Boat investment! Is a flycraft reasonable?

[browniez]

IMHO,

If you have something to tow it, and if you are gonna spend that money get a Riverhawk/Gheenoe and motor. Don't waste your time. Rafts are great, but you'll just be cussing about takeouts, getting back up to hung flies/lures, and not being able to hit long, productive stretches of swift river repeatedly.

If you want to seriously get after it, being mobile and having the ability to run wherever you want puts alot more fish in the net. I can get my Riverhawk with a jack plate from McGinnis all the way up to Settles, albeit with extremely careful maneuvering and alot of experience.

If you are going to be really, really using it it is worth the investment. If you are considering this in High School it tells me you are hard core enough that investing in a motorized craft will bring you TONS of angling opportunities through your college years.

The Gheenoe style is perfect for the Hooch, and the fiberglass tends not to be much of an issue so long as you pay attention.

[daviddrummond79]

Originally Posted by daviddrummond79

This is the first time I have seen this boat in particular and holy crap that thing is awesome! My only reluctance with anything that blows up is concerns of a puncture on the water as everything you have in the boat could potentially end up on the bottom of the river but I guess the same can be said for any boat unless it is naturally buoyant. My other concern is longevity; I'm not sure what the life expectancy is on their pontoon material. I am seriously thinking of buying one now... thanks for costing me money If you buy one and need somebody to be your oar man I would be down just for the chance to try it out.

Out if my own personal curiosity I reached out to fly craft via their "contact us" tab on their website and I'll let the below narrative speak for itself.

My question to them;

Subject pontoon life expectancy?
I see that your warranty for the watercraft is 2 years unless an additional warranty is purchased but I was curious what the life expectancy of the float material is regardless of the warranty i.e. how long could I potentially expect this to last long term? I know there are a lot of variables here to consider but I'm curious about the life expectancy of the adhesives, material deterioration based on time, etc...

Their reply;

I would estimate a well cared for raft would last 15 - 20 years, possibly longer. the nice thing about glued boats is you can repair them until the end of time. However I am only guessing, I can only go off of my four years of experience with these boats. But I have been really impressed with them so far. We have had zero warranty claims to date.


Ben Scribner 801-381-3595

Brandon Collett 801-845-6887

flycraftusa.com

[Justhooked]

I am selling my Saturn 13' pvc that i purchased from boatstogo.com. I am asking $400 and that includes a west marine high pressure pump. I paid $1200 and $120 for the pump. I had so much fun with this boat and learned to fly fish on it. I am buying a drift boat and would love for someone on here to enjoy it as much as I did.


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[flyfisher8]

Originally Posted by Jimmy Harris

Jake Darling and I purchased a Buck's Bags Head Hunter Pontoon last year and really like it. He's done a ton of shoal bass trips in it. It's perfect for rocky, shoalie waters. The price is reasonable and you can handle it easily enough to fish solo from it. We'll be glad to get you the details on ordering one for you. Made in the USA.

Jimmy would this handle upper toccoa deep hole on down you think?

[Jimmy Harris]

It'll handle any fishing stream in Georgia. The upper Toccoa would be a piece of cake.

[troutbum69]

If your max budget is 4000 I think you have plenty of options. The big question is where are you planning to use this thing? I've fished out of a 14 foot raft with frame with 3 people on the Hiwassee tailwater and the etowah near cartersville. On the hiwassee it was great, on the etowah it left something to be desired... a motor. I've been debating on a boat for a year or so now and have finally come to the conclusion that Im building a drift boat with a jon boat coming soon after that. Those fly crafts look ok, but for that much money you could have a full size raft that will comfortably handle 3 people. But if you plan on fishing around atlanta for species other than trout, a jon boat will always win out for comfort, function and convenience. Not to mention it opens up the lakes on calm days

Edit: Didn't even address the gheenoe option because thats another great choice. I'll just add that if you're considering the raft option don't overlook buying just a raft and building your own frame. That option can save you thousands of dollars