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rigging the stealth pro for long floats

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3K views 22 replies 13 participants last post by  longstick 
#1 ·
I'm starting to take all day floats with my OSG Stealth Pro, and want to take multi-day floats with it eventually. The pic is prior to launching Sunday for a 9hr trip. The saddle bags have all my terminal tackle, the repair kit, vittles and beverages for the day, there's room to spare in them. There's a 10l dry bag with warm/dry hats and gloves, and extra upper body layers and socks. It also has some basic survival gear, matches, fire-starter, space blanket and a whistle. Everything here is secured; lashed down or clipped to a ring. If, God forbid, the craft overturned, the contents (except for me probably :) ) would stay with the raft. The inflatable pfd goes on me no exceptions. I wear it wade fishing too.

First question. It's not reasonable to break the rods down between each swing opportunity. Once they're setup I've been carrying them full length in the rod holders facing forward so I can watch them. That's gonna break a tip or worse eventually too many obstructions, bushes mostly, in the river I float. Anyone else on this forum float their frameless crafts with spey rods? How do you stow them while you're on the move? They don't fit in the rod holders broken in half.

There's a conspicuous lack of an extra oar here... My backup oar is on it's way. I'm trying to figure out how to carry it and secure it. My first thought is to put a few straps around one of the pontoons and then lash the oar to those straps. Same thing for my wading stick. Anyone here carry a third oar/paddle for their frameless rigs? How do you carry it?

For multi-day trips I think it's just a matter of getting a bigger dry-bag. There's plenty of room in the bow. Anyone here take their frameless on multi-day trips. Any tips or dry bag recommendations for hauling more stuff?

thx

Watercraft Tent Outdoor recreation Grass Boats and boating--Equipment and supplies
 
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#5 ·
Interesting product, I like the fact that the rod tip is protected in that upper shiv. I'd like to see a video of it in use, there's not much info on the site that I can see. I tried watching a video about it, but it seems to be more of a personal vlog than a product demonstration...
 
#10 ·
Seconded. If you are at all worried about flipping wear the real deal. Lap belt vs 4 point harness....

I like to point my rods back. You row away from trouble right? Best to have the tips behind you. 9' rods are fine. Spey rods get broken in half but kept rigged.

If you do end up bringing more gear make sure you have a way to keep some of the weight in front of you. If all the weight is in the back it makes flipping over backwards easy with one big wave. Add D rings if needed.

Good luck!
 
#7 ·
If you really want your Spey rods to be safe, break them half and store them in plain pvc pipes that you strap to the boat. The pipe should be just longer than the rods and you can cap one end if you like. On the reel end, drill a couple of holes for shock cord to hold the reel in. Or, cut a slit the pipe for the reel to slide up in to and use Velcro behind it to secure it. (see my gallery for pics of this)

I have never seen this boat in person but looking at photos, I see a couple of options. The easiest would be to lay the pipes on either side of the seat, jamming them as far back as they will go and have the reel end sticking out the front resting over the foot bar. I would run a strap around each pipe in a couple of places, maybe one through the extra foot bar loop and an attachment loop near or behind the seat. If you carry the boat with the handles, this may not work so well though.

You could also glue on some D-rings to the boat on the top or sides to strap the pipes to. If you used the patch where the pockets go for the rear straps, you'd only have to put one D-ring on the front of each tube/pontoon. You could also just run a strap around each tube to hold the pipe in place in the front but there is a slight chance of a stick getting jammed under it and you will need to inspect it for wear/abrasion before each trip.

Good luck!
 
#9 ·
Good advice above on rod holders. On my Watermaster, I always break my rods down between runs. Things can happen fast on moving water and the last thing I want to worry about is the tip of a 13' spey rod if I get in a tight, sticky situation. You should have plenty of room behind the seat for a couple larger dry bags for camping gear on overnight trips, maybe even a small soft cooler as well. Regarding a spare oar, ideally you'd rig it along one of the pontoons out of the way and you would be able to access it quickly. However, I don't know if you'd ever be able to change a rack and pinion oar quickly in rapids. Good luck.
 
#11 ·
You might consider using 2" PVC pipe for central vacuum systems to store the rods. It is usually thinner wall than regular PVC pipe so somewhat lighter and cheaper. I use this for storing rods in the back seat of my truck. I break the rod in half and leave it rigged.
 
#13 ·
Great info folks, appreciate all of it. I'll get a better jacket right away and save the inflatable for flat water. I hadn't thought about weight distribution.... The pic isn't accurate in that I pull the adjustable seat all the way forward when I get in. I might give Outcast a call and speak with them about it too. I

I'll post up new pics when I get the rod holders installed.
 
#17 ·
I've used my Watermaster for up to 8-day float trips with no issue. I do have to plan a little ahead for technical water because of the extra weight on board. I use two Scotty rod holders and carry two Spey rods or a Switch and a Spey and don't break them down. I mount the Scotty rod holders forward and the rods face the stern. On multi-day wilderness floats I carry a PFD because that seems more responsible than my usual habit.

Sg
 
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