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I had to get rid of my Durango and now I own a Subaru and therefore need a smaller and probably frameless boat. One that will deflate and pack into my hatchback.
I am deciding between the Renegade and the Escape. All I can see different in them is the size. Is there something I am missing? Are there other options boat wise I should be looking at?
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Hi, OldTroller - as one of the esteemed moderators of this forum would probably say, "It depends on your preferences." For example, I can fit two Classic Accessories pontoon boats into my Honda Civic with the back seat pushed down. When I get to a lake, it does take me about 20 minutes to assemble the frame, inflate the bladders and load my gear. Since I can't afford a vehicle that will allow me to prep at home so I can be on the water in 5 minutes upon arrival, I am happy with the trade off. Smaller car = more time prepping. At least I get to go fishing in a package I can afford as opposed to not fishing at all. Best wishes on your final choice.
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I too have recently bought a subaru. My Super fat Cat fits fine in the back with the seat folded down.
But I just bought a pontoon and I'm betting it wont fit. My solution was to put a hitch on the subaru and pull my small trailer. Haven't actually done that yet as I will be putting the toon together tomorrow. But bth the float tubes fit in the back of the subaru (Impreza) both were deflated and I still had plenty of room for my gear.
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Troller:
I can carry (2) ODC 420 almost fully deployed on my old Generation II Prius. One goes inside the hatch with the seats down and completely inflated/rigged except for the bottom seat cushion. If you consider a variation of this method, you might consider partial inflation (one tube/seat/etc.) to the extent allowed by your hatch, as it cuts set up time.
The 2nd ODC 420 is strapped to the roof with 2 ratchet straps which run thru the inside of car at the rearmost corner at the open doors and over stable anchor behind and in front of the ODC seat back. The top mounting is only used if I don't have to drive very far, since it affects gas milage considerably. A Subaru is geared lower and with a more powerful engine, may not be affected much by the top loading.
Pon
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[cool][#0000ff]The size difference is probably the major factor. And the smaller size of the Escape has taken away most of the space behind the seat. As FG has pointed out, it is not big enough on the Escape to hold much more than a small 12 volt battery. You could get two of the 33 amp/hour wheelchair batteries in side by side...and rig them together. But having one good series 27 battery...on a larger craft...would give you a lot more motor time and greater security if you NEED the motor for fighting back against wind or for an emergency.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I have heard of someone rigging a small platform behind the seat to hold a larger battery but have not seen it...or pictures. My intuition tells me it would be subject to destabilizing the ride.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I did try carting my Renegade on my cartop. It rode well and did not seem to greatly reduce mileage.[/#0000ff]
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Renegade it is.
Thank you all for your input. I will post pics after it's all decked out.
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[cool][#0000ff]Lemme know if you need some teckical stupidvision...or pics from my setup.[/#0000ff]
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My second call (after ordering the renegade) will be to you.
Thank you for the offer Mr PVC.
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If you plan on using a motor/batter the renegade is the way to go. If you plan on kicking/rowing and want something a little smaller go with the escape. You can do a motor in the escape but the set up time is increased dramatically and the comfort is substantially reduced. But I can inflate it and I have backpack straps installed on mine and can carry it on my back ready to roll.
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[cool][#0000ff]You may have missed it a few years ago but when I was a moderator of the Utah board...and some of the ungruntled members objected to my style of moderating...there was a great upheaval. I was labeled as the "PVC Prince"...wielding a sword of PVC (of course). I was also tagged with "Dark Waders" (Darth Vader).[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I am equally proud of both handles.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Bring it on my brother.[/#0000ff]
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Ken, knowing you, you'd bitch constantly if you got the Escape.
But, I think you'd love the Renegade or Rampage. 9' or 10 1/2'. It all depends on your budget. My Assault XX which is the same size as the Rampage fits in Dave's 36" roller duffle. Joni's Assault and Rampage fit into the same duffel.
Tells me they would all fit into a a Prius.
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Hi Pat,
To quote you, "[#0000ff]I have heard of someone rigging a small platform behind the seat to hold a larger battery but have not seen it...or pictures. My intuition tells me it would be subject to destabilizing the ride."
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I saw your post and had to answer. Although I haven't done a test run on it yet, it will be interesting to see if any "destabilization" occurs when it's in the water and going. I can't see how that could possibly happen with a boat that is 6 ft long and has a weight capacity of 500 lbs. I have carefully designed this PVC motor mount. The trouble I had with the Renegade was it was just too big and bulky to manage with ease. I don't like to make more work than is necessary nor do I like fighting with a big bulky inflatable to get it inside of my car.
I'll let you know how it turns out.
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[cool][#0000ff]Thanks for chiming in. I'll be interested to know how your motor/battery setup works on the water. Also would like to see some pictures.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I also found the Renegade to be just a bit too large to kick around with fins all day. Since I don't use the oars that was an issue.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I would have been all over the Escape by now except for the limited storage space behind the seat. Hope there is no destabilizing. But I have had just enough engineering experience to know that when you add too much weight above the center of gravity there will be some effect on the natural order of things.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Good luck and keep us informed.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]PS...did you change your user name?[/#0000ff]
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I have to answer this after having owned both. The Escape is a handful as well. It is 3 feet shorter sure, but it has no inside handles which I really like and weighs "4" pounds more than the Escape (thus making my choice easy).
Due to being three feet shorter, it is difficult rowing without clipping the side bags.
The Assault as you saw has all sorts of room. It is 8'6" but the pontoons are 13" rather than the Escape 14" or the Reny's 15", and folds up nicely.
As far as the Escape, you could try to put a rear deck on it but this would require adding more D rings which does effect how you roll the boat up.
I have only had the Assault out once so far and love it, but I do like the open end as well so I won't be getting rid of my Renegade any time soon.
Leaving the seat area inflated and lifting with the side handles makes it easy to put in the smallest of cars.
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![[Image: IMG_4142.jpg]](http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f17/FlyGoddess/Renegade/IMG_4142.jpg)
