behold the boat

I received my boat on Monday. It is an Outcast Fish Cat 13 (the pontoons are 13' long). It is an inflatable pontoon boat, also known as a cataraft. Outcast is a division of AIRE inflatables, one of the leaders in the whitewater raft and cataraft industry, one of the reasons I chose this boat over some others.

A cataraft is pretty much two inflatable pontoons connected by some sort of frame. There are large and small catarafts. They were designed, I believe, primarily for whitewater paddling and river running. Here are some videos of some serious whitewater catarafts (that cost much more than mine). This is a 16' cataraft surfing a big wave. And here is a video that includes a bunch of catarafts running Lochsa Falls in Idaho. I think it's actually the same place as the first video.

Outcast claims my boat could handle that river, but I don't think I could.

Catarafts have also proven to be excellent fishing platforms. This is because catarafts are extremely stable. You can stand up in them and lean over the side or the front and it won't tip over. Try that in a kayak or canoe. And they are lighter and go more places than a drift boat or skiff can.

My boat comes with a modular two-seat frame. I have it set up for one person right now. And I can actually car top it (that's the higher seat pedestal in the picture with my car which is convenient for fishing but not so much for rowing).

I caught this beautiful bass in a lake 10 minutes from my house. I like my new boat.