Outcast Striker with frame added

[skyriver]

After slowly accumulating (3 different orders) parts, the framed Striker is complete. It's not tuned yet, but complete.

Going to hit the lake tonight as the maiden voyage and then hopefully a river on Saturday. I like how it turned out.

I had to brighten up the photo since my garage faces north. Here's the other side with natural lighting-


The oar towers are the stock ones. Outcast/NRS does a great job of keeping things standard. As a result, the mounting holes are the exact width of the NRS U-bolts. I did have to drill the holes just slightly to get the U-bolts through. Will the stands be strong enough mounted like this? We'll find out. I tightened them until they were nearly bending and I can't move them on the bar. I think they'll be fine. A bigger raft maybe not, but even with 2 big dudes onboard, this thing just isn't real heavy. I'm stoked since this now means I can adjust the seat bar or the towers, or both to get it dialed in. I already know I have to loosen them to get the raft into my canopied F150. Not a huge deal, just have to make sure I have a 13mm socket in the truck at all times.

The stern rails were ordered a couple years ago for a better anchor setup. And then I used a leftover roof-rack (that I have attached to the front seat before for solo overnight trips) to make a nice lightweight "out of boat" rack. A Rubbermaid tub fits nicely back there to store lightweight stuff like briquets or firewood, clothes, food, etc. I don't want to put too much weight back there, but it's really nice to make more room in the boat. 2 20L dry bags can fit along with the tub.

The main goal was to make the raft more rigid and responsive when loaded with 2 big guys. I can already tell that will be the case. The rower's seat mounted on the back cross-bar gives WAY more stability than the Striker "frame". And then the oar stands on the frame is big too. The boat can be a little down on air and still not impact the rowing.
Don't get me wrong...the Striker is VERY responsive in stock form. But I'm probably 230+ in gear and my smallest angler up front is usually 200+. Add a cooler full of beer (duh!) under the front seat and a couple dry/wader bags or tubs and it can get a little slower. A couple trips down the upper Klick convinced me I wanted the raft to be just a bit quicker in response. Mostly due to my very mediocre rowing. And if you know that river, it goes downhill quick. Stuff like the Yakima canyon, Deschutes, Skagit, etc is no biggie, but now I can do quicker waters like the Klick and feel confident.

These are all things a regular framed raft offers. The great thing is now I have the unique advantages of the Striker in stock form along with the advantages of a truly framed raft. I can gear up either way. And you'll notice I'm still using the stock "frame" for the front angler. And it still fits in my truck.

And I did the frame for WAY less than something like the NRS Longhorn. So, if you have ever thought about slapping a frame on your Striker, or have some other raft that needs a frame, I would highly suggest ordering a custom frame. It's pretty easy.

Here's my complete parts list and vendor-
Frame-
Metal Supermarkets Kent
2 Side bars- 60" sched 40 1.25" T-6061 $99.52
2 Cross bars- 50" sched 40 1.25" T-6061 $96.44
Total was $206.17 after tax. I didn't pay shipping since I picked it up at their Kent location. ***NRS and just about everyone else charges $75-$100 as an additional surcharge charge for frame pieces like crossbars & rails. Essentially, anything over 36" is gonna get dinged. Makes a project a lot more spendy.
These are not anodized like the nice NRS stuff, but I don't care.
I had previously purchased the 2 stern rails from NRS for $168 after tax. They are only 32" so no surcharge.

Frame fittings
Zoro.com
4 Structural Pipe Fitting, Tee-E, Aluminum, 1.25 in Pipe Size $7.50 per so $30 total. Total after tax & shipping was $38.01.

Seat and various parts from NRS-
NRS
4 U bolt kits for $13 These were for moving the oar stands to the frame from the stock location.
1 Seat mount $85 Stock Outcast seats fit on the NRS seat mount. Again, NRS is great about keeping things standard.
4 Frame plugs $10
$107.95 plus tax (free shipping) so total was $117.35.

So $361.53 plus the $168 I had previously spent for a total of $529.53. A NRS Longhorn frame is $625+$75 surcharge fee. And "Your Order Ships for Free". Haha! Now, the Longhorn is nice. It's anodized, you get their nice oar stands and a nice padded low-back rower's seat. Also the front crossbar is a foot bar, which I actually didn't want, but is nice for some.
So a Longhorn with the stern rails would be $868. I already had the stern rails, seat and oar stands. We'll see if the oar stands survive. If not, I'll pony up the $107 for the 6" ones.

I'll let you know how it goes on Saturday!

 

[Long_Rod_Silvers]

Shit that looks like fun.

One suggestion/thought: I really like the low back NRS seat. It gives me a lot more motion and comfort, especially in my pfd. But I like to lean back quite a bit to finish the stroke. So YMMV. Also makes crab a Lil bit easier.

But shit, I want to row that thing, it looks like a river Porsche!

 

[skyriver]

Shit that looks like fun.

One suggestion/thought: I really like the low back NRS seat. It gives me a lot more motion and comfort, especially in my pfd. But I like to lean back quite a bit to finish the stroke. So YMMV. Also makes crab a Lil bit easier.

But shit, I want to row that thing, it looks like a river Porsche!

Yeah, I know it gets good marks. Just like most of their stuff. I figure that will be an eventual upgrade if I wear out the folding one.

I just got back from the lake and it's definitely way stiffer and more responsive. Love that the seat is solid now. The stock one gave me too much motion even with hard air. Can't wait to get it on the rive!

 

[DKL]

I was a little slow with my reply.

Interesting, these are the kind of posts I really enjoy. Extra appreciation for the detailed recipe. I’ve been considering doing something similar. I’d probably go with the front seat as part of the frame and a little less in the back. I see you have a foot bar on carabiners. I’ve just been using a strap, but one thing I like about adding a frame option is having the foot bar. Related to the first reply is my surprise that seat is holding up for you. I’m about 50lbs lighter than you and I feel like when the time comes it will be the first thing that breaks on that boat. I have high back and low back tractor seats on my two single man rafts and would probably use those on the frame if I build one. Another incentive to building the frame is having a real anchor system. I definitely envy your anchor system. The Scotty one works, but it sure leaves a lot to be desired. Can’t wait to hear how your test row goes.

 

[brownheron]

Looks good! @LBL and I have been discussing adding frames to our Clearwaters for use on the Sol Duc. I'll probably go with something a little more simple given the smaller boat but do want a front footbar.
Looking forward to hear about the on-water tests.

 

[LBL]

Looks good! @LBL and I have been discussing adding frames to our Clearwaters for use on the Sol Duc. I'll probably go with something a little more simple given the smaller boat but do want a front footbar.
Looking forward to hear about the on-water tests.

Hey Thomas, I haven’t heard back from the builder in OR, I’m thinking he may be out of business. That frame builder is, rowframe.com. Anyone out there know if they are still around?
I’ve also contacted DRE about a build.
DIY is on the list. I’ve used the same Zoro connectors. Major frame builders use the same type of connectors. They are legit. I have 2 concerns regarding the Clearwater that has me wanting a frame. One is the strength of the oar tower attachment to the boat. 99% of the time it is be great. I have no real issues with the set up. It might be slightly more sluggish in response but if your used to the set up making a move in white water just requires a little more anticipation. The same adjustments are necessary when a rower changes boat size or load. No big deal. My only concern is when I screw up and catch an oar downstream the force could rip off the patch holding the tower.
The other concern is the foot “bar”. This is attached to the raft with d rings. I’ve already notice some stress on the d rings and have attempted to beef up the strapping. Being able to use your legs is sorta a big deal in those last second moves that maybe (if you were a lesser rower than me!) one might need. (Not that I’ve made any mistakes and have run every drop perfectly and to the great amazement of all viewing). I digress…
The spacing between the tubes is shorter than most standard foot bar set ups. Again it can be DIY ed but I was hoping for a little cleaner set up depending on price.
If anyone knows of a PNW a fabricator please let me know.

 

[skyriver]

I hit the Skagit today. No steelhead hooked. I saw a little guy of about 6 or 7 lbs within rod's length as I was working down a little niche run that I like. About the time I was going to quietly back out and try him again I got bullied. Haha! Decent one of about 20", but by the time I got him in and released the steelhead was long gone.
I ended up getting 3 bulls. The 2nd decent one (over 20" and probably about 3 lbs) really bullied me. Hard hit on the swing on my Popsicle variation that has honestly never hooked a bull in all the years fishing the Sky and the Skagit. He was big enough and hit hard enough and then did the swim right at me thing I thought I had a small steelie. When he finally turned to run I knew...nope, a bull. Haha. Had me going for about 12 seconds.

Anyway, back to the raft. The frame is awesome! Noticeably stiffer, more responsive and I really like that it gives me more room. The mounted seat on the frame is WAY better. The 2 bars they use for the stock seat setup is a great concept and it works, but I think I'm not as sore from sitting and rowing as I have been in the past with the 2 bars. There's just enough movement and that adds up on an all-day float.
The stock oar towers U-bolted to the frame work! I beefed on them hard with the oars and also with my hand. They didn't budge. I'm not worried at all about them anymore. Great feel for rowing now.

I floated Marblemount to Rockport so it's not a challenging section at all, but I did experiment with the few whirlpools in the upper section to really beef on the oars and check the responsiveness.

Again, the stock form is awesome and I fished it happily for 4 seasons, but the frame is superior in several ways. And the fact I can still fit it in my truck is awesome. Although, I do have to loosen the oar stands, roll them in a bit and then tighten back up since they hit the canopy. Only an issue with a canopy.

It was WAY too hot to fish today, but man was it gorgeous out there. I see the gauge at Marblemount is already up to 8140 and the Sauk is up to 8580! Glad I went today instead of tomorrow. Run-off is officially here.

 

[_WW_]

I've slid Swimmy's Striker into the back of my truck and the oar locks like to hit the window supports. I can wiggle it in with a little side to side and angle to get one past and then the other.

 

[skyriver]

I've slid Swimmy's Striker into the back of my truck and the oar locks like to hit the window supports. I can wiggle it in with a little side to side and angle to get one past and then the other.

Yep, in stock config, mine barely get past the canopy lock latches.

 

[Landlocked]

Thanks for that post Sky. I’m looking at improving my striker. The guy I bought it from said that a Yeti 65 fits perfectly in the front (not sure if it’s under the existing stock seat set up). He said it makes the boat far more rigid. Have a bunch of Cabelas gift cards, I may try that out.

 

[skyriver]

Thanks for that post Sky. I’m looking at improving my striker. The guy I bought it from said that a Yeti 65 fits perfectly in the front (not sure if it’s under the existing stock seat set up). He said it makes the boat far more rigid. Have a bunch of Cabelas gift cards, I may try that out.

Hi Landlocked,
Sorry, I didn't see this until today.

If he was using a Yeti 65 up front, he was using it as a seat & thwart all in one.
There's no way that thing is fitting under the stock front seat. Some measurements-
Striker inside width- 28"
Striker inside width at the front D-rings- 27.5"
Striker middle of floor to underside of front stock frame- 13"
Striker underside of front stock frame width before it bends down- 26.5ish"
Yeti 65- 30.8"W x 17.3"D x 16.0"H
That puts the Yeti almost 3 full inches wider than the inside of the Striker. And 3" taller than the bottom of the frame and too wide for the bend of the frame.
My guess is he was stuffing it in there, possible while not inflated fully. And then filling with air. And without the front frame or seat.
I would NOT recommend this.

My old Igloo 36 is 24w x 13.5d x 13h and fits perfectly under the stock seat. And now with the frame I've added I can push against it with my feet and use it as a sort of foot bar.
Here it is:


Having helped my buddy put his loaded Yeti 65 in/out of his drift boat I don't think you would want the size or weight of it in the Striker. Those things are tanks!

The Striker tubes are plenty rigid with the stock frames. If tube rigidity really is a concern, I think adding an actual thwart would make more sense. I don't think the Striker needs that with the stock frames or with the custom frame I have added.

I have actually pondered about using a Yeti 45 or an Igloo ECOCOOL 52 as a front seat rather than the stock front frame & seat. The Yeti is 25.6” × 15.9” × 15.5” and the ECOCOOL 52 is 24.95 x 15.2 x 14.6. The ECOCOOL has self draining cup holders which would be kinda nice. The seat is much more comfortable even if you put padding on the cooler. And, you already have it.

Have fun!

 

[Landlocked]

Thanks for the info Sky! That’s good to know. I have 2 Yeti 45’s that I put in the Clack on overnighters, on each side of the rowers position, and they are tanks. I wondered about the weight issue in the striker with that monster up front. Good to see the old school igloo finding a home!