PREDATOR DRIFT BOAT, (Shawnee/Supreme)
- This topic has 7 replies, 6 voices, and was last updated Mar 23, 2013 at 1:11 pm by
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Neat looking skiff. I like the basic layout including integration of the Yeti under the rower’s seat. Good use of space for dry boxes and open storage on sides. But it has the same issue that my boat has: the casting braces preclude walking around and switching positions, and there is no rod storage or place to mount the spare oar.
Michael –
In the past couple of years the issue you raised regarding rear casting braces, walking around the boat has become more and more of a bigger deal to me. Seems like a simple solve and some manufactures are figuring it out. A slender brace fixed to the floor in the back that does not box-in the rear fisherman and a pedestal rowers seat seems to be all it takes. This would allow smooth passage from bow to stern and vice vera for everyone on board. Navigating the oars / oarsman not withstanding. Talking about this issue with the dude on the drift boat lot near my house I learned that the pedestal rower seat is a sticky-wicket. He got super geeked out and technical but from what I gathered, for the pedestal rower seat to function properly given the stress on the hull and the slight bending the floor goes through, to be designed properly, the seat ought to be mounted on a raised floor separate from the hull. All very interesting. He just got in a Clacka Fly Pod, designed by Kelly Galloup, very nice and easy to walk around. Attended the Film Tour in Jackson Hole last week which got my fly fishing motor running at high speed. Any day now.
KbSo, at least in theory, I am going to be borrowing one of these for a few months in order to give people here in the SE a chance to take a closer look at it.
Kb – I think it depends on how you define the ‘pedestal’ for the rower seat. If you’re talking about bolting a metal pedestal to the floor, think you’d have an issue. But, if you are distributing the stress over say a dry box with the seat on top, or perhaps the Yeti anchored to a false floor you’d be OK. Take a look at how Jason Cajune designs the pedestal seating in his skiff at http://www.cajuneboats.com/boats/big-recurve-skiff/.
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