12-03-2005, 12:11 PM
[cool][#0000ff]Hey Matt, welcome aboard. Let's see if I can add some meaningful input. I jockeyed a Kennebec for about a year and a half. I have been floating a SFC for a little over 2 years. Before those, I have gone through many other craft. Been there, done that.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I also lived in San Diego and have fished both the bays and the open water off La Jolla (no white sharks). I have actually fished all the way from about the middle of Baja on the Pacific Side to Puget Sound. In the Sea of Cortez, I have fished both sides, quite a ways down both coasts.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I know all about teeth and spines. I have had lots of "exposure", both to my flesh and to my air chambers. No matter how creative I have been with protective aprons and fish handling, I have gotten spine punctures in my bladders. Goes with the territory.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The air chambers in the Kennebec are vinyl (pool toys). The single long air chamber in Fat Cats is urethane...thicker and stronger than vinyl, but still "stickable". The urethane bladders in Fat Cats is tough and should last for many seasons, with proper inflation and care.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]As you have no doubt discerned from my past ramblings, if you have read through any of the other threads on Fat Cats, I like my SFC better than anything I have ever used, but I still have a lot of issues with it. I have disliked the seat since day 1. The low backrest gives be a backache, no matter how I inflate or adjust it. I have had to devise two or three different "modifications" to raise the back support. And, the bottom cushion has "welded" seams that develop pinhole leaks. Bad quality for the additional $100 you pay for inflated seats.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Although I do not use the "apron" for holding stripped in fly line, I do appreciate having a good apron for tackle tinkering and fish control. The SFC apron is wimpy, as is the one on the ODC 420. In fairness, the short "front deck" makes it a challenge to provide a good apron. That was one of the things about the Kennebec I DID like. I did not like the stabilizer bar, but it helped provide a good apron attachment.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]After that, I really like the way the SFC floats and fishes. You sit high out of the water (more than the Kennebec), and the pointed bow (stern) really makes for better handling in chop or wind. The ODC has the same design. You will love that feature after having to fight the round pontoons on the Kennebec in sloppy water.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Both of the models you are considering have good pocket space. I never did like the Kennebec. A large pocket area, but divided up into several small compartments. I actually cut out the inner dividing panels to create one big pocket for my lure boxes. I have really appreciated the large pockets on the SFC.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]$200 for a "gently used" SFC is a good price. However, it is a decision only you can make, based on your personal preferences, budget, etc. We are still evaluating the ODC 420, but so far the consensus is that it is definitely a great value and the craft is overall a good substitute for the Fat Cat, at a lower price.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]As Zonker and I agree, we do not plan to have and use any ride longer than about two years anyway. If you can get everything you need and want, for less money, and get a couple of good years out of it, then you done good.[/#0000ff]
[signature]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]I also lived in San Diego and have fished both the bays and the open water off La Jolla (no white sharks). I have actually fished all the way from about the middle of Baja on the Pacific Side to Puget Sound. In the Sea of Cortez, I have fished both sides, quite a ways down both coasts.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]I know all about teeth and spines. I have had lots of "exposure", both to my flesh and to my air chambers. No matter how creative I have been with protective aprons and fish handling, I have gotten spine punctures in my bladders. Goes with the territory.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]The air chambers in the Kennebec are vinyl (pool toys). The single long air chamber in Fat Cats is urethane...thicker and stronger than vinyl, but still "stickable". The urethane bladders in Fat Cats is tough and should last for many seasons, with proper inflation and care.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]As you have no doubt discerned from my past ramblings, if you have read through any of the other threads on Fat Cats, I like my SFC better than anything I have ever used, but I still have a lot of issues with it. I have disliked the seat since day 1. The low backrest gives be a backache, no matter how I inflate or adjust it. I have had to devise two or three different "modifications" to raise the back support. And, the bottom cushion has "welded" seams that develop pinhole leaks. Bad quality for the additional $100 you pay for inflated seats.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Although I do not use the "apron" for holding stripped in fly line, I do appreciate having a good apron for tackle tinkering and fish control. The SFC apron is wimpy, as is the one on the ODC 420. In fairness, the short "front deck" makes it a challenge to provide a good apron. That was one of the things about the Kennebec I DID like. I did not like the stabilizer bar, but it helped provide a good apron attachment.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]After that, I really like the way the SFC floats and fishes. You sit high out of the water (more than the Kennebec), and the pointed bow (stern) really makes for better handling in chop or wind. The ODC has the same design. You will love that feature after having to fight the round pontoons on the Kennebec in sloppy water.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Both of the models you are considering have good pocket space. I never did like the Kennebec. A large pocket area, but divided up into several small compartments. I actually cut out the inner dividing panels to create one big pocket for my lure boxes. I have really appreciated the large pockets on the SFC.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]$200 for a "gently used" SFC is a good price. However, it is a decision only you can make, based on your personal preferences, budget, etc. We are still evaluating the ODC 420, but so far the consensus is that it is definitely a great value and the craft is overall a good substitute for the Fat Cat, at a lower price.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]As Zonker and I agree, we do not plan to have and use any ride longer than about two years anyway. If you can get everything you need and want, for less money, and get a couple of good years out of it, then you done good.[/#0000ff]
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