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Post by guestfly on Sept 24, 2014 15:31:44 GMT
Hello to all members of this site. My name is Mike and living in Belgium. Since a while i'm thinking to order a pontoon made in the USA. BUT i'm not sure at this moment between two types: Sea Eagle 285 and Outlaw Rampage. I want to use it for rivers and lake fishing trout mostly. I noticed the review from Philpot about the sea eagle and this was a very good one. Also read a lot about the outlaw rampage and would like some advise from you members here if possible? There is a huge price difference but I can't place it from here. What I like from the rampage is the weight you can carry and that you easily can get out the pontoon at the front. You stay then between the footrest and pontoon. Also very easy to transport and thats also a critical point for me. In the sea eagle you will not have wet feet during fishing and has the benefit to place your el. motor on a more professional way. If I want to use it.. But what about the material both companies use = durability Hope someone can help me with the subject: Choices... Kind regards from at this moment a wet Belgium, Mike
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Post by philpot on Sept 24, 2014 21:36:30 GMT
Welcome to the forum Mike. I have had a look at the Rampage a few minutes ago and to my mind the two craft are very different so the choice of style is down to you and what you prefer. The rampage as far as I know is not sold in the UK so please understand these are my thoughts only. In order to pick one of these you need to decide if you want a boat or a wet platform to fish from. The sea eagle is a boat with plenty of storage space on board and where you will remain dry at all times assuming the water is not rough, the Rampage is a completely different arrangement with your feet in water and to be honest if I wanted to stand up for casting, it would be the sea eagle every time. Also consider winter fishing where the Sea Eagle being a boat will keep you dry and therefore warmer with the possibility to carry extra clothing again because you have a dry space to do so. Both craft have a round transom which I'm sure you will have picked up from my review that I do not like them and to be honest, you need to sit further back on the Rampage to reach the controls of the motor. Seating is important to me so again the Sea Eagle wins with a very comfortable seat. The weight of these two is very similar so I can only assume they are made of a PVC fabric and with all boats made from PVC when treated with respect and care, they should give years of service but again having not seen the Rampage I cannot say if the fabric welding / gluing is the same standard. When launching and landing I always consider what the ground is like and handle my boats with care to ensure they do not get damaged. If I were you, I would also look at some of the inflatable boats on the market because they can offer very tough and practical solution for fishing. It is all down to personal preference. If these were the only two craft available, my choice would be the Sea Eagle, not because I have tested one but because it offers me more features than the Rampage along with the fact that I want a dry ride, or at least as dry as any boat can be. One other thing to think about is fishing with a friend. Neither craft has the capacity or space to take a friend out fishing with you and that is a shame because sharing a boat as the fishing platform is a great way to spend the day as I did yesterday so when the fishing is quiet, at least you have someone to talk to or discuss tactics or where to try and fish next time. I would suggest trying out one of these to really see what they are like, some dealers may have a demo boat for you to try but also look at a true inflatable boat such as the Zodiac series. I do not know what makes of boats are sold in Belgium so I say Zodiac as a style of craft rather than the main one to look at because they are very expensive compared to others in the UK. If the Rampage is your chosen craft, also look at some of the fly fishing floatation tubes which have become more popular in recent years as well as feature packed and after all the Rampage is really another form of float tube to me. While looking at the Rampage I saw some other pontoon craft which look a far better design to the Rampage, such as the Outlaw X5. Here is the link although it is a US site, you may be able to get these other craft over there. www.cabelas.com/catalog/browse.cmd?N=1100576&WTz_l=SBC%3BBRprd1166834What ever you choose, I wish you good luck with it and feel free to ask as many questions as you like. Phil
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Post by guestfly on Sept 25, 2014 20:17:16 GMT
Thanks Phil for taking your time to help me making ' a choice '
It will be my first inflateble boat and there are many on the market. I guess, as you wrote, it has to fit best for the needs and the place I want to fish. So here in Belgium we have no whitewater ranking... It will be for rivers as the Lesse, Ourthe and semois. Some lakes as in Freux and just around the corner in Germany and Luxemburg.
I think mind setting has come to an end and there will be no wet feet when fishing. Thanks for your advise thinking about a two person boat ( and you are right in this ) but fishing is for me a one person matter.
I let you know when first fish has landed.
Mike
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Post by philpot on Sept 25, 2014 22:52:00 GMT
I look forward to hearing the outcome of purchase and hope to see a few photo's of your first catch.
Phil
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Post by guestfly on Nov 4, 2014 19:11:04 GMT
Hello Phil, I made a choice but...after a last visit from my fishing buddy and a short trip at his friends garage my earlier choice was blowing in the wind. A brand new Fish Cat Wave 8 was smiling at me and I smiled back. Not the outcome I expected making choices about this item but couldn't resist after sitting on this pontoon: high and dry. More higher than my buddy's Creek pontoon. 8 feet and complete with all the stuff I needed. After a real Belgium Westmalle Tripple ( beer ) we had a agreement and I loaded the Wave in the car. So bought it 25-10-2014 and had the first maiden trip 28-10-2014 at lake Freux in the Ardennes fishing for rainbow trout. What a fine pontoon and I didn't use flippers and had no wet shoes... Here some pics from that day and again thanks very much for your opinion in this case! Kind regards, Mike
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Post by philpot on Nov 5, 2014 7:19:53 GMT
Really pleased for you Mike. I think you made a good choice, stable, dry, easy to row and folds up small. These cats have a great appeal to me and as I am a big fan of inflatable craft, I know they offer a superb platform to anglers, judging by the photo in the middle, she sits nice and flat on the water Enjoy Mike and keep sending us a few photo's. Perfect Phil
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Post by Izzetafox on Nov 5, 2014 11:00:23 GMT
Well done on getting your pontoon Mike. Looks like you are going to have a great time on it. Terry
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