatever angle you want, and hook the velcro strap over it. I had the rod stowed in this manner through all the rapids, and in 30 mph wind gusts. The rod never moved. Easy in, easy out, and easy on the rod and reel!
The cargo pockets are HUGE! Plenty of room for rain gear, an extra jacket, fly vest, "possibles", things I don't need, and room to spare. More space than I'll ever need for a day trip.
I still don't know if I like the valves better than good 'ole Halkey Roberts. These new ones don't seal themselves closed as easily, but its a minor thing.
The storage behind the seat is smaller than I originally thought it would be, and a bit flimsy because you're basically storing on an inflatable "air mattress". My small cooler, for example, wants to tip over. I'll get used to it, and might even put a flat surface of some type over the inflatable "floor."
The Scotty anchor system worked fine, except for a design flaw explained further below. It is an easy to use system though.
There were two things I really didn't like. One is partly to mostly solved, the other needs some ideas.
At first, the oars seemed way too short. And they still may be. However, the real problem I first noticed was that the oar locks and side cargo bags were too close together. The oars came in contact with the bags near the end of my back strokes. The bags were in the way of the oars, and very bothersome. After about 1/2 mile, I pulled over and moved the bags! I moved the bags back about 6 inches, and that solved most of that problem. I fastened them to the carrying handles instead of the front D-Rings, and it was just enough to allow for a full back stroke. Oars about a foot longer would be perfect, and I'm looking into that.
The other problem is the anchor system. The pulley does not extend past the rear far enough to prevent the anchor from coming in contact tithe the boat when being raised and lowered, and when secured in the raised position. This concerns me because constant chafing on the rear of the boat can't be good in the long run. I secured a couple of layers of heavy plastic beneath the straps that hold the anchor pulley on, but I need a permanent solution. More material? Something like the "skid plate" material on the bottom? It needs something! (See photo)
Attached below are photos of the oar/cargo bag problem, both before I moved the bags, and again after I moved the bags. Also a picture of the anchor. The "anchor system" NFO provides is a stock Scotty anchor system, in Scotty packaging. They just buy it and provide it, they don't make it specifically for this boat.
So, I think I'd like oars a foot longer, and I need some way to protect the rear center of the boat from the anchor. Those are the major things. The little things like valves and awkward storage are just different things I'll likely get used to and forget about.
Bottom line: I'm keeping it!. I think it will end up being $1,000 well spent.
On a side note, I bought and paid for the boat on March 21. It was finally delivered April 14, and the "backordered" anchor system arrived April 23. Basically, one month for complete delivery, from Ogden to Flaming Gorge. Be patient if you buy.
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