odd totally flat "Feather Raft" for standup fishing.

Discussion in 'Boat Design' started by Squidly-Diddly, Jan 7, 2014.

  1. Squidly-Diddly
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    Squidly-Diddly Senior Member

  2. hoytedow
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    hoytedow Carbon Based Life Form

  3. messabout
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    messabout Senior Member

    Is there no end to creativity? Brilliant! Two pieces of ply and a couple of 1 x 6 boards. This thing will work well enough in a pond but only if there are no alligators. Gotta' give it credit. It will fit the back of a pickup truck, it is cheap, and it will float. It does require a certain degree of sobriety however. :D
     
  4. hoytedow
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    That's for sure! :p
     
  5. Squidly-Diddly
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    Squidly-Diddly Senior Member

    the flat thing should work good as throw down 'deck' for marshy yard, or to keep your car cooler when stored on roof. Maybe even as 'roof deck'.

    One of my Holy Grails is a "universal object" to serve as car top 'camping space'(don't like sleeping on ground, I'm a tree dweller, but sometimes you don't got trees), boat and storage container. Should be a couple inches under 8ft for easy inside storing upright to save space.
     
  6. philSweet
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    philSweet Senior Member

    Yes Squidly, we think alike. But I want mine a little bigger. The last little 300# boat I had sat on a 2500# trailer for the reasons you mentioned. I keep looking at the modern transomless skiffs and thinking they would work pretty good as a dump trailer when I need to get a load of mulch or run scrap to the metal yard. Can't always get it all in my truck, and besides, I'd have to empty my truck first.

    And I kept a 17' aluminum canoe on the roof of my Fairmont all summer long in Georgia. Seriously, I did.

    Does anyone sell a high performance skiff with Rhino liner?
     
  7. Squidly-Diddly
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    Squidly-Diddly Senior Member

    Phil, what is a "transomeless skiff"???


    https://www.google.com/search?q=transomless+skiffs&client=firefox-a&hs=hRT&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:eek:fficial&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=ev3SUr7kLJTnoASVi4HwDA&ved=0CAkQ_AUoAQ&biw=960&bih=453"
     
  8. Coalface173
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    Coalface173 Junior Member

    Feather-Raft

    I noticed that you mentioned my Feather-Raft design. What do you think of the raft? Do you have any questions for me? http://feather-raft.com
     
  9. hoytedow
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    Welcome to the forum. :)
     
  10. Coalface173
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    Coalface173 Junior Member

    Thanks you

    Thank you for the greeting.
     
  11. portacruise
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    portacruise Senior Member

    I like the light weight.

    What to do in wind and waves?

    Porta
     
  12. Coalface173
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    Coalface173 Junior Member

    Wind and waves

    I get a good workout :) I also have a ten pound anchor if I need it. Amazingly waves aren't much of a problem. I simply ride them out. The raft is pretty dran stable since it's so wide and low. Obviously, the shape is not built for speed. It's built for stability and maximum surface area exposure for my hunting, fishing, or relaxing gear.
     
  13. rwatson
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    rwatson Senior Member

    My first thought was that anywhere you had time to paddle that raft to, or that was flat and not windy enough for that raft to handle, would be already overfished by 'conventional' fishermen.

    So, once fishing was a lost cause, the joy of being on the water would gradually be squashed by the inability to go very far in a reasonable time.
     
  14. hoytedow
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    hoytedow Carbon Based Life Form

    One could always use it to take a good book and get away from the yappy bunch for a while.
     

  15. Coalface173
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    Coalface173 Junior Member

    There are many uses for the raft besides fishing. However, having a smaller range due to ones paddling ability hardly limits the raft's value as a fishing vessel. I have caught many a fish from the raft that I could not have caught from the shore. Additionally, I not only fish from the raft, I hunt, bow-fish, lounge, recreationally paddle, cross waterways to access other lands, or simply use it as a swim platform. Furthermore, there are waters that conventional boats can't access that the raft can. I have many pictures of successful fishing trips on my Feather-Raft facebook page, Instagram Feathr_Raft, or YouTube channel Coalface173. I have yet to read a book on the raft. I do use my phone to browse the internet on it quite often though.
     
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