Streamlining my boat options - NRS Slipstream 96??

[Stonedfish]

I had these on my raft frame for a number of years for carrying a spare oar before I sold the raft. They worked really well and kept the spare nice and tight to the boat.
SF

Outcast Spare Oar Keeper | Anglers All

Secure a spare oar to the frame easily and securely with the Spare Oar Keeper. The spare oar will release easily via the 1.5” side release buckle.* Sold as a pair

www.anglersall.com

 

[ffb]

Well, I waited too long on the Slipstream on clearance, so still have the Striker. Put it up for sale a month ago with a bunch of the upgrades (2 rod holders, anchor favor, 2-side bags, 2-sets of oars, new super pump, brand new Aire boat bag, anchor etc…for 2700 and no bites. Realize it’s not the best time of year for a boat to sell.

With money tight, was just hoping to offset the delux 9’6” cost. But appears I’ll be satisfied with my frameless striker!

Sky, I appreciate all the info!

Just got an email from Gig Harbor Fly Shop. They just got a few more in at the lower clearance price: https://gigharborflyshop.com/product/nrs-slipstream-96-raft-standard-pkg/

 

[skyriver]

Damn that's a great deal. If you have $2236 + tax laying around you could turn a profit on the damn thing! Crazy.

Does anyone have any feedback on the front seat and lean bar? In the pictures & videos I've noticed a couple things-
- lean bar seems to be close to your face when seated.
- lean bar seems to be built for...well, the very lean. I'm big, but fairly skinny. Not sure my ass or legs are fitting in there. Looks tight!
- the front seat seems really close to the rower. It is adjustable, but then the lean bar would be even closer.
- the front seat is really high. Not a biggie, but if Jerry is a big dude and I slam a rock, is Jerry staying in the boat? Haha! Also, I can fit the Striker in my F150 with the canopy on. The height of the Slipstream rockers combined with the height of the front seat, even when folded down might be an issue. At 5'3" wide you have to deflate a bit anyways so maybe no big deal for us old dudes with canopies. Although more and more youngsters are discovering the benefits of truck bed livin.

Again, this is just from looking at the pics and some videos. Would love to hear some reports/reviews from actual action.

I sure wish my Striker had that floor. That thing looks awesome. Probably more stable than the Striker.

 

[MT406]

Damn that's a great deal. If you have $2236 + tax laying around you could turn a profit on the damn thing! Crazy.

Does anyone have any feedback on the front seat and lean bar? In the pictures & videos I've noticed a couple things-
- lean bar seems to be close to your face when seated.
- lean bar seems to be built for...well, the very lean. I'm big, but fairly skinny. Not sure my ass or legs are fitting in there. Looks tight!
- the front seat seems really close to the rower. It is adjustable, but then the lean bar would be even closer.
- the front seat is really high. Not a biggie, but if Jerry is a big dude and I slam a rock, is Jerry staying in the boat? Haha! Also, I can fit the Striker in my F150 with the canopy on. The height of the Slipstream rockers combined with the height of the front seat, even when folded down might be an issue. At 5'3" wide you have to deflate a bit anyways so maybe no big deal for us old dudes with canopies. Although more and more youngsters are discovering the benefits of truck bed livin.

Again, this is just from looking at the pics and some videos. Would love to hear some reports/reviews from actual action.

I sure wish my Striker had that floor. That thing looks awesome. Probably more stable than the Striker.

Here a picture for perspective.

 

[skyriver]

Haha! Yeah, that's one of the videos I watched that spurred on my concerns. Looks like the lean bar is not in his face, but still looks really close. And his seat can't go any farther back.
One thing this pic made me think about. The tubes are bigger than the Striker and the rockers are also more aggressive/higher so it appears the inside length is probably less than the Striker. Not sure. Maybe those guys are just really big dudes. Looks tighter than my Striker to me.
I still want that floor!

 

[DKL]

That front seat is deluxe. The passenger should be pretty comfortable. Sitting in mine when I mocked it up I didn’t feel like there was less room than the striker, I thought there was more room actually. But as I mentioned earlier in the thread, that may have been because of the openness to the sides because there is only one bar supporting the seat. It may not really have any more room to the front of the seat. I sure didn’t get the impression that it was much different than the striker though. I do think a big dude might have a little tough time getting his legs in the horns of the lean bar. Although I’m 6’1”, I’m not a big guy by any means, and I had to angle myself in More than I would have liked. I think a big guy would fit, it just wouldn’t be a super quick in and out. But back to that plush front seat, it is really nice and your passenger should be very comfortable.

One other thing I think I’ll really appreciate is more flexibility in how I carry my Spey rods. On the striker I use the Scotty mounts on the left side so one is right next to the passenger and one next to the rower. For the slipstream I got a couple of the NRS utility Clampit mounts that I can attach the rod holders to. That provides me with a lot of flexibility as to where I can put them. I like that I can have them both up next to the passenger on one side, that way they don’t extend beyond the end of the raft.

 

[MT406]

PAC 1150 - Outcast Boats

New for 2024 the PAC 1150 is an All American Made, 2-man raft package perfect boat for a rower and one angler looking to Leave the Crowds. *Oars & anchor not included *Floors do not come installed — Check box to add Installation Service $150

www.outcastboats.com

 

[jact55]

I picked up my raft yesterday but I'm still trying to figure out which oars/blades to get. The guys at Gig Harbor Fly Shop were apparently running the 96 with 7 foot oars which seems small compared to the 8 foot setup the deluxe package came with. I will be buying a spare as well and super confused as a beginner as there's conflicting information and few people running different setups. If you guys were a complete beginner what would be your move? Might be a dumb question but would it be easy to attach a one piece spare to the side of the raft as well instead of opting for a 2 piece setup and stowing it on the raft? Thanks for any advice. I'm 6 foot and 170lbs if that matters at all.

I was a beginner last year. So I still am lol. But I ran my 10.5' raft alot last year.

In my heavy research before and after buying the raft, everything pointed towards kbo were too small.
I found it to not be the case at all. I love them. I'm smaller side, 5'8 and 140 lbs. But I have yet to be in a situation where they were an issue.

I just strap my 2 pc outcast spare oar to the side of my frame, against the outer wall of the raft using basic straps. Never had an issue in transport or on the water.
I can take a pic if you want.
Seems to be the same concept as buying a more expensive nrs type oar storage strap.

I'm also running basic water, nothing over class 2 really.

I'd buy the kbos again in a heart beat if I had to.

 

[jeradjames]

@MT406 have you taken yours out yet?
I was set to take mine out for its maiden voyage this week but having to wait a bit longer.

I’m not trailering mine, deflated and disassembling the frame in my truck bed, eager to find out how much I’ll enjoy that each time I use it.

 

[DKL]

I got to finally take mine out at the beginning of March. I’m really happy with it, but I’ll still be using the striker more until I get a trailer. I broke the frame down in 3 sections and deflated it to put it in the back of my Tacoma. It fits like that, is not very different in setup time from the striker, but stuffing it in the back of the truck by yourself with a canopy was a bit of a pain.

 

[jeradjames]

I got to finally take mine out at the beginning of March. I’m really happy with it, but I’ll still be using the striker more until I get a trailer. I broke the frame down in 3 sections and deflated it to put it in the back of my Tacoma. It fits like that, is not very different in setup time from the striker, but stuffing it in the back of the truck by yourself with a canopy was a bit of a pain.

Nice, it looks great! What made you opt for this in addition to the striker since it's so similar? Frame? I'll be doing the same thing as you in my truck, good to know. Trying to avoid going the trailer route but I can tell it could make things more streamlined.

 

[skyriver]

Btw, I've had my Stiker out 10 times this year. But only once on a river. Did the Yakima Lmuma to Mahres back in late Feb.
All the others have been on Lenice or my local stocker lakes.
It's essentially become my rubber pram. I haven't used the upgraded frame I made for it yet this year. I didn't need it for the Yak and definitely not the lakes.

For the lakes, I can have everything I need in the inflated raft except for 2 anchors and my finder battery. I slide it in the back of my truck, put 2 straps on it, bungies on the canopy window, anchors and battery on the floor behind my driver seat.

When I get to my local lakes I just back up to the launch and-
- pull the raft out
- put the oars in the locks
- attach anchors
- put the battery in the raft
- park the truck and walk back to the raft.
- throw on my inflatable PFD
- row off the launch to get out of the way
- plug in the battery and turn on the finder.

This takes all of 5 minutes. Honestly, the thing that takes the longest is all the questions I get from the shore anglers.

I used to keep it aired down a bit so it was easier sliding in the truck, but with my full-size F150 it can pretty much be full air and still slide in. And I keep my K-pump 200 in the raft so I can top it off on the water if I really need to. Or at the launch if nobody is waiting.

The Commander is better if I want to troll or fish the shoreline, but if I'm mostly anchoring the raft to strip or bobbers it's just so easy. And I don't have to wader up. Just throw on the rubber boats and go. And I can still troll if I really need to. Or drift with the wind. Hell, I can even put the trolling motor on it if I need to. All the pram guys are like "Duh..."

The upgraded frame will definitely come into play this summer and fall when I hit some quicker rivers, but right now the stock Striker is getting it done.

All this to say that you may use your small raft for more than just rivers...because they're just so easy to use. Especially if setup/breakdown is minimal because you have a truck or trailer.

 

[DanielOcean]

I have my Striker assembly and disassembly program down pretty good now. However, I look forward to trailering it one day. Those NRS boats are fantastic looking.

 

[DanielOcean]

Has anyone upgraded oars, and shafts yet? What length did you go with?

 

[jeradjames]

Btw, I've had my Stiker out 10 times this year. But only once on a river. Did the Yakima Lmuma to Mahres back in late Feb.
All the others have been on Lenice or my local stocker lakes.
It's essentially become my rubber pram. I haven't used the upgraded frame I made for it yet this year. I didn't need it for the Yak and definitely not the lakes.

For the lakes, I can have everything I need in the inflated raft except for 2 anchors and my finder battery. I slide it in the back of my truck, put 2 straps on it, bungies on the canopy window, anchors and battery on the floor behind my driver seat.

When I get to my local lakes I just back up to the launch and-
- pull the raft out
- put the oars in the locks
- attach anchors
- put the battery in the raft
- park the truck and walk back to the raft.
- throw on my inflatable PFD
- row off the launch to get out of the way
- plug in the battery and turn on the finder.

This takes all of 5 minutes. Honestly, the thing that takes the longest is all the questions I get from the shore anglers.

I used to keep it aired down a bit so it was easier sliding in the truck, but with my full-size F150 it can pretty much be full air and still slide in. And I keep my K-pump 200 in the raft so I can top it off on the water if I really need to. Or at the launch if nobody is waiting.

The Commander is better if I want to troll or fish the shoreline, but if I'm mostly anchoring the raft to strip or bobbers it's just so easy. And I don't have to wader up. Just throw on the rubber boats and go. And I can still troll if I really need to. Or drift with the wind. Hell, I can even put the trolling motor on it if I need to. All the pram guys are like "Duh..."

The upgraded frame will definitely come into play this summer and fall when I hit some quicker rivers, but right now the stock Striker is getting it done.

All this to say that you may use your small raft for more than just rivers...because they're just so easy to use. Especially if setup/breakdown is minimal because you have a truck or trailer.

Getting a lot of good use out of it, that's great and reassuring knowing how similar they both are. How did you setup your front anchor? I do plan on doing some lakes up north near me so that’s something I’ll need to invest in at some point.

 

[DKL]

Nice, it looks great! What made you opt for this in addition to the striker since it's so similar? Frame? I'll be doing the same thing as you in my truck, good to know. Trying to avoid going the trailer route but I can tell it could make things more streamlined.

I wanted to make a frame for the striker, I don’t know that I needed to but wanted to. There are times when I wrench hard on the oars in the striker and you feel the raft giving in a bit. I thought in some more technical water I’d appreciate a frame. However, the cost of the frame parts were so much I felt like I could just get a used raft with a frame for about the same price as building my own. When NRS discounted this raft, I felt like I was buying a frame and getting a raft for free and took advantage. They discounted it so much I thought about getting one of the bigger versions but decided against it because I just rarely need a raft for 3 people. Plus, if I do I can just take both the slipstream and the striker or one of my one man rafts and I’m covered. I felt like it rowed pretty nicely and there isn’t the rocking of the seats you get with the striker. I also liked that I could have both Spey rod holders at the front of the boat; in the striker, the second rod holder is even with the rower so it sticks out the back.

 

[skyriver]

Has anyone upgraded oars, and shafts yet? What length did you go with?

If you're asking for the Striker, this is what I have and really like them. Definite upgrade from stock oars-
Cataract KBO 2-piece Oar Shaft 7.5' with Wrap
Cataract Mini Cutthroat Oar Blades
Also went with NRS mini aluminum oar locks and then carry the stock ones as spares. Much better.

 

[skyriver]

Getting a lot of good use out of it, that's great and reassuring knowing how similar they both are. How did you setup your front anchor? I do plan on doing some lakes up north near me so that’s something I’ll need to invest in at some point.

Front anchor is a Scotty mount attached to the back IGS pad. It's perfect for a front anchor. I can lower it with 1 hand. Very useful since the other hand can be on an oar to get you right where you want to be. I have the Striker in 1-man mode, which means the raft is flipped around and that the IGS pad is now in front.


I use a 10 lb mushroom anchor for the front and it seems to do fine.
I'm using my 25 lb pyramid anchor on the "back" right now since I haven't made or purchased a lighter one for the lakes. I like the 25 for the rivers, but it's overkill for the lakes. I need to make a coffee can anchor or find a 15 lb one on sale. I think 15 would be good.

 

[WhidbeyJ]

I have had my Slipstream 96 out five times thus far--four days on the Yakima and one day on a lake. Overall I'm pretty happy with it. Very maneuverable and quite stable. A lot heavier with a lot less room than my old Flycraft (v1), but SO MUCH MORE STABLE. My 14-year old caught his first trout with a fly rod out of it in early April floating from Red's to Big Pine. I added a Scotty mount to the front for lakes, but haven't tested it out yet.

Nits to pick:
- Not a lot of storage room. Fitting my boat bag behind and under the front seat is a tight fit. Not much room for stowing things behind the rower's seat either. I totally understand why the new model is 12" longer.
- If the front angler is sitting sideways, it's pretty tough to row effectively--keep hitting them with your knuckles. It was a battle with my kid to keep him facing forward.
- Thigh brace up front is pretty damn tight. Ok for my kid, but wedging myself in there is a tight squeeze.
- Speaking of tight squeezes, NRS's cup holders are way too small for anything but a can.
- I'm pretty happy with the deluxe package Cataract oars. I use OarRights and probably need some more tweaking to get them just right, but so far I'm happy.
- I have a Tornado anchor and NRS recommended 25#. I think this might be a little light, especially for the Yak. I also had trouble with anchor rope coming off the rower's pulley and getting wedged, so need to do some adjusting to get it right.
- It's pretty heavy compared to my old Flycraft. Putting it on top of my truck canopy was a struggle and would be impossible alone. Very easy to unload/load onto a trailer by myself.

 

[skyriver]

I have had my Slipstream 96 out five times thus far--four days on the Yakima and one day on a lake. Overall I'm pretty happy with it. Very maneuverable and quite stable. A lot heavier with a lot less room than my old Flycraft (v1), but SO MUCH MORE STABLE. My 14-year old caught his first trout with a fly rod out of it in early April floating from Red's to Big Pine. I added a Scotty mount to the front for lakes, but haven't tested it out yet.

Nits to pick:
- Not a lot of storage room. Fitting my boat bag behind and under the front seat is a tight fit. Not much room for stowing things behind the rower's seat either. I totally understand why the new model is 12" longer.
- If the front angler is sitting sideways, it's pretty tough to row effectively--keep hitting them with your knuckles. It was a battle with my kid to keep him facing forward.
- Thigh brace up front is pretty damn tight. Ok for my kid, but wedging myself in there is a tight squeeze.
- Speaking of tight squeezes, NRS's cup holders are way too small for anything but a can.
- I'm pretty happy with the deluxe package Cataract oars. I use OarRights and probably need some more tweaking to get them just right, but so far I'm happy.
- I have a Tornado anchor and NRS recommended 25#. I think this might be a little light, especially for the Yak. I also had trouble with anchor rope coming off the rower's pulley and getting wedged, so need to do some adjusting to get it right.
- It's pretty heavy compared to my old Flycraft. Putting it on top of my truck canopy was a struggle and would be impossible alone. Very easy to unload/load onto a trailer by myself.

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Great report Jeff. Awesome your kid caught his first fly caught fish!