Did you ever watch Conan and his "If They Mated" sketch? Well,
if a skiff and a Zodiac got it on after a Saturday night out drinking
tiki drinks, this thing of beauty would be their love child.
The Wolf RTI (Rigid Transom Inflatable) has been in the works in the SmithFly laboratory for some time now and it's finally made its debut online yesterday. The SmithFly crew is shooting for Fall 2020 delivery and you can put your deposit down now to be lined up for the first batch.
From the SmithFly website... "The Wolf RTI (Rigid Transom Inflatable) is our take on a saltwater flats fishing skiff.
We've taken our expertise at building some of the lightest and most innovative fishing rafts and applied it to something with a little power behind it - well more than a little.
The Wolf RTI is a fully inflatable flats fishing machine with a Rigid Transom that accepts up to a 20hp short shaft motor. The wolf is built around 1 Mil thick PVC, 18" diameter tubes with four total air chambers for safety and flotation. The floor is built using our 6" thick fully inflatable just like our legendary Big Shoals Raft (NOT RIGID) drop stitched inflatable material with scuppers and an inflatable keel making it the lightest skiff you can find. Weighing in at just over 120 pounds by itself the Wolf RTI is the lightest way to get on saltwater possible with the smallest amount of draft possible (3 inches or less.)
If you add in our frame weighing in at another hundred and twenty pounds and you have a skiff weighing in at 240 pounds without a motor. Add another 136 pounds for the 20HP motor and what you are left with the shallowest drafting lightest weight skiff in the world. Better than that you can roll up the hull and store the rubber in your garage and hang the frame from the ceiling - no need for a one-car garage storage <--- try that with a fiberglass boat? No way.
Like everything in life, there are compromises. It's not a full white knuckle speedster like a fiberglass boat. You probably don't want to be in a hurry but it does get you there safely. It does flex more than a fiberglass boat and has a bit of a "soft ride" - it's a bit like riding a drunken pony when compared to stiff flats skiffs. In lumpy seas, it has a bit of spray, SO it's a wetter ride. And by "a bit of spray" we mean, get a dry bag and wear some swim trunks, but hey that's part of the fun. Half of the fun is getting there, right?
And because we know that this type of fishing isn't limited to saltwater we included our normal Big Shoals Raft oar locks with our stout self-lubricating nylon bushings. When the water gets too deep to pole you can row <-- yes we do that frequently on deeper slots for carp, so it is a handy tool to have in the boat.
Currently, this item is in "pre-order" deposits of $1000 dollars on Fall 2020 delivery of these. Our order is not yet finalized so if you think this would be a nice addition to your fleet then simply put down your deposit and we can call you to discuss the final build-out. Like all of our rafts we have the ability to customize your ride to suit your needs whatever they are. Just give us a call."
Visit the SmithFly website for more information and to see additional photographs. Of course, follow along on Facebook and Instagram for their latest shop news too.
The Wolf RTI (Rigid Transom Inflatable) has been in the works in the SmithFly laboratory for some time now and it's finally made its debut online yesterday. The SmithFly crew is shooting for Fall 2020 delivery and you can put your deposit down now to be lined up for the first batch.
From the SmithFly website... "The Wolf RTI (Rigid Transom Inflatable) is our take on a saltwater flats fishing skiff.
We've taken our expertise at building some of the lightest and most innovative fishing rafts and applied it to something with a little power behind it - well more than a little.
The Wolf RTI is a fully inflatable flats fishing machine with a Rigid Transom that accepts up to a 20hp short shaft motor. The wolf is built around 1 Mil thick PVC, 18" diameter tubes with four total air chambers for safety and flotation. The floor is built using our 6" thick fully inflatable just like our legendary Big Shoals Raft (NOT RIGID) drop stitched inflatable material with scuppers and an inflatable keel making it the lightest skiff you can find. Weighing in at just over 120 pounds by itself the Wolf RTI is the lightest way to get on saltwater possible with the smallest amount of draft possible (3 inches or less.)
If you add in our frame weighing in at another hundred and twenty pounds and you have a skiff weighing in at 240 pounds without a motor. Add another 136 pounds for the 20HP motor and what you are left with the shallowest drafting lightest weight skiff in the world. Better than that you can roll up the hull and store the rubber in your garage and hang the frame from the ceiling - no need for a one-car garage storage <--- try that with a fiberglass boat? No way.
Like everything in life, there are compromises. It's not a full white knuckle speedster like a fiberglass boat. You probably don't want to be in a hurry but it does get you there safely. It does flex more than a fiberglass boat and has a bit of a "soft ride" - it's a bit like riding a drunken pony when compared to stiff flats skiffs. In lumpy seas, it has a bit of spray, SO it's a wetter ride. And by "a bit of spray" we mean, get a dry bag and wear some swim trunks, but hey that's part of the fun. Half of the fun is getting there, right?
And because we know that this type of fishing isn't limited to saltwater we included our normal Big Shoals Raft oar locks with our stout self-lubricating nylon bushings. When the water gets too deep to pole you can row <-- yes we do that frequently on deeper slots for carp, so it is a handy tool to have in the boat.
Currently, this item is in "pre-order" deposits of $1000 dollars on Fall 2020 delivery of these. Our order is not yet finalized so if you think this would be a nice addition to your fleet then simply put down your deposit and we can call you to discuss the final build-out. Like all of our rafts we have the ability to customize your ride to suit your needs whatever they are. Just give us a call."
Visit the SmithFly website for more information and to see additional photographs. Of course, follow along on Facebook and Instagram for their latest shop news too.
No comments:
Post a Comment