[shappattack]

"bouancy and rigidity never achieved in the raft world"

Great comedy, I mean commentary.

DAVE SCADDEN'S 2014 OUTLAW ASSAULT DRIFT BOAT - YouTube

 

[k2andcannoli]

Pretty sure once that floor is installed, the raft no longer self-bails.

 

[Riverbound]

How do I get that 10 minutes of my life back after that video,love the oars and the special oar holder. I am sure they have a purpose but those things just stink of cheap crap attached to the raft. There is a fly fishing forum in washington I was browsing through and they seem to love them. I have never seen a scadden on a real river trip or any where I boat for that matter. Seem to be more prevalent out west with the fishermen.

 

[KennytheJet]

You're right. My dad has two scadden pontoons, an 11 and 13 footer. He's modified both of them to make them wider and added a platform that makes it easy to river scour but mostly for fishing. I think the biggest water they've seen is the deschutes and we've taken then down a few multi day grand ronde trips. I think honestly the main thing I would say about them is that the quality of the material that protects the tubes is not up to par with the quality of day NRS or Aire tubes. I don't think they could handle a tenchnical run with a lot of rocks like Gore or big water like the Lochsa as well though.

 

[Stiff N' Wett]

Eeew Gross!!

 

[cmharris]

High pressure floor

That style of floor is great in my NRS Outlaw IK.

 

[D-Sieve]

I did a fall season Middle Fork trip (@1.69cfs) and one of the guys had a 2 person fishing cat (Bucks Bags, maybe) that had been modified to use real oars and a plywood deck in back to attach gear. I think it's capacity was 600 or 700 pounds. It was the best rig for the river, at those low flows. The 16 foot rafts were hung up all the time, and my kayak is too small to carry (enough) beer.
I've been looking for one on CL, found a couple, but the fisherfolks are (apparently) really proud of them, and want a grand or two for 'em, geez! Figured it would be great for a solo tripper boat - light enough to drag through the shallows, with enough room to bring beer.
Scadden is really pushing it though to claim that his raft is hugely popular with the recreational whitewater community!
I've never seen one of his rafts or fishing cats around here, but I'd like to run one of those little 9 foot fishing cats down the Main Payette just for shits and giggles as long as I wasn't responsible for any breakage!

 

[Otterwolf]

I kinda like that idea of the oar lock system requiring no frame, would be interested in how that holds up over time....

 

[formerflatlander]

RMR is possibly trying the drop stitch floor (see thread running at this time). I have an older Sea Eagle Explorer for about the right price- $75 on CL. Sick of the low pressure floor and crappy seat, I put a drop stitch floor from a solo NRS Outlaw in it and a Cheetah chair. Getting something better in the short term, but plan on keeping it for friends, wife, etc on easier 2-3 stuff. Ex and I had an Avon 14' so familiar with rafts and I beam floor.
Could not believe the difference in handling. It really did slide across the water. The older floor closed off my added holes for self bailing. Now it bails like a dream, although additional holes to mount the cheetah chair may be the reason.
So the drop floor is an interesting idea. If its true RMR is doing it too, we'll see how it works in a real whitewater boat.
As far as the oar mounts, just can't see kicking through Sunshine Falls etc in them.

 

[cataraftgirl]

I did a fall season Middle Fork trip (@1.69cfs) and one of the guys had a 2 person fishing cat (Bucks Bags, maybe) that had been modified to use real oars and a plywood deck in back to attach gear. I think it's capacity was 600 or 700 pounds. It was the best rig for the river, at those low flows. The 16 foot rafts were hung up all the time, and my kayak is too small to carry (enough) beer.
I've been looking for one on CL, found a couple, but the fisherfolks are (apparently) really proud of them, and want a grand or two for 'em, geez! Figured it would be great for a solo tripper boat - light enough to drag through the shallows, with enough room to bring beer.
Scadden is really pushing it though to claim that his raft is hugely popular with the recreational whitewater community!
I've never seen one of his rafts or fishing cats around here, but I'd like to run one of those little 9 foot fishing cats down the Main Payette just for shits and giggles as long as I wasn't responsible for any breakage!

I learned to raft with a 10 ft. Outcast PAC 1000 fishing cat. Started running Alpine Canyon/Split Mountain/Green River etc. in that little cat and it was a blast. But after I started doing multi-day trips, and after I crashed & burned in Moonshine rapid at high water, I decided to get a "real" cataraft. I still have my Outcast. It's perfect for fishing on the Green below Flaming Gorge, and can handle a weekend trip if you go backpacker style. It has tubes made by Aire, with Leafield valves, and the frame is sturdy with real oar towers. I use Cataract Mini-Magnum oars on mine. We saw a herd of these on the Middle Fork a few years ago (with raft support). We talked to them at the take-out and they said they had a great time, but they had all flipped at least once during the week.

I have seen the Scadden boats at the Spotsmans Expo. The fabric didn't look very heavy duty, Halkey Roberts valves, maybe glued PVC, not sure? I didn't have a conversation with Dave, as he was busy pitching his products, and I didn't want to get into an argument with a vendor at the Expo. If you want a lightweight fishing rig for class I-II, for a little less money (? Can't find prices on his website), then these boats might be a good fit. No way would I take them above class II without a frame & real oar stands. With a real frame.....maybe? "Hugely popular in the recreational whitewater arena." I don't think so.

 

[Osseous]

If anybody is Googling around and they come upon this thread I'd like to share my experience with a Dave Scadden boat- and with his company. I bought one of his boats a few years ago as I was getting into rowing whitewater. What a mistake. The thing required replacement of just about every part. His standard oars are too light for the job- and they bent immediately. His oarlocks are cheap, aluminum rip-offs of a Sawyer Cobra- mine broke at the shaft at the top of a highwater Blue river run- had to literally jump in and drag the boat ashore. Knockoff components abound on these boats. The valves he uses (and promotes as "Halkey Roberts Valves" on Youtube) are NOT Halkey Roberts valves- they're off-brand "Bravo" valves. Search on google for a replacement valve and see what you come up with> They're not readily available in the US and will not accept Halkey parts as replacements when they blow out- and they frequently blow out. The cordura he uses in his boats faded 1/2 way thru their first season to an uneven grey color- the buckles broke after minimal UV exposure- and the stitching came out. The aluminum frame on my boat was small diameter, welded- with welding flash all over the place- that flash was like sandpaper against my tubes so I covered it with layers of duct tape to avoid a blowout.

There is an easy answer here if you're looking for a small, light, high quality float fishing craft- go with Outcast from Aire or a Watermaster. They are much better values than the Scadden stuff- built with quality and from reputable companies who will answer their phone, return your calls.... the most basic business practices that this guy failed miserably at. The ONLY time i got a response from him was immediately after I left a voicemail stating that I WOULD see him at the Denver Flyfishing show. That I would stand in his booth until I got some answer from him on his "warranty" and his failure to respond to my many emails and voicemail messages. Suddenly he had service on his priority list! I got the parts I needed from him, sold the boat and moved on to real whitewater gear. Please don't make the mistake of buying this product-

 

[JHMainer]

I saw this boat on the water and filming of this. I have no problem with the boat like many people on here will. Its gets people out on the water, which is what we are all trying to do. What got me is that he said " I prefer the freedom of no lean bar", that is absurd. Anyone that fishes any amount of time will tell you the same. I will even compromise and say sure, it gives you more freedom, but how smart is it to tell people who are wearing waders on a river that? At the very least on most rafts you can brace your knees on the bow. There is absolutely no bracing in that setup other than the "handle" that's by your ankles.

 

[shappattack]

My post was about the hilarious commentary, not the boats. The boats are what they are. The commentary is another animal entirely!

This is not a scadden boats thread, it is a Dave Scadden commentary thread!

 

[Riverbound]

My post was about the hilarious commentary, not the boats. The boats are what they are. The commentary is another animal entirely!

This is not a scadden boats thread, it is a Dave Scadden commentary thread!

Old Dave does have a way with words doesn't he, you have to give the guy credit for coming up with some propaganda and crazy wording. After he is done talking I feel all greasy like I need a shower and want to buy one at the same time. And how can you not trust someone who always dresses like Johnny Cash!

 

[Guiltydog]

Well, he did say they were "breaking all the rules". I guess I would agree with that part.

 

[cataraftgirl]

Old Dave does have a way with words doesn't he, you have to give the guy credit for coming up with some propaganda and crazy wording. After he is done talking I feel all greasy like I need a shower and want to buy one at the same time. And how can you not trust someone who always dresses like Johnny Cash!

You should see him in person. The dude is an impressive salesman. That's why I thought it was wise not to engage him in a discussion about his products. I knew that was one battle I would never win.

 

[Osseous]

How can a product be popular with the recreational whitewater community if it hasn't even been released yet?.....

 

[FrankC]

I wonder what Coldplay made in royalty.

 

[[email protected]]

10 minutes and 11 seconds of watching a poor excuse of a fishing drift boat not catch a single fish. I'll stick with my dory that you can fish class 2+if you want without grabing a HANDLE.

 

[Jensjustduckie]

Those oars are so cute, I like how he treats them so gingerly and barely dips them in the water. Also, what is the point of 10 minutes of horrible, repeated footage and music? LOL, oh well, the title is a nice Lebowski quote

"And shit... man, she kidnapped herself."