I had put myself "in line" to be notified of when the long time out-of-stock Outcast Clearwater boat was available for purchase. I was given the expectation they'd be available early 2023... But I got an email in the fall of 2022. I was not financially prepared for such a move, because that's how these random timings work... but that's what credit cards are for, right? So I made sure to get mine on the way and delivered... where it sat, in the box it came in, until late January 2023 when I finally had a chance to get it out and on a real fishing trip.
I got it out of the box and all laid out in my shed the day before heading out. Figured I should probably spend some time getting familiar with it before I was depending on it to keep me out of the winter-temp waters of the Oregon Coast.
For me, having had two Outcast Commanders for a few years, my impressions will mostly be comparisons to that boat. I think this would also give many other readers a point of reference since the Commander is so popular.
Out of the box and putting it together, a few thoughts:
The only other real assembly that needs to be done is to install the seat - which isn't particularly difficult, but I felt like I didn't have a whole lot of direction on how to do it. It uses three straps on each side that hold the seat upright when you're in it, and let it fold down when you're not in it. Like the oars, you really need to spend some time with it to make very sure your placement and strap tension is spot on before you go anywhere.
I used my electric pump to get it inflated at home. I then installed my Scotty anchor system and Outcast saddle bag - all very simple to do with their mount system on the boat. The boat slid perfectly in to the bed of my F250. I had to leave the tailgate down, but using straps to tie it in was super simple.
When I got to the river, I pulled out my K-Pump and ran in to what might be my only gripes about the design of the boat: The valve placement for the seat is in a spot that makes it very difficult to use a longer K-Pump. I was able to get it to work, but the foot brace definitely gets in the way and you have to work at a very awkward angle. Thankfully, I didn't have to pump too much since I got it most of the way there with the electric pump the night before.
Time to hit the river!
While not at all related to the boat, I was also excited to make use of another present I got for myself: My very first Yeti-branded product. This little lunchbox is awesome, and is perfect for carrying food items known for bringing good luck!
But to bring this back to the point: The rear of the Clearwater provides a massive amount of space for coolers, lunch boxes, gear bags, etc. While I have yet to do a measurement comparison, the cargo area on this boat is noticeably larger than the Commander.
So how's it do on the water? Unsurprising, but excellent. This stretch of river has just enough on it to test out the maneuverability of the boat. While I do feel like the Commander is a bit quicker to pivot and move around, the Clearwater handles the waves and bigger water much better in my opinion. Sitting up as high as you do in this boat also makes it easier to scout your line, then has the bonus of keeping you drier and out of the splash zone (most of the time).
The other major difference between the Clearwater and the Commander is the foot brace system. On the Commander, this was one of my least favorite parts about the boat. You have two foot rests - one on each side. They are attached and adjusted by a push-pin system. They work well enough while on the water, but they need to be broken down after use in order to fold the boat up. The problem I ran in to was that the push-button part would get sand/debris in it and get stuck. I have spent far more time than I'd like over the years fighting with these stuck foot rests on that boat.
What the Clearwater uses is a bar that goes all the way across, and has a cam strap holding it in place. I wasn't so sure about it at first, but it quickly grew on me. It's both plenty sturdy during heavy rowing, and easy to take apart. I think this was an excellent move. It also makes for a handy little spot to stick your rod while in transit (though many users may prefer something a bit more secure... but I've never had a problem doing this or something similar on any of my boats like this one).
Other first impressions:
This boat is very well set up to fish out of - while most who are fly fishing would do this on lakes/stillwater, I found it excellent for casting a spinning rod even on moderately moving water. The high-up seat position just makes this so nice to do. I have a few slow-moving-river programs I'm very much looking forward to testing this on.
The open oar locks took some getting used to after so much time with pin oar locks. I used to row a drift boat and raft with open oar locks, so it eventually came back to me, but I could see it being quite an adjustment for anyone coming from a similar style boat.
Overall, I find this boat to be an improvement in just about every area over the Commander. The one place the Commander would come out on top is maneuverability, but only slightly winning that one. The one thing I have yet to test is the use of kick fins, which I hope to do this spring when the bass start moving. It will be interesting to see how the higher-up seat affects ones ability to kick around. The Commander is easy to kick around, but is a bit too narrow in the front to lift your feat up to row with the oars.
I got it out of the box and all laid out in my shed the day before heading out. Figured I should probably spend some time getting familiar with it before I was depending on it to keep me out of the winter-temp waters of the Oregon Coast.
For me, having had two Outcast Commanders for a few years, my impressions will mostly be comparisons to that boat. I think this would also give many other readers a point of reference since the Commander is so popular.
Out of the box and putting it together, a few thoughts:
- Different oar system. The Commander uses a pin-lock oar, while the Clearwater uses open oar locks
- Oars on the Clearwater are 2' longer than the Commander, and feel much sturdier/heavy duty
- There are two chambers to inflate for the main tube, and one for the seat on the Clearwater, vs only one on the main tube, and one for the seat on the Commander
- Very different foot brace - I'll write more on this below
- Substantially higher sitting seat on the Clearwater
- Rear area has much more room for cargo on the Clearwater
The only other real assembly that needs to be done is to install the seat - which isn't particularly difficult, but I felt like I didn't have a whole lot of direction on how to do it. It uses three straps on each side that hold the seat upright when you're in it, and let it fold down when you're not in it. Like the oars, you really need to spend some time with it to make very sure your placement and strap tension is spot on before you go anywhere.
I used my electric pump to get it inflated at home. I then installed my Scotty anchor system and Outcast saddle bag - all very simple to do with their mount system on the boat. The boat slid perfectly in to the bed of my F250. I had to leave the tailgate down, but using straps to tie it in was super simple.
When I got to the river, I pulled out my K-Pump and ran in to what might be my only gripes about the design of the boat: The valve placement for the seat is in a spot that makes it very difficult to use a longer K-Pump. I was able to get it to work, but the foot brace definitely gets in the way and you have to work at a very awkward angle. Thankfully, I didn't have to pump too much since I got it most of the way there with the electric pump the night before.
Time to hit the river!
While not at all related to the boat, I was also excited to make use of another present I got for myself: My very first Yeti-branded product. This little lunchbox is awesome, and is perfect for carrying food items known for bringing good luck!
But to bring this back to the point: The rear of the Clearwater provides a massive amount of space for coolers, lunch boxes, gear bags, etc. While I have yet to do a measurement comparison, the cargo area on this boat is noticeably larger than the Commander.
So how's it do on the water? Unsurprising, but excellent. This stretch of river has just enough on it to test out the maneuverability of the boat. While I do feel like the Commander is a bit quicker to pivot and move around, the Clearwater handles the waves and bigger water much better in my opinion. Sitting up as high as you do in this boat also makes it easier to scout your line, then has the bonus of keeping you drier and out of the splash zone (most of the time).
The other major difference between the Clearwater and the Commander is the foot brace system. On the Commander, this was one of my least favorite parts about the boat. You have two foot rests - one on each side. They are attached and adjusted by a push-pin system. They work well enough while on the water, but they need to be broken down after use in order to fold the boat up. The problem I ran in to was that the push-button part would get sand/debris in it and get stuck. I have spent far more time than I'd like over the years fighting with these stuck foot rests on that boat.
What the Clearwater uses is a bar that goes all the way across, and has a cam strap holding it in place. I wasn't so sure about it at first, but it quickly grew on me. It's both plenty sturdy during heavy rowing, and easy to take apart. I think this was an excellent move. It also makes for a handy little spot to stick your rod while in transit (though many users may prefer something a bit more secure... but I've never had a problem doing this or something similar on any of my boats like this one).
Other first impressions:
This boat is very well set up to fish out of - while most who are fly fishing would do this on lakes/stillwater, I found it excellent for casting a spinning rod even on moderately moving water. The high-up seat position just makes this so nice to do. I have a few slow-moving-river programs I'm very much looking forward to testing this on.
The open oar locks took some getting used to after so much time with pin oar locks. I used to row a drift boat and raft with open oar locks, so it eventually came back to me, but I could see it being quite an adjustment for anyone coming from a similar style boat.
Overall, I find this boat to be an improvement in just about every area over the Commander. The one place the Commander would come out on top is maneuverability, but only slightly winning that one. The one thing I have yet to test is the use of kick fins, which I hope to do this spring when the bass start moving. It will be interesting to see how the higher-up seat affects ones ability to kick around. The Commander is easy to kick around, but is a bit too narrow in the front to lift your feat up to row with the oars.