Frontier Review by TexWolverine

Here's a great review of the Frontier posted by TexWolverine on the Texas Fishing Fourm

My Review of the NuCanoe Frontier 12

... or really just my honest opinions of what I think of the Frontier 12. The only other kayaks I have paddled are an Ocean Kayak prowler 13 and a Malibu Fish & Dive so that's all I have to compare it to.

That said, here we go...

Stability--- It lives up to the hype. In fact, it's not hype at all. There is no doubt it is one of (if not THE) most stable rides around. I have put it to the test and you will have to try real hard to turn it over. I will go out on a limb here and say, under "normal" conditions, it's not going to flip. White caps, fast moving river, bass boat wake and drive by jet skis. It can handle them all and then some. Standing up for casting or SUP is a breeze.

Speed/Paddling--- Speed was one of the main concerns I heard from veteran kayakers. For me speed wasn't an issue. I paddled both the OK and the Frontier the length of the "Mile Long Bridge" (Hwy 147 @ Rayburn) which is just over a mile and covered the distance both times in 15-20 mins. I figured about 4 mph with just a moderate effort. I don't know if I could paddle wide open for a mile and I haven't tried, so I really don't know how fast it is. I have no trouble paddling and it tracks great. Considering I can now put in within 1/2 to 1 mile from any of my fishing holes and be no more than 15 mins. away from anchoring up, it's more than fast enough for me!

Weight/Capacity--- At 77 lbs. it is a little heavy, but when you consider it 's rated for 650 lbs., it seems like a good trade off to me. I have put different loads in it to simulate different camp/fish trips and it passed the test every time. I am confident it can handle all of my fishing/camping needs. Honestly, it's a pain getting it up on the car, but nothing I can't handle. Then again, it's not such a pain when I think of how much I save by not driving my gas sucking p/u!

Seat/ Open Deck--- The seat is great! No wet butt and you can spin around 360 degrees. It fits in the tracks on either side of the deck and can slide to any position. The tracks also hold my rod holders and my newly modified stern light (more info on that in another thread). The deck has plenty of open space so you are not limited to how you can arrange your stuff. The only molded areas are the crate space in the back and the places on the sides for either Scottys or RAM's. Lack of molded spaces was a big selling point for me.

Storage--- It comes up lacking in storage imo. It has one front hatch with a dry bag. You can remove the bag to access the inside, but unless you have arms 12 feet long, you won't be accessing much. It does have a couple of places to tie to on the inside, so you don't have to worry about stuff sliding to the back. If the sides of the deck were just a little wider, there would be plenty of room for some 4 in. hatches with dry bags. A 'one man" model with a larger hatch and shorter deck in front would be most excellent. Storage didn't play too big of a part in my purchase. The only things going in there are my battery, camera and rain slicker. Everything else needs to be within arms length. It would be nice to have access to more of the inside but not necessary, at least for me.

Overall, it completely lived up to my expectations. I am extremely happy with the Frontier 12 and I am very glad I waited to buy. I hope this has been helpful.

Accessorizing Your Frontier with Yak Attack Gear

I was able to take a road trip this week to visit my good friend Luther at YakAttack located in Farmville Va. I took a NuCanoe Frontier 12 to rig up with their products.  I want to start by thanking Luther for his time and expertise on kayak rigging!! YakAttack has a lot of great products and all I can say is stay tuned to their web site because there is more to come!

We started by adding 2- 12” Gear Tacks to each side. This allowed us to mount the Fish finder and Ram Rod Holders by using the screwball. Next we added 5 mighty mounts with back plates 3 in the front and 2 in the stern. The by using the backing plates the mighty mount becomes part of the boat. (Its not going to come off) The mighty mounts allowed us to mount Rod holders and camera mounts. By using both the gear track and mighty mounts you are able to mount and move gear when and where you want with ease.

Gear Track

Gear Track with Fish Finder

Mighty Mount at the Bow

Mighty Mount in the rear

Backing Plate at the Bow

Backing Plate in the Front Mount Dock

Mighty Mount with a Pan-Fish Portrait

Mighty Mouth with a Ram Fly Rod Holder

 

 

 

Gear Track with Fish Finder

Mighty Mounts located in thefront

 

Custom NuCanoe Camo

"My son and I recently purchased our Hunter Brown 12 ft Nucanoe for the upcoming duck hunting season.  We have not had time to accessorize beyond our camouflage job.  We used the Krylon Camouflage paint with Fusion as suggested by Mark Armstrong on the Nucanoe Blog.  To start our camo process, we laid down a background using maple and holly leaves sprayed with the olive and brown paint.

To this background we added a few stick outlines using the black paint to spray various shaped sticks.  For our final layer of camo we created a reed stencil using poster board.  I would suggest that you make 3 to 4 stencils as they will collect paint and eventually ooze over and smear.  To paint the reeds we predominately used the tan camouflage paint, but if you look closely you can see that we also combined the olive, tan, and black to create reeds with more depth.  For example, we would lay down a tan reed and before moving the stencil we would spray the bottom black, and the reed tips olive.  The duck head stencil was courtesy of a Ducks Unlimited sticker we traced.  The whole process of collecting leaves, sticks, creating the reed stencil, and painting consumed approximately 3 hours.  This time of course included 2 trips back and forth to Ace Hardware.  Now that we have one camo job under our belts we think the whole process should really take around an hour if you are better organized.  Anyway, we had a great time and cannot wait to put the Nucanoe to use.  We just hope that we do not lose it in the wild."

Raymond & Jonathan Kelley

Frontier 12 Review

 As posted by Jeffonc on NCangler.com:

Thanks to Frank from TarRiverPaddleSports (and special mention to the Triangle NuCanoe fan club - aka Brannons64) for getting this boat to Raleigh today and letting us know about it. I made it down to Lake Johnson and spent some time in it and talking with Frank, Brannon and FerggieJ. Nice day for test drives in shorts and bare feet. The boat Frank brought is a pre-production demo model. I think he's expecting them to arrive for sale in late February.

I was very impressed with the boat. There was a pretty brisk wind pushing across the lake and my sense was that the boat got pushed, due to high gunnels and my raised position, but didn't seem to spin as badly as a longer, straighter kayak does. It was a far better paddling boat than I expected to find. I tried it both on a raised swivel seat and on the bench seat (the bench has a concave side for sitting, and aflips over to host a standard slide-in pedestal base). I was worried about the width affecting the paddle stroke, but hardly noticed the sides with the 275cm paddle. Especially from the raised swivel seat. I was worried about pushing a lot of water with 40" width, but the boat cut pretty nicely. I was worried about sashaying back and forth in a shorter (12'), wider boat than I'm used to - I didn't notice that at all, but I didn't go any miles either. Need a longer trip.

I did some standing - easy up, easy down. I definitely found it to be a better standing platform for me than the Ultimate or the Redfish have been. I did some stand-up paddling - I don't really have the hang of that yet as flipping the paddle from side to side was awkward and I got a lot of paddle drip, but no issues with balance, even in a pretty strong breeze. I assume there's some technique that would develop over time and make stand-up paddling smoother. I took my most awkward 7'+ baitcaster along and made casts in 360 degrees with a 1oz lipless crank while standing. Did some ripping up from the bottom and some fast reeling. No problems with balance on casting and retrieving. Couldn't get a fish to cooperate in my dozen or so casts to find out about fighting

I did play with a surfboard style footing, one in front of the other, but did not try to spin my feet all the way around. I'm pretty sure its doable, but I wasn't ready for that much chance of a dunking today.

I had been thinking I'd like to add a stand-up paddleboard, but now I'm thinking this might be a much more functional choice for covering that kind of water, plus rivers, shorter trips, tandem trips. Somebody with a dog had gone for a test ride before I got there - this boat is so perfect for a fishing dog that I might have to get one of those too.

Some of the negatives were that the front and rear mounting plates are really way too far out to be useful in a single paddler config, but I can see them working in tandem mode. We didn't have any slide track accessories to play with and see how fish finders, rod holders, and other accessories would work and allow for paddling. I'm still thinking on that, but now that I've been in the boat the pictures will make more sense. Also it is a wide boat which makes it a heavy boat. You'd want a cart or trailer to get them to and from the water. I didn't see it loaded into the truck, but you definitely couldn't get two side-by-side in a truck bed. It looked nicely set up for stacking though. Not much interior access - only a front hatch and a rear drain plug. But with integrated track system, you don't need to do much drilling and cutting.

I did not make a distance paddle - will see about getting one from Frank when the production models arrive and going on a multi-mile trip down at the coast with it this spring.

I think Frank will be bringing them to the Fly fishing show in Raleigh in February. Don't know if he'll have production boats by then or not, but it would definitely be a great fly fishing platform.


600lbs capacity. Infinite leg room. Raised seat platform with back support and options. This boat screams biglenr too!


I'm glad I got out there today, glad I got to meet Frank, see the boat and talk "shop" with the guys. Pretty good add to the Fishing Expo this weekend. Some pics and commentary below:



For this pic, I slid the swivel seat to the back and used the bench seat to check out the lower paddling level.



Here's a closer view of the molded bench seat. The underside hosts a receiver for a standard square swivel seat.



Swivel seat in a more normal fishing location



Close up of the swivel seat



Here's the swivel mount on the backside of the bench seat. Same seat base, two functions. Pretty nice. The seat in these pics is the one you can get from NuCanoe, or you can get whatever seat you want from BPS or other.



Here's a view for Big Len. I'm "only" 6'4", but I had plenty of leg room and could slide the seat back farther too.



Here's a pic of the slide track and ledge. That's a cup holder inside the handle. Anchor rope cleat in front. Paddle holder behind.



I expected to find a strong keel and chines or pontoons, based on the way it paddled and balanced, but I was really surprised at the underside, compared to how it traveled in the water. Very deep grooves, very little keel. Reminds me a bit of the Redfish, in widescreen, on steroids.

Crabbing....NuCanoe Style

For years I have used a kayak to go crab fishing.  After using your NuCanoe I was impressed with the stability and the room I had to store my gear.  It's much better for crabbing than the kayak.  Thank you for making a great boat!
Jeff C. in Bellingham, WA

 

My Custom NuCanoe by Mark Armstrong

My 10’ NuCanoe on the trailer.  This includes the following additions.  Seat-mount, Folding Padded Seat, Rod Savers, Sport Box, Battery Box, Trolling Motor, Trolling Motor Extension, Bow Eye, Camo Cooler, Custom Camoflauge Paint.  The trailer is an open floor 4’ X 8’ that I customized with loading boards and rack for extra boats.

I installed a Bow Eye to lock the boat to the trailer when entering and leaving the water.  There is enough room if you know what you are doing to install the Bow Eye thru the Drain Plug access hole.  This also makes the boat easier to drag on the shore and thru the riffles because it pulls the boat straight and does not cause it to turn on its side while pulling.

The trolling motor is a 55 lb thrust with the shaft cut to a length that matches the bottom of the boat.  The bottom of the boat will hit the bottom of the stream before the motor does.  I have an extension for the trolling motor grip with a u-joint for easier handling of the trolling motor.  The battery box contains two plugs.  One is for the trolling motor and the other is a 12 volt DC outlet for spotlights, phones, GPS, etc.  The cooler is a standard size cooler put in an insulated bag.

The boat has Rod Savers installed on both sides to hold gear in place.  The seat is on a mount that I made from a marine product called Starboard.  It has a swivel mount mounted to it with the seat mounted to the swivel.  The Sport Box is a “must have” item.  I have a rod holder installed on the starboard side of the boat.  I went with a different type of rod holder than what NuCanoe has due to mounting space.

The camo is Krylon Camoflauge with Fusion.  I use a 3 color system to get depth and 3D effect.  Very easy to do.

This is my boat on the water.  Not new anymore.  Scratched on the bottom and smells like fish!

Alamos Wildlands Alliance

From Adam Hannuksela, Director of Research for the The Alamos Wildlands Alliance

"We conduct research, environmental education, and conservation in a threatened ecosystem in northern Mexico. We also run the Navopatia Field Station, a small filed camp in a remote area of the state. It is a unique habitat where the desert meets the Sea of Cortez. Since 2007 we have been using the NuCanoe in our fleet of kayaks. We use them to carry out aquatic bird surveys, as transportation to study sites, with some of our education programs, and for all around fun. They have exceeded all of our expectations. The stability allows us to introduce new people (both young and old) to kayaking and the water, as well as bring all of the necessary equipment needed for our scientific work. The durability of NuCanoe is also crucial to the work we do. Time and time again the NuCanoe proves almost indestructible to the shells, mangroves, the occasional fisherman, and hordes of kids that enjoy them. These are the most versatile and among the highest quality watercraft we have had the pleasure of using. We look forward to many more years of dependable use and the addition of more NuCanoe boats to our fleet."

www.alamoswildlands.org

Kayak Fishing in the River Bassin' Tournament Trail

Kayak fishing has been rapidly growing in popularity over the past five years. With origins in the coastal waters of California, Texas, and Florida, the sport is attracting paddlers and anglers alike. Now the kayak fishing phenomenon is moving inland to the rivers of the Southeast. With this year’s successful debut of the River Bassin’ Tournament Trail, river kayak fishing now has a flagship event. Sponsored in part by NuCanoe, this event was the first of its kind and attracted attention in the Southeast and beyond.

The River Bassin’ Tournament Trail is an eco-friendly river bass fishing tournament. Anglers fish in their favorite local rivers in the paddle-powered boat of their choice. It is a catch, measure, photograph, and release tournament. Anglers take photos of their catch next to a measuring device and the tournament team compiles results to determine the winners. The 2010 tournament trail featured events in N. Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee and Alabama. Prizes went to competitors in three divisions – Avid Angler, Casual Angler and Young River Bassers.

The overall tournament 1st place finisher, Lance Coley, received a swanky outdoor support vehicle from True North. Ben Adrien, the 2nd place finisher, won an all expenses paid peacock bass fishing trip to the Amazon courtesy of Amazon Expeditions. The 3rd place overall Tournament Trail finisher, Sean Brodie, went home with a 12’ NuCanoe Tandem Adventurer! (See picture at right.) The 2nd place finishers in the Avid Angler division at each tournament stop also received a 10’ NuCanoe. And NuCanoe sponsored the “Big Fish” awards at each stop, with a variety of prizes going to the competitor in each category who landed the day’s biggest fish.

“NuCanoe was very glad to be a part of the inaugural River Bassin’ Tournament Trail,” said Blake Young, Director of Business Development at NuCanoe, Inc. “The trail attracted attention from anglers of all ages during the tournament stops and will continue to grow as participation in kayak fishing spreads through the angling community. It is such an easy, cost effective, and fun way to go fishing.”

Highlights from the five tournament stops follow:

ATLANTA, GA – May 1st, 2010
The 2010 River Bassin Tournament Trail kicked off in Atlanta, GA with 24 anglers from 6 different states. Jon Freeman of McDonough, GA (photo on left) brought in a 20-inch shoal bass, earning him a 3 fish total of 50.5 inches and a second place finish. Up the River Outfitters of Budford, GA presented him a 10’ NuCanoe Solo Adventurer and he earned 90 points towards the River Basser of the Year award!

SEIVERVILLE, TN – May 22nd, 2010
Next stop on the tournament trail was Seiverville, TN. 30 anglers from 7 states competed for over $5000 in prizes and points towards the River Basser of the Year title. Justin Wallace of Bowling Green, KY (photo on right) won the 10’ NuCanoe Solo Adventurer, presented by Appalachian Outfitters of Murphy, NC, and 90 points for his second place finish. His three fish total of 52.75 included a very nice 18.75-inch smallmouth bass!

BIRMINGHAM – June 5th, 2010
The Alabama leg of the trail saw 22 competitors in some brown, muddy water. Recent rains turned the bigger rivers into the consistency of a chocolate milkshake! But these anglers proved you can always find some semi-clear water, and that good river bassers know how to find smaller tributaries with fishable water. Riverside Fly Shop was present to send John Japuntich of Georgia (photo on left) home with the second place prize of a 10’ NuCanoe Solo Adventurer and 90 points. John posted a hefty 3-fish stringer of 53.25 inches. He caught most of his fish on a spinnerbait, but later went back through his same area with a 4-inch Texas rigged Senko to finesse that final kicker fish.

CHARLOTTE, NC – June 26th, 2010
The NC stop boasted the largest fishing area in the tournament, as anglers could cast in North and South Carolina and parts of Virginia. 32 eager participants from 7 states turned out to vie for prizes and tournament points. NuCanoe dealer Frank Bandy from Tar River Paddle Sports made an appearance at this stop, and had the pleasure of presenting a 10’ NuCanoe Solo Adventurer to Caja Ormand (photo on right, with Blake Young of NuCanoe). Ormand used a common strategy at these tournaments – fish big water first and have a backup plan on nearby smaller water. His three fish total was 52 inches - good for a second place finish and 90 points towards the big win!

MACON, GA (Tournament Finale) – July 10, 2010
The tour’s grand finale in Macon brought the biggest challenge for anglers on the tournament trail. 48 contestants from 7 states faced serious Georgia heat and humidity, making for tough fishing conditions all around. Ben Adrien from Johnson City, TN (photo at top of page, with fish) survived the heat to take 2nd and bring home the 10’ NuCanoe Solo Adventurer and 90 tournament points with a three fish total of 47 inches.

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Canoe vs. Kayak

Are you trying to decide if a canoe or kayak best fits your on-water needs? While canoes and kayaks have a great deal in common, they are different enough that you need to carefully consider what you want out of your boat. What do you want to use it for – kayak fishing or family fun? Do you want to bring gear and/or other people? Is comfort a concern? How about safety and stability? Let’s examine the pros and cons of both.

Canoe Pros:
Space: Room for your gear, your cooler, and your family
Comfort: Room to stretch your legs and move about
Canoe Cons:
Speed and Control: Slower, harder to steer and turn
Efficiency: Less efficient, more affected by wind
High Draft: Limits where you can take it – requires deeper water

Kayak Pros:
Speed and Control: Faster, easier to steer and turn
Efficiency: More efficient, less effected by wind
Lower Draft: Fewer limits on where you can go, easy to launch off shallow beach
Kayak Cons:
Comfort: No room to stretch out, often requires cramped position with minimal back support
Space: Very little room for your gear, usually no passenger space
Re-entry: It can be difficult to re-enter a kayak if it capsizes

Now lets consider the activities for which you intend to use your boat. How about kayak fishing? Clearly a kayak is best for that, as you will need to maneuver efficiently in a variety of water conditions. But naturally you also want to be comfortable and bring along your gear.

Or how about a day on the water with the family? A canoe would be the best choice, but you understandably don’t want to sacrifice efficiency and control. If after examining the pros and cons of both boats you find that you want a boat with all the positives and none of the negatives, well, you are in luck. Meet the versatile NuCanoe!

The NuCanoe brings you the best of both worlds, without the negatives. The NuCanoe come in two sizes, 10’ and 12’. It can be configured for 1, 2 or 3 passengers so you can enjoy solo kayak fishing or spend the day on the water with your family. You can paddle, row, or install a trolling motor on your NuCanoe. You can take it out on rivers, lakes, salt water and fresh water. You can sit comfortably supported, stretch your legs, and stand confidently in this stable boat.

No other kayak, canoe, or small watercraft gives you this much flexibility, stability, comfort, safety, and on-the-water fun!

NuCanoe is an Angler's Best Friend

Want to take your fishing to the next level with added ease and mobility, without spending much money? Want to catch more fish and enjoy the experience? Meet your “Nu” best friend: The NuCanoe!

Problem #1: I have to get to the fish to catch them
“I purchased a NuCanoe about a year ago. I am absolutely delighted with the handling of the NuCanoe as a fishing vessel. I have caught many nice smallmouth in places that I would not have been able to wade and get to.” - Joel Gonzalez in Illinois
Fishing from the shore can be a relaxing experience, but is not always the most effective way to catch the most fish. Sometimes you need a way to access those just out-of-reach calm pools and overhanging trees where the fish love to hide, as well as the ability to move from place to place to follow the fish. This is where the versatile NuCanoe comes in. Kayak fishing in your NuCanoe puts you in control of your location, without sacrificing stealth. NuCanoe’s superior steering is in part due to its V-shaped hull, which reduces drag and makes the boat easy to control. Catch more fish with a NuCanoe!

Problem #2: I need room for my fishing gear (and my beer)
“I just purchased an Adventurer NuCanoe 2 weeks ago. I have already caught more fish from this kayak than I have the past 2 years from a bass boat. I love it.” - G.M., Knoxville, TN.
You don’t have to sacrifice high-tech sport fishing gear for kayak fishing convenience. Your NuCanoe can be outfitted with all the best fishing gear: tackle box, rod holders, anchor system, fish finders, and more. You can add a trolling motor, or choose to silently paddle or row through the water. The versatile NuCanoe Sport Box makes a great fish box, live well, food & beverage cooler, and storage box – it even has two cup holders to keep your drinks safe. Enjoy all your gear and your beer in your NuCanoe!

Problem #3: I need to be comfortable
“I bought a 12′ Tandem NuCanoe a few weeks ago and just took it out for the first time. Fantastic! My wife and I fished in great comfort – our OLD kayaks were wet and uncomfortable.
- Sam Joseph in Greensburg, PA
Unlike many fishing kayaks, you can outfit the NuCanoe with upright, supportive seating for 1-3 people, enabling you to stretch your legs and change your position as needed. You can safely stand to stretch and move in the boat. You can choose swivel-mounted seats for additional comfort and maneuverability. An optional bow water shield gives added protection to you and your gear in choppy waters. Relax and fish in comfort in your NuCanoe!

Problem #4: I need a safe, stable boat I can stand in
The NuCanoe is stable enough to permit standing, whether to cast a line or to obtain a better view of the fish lurking below. - Paddler Magazine
The NuCanoe excels at ensuring your safety. This fishing kayak is wide, stable and hard to tip. The stability of the NuCanoe enables your focus to be on fishing, not on operating the boat or maintaining balance. You can even stand in this boat to stretch, cast, or reel in your fish – it’s that stable. Rest assured that if you do capsize the boat, it will not sink. A sealed hull design provides high internal flotation and allows the NuCanoe to float even if capsized or full of water. Launch your NuCanoe without worry on lakes, rivers, salt water or fresh water – wherever your passion for fishing takes you. Stand up and reel in the big one in your NuCanoe!

Problem #5: I need a NuCanoe!
Ask your local dealer about the NuCanoe Adventurer and Angler packages. They offer the most versatile, stable, and portable fishing platform of this style an angler can find. All kayak fishing packages come with seat(s), rod holders, paddle holders, and an anchor system – some also include the custom sport box. They can accommodate a trolling motor, if you choose. They can be transported on the roof of a vehicle, the back of a pickup or stacked on a trailer. No other fishing kayak, canoe, or small watercraft gives you this much flexibility, stability, comfort, safety and ease of use. In a word… FISHABILITY!

Find your local NuCanoe Dealer