So, after mulling it over, I took the plunge after finding a great deal on a used ONCE ODC 816.
Got it on Craigslist for $250!
Aluminum frame, no tool breakdown, 45 lbs, 375 capacity, and Class II river rated, and Lifetime Warranty (if I can somehow convince them that I’m the original owner, not that I foresee needing to use the warranty).
So on to the mods and maiden voyage!
Now all I have to do is somehow convince my wife that I’d had it the whole time?!
Need to figure out an elegant way of packing this down like I can squeesh my FC4dx.
Bottom of the 'toons NOT PVC coated - somewhat surprising.
The skin is double wall, didn’t expect that. There’s a full inner bag under the outer shell. I guess without the PVC bottoms this is extra protection.
Strange thing is I found a cached Cabela’s ad selling these for $250 new, checked Creek Co’s website earlier and these were priced at $450ish, but now they’re $530. Odd…
Mixed reviews online about the quality, but it seems as if it goes together well the first time without problems out of the box, it just may last a while.
No reason it won’t last a long time. You have already brought the vinyl vs urethane dilemma to a close.
Don’t think you will want to drag it for any distance, but that double thing sounds very impressive.
With oil prices I am sure just about anything related to petroleum is going to go up in price..
That aluminum frame is a bonus. Lets see it in action.
How long are the oars and are they adjusted right for you?
Way to go on the toon. It looks like you got a decent double action pump with it too.
Be sure to carry it over the rough terrain though or set up some wheels for it.
Yup, now I have 2 DA pumps. Already had one so I have a spare!
Wouldn’t a cool wheel setup be like a giant inflatable pvc coated nylon Flintstones wheel (wide, squared) on an aluminum axle between the footrests? Light, pneumatic, and compact for easy breakdown and stowage in the boat on the water. You could pump it up to whatever spring rate you wanted to adjust for terrain.
Only issue is re-inflating on the return trip… I guess with a wheel though the extra pound for the pump to come along is nothing.
okay now.. we need to get someone on this board that knows hydraulics.. there has to be a way to create a wheel setup that is lowered when you are moving it.. and then raised once you get into the water.. and it would have to be done in such a way that it would not cause any obstructions while the toon was in use..[sly]
I would think that you could do that by mounting it behind the seat on the frame where it rested directly behind the seat when on the water and then folded down between the toons and locked into place for land wheeling it from the other end like a wheel barrel or pull cart.
You do realize you wouldn’t need to raise the wheel all the way. If it is behind the seat, it could stay there while in the water, nothing in the way.
But if there is a motor, you would just have to make sure it cleared the prop.
***you would know that better than me .. was just one of those off the wall odd questions that I dont think I have ever seen addressed here.. and not sure it could be done without, at a minimum, adding a lot of weight to the craft…
wouldnt be that hard, think of the front fork of a bicycle that would pivot on a bar that went from each side of the frame and then locked into place up or down with some clevis pins, if i get some time i will try to draw something up an post it, it would all be made of aluminum stock, would be light weight.