one man pontoon boat

[quix20]

i am looking at getting a one man pontoon boat for this spring/summer. i know how the dry fly boats feel (and man do i want one) but the cost of them is really holding me (well my wife actually) back.

i have found a JW outfitters one man boat, renegade, for 250$ that i am looking at getting. but i was wondering if anyone has ever used one of these or rode in one. I want something that i can manuver with minimal effort and still be able to get alot of fishing done.

the only reason i am looking at getting this one is because it retatils for about 800$ from the research that i have done on it and i will be able to get it for 250 like i said before. it is slightly used, but at least it will be a start for me!1

any info anyone can give me would be great.

thanks

[Shoeman]

Quix, if you're gonna spend 250, buy a flat bottom. This way you and Jerry can go fishing. You'll still need 2 vehicles.

[quix20]

ralf,

we are working on getting one a 14 ft aluminum too. really all we need is the motor for it.

i am just looking for something so when i go up by myself, i can just park and walk downstream a ways or have someone follow me to a spot and drop me off to float to my car.

i just dont think i would be that good at driving a 14ft though. never done it before and knowing my luck i would run into something!!

[JStarbrite]

Cabelas has a couple of models for around $300. I have the ODC816, which has a lifetime guarantee. Might be worth the extra $50 for a warantee.

I think my pontoon to be one of the best fly fishing investments I have ever made.

[Jackster1]

I've owned the Renegade for a 4-5 years now and would buy it again if I had to. It packs down into two bags in about 10 minutes, has a heavy duty, welded aluminum frame, has a lower profile than many other kick-boats I've seen (an advantage in strong winds), has a very durable and waterproof 'Rhino Hide' skin with even more durable material on the bottoms and is very light in weight. It also has Carlisle oars with good 'yoke' type oar locks. Catagory III rivers, no problemo! The Renegades have a hard deck that keeps things high and dry, stripping apron and oar holder clips come as standard equipment now (I had to buy all of this as it wasn't available when I purchased mine). This boat is also very easy to manuever with fins once you row to position.
If you don't take that boat at that price please e-mail me as I would take it in a heartbeat! Heck, I've seen float tubes at the price of that Renegade.

[quix20]

jackster
what do you mean by a category III river?? i am thinking it is some type of whitewater or something.

how does your boat row, and what options can you get/do you have (rod holders, acc. bags (how many, how big), anchoring system and the like)?? how high do you sit above the water?? is it easy to cast a fly rod from one, or should i just beach it when i find some good water??

i hope this is not much to throw at you, but i havent seen any info like that on the website i have seen for it. if i am not looking hard enough for it let me know. i probably missed it, but am not sure.

thanks again

[Jackster1]

Good questions, Quix. You reminded me, the Renegade didn't come with an anchor system until recently. I bought the anchor package this summer and used the heck out of it. It is centrally located over the deck in back and has a built in cleat. The central location is key to keep the boat headed dead downstream or downwind instead of it drifting off to one side or the other. For anchors, anything goes. In rivers chain or mesh bags of rocks work well (I keep a rigging knife handy to cut the boat free if the anchor snags though I've never needed it, yet!). For lakes one of those small, foldable anchors Boat U.S. sells works well.
I just bought adjustable rod holders from Lakeside Tackle in S.C.S. and clamped them to the frame. The rod holders a few of us use are removable from the clamped on base for storage and transport. In a pinch shoving the rod in one of the side bags works well. The Renegade comes with two, well built, semi-waterproof side bags that have smaller pockets on the outside for smokeables and tippet material.
The thing rows quick and tracks well. Anyone who owns a kick-boat will tell you how easy they are to row in current. You steer by little dips of your oars. In still water it moves along quickly and only draws a few inches of water. You can skim some very skinny water with one without bottoming out.
Casting from one isn't even an issue. There are several people on these boards who fly fish from them and I think if you ask them they'll agree, casting is a piece of cake from a kick-boat. Though you are sitting 4-5 inches off the water, it is second nature to just flail away. I have a buddy who stands up in his on rivers but I ain't built right for that action. With fins you can easily manage your position to take advantage of the wind.
Catagory III is pretty hairy white-water, the Lower Penninsula has no water I would worry about navigating in the Renegade (just don't do a search on this site of pictures of the Pine River trip some members of this site took!)
Is the boat new and are there any others available?

[quix20]

thanks for the reply to the questions. i think i am gonna get it and start saving for a dry fly boat next year. i just want something to get me through this year.

no, this is a used boat, the owner says it was used about 20 times last summer and that is it. and unfortunately it is the only one that he has for sale. i dont want to say where it is at cause i dont want someone to beat me too it!! if i change my mind though you will be the first one that i contact regarding it. hopefuly i will be able to go up and look at it this weekend to see what it looks like.

i dif find one more question for you though. what type of warranty does it come with usually? i am just wondering if i get it if the warranty will transfer over.

thanks

[quix20]

Jackster,

thanks for your help. i think i am gonna get it. it sounds too good to be true though. i will let you know when so we can set something up as per your email.

thanks again
one quick question though, where can i look at the accesories for it?? i cant find it on any of the websites related to the boat.

[JStarbrite]

I just strapped a double pulley to a cross member. On one side is a chain to slow me down, the other is a downrigger weight for an anchor. Works great!