Got my tube

[Dryrod]

[cool][font "Arial Narrow"][size 4]Hey TubeDude,[/size][/font]

[font "Arial Narrow"][size 4]Riverwire.com was the place to order from. Ordered my Super Fat Cat late Friday - they shipped on Monday and I received it today. No tax or shipping charges. Now I can work on getting the rest of my gear together.[/size][/font]
[signature]

[TubeDude]

[cool]Yaaaaa-hooooo. You are on your way. That's where I got mine and I was well pleased with the savings and the service.

What color did you get?
[signature]

[fishfather]

Congrats on the tube Dryrod,

There are several types on flippers avaliable. I would look around awhile or maybe ask some of the tubers what kind to get before you buy.

I got some turbo ones that work good. Similar to what divers where. Works good when you need to move in a hurry.

There are also some really light anchors out there you can get with hooks to help stick into the mud and sand fairly cheap. Don't forget to watch the tides!

Start fishing at end of low tide when tide is coming in and get back before tide starts pulling out hard.
[signature]

[Dryrod]

[cool]Hey TubeDude,

Figured that green was a lot better way to go than yellow.

[signature]

[TubeDude]

[cool]Hey, Dryrod, you got something against bananas? Well, maybe the yellow would be a bit much. It might help with keeping you visible to whacky water toy operators, but it would also be a lot more visible to the underwater critters that you might prefer to sneak up on.

Both TubeBabe and myself also have the dark green models. If you wear a patch of safety orange somewhere on your head or upper body that is usually good enough for the safety thing. Just don't wear too much orange or it will be mistaken for a distress flag by the patrol boats...and makes you too visible to the water skiers. You don't want to attract their attention.

I read one review of bright yellow float craft that proposed the idea that bright yellow attracted some fish, while spooking others. This was mostly talking about the hot yellow diving fins some guys buy, but was expanded to include bright yellow tube covers.

Before getting the Fat Cats, we both piloted Kennebecs, by Trout Unlimited. They were a mellow yellow. We caught lots of fish from them and I never had reason to suspect the color had an adverse affect on the fish. However, in an ultraclear mountain lake, with spooky trout, I suspect that something in a blue color would be a better choice than bright yellow.

Anyway, good luck on finishing out your ensemble. Now you have to hook up with someone over there and get some practical instruction and experience...to shorten the learning curve. Just watch out if your volunteer mentors insist on bringing along a video camera. Those first launches are always "interesting" and make great footage for the funny video programs.

The big saving difference, with the Fat Cat, is that you do not have to get down inside a round tube. You just position your craft behind you and sit down. Piece of cake. But, it will still take a few "take offs and landings" to become completely comfortable and trusting in your new lifestyle.
[signature]

[fishfather]

Another word to the wise is inflation. And I am not talking about the dollar![]

I mean when you inflate the tube. Be very careful. Alot of people use these powered inflaters which can pop a bladder.

There are several good hand pumps on the markey as well as foot pumps that will work good.

Remember the tempature can make the tube seem full when it really isn't. So you load the tube into you truck/car and the sun beats on it until you get to your favorite fishing hole.

So it fills up with pressure and looks full, but when you set it on the cool water it looks like it isn't full anymore.

I always carry my pump down with me to the water, set the tube on the water for a minute or two and see if I need to inflate it or deflate it alittle then go fish!

It's a good idea to keep some patches with your pump too. I had both bladders puctured..Ouch@!

Almost ruined my trip. Luckily there was a boat center close. [cool]
[signature]

[TubeDude]

[cool]Plenty of newcomers to the float tubing game make the mistake of not "topping off their tank" after setting the craft in water colder than the air temperature. If you inflate the air chambers properly...tight, but not seam ripping...any cooling will result in enough shrinkage of the chamber to wrinkle the cover. If the cover has wrinkles, you do not have enough air to get the full performance from your craft.

As fishfather suggests, it is better to use a good high volume hand pump than to air them up with a high pressure compressor. TubeBabe and I have an inexpensive and small hand pump that fits the valves on our Fat Cats. One of us carries it whenever we go out, and if there is a pressure drop in an air chamber, a couple of quick pumps and the cover is tight again. If the chamber keeps shrinking, you probably have a leak and need to take it apart and repair it...after you quit fishing for the day...not while on the water.

On many of the mini pontoons, Uboats and Vboats, underinflation not only affects handling of the craft...especially in wind or current...but also affects the rigidity and comfort of the seat. It is sometimes a delicate balance of having everything aired up and adjusted just right, to get the most enjoyment and comfort from the trip.

And...as fishfather further points out, do not travel with your craft fully aired up in your vehicle. Let some air out...if not all of it...before heading down the road. Otherwise it may sound like you have taken a hit with a rocket propelled grenade somewhere between the lake and the gargage. At the very least, you can hear the sickening sound or popping stitches, as the air chamber expands beyond the limits of the cover to contain it.

TubeBabe had that happen to a tube sitting in the living room one night, after being brought in from a cold garage and aired up for the next day's fishing trip. As we watched TV we could plainly hear the sound of popcorn, even though we had not put any in the microwave oven. By the time we discovered the source of the popping noises...float tube stitches...the damage was complete. A very large inner tube rested on the scraps of a disassembled float tube cover.

Got that, you newbies? Take care of your air pressure and it will take care of you.
[signature]

[Dryrod]

[cool][font "Arial Narrow"][size 4]Hey Tube advisers,[/size][/font]

[font "Arial Narrow"][size 4]Thanks for the input. You all must have been reading my mind. Just came up from the garage after inflating my tube. Had heard about too much pressure popping one's seams. I knew that I didn't fill it up to capacity but wasn't quite sure how the tube should feel once it reaches the desired pressure. Used my Quick Fill Electric pump (operates off of my cigarette lighter outlet. It fills it nice any easy. It doesn't generate a whole lot of pressure. However it takes a little too long to inflate my Seahawk 500. How do you go about inflating the seats TubeDude? Is there an adapter for the valve? It feels like it would take one with a lot of hot air to inflate those suckers![/size][/font]

[font "Arial Narrow"][size 4][/size][/font]

[signature]

[TubeDude]

[cool]Hey, DR, the good news is that it takes neither a lot of volume or pressure to air up the seat cushions. I went down to Home Depot and bought an inexpensive 2 foot length of clear vinyl tubing. It fits over the end of those pressure activated valves so that you can either use lung power or pump power to tighten them up. I keep the tube in the pocket behind the seat, just in case I want to make adjustments during the day's fishing adventure. A good set of lungs can make the seats as firm as you want them.

By the way, that is the same size tube that is used to connect the valve insert on the main air chamber with the pump adaptor. I think it is 1/2 inch inside diameter. I attached a pic at the bottom that shows what I am talking about.

And, by the way, those high volume hand pumps air the craft up faster than the lighter plug in compressors.
[signature]

[cat_man]

How much does a cheap pump run? All I have is a donut, with limited pocket space, so I would need one that is small that wouldn't take up too much space, and that wouldn't create too much empty space in my bank account. Up until now, I've always relied on pumping my tube up at the gas station on the way out of town and leaving it at that -- I realize that could be dangerous or at the very least annoying if my tube is too soft all day long.
[signature]

[fishfather]

Your best bet for space and money is a foot pump. You can buy at sportmart, kmart or target for between $7-$10. Basically anywhere that sells inflatable boats,tubes,etc.

[url "javascripthowEnhanced();"][/url]

Hope that helps. Be very careful using anykind of compressor to inflate. It's very easy to pop a bladder or a seam.

Only recently have I seen over-flow valves on tubes and pontoons. Basically fill until air starts escaping. Idiot proof, so they say.

Remember to keep pumps and patches either on you or in your vehicle. Don't want to ruin you day if you get a flat! []
[signature]

[TubeDude]

[cool]If you have the regular inner tube type air chamber, then you can find a cheap tire pump at Wally World or one of the discount auto parts places for about 5 Dollars. Go ahead and use the air compressor at the service station to get your tube most of the way aired up. Then, before you launch, you can finish it off with the portable. These come in the long cylinder type or foot operated.



It is not a bad idea to find a cheap bicycle tire pump to tuck in a back pocket. If your tube shrinks in cold water, or if you get a slow leak, the bike pump can put your cover back to a taut mode.



For folks with vinyl, urethane or other plastic air chambers...with Boston valves or Halkey Roberts valves, there are also inexpensive high volume pumps available at most places they sell air filled devices. Again, Walmart has one for about $6, and it fills a Fat Cat right up in about three to five minutes.

Here's a link to a past thread where we talked about pumps. Hope you can get what you need. If not, PM me and we can e-chat.

[url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?post=55673;sb=post_latest_reply;so=ASC;forum_view=forum_view_collapsed;;page=unread#unread"]http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?post=55673;sb=post_latest_reply;so=ASC;forum_view=forum_view_collapsed;;page=unread#unread[/url]
[signature]

[JapanRon]

Hey there Dryrod,

Belated congrats on buying your first tube. Treat her right and you'll be served well. Go through some of the archives on this board for the last few months to get a feel (if you haven't already) of those things that should concern you on equiping your new fishing partner.

With that really good background, depend on guys here to clue you in on details and what's the newest stuff around.

JapanRon
[signature]

[Dryrod]

[cool][font "Arial Narrow"][size 4]Hey Jr and other tube buddies,[/size][/font]

[font "Arial Narrow"][size 4]Thanks for all of your input. One of the many things I like about this site is that an answer to one's question is only minutes away. Plus you don't get a lot of BS seeking advise. Thanks to all.[/size][/font]

[signature]

[Ahimanic]

Congrats on your Super Fat Cat Dryrod. I got the yellow one. I didn't think about the spook factor on the fish but got that color because I want to be visible to the boaters in the bay. Luckily the bottom is black so that should help.

A friend of mine just bought the Fish Cat Deluxe with the air seats. He had a lot of problems with the seat bladder however. It developed pin holes by where the seat golds. Got it replaced and it happened again at the same spot so he finally just traded it in for the Fish Cat which has foam seat. I suspect he had something in the seat pocket that punctured the bladders but he couldn't find the source. I never had any problems with my seat bladders.

A question comes to mind, what do we use to patch the fabric seat bladder if it does develop a leak? I don't think the regular tube patches will work.

For my tube, I got a $10 hi-volume electric air mattress pump and a $5 double action hand pump from Target. The air mattress pump plugs in to cigarete lighters and fills up my Super Fat Cat in less than a minute, then I finish it off with a few strokes from the hand pump to firm it up. Look in the camping section for the electric pum and pool toy section for the hand pump at Target or Walmart. It's much cheaper to buy from a department store than a tackle shop. The qualilty is about the same.

[Dryrod]

[cool][font "Arial Narrow"][size 4]Hey Ahimanic,[/size][/font]

[font "Arial Narrow"][size 4]Thanks for the feed back. Thought about the yellow tube, however many of the lakes nearby require that the tuber wear a 12" orange square on their back. Thought about attaching a orange flag to my tube, but not sure if the waving of same might scare the fish. [/size][/font]

[font "Arial Narrow"][size 4]I have a 12V electric pump that works off of the cigarette lighter and a manual pump to top off my tube. I bought a complete patch kit that RiverWire.com sells. Haven't receive it yet will let you know if it will also patch the seat material.[/size][/font]

[font "Arial Narrow"][size 4]I pump up my tube and cushions about a week ago. So far so good. Still holding air.[/size][/font]

[font "Arial Narrow"][size 4]Stay up & dry.[/size][/font]
[signature]

[Ahimanic]

Dryrod,

Did you get the Outcast patch kit? Quite expensive at $40. I just got a simple urathane patch kit from Buck Bags (Fat Cats have urathane bladders so patches for vinyl may not be good). A few urathane material patches and a tube of Aqua Seal for $5. Please do report on your findings with your kit. I'm interested in a solution for patching the fabric bladder. It ruined my friend's fishing day when he had to run back to the store from the lake twice in a day. He was in the Sierras but luckily he bought the tube from Mammoth so it was in the area.

My friend also bought the Stillwater V-boat on sale for $69 from BassPro. He got over zealous and blew the fabric stitching open with his hand pump. He lost faith in that product so he bought the Fish Cat instead. So I'm thinking it may be him and not the tubes.

Ahimanic

[Dryrod]

[cool]Hi Ahimanic,

Yep. The kit is expensive. Will let you know if it was a waste of money or if it will do the job that I was looking for. Every time I go bargain hunting I wind up saying I should have spent the extra money. I can't take it with me and if I don't spend it our Governor will. (Don't tell anyone that I live in Calif.)[]
[signature]

[tubeN2]

[cool] HEY DRYROD, HE'LL BE BACH. BUT I WON'T TELL HIM. OR WE CAN END UP WITH GARY COLEMAN. HE MIGHT JUST SAY "WATCHU TALKIN BOUT DRYROD?" HA HA. MAY THE BEST MAN WIN. TALL OR SHORT.[laugh][laugh]
[signature]

[TubeDude]

[cool]I keep telling everybody that the only kit they need is a tube of Aquaseal and some Cotol accelerant...for any fabric or air bladder. It sticks to everything and has a flexible seal. You can find it almost everyplace that sells waders...or Cabelas.
[signature]