New Boats and Boating Accessories for Fishing in Alaska in 2016

Weldcraft 202 Rebel
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The Weldcraft 202 Rebel with a new hard-top option is a roomy, well-appointed sport boat with a surprising level of quality and value. At 22 feet, 5 inches, this Weldcraft is perfect for big-water pursuits, with a 14-degree transom deadrise and 30-degree bow entry deadrise softening the ride. The reverse chine bottom-planes effortlessly, creating lift for a ride that’s dry, predictable and sure-handling. 

Pristine Ventures Kork
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The Kork is an 11-foot packable raft that weighs under 40 pounds, though it is capable of carrying more than 1,000 pounds. Pristine Ventures designed this boat to be powered with oars, kayak paddle or a small outboard. The rugged design takes the successful features of their PR-49 packraft and raises the performance as a load-hauler to the next level by adding a 2.5-inch rigid inflatable floor, wider chafe-guard coverage on the bottom surface and oversized tubes with a larger tapered bow- and stern design for supporting heavy loads.  

AK Salmon Bear AK Fish Trap
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Designed and assembled in Alaska, this system automatically sets the hook when a fish takes the bait. You incorporate your rod and reel into the AK Fish Trap Base, and you have an advanced, multi-use tip-up system. New add-ons available include telescoping attachable/detachable legs and a boat mount, while a switched hook-set indicator is coming soon, which will be compatible with iPhone or android phones. 

FishHunter Directional 3D
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This completely portable fish-finder packs the power of 5 transducers working at a dual frequency into a sonar that fits in your pocket. With FishHunter Directional 3D you can see up to 160 feet below the surface, with 3D Bottom Contouring technology. Additionally, you can use FishHunter’s Directional Casting to know exactly where to cast to catch more fish.  

Xtaero Boats 24 Bodega
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This all-new sport-fishing platform was designed using the latest technology into hull form with deep vee and full pilothouse. The Xtaero 24 Bodega was designed in response to strong demand in the 22-foot to 24-foot outboard class of aluminum boats and it more than meets all the requirements an Alaska angler needs.

Sea Eagle SE9
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The newly redesigned Sea Eagle inflatable SE9 Motormount Boat has a new bladder floor that inflates to a solid 3psi so you can stand up to cast or move around safely. There are also two floor drains to quickly remove rain water that may get in. The versatile boat still holds 4 people or 1,200 pounds of gear, but is now lighter and easier to store and portage – it all fits in one bag.

Knight EZ Dock Float Plane Dock Setups
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As with all Knight EZ Docks, this dock’s design is highly modular with many sizes and shapes, and sections can be configured to fit your specific requirements. In small lakes, the dock can be left in the ice due to the molecular makeup of the low-density polyethylene. The rubber coupler design allows flexibility under extreme stress, and if the dock must come out, it’s lightweight so it can easily be removed and stacked for easy redeployment the following spring. 

CastMate V2.0 Fly Fishing Edition
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Built from marine-grade aluminum and hi-impact nylon, the non-marring frame easily attaches to all makes and models of float tubes and features one low and one hi-mount rod holder designed for fly rods. 

Scotty Big Game Gimbal Mount
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Scotty’s new heavy-duty Big Game Stainless Steel Gimbal Mount Rod Holder works in conjunction with flush mount gimbal rod holders, is made from polished 304 stainless steel tubing and comes equipped with the 241L Side/Deck mount, allowing you to fish your rod with any Scotty post mount rod holder quickly and easily at multiple angles.

SeaArk Outboard Tunnel and Jet Tunnel Hulls
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SeaArk has perfected their Outboard Tunnel and Jet Tunnel Hulls from years of servicing the tough conditions of Alaska and listening to the needs of their customers. The Outboard Tunnel Hulls are 5 ½ inches deep, thus raising the bottom of the engine skeg for shallow-water access. The Jet Tunnel Hull allows a jet outboard to be mounted so that the jet intake or bottom of the jet is 2 ½ inches higher than the bottom of the boat for extreme shallow-water access.  This combined with the superior construction of a SeaArk Boat makes it a perfect fit for Alaska.

Vexilar SP100 SonarPhone T-POD Sonar/Transducer
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The SP100 T-POD is a portable WiFi transmitter system that has a self-contained battery, allowing it to be pulled behind your boat, cast or thrown out from shore. Its unique shape allows the T-POD to track in the water perfectly straight at speeds up to 5 miles per hour. The SP100 has a transmit range of up to 100 yards and will run for up to 4 hours on a single charge. SonarPhone creates its own WiFi hotspot and you can share your signal with as many people as you wish. The software app is downloaded for free from the App Store or Google Play and works with both Android and IOS systems.

Charter Marine LED Lighting
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A new brand launched this year by Danielson Outdoors, Charter Marine will offer a marine product line to complement and enhance the trusted Danielson Outdoors family of products, while also bringing excellent marine accessories to the market at an affordable cost. In 2016 Charter Marine is offering an assortment of over 225 marine accessory items, including electrical, hardware, plumbing, motor & fuel, trailer, cordage, anchors, safety and accessories for the hottest new trends in paddlesports. This includes the specialty LED lighting for boats that we are featuring here.

Stabicraft 2500 XL
Available at Ron’s Honda Center
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Travis Swanson, whose family has owned Ron’s Honda Center in Soldotna for the last 40 years, says that there is one new boat that should be of interest to every Alaska angler this year:the Stabicraft 2500 XL. Built specifically for boating in Alaska and the Pacific Northwest, the 2500 XL represents the pinnacle of design-meets-technology. “Stabicraft has produced a boat that’s really safe and that is built for overnight, extended and long-range trips,” Swanson explains. “Truth be told, I have one on order for myself.”

Kingfisher Coastal Express 2825
Available at Alaska Mining and Diving Supply
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Kingfisher Boats dealer Alaska Mining and Diving Supply in Anchorage is featuring a new model for 2016, the Kingfisher Coastal Express 2825, which has already been making headlines. “Everything about these boats was built for fishing,” explained Nick Ozelnak, president of Alaska Mining and Diving. “Rugged hard tops, spacious decks with ample storage and weather tightness are three great features for Alaska.”

LeeLock Anchor Systems Magnum Skeg
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Fish Alaska Contributing Editor George Krumm got his hands on an early prototype of the Leelock Magnum Skeg, which is designed to improve steering response and performance of your electric trolling motor, and he was so impressed by the new product that we immediately decided it deserved an Editors’ Choice Award as well. Constructed of aluminum and anodized to provide a good-looking and long-lasting finish, the Magnum Skeg includes stainless steel hose clamps and is available online and at select retailers in 2016. 

StealthCraft 18’ x 54” Kenai Edition Power Drifter Sled
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Never before has the perfect balance of motoring and rowing been achieved until this hull was brought to market. Available in a 16’ version also, this boat will reach speeds of 25- to 29 miles-per-hour  with a jet drive (and faster with a prop) with three people in the boat. The Kenai Edition Power Drifter Sled is available in either a tiller configuration or with a console. The boat utilizes a composite fiberglass, Kevlar and Plascore design. These materials float, so no spray-in foam (which can eventually absorb a lot of water resulting in unwanted weight), is required for floatation, leaving more room for storage. This construction results in a hull that is more resilient than aluminum and will generally absorb impacts that would dent aluminum. Aesthetically, the amazing fit and finish of StealthCraft fiberglass veils provide a beautiful, durable finish to their high performance power drifter. 

Northriver Seahawk Offshore 27-foot Supreme
Available at FNM Alaska
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Now available through FNM Alaska, the newly redesigned Seahawk Offshore offers a new cabin and V-berth design and an extensive list of new standard features to provide Alaskans the ultimate offshore fishing platform. The Seahawk Offshore is an extremely safe, stable, dry-riding fishing machine, also boasting an Alaskan bulkhead, 55-degree bow entry for slicing through swells, an extra-large fuel capacity for long-range trips and hydraulic steering for effortless control. The new Seahawk Offshore is bigger, more comfortable and simply an exceptional boat to own and operate.

Lowrance Elite Ti
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Designed for anglers who want a complete view of the area beneath their boat, the Elite Ti has an easy-to-use touchscreen interface, Bluetooth and wireless connectivity, proven Lowrance navigation technology and high-performance sonar—including CHIRP sonar, StructureScan HD and DownScan Imaging. The Elite Ti Series is a robust, feature-rich, yet compact solution—all at an affordable price.

GOST Nav Tracker 3.0 SM
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The GOST Nav-Tracker 3.0 SM builds upon the company’s line of high-quality vessel monitoring devices by incorporating a new hardwired interface unit, which allows the system to integrate with hardwired sensors for security and monitoring. This system can also be controlled remotely, allowing users to arm and disarm sensors from the GOST Nav-Tracker website. 

Fusion RA70
www.fusionentertainment.comFUSION.jpgFusion Entertainment’s new compact and cost-effective series, the MS-RA70 features a sleek front face finish with a shallow-mount case design, with an audio system that delivers clear and dynamic sound reproduction in a weather-proof, space-saving chassis for flexible installation options. Engineered to seamlessly replace any standard DIN-sized car stereo, the low-profile design allows for easy integration without the need to redesign the dash space. 

Hyde Power Drifter
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The Hyde Power Drifter is set to be your do-it-all Alaska fishing machine, as you can power it up or down the river to hit a productive run time and time again, drift for Kasilof kings, row the upper Kenai for trout and Dollies—you name it, this boat delivers. Customize the modular Power Drifter the way you want with leg braces, seating, storage compartments and the size of your motor, and get to tough-to-fish areas where other boats can’t go, as the Drifter drafts three inches on plane.

Hewescraft Ocean Pro
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The 22-foot Ocean Pro’s 2016 design upgrades have made an excellent boat even better, beginning with the addition of five inches of overall hull length, a forward-justified console and shortened open bow, giving the Ocean Pro seven more inches of space in the fishing cockpit. The enclosed cabin is as roomy as ever, and the improved driving position gives you more leg room. Added under-bow storage, a raised gunwale rail to keep water out of the cockpit, a new 100-gallon fuel tank and an easy-drain deck will make your fishing and boat-owning experience even better than you imagined.