I am toying with the idea of buying one of these for use on the PWF locations that I fish. I typically fish from one of my kayaks or use the club Jon boat and am intrigued by the 360 fishing capability as described by the two brands. I would appreciate any thoughts by the PWF members on their experience with either of these two types of vessels: 

1. pros vs cons for each brand
2. ease of use (loading in and out of a truck bed, launching, landing, utlilty on PWF tanks)
3. Trolling motor shaft lenght 
4. How they handle in The SE Texas wind

Thanks,

Bob

Hey Bob. I remember seeing feedback from Al Burns on the Ultraskiff. I’ve pasted in that feedback from a Bennett report. I’m sure that you could PM Mr. Burns as well for more info.

Mark 

Mar 17 2020

 Al Burns

Member Since :
2018
Number of Posts :
24

Wayne, As everyone else, it is a lot of fun watching for your reports. You guys have renewed my love for bacon! So if you notice from the pictures at Hickory Creek and Bennett Lake my boys and I are on the hefty side. I honestly have fished out of a number of watercraft on the PWF lakes. First I tried getting my 21 ft Champion Bay Boat out on a couple of lakes. The owners of the place at Hidden Springs thought I was nuts for electric motoring around on their lake in such a big rig. To say the least it was difficult to launch and re trailer at the end of the day. Then I tried a kayak and to be honest I would much rather fish from an elevated pedestal seat when I bass fish. Then I bought a Pelican Bass Raider and a couple of the other brands of similar watercraft. I've fished out of the jon boats provided at the lakes. They work, but again I much prefer casting and setting the hook from an elevated position. Besides they give me a back ache. The only jon I enjoy fishing from are the larger Tracker Jons or Alumacraft Jons that have the elevated decks.

I watched numerous You Tube videos on the Ultraskiff and figured they might be perfect for me and my big boys. You will notice from the pictures I have one son that pushes 300Lbs. He can literally stand on the corner of the Ultraskiff and it won't begin to tip over. What I love about these things is that they are self draining if it rains…they have a perfect elevated pedestal seat that allows you to turn 360 degrees when you've hooked a good fish. Over the past two weeks my boys have had on fish they didn't want to lose. My son Pete at Leinweber caught an 8 pounder that ran circles around his craft but he was always facing the fish. My son Cleve caught the 7 pound bass at Bennett that circled the craft and jumped repeatedly. Again he was always facing the fish. My son Joe caught the 5 lb bass at Hickory Creek that did the same. I will say that I was stuck with the Pelican Bass Raider at Bennett when I caught the 8.6 and I missed being able to fight the fish from the elevated position.

We took the Ultraskiffs out on Lake Tawakoni in high winds and white caps. No problem at all. We never had water coming over the bow. They track very well and I definitely prefer them in a high wind on the PWF lakes. If you watch the You Tube Videos you will see how they are equipped to fish and hold your position in a wind. I love the two Ultraskiffs I have and plan to get a couple more. My bass fishing sons love them and if I don't get more, I'll be stuck fishing out of another water craft. They are so easy to launch and take out of the lake. They utilize an anchor pole that makes things a joy fishing an area less than eight feet deep. I beleive they eat up much less battery power over the course of a day.

The manufacturer is in Gainesville Texas. If they are picked up at their facility you are given a discount off the internet price. To buy one that is picked up at their facility, equipped with their adjustable pedestal seat and 55 pound thrust Minn Kota with a 42 inch shaft cost me $1600. All the info is on the Ultraskiff site online. All I can say is that I love these things but it is my personal opinion. I plan to buy one for my wife rigged with an office chair that can recline as well as an umbrella so she can be out on the water with me and can fish or read whichever she chooses. Best of all when I fish with the boys we can split up and take a divide and conquer approach. It really helped at Grapeland Bennett to be able to all be at different locations trying to figure out what the fish wanted.

Thanks for sharing that info! Most appreciated!  Bob

Hi Bob,

Al Burns here. It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintnce. I’ve enjoyed your posts and learned from your fishing reports. I’ve been a member a few years and love the club. My primary residence is in Utah, but we have a second home on lake Tawakoni, East of Dallas. Three of our boys live in Texas with their famillies and there is nothing better than getting the grandkids out on the PWF lakes. It’s the greatest fishing value I’ve ever seen.

Like you, I’m a bit older and in my sixties. Loading up a boat at the end of a long day can be a bit difficult if loading into a truck bed or hand loading on a trailer. Here are my answers to your questions...

I wish to say first that the Ultraskiff is the safest one man watercraft I’ve ever used. We bought two and I plan to get a couple more. When my older sons fish with me, they call shotgun on the Ultraskiffs and I’m left with my Pelican or Bass Hunter.

If you look on the Ultraskiff website, you will see myriads of instructional videos. They will demonstrate on those videos how to easiest load and unload, whether it be in the back of a pickup or as I have chosen, on a small Lowes/Home Depot trailer. I’ve had two standing on their sides standing up in the back of my pickup. Numerous times I’ve taken them from the Dallas area on long drives to Galveston, Port Aransas, or the San Antonio area Lake Leinweber. They travel excellent in the back of a pickup. When I’m fishing the East Texas PWF lakes, I’ll put both of mine on a small flatbead trailer. I have found they are just as easy to launch and pull from the lake as the shallow drafted jon boats at the sites. If you watch their videos you will see how they can easily be loaded in the bed of a pickup by one of us, old timers. When I’ve had the two in the back of my pickup on long drives at highway speed, I’ve never had them shift or move from their sinched down, strapped positions.

The Ultraskiffs have an uncompared bouyancy. My sons are big boys, both around 270. They can stand on the side of the Ultraskiff and it will not turn over. Best of all, you would find that you can fish calmly from them in whitecap conditions. We’ve had them in swells on the coast and in big whitecaps on Lake Tawakoni. They handle the rough water well enough that would find that you can easily continue fishing in the windiest conditions, wherein you would have to call it a day in the shallow drafted jon boat. They are self draining in the worst rain torrents. The way they are roto-molded there is a mid level pronounced molded seam that makes them relatively splash proof.

I compared them to the less expensive Roundabout. I quickly concluded the Ultraskiff was the way to go. These vessels are far more durable than the smaller watercraft you see at Bass Pro Shops, Cabelas, or Academy Sports. They are made to be rolled long distances on their sides where the parking lot is far from the water, such as at the beach. They truly are “heavy duty”.

From your posts it’s obvious you are serious about your pursuit of bigger bass. You would love the elevated pedestal seat and the ability to smoothly follow the fish in a 360 degree circumastance. In a kayak sitting low, and especially if I bass picks up a plastic bait and moves sideways in a hurry, its harder to hook a good bass from that vantage point, In the Ultraskiff you are basically always facing the fish, whether setting the hook or landing the fish. It truly makes a difference on the bigger bass. I opted for the complete package of the adjustable pedestal with the highback bass boat seats and the 42 inch shaft 55lbs thrust Minn Kota. I have never run out of power on my first battery during the course of a day. These vessels move effortlessly in higher wind and track straight as long as you purchase an eight foot long t rod that serves not only as an anchor, but also keeps the boat tracking straight in the wind even though the boat is round. There are round holes that surround the perimiter of the vessel to position on off these 8’ T Anchors.

The only drawback as I see it to the Ultraskiff is that they are a one man vessel. My wife likes to go with me, but she reads, not fishes. I simply connect the two boats together with a pvc pipe that has 90 degree elbows and extensions that slide down the pre-molded ports for us to stay a few feet apart. It is a piece of cake to rig an umbrella and also mount a really nice office chair on her pedestal. 

They have a unique design and are certainly out of the norm. Whenever I’m at Gilmer Hat and Star, Hickory Creek, or TCU Lake, the owners have come out wondering what the heck I’m fishing from. But honestly, they’ve seen me continue leasurly fishing away in a high wind or bad rain when others had called it quits. And as all of us know, not withstanding lightning, the fish can go nuts as a storm front comes through. 

The supply wharehouse is in Gainsville, Texas if you are ever over that way. You can check em out and see what you think. Thanks again from your posts. I have learned more from the fishing reports of the more experienced anglers in the PFW Club than I have from the guides I’ve fished with. You guys are great!

Al,

Thanks for the kind words and all of the great information on your experience with the Ultra Skiff 360 vessel!

I have watched most of the videos on their website and was really impressed by the utilization of the 8’ yak attack pole for added stabilization.

Your reply has sold me on this personal watercraft and I am going to purchase one of these during the upcoming summer, in preparation for some serious bass fishing on the PWF tanks once the tempts cool down this fall!

Once again thanks for taking the time to answer all of my questions and best of luck in your fishing adventures!
 

Bob

Finally picked up an Ultraskiff 360 and took it out for a shakedown trip at Rock Chimney the other day and had a great experience! I was fortunate that there was essentially no wind for my maiden trip (see pic) but am looking forward to testing it out under normal Texas conditions. I put a bullnose rudder on the trolling motor shaft and the vessel tracked great. I circled the tank parallel to the bank several times and it was really nice being able to sit up high and pivot in any direction to cast or land a bass!

Prior to my next trip I am going to swap out the seat for more traditional casting seat, rig up a rod holder, modify my battery set up, and stow my tackle in the recessed storage compartments to free up the deck space. Who knows, after my next trip I might consider rigging up a fishfinder.

Once again, thanks to Mark for reminding me of Al Burns reports and to Al for his follow up recomendation. 

Bob

thanks Bob

thanks Bob

Bob, Here Are Some Photos Of My PVC Rod Holders..
I Got Them From Matt At The Skiff Manufacturer  In Gainesville Tx.
A Little Hard To Make Out In The Photos But They Work Great.
Message Me If You Need A Phone Number To Contact Them..
You’re Going To Love Your Skiff.
Take Care  Buddy.
 

Rigged up a new seat and fishing rod holder on the Ultraskiff for my second outing. Much better set up! The only thing I would do differently is carry one less rod (limit myself to 4 rods with whatever one I’m using lying on the deck) to really provide easy 360 degree fishing capability. 

I also used my F150 with a 15ft towing strap to pull the skiff out of the muddy tank edge and onto the grassy bank…so much easier than trying to pull it out by myself at the end of a long day of fishing!  

Bob

Scott,

Watched a number of the Ultraskiff product videos and decided to try the rear seat rod holder set up! It worked great yeaterday! Really cleaned up the deck and kept from tangling my line when reeling in all the fish yesterday! Good for now.

Still trying to decide if I want to bother with rigging up a fishfinder!

Bob