rogerdodger:
In my experience, Mirage drive kayaks and swift water are not a great match. And anchoring any kayak in moving water can be interesting and there is a reason that drift boats use oars and not paddles.
So my quest for a solo drift fishing platform, rekindled late last year by some discussions with "Clayman", lead me to the NRS GigBob 2.0 ($850). I am rigging mine with the goal of being able to effectively use all the standard drift boat fishing techniques (eggs/beads/jigs under a bobber, pulling plugs, casting hardware) and I need to easily navigate swift shallow water and rapids that is considered standard stuff for a drift boat. The relatively easy Siuslaw drift from Whittaker to Wildcat is my "home stretch" of water, once I have that down, I can expand from there to perhaps the Alsea and Siletz....and beyond!
Running rapids just for fun in my GigBob? yeah, maybe next summer. Catching coho from it on Siltcoos this fall with Pepper on the back? you know it.
things I really like so far about the GigBob: light weight, fits in my small SUV with room to carry a bicycle, the drop stitch stuff is amazing- the top platform ('Gig') is rigid enough to kneel and stand on, the pontoons ('Bobs') are flat on the bottom, and the sitting/rowing position makes it easy to just jump in and out of in shallow water.
rigging has gone well, as has my first testing on Munsel lake. The 'Gig' deck is suitable for large dogs and kneeling on it feels like it will be a great fish fighting and landing position, for when the water is too deep to just stand up in.
moving water and anchor testing is next, once the water flow up on the Siuslaw drops just a wee bit more. cheers, roger
Tinker:
I'm interested in seeing how this works out for you, roger. I had a standard-looking one-person inflatable pontoon for a very short time - not very similar to the GigBob - to try drifting rivers and that one didn't work out like I'd hoped. Then again, I don't have your skill for fixin' what ain't workin'. ;D
Clayman:
Looks slick Roger! Definitely has some advantages over a kayak. Keep in touch for when you make a date for a float.
YippieKaiyak:
That rig looks slick, Roger. Now I want one. :)
rogerdodger:
--- Quote from: Tinker on January 29, 2018, 04:33:11 PM ---I'm interested in seeing how this works out for you, roger. I had a standard-looking one-person inflatable pontoon for a very short time - not very similar to the GigBob - to try drifting rivers and that one didn't work out like I'd hoped. Then again, I don't have your skill for fixin' what ain't workin'. ;D
--- End quote ---
preview of my April-May project especially for Tinker- the 20 pound 'Gig' fits perfectly on the recessed center of my Mirage drive SUP (26 pounds). I am forcing myself to get through steelhead season and my related STEP/hatchery duties first but I am just dying to see how this hybrid CrazyBoat behaves on the water.
the 12.5' touring SUP is 30" wide and really fast but has low secondary stability; the 'Gig' is 48" wide with all that flat deck space.