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Caddis Navigator
By Scott Clayton
Over the years, the water craft I
use for stillwater fly fishing has evolved. I started with a simple, cheap, donut-style float tube. From there I
moved up to a more expensive, versatile, single person pontoon boat. This year I've been using the Caddis Navigator,
a hybrid mix between the two. It incorporates attributes of a pontoon boat into a smaller, lighter craft. Like a
pontoon boat the Navigator sits higher out of the water than a donut-style float tube, has multiple bladders, and is
easy to get into.
The Caddis Navigator has two 4'6" pontoons connected with a u-shaped bladder; the resulting craft is 3'9" wide and
2' high at the backrest. This patented design utilizes vinyl bladders custom made by Caddis. The bladders are
oversized to reduce pressure on the seams. The shell is 420 denier nylon packcloth, triple stitched on critical
seams. The seat is 1000 denier cordura. The Navigator has a 350 lb capacity and weighs approximately 12 lbs. It
comes with a padded stabilizer bar, a mesh stripping apron, four main equipment pockets, front and side rod holders,
a backrest bladder, and multiple D-rings. The Navigator is made in the USA and comes with a lifetime warranty. The
bladders are covered by an unconditional warranty on materials and workmanship.
Out of the box it took me 57 minutes to assemble the Navigator. This includes a trip to a gas station for inflation.
Included with the Navigator is a valve adapter for use with gas station air pumps.
I really like the valves because I can easily "top off" the air in the Navigator by mouth. This is especially handy
when cold water deflates the tube; instead of going all the way back to the parking lot for my pump, I can head for
the closest shore and adjust the air pressure with a few puffs. It is important to keep an eye on the air pressure
as the Navigator has a tendency to cave in when under-inflated.
When properly inflated I sit one, maybe two, inches down in the water. Compared to my donut-style tube, where I'm
in the water up to my waist, this is vast improvement. This helps me stay warmer in cold water and reduces drag,
making it easier to get around. Add a square PFD seat pad and I can sit completely out of the water.
The storage/carrying handles are conveniently placed making it easy to get to the water. Getting into the Navigator
is a piece of cake, even with fins on. The stabilizer bar is held in place by velcro, just undo one side, step in,
replace the velcro, sit down and you're off; no lessons in water ballet required (if you've ever tried to get into a
donut-style float tube, with fins on, you know what I'm talking about). The pontoon design really glides on the
water. It is very easy to maneuver. The nearly 4' wide craft is very stable, even when the waves pick up. Because
it has a lower profile it is not as affected by the wind as a pontoon boat. I used it extensively with
Outdoor Adventure Products Pow-R-Pac and found the two to be an excellent combination. In
fact, with the Pow-R-Pac, I was able to cover the same amount of water as I could in my pontoon boat.
The stripping apron provides an excellent space for tying on flies or measuring a fish. Although, I'd like to see a
ruler larger than 17 inches somehow built-in, for those monster hogs I'm still pursuing. One nice thing is that,
unlike a pontoon boat, the Navigator sits close to the water allowing me to remove a fly without taking the fish out
of the water. I almost fell into the water the first (and last) time I tried that in my pontoon boat.
The pocket space is adequate, but I wish there was a large backrest pocket; a place to put extra layering for those
chilly fall days. The placement of the pockets is a little awkward. I tend to rest my arms directly on top of the
pockets, which is fine, unless I'm carrying a banana or sandwich or something breakable in there. The Navigator
would be more comfortable if the pockets were rotated a few inches to the outside of the pontoons, leaving space for
an armrest. There are several D-rings, useful for attaching things, which would also benefit by rotating them a few
inches to the outside of the pontoons.
The Caddis Navigator retails for $275. For the 2000 season Caddis is introducing the Navigator II. Part of their
"Offshore Series" made in Indonesia, the Navigator II is identical to the Navigator (including the same custom vinyl
bladders made in the USA by Caddis) except for the seat which is 600 denier vinyl coated polyester. The Navigator
II retails for $179.
Summary:
The pontoon style design including easy entry, the safety of multiple bladders, and the ability to sit higher out of
the water, plus the compact lightweight advantages of a float tube make the Caddis Navigator an excellent choice for
stillwater fly fishing. At 12 lbs I would use it on day hikes to back-country lakes. If you're looking for a steal,
the Navigator II is hard to pass up. And even at $275 the Navigator is less than half the price of most pontoon
boats. On stillwater, used with the Pow-R-Pac, the Navigator can hold its own against my
pontoon boat.
Scott Clayton is the Fly Fishing Editor at GearReview.com.
For more information, contact:
Caddis
3120 N. Highway 99W
McMinnville, OR 97128
800-422-3347
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