Fatfish or Quickfish

[Reel trouble]

 I have last years fatfish 949 and i really like it But this years model is suppose to be improved with new hubs stiffer poles and Better material. I looked one over at cabelas last week and the new martial appears different and feels different. Don't get me wrong I haven't had one problem with last years model and love mine But i have read about others having problems . I use a big buddy in it for heat Mostly on low  and the wife is always toasty warm and often fishing in a light jacket. keep a window cracked and moisture isnt that big of deal. 

[BigDynamite]

RT -

Could you describe a bit more about the difference in the fabric?  Which year's model seems to have the more durable cloth?

Thanks!

[Reel trouble]

 The only thing i really noticed about material is its brighter colored and feels slicker to the touch as far as durability I really couldn't tell you, I didn't notice a difference in thickness.  One of the tings they addressed was in higher wind the bottom of the hut would bow in a little and the stiffer poles are suppose to help this I'm thinking it stretches the material a little tighter also as there were no wrinkles anywhere in the hut anywhere.

[Chris338378]

I have last years fatfish 949 and i really like it But this years model is suppose to be improved with new hubs stiffer poles and Better material. I looked one over at cabelas last week and the new martial appears different and feels different. Don't get me wrong I haven't had one problem with last years model and love mine But i have read about others having problems . I use a big buddy in it for heat Mostly on low  and the wife is always toasty warm and often fishing in a light jacket. keep a window cracked and moisture isnt that big of deal.

How much moisture do you get with the heater running and what about if you don't turn it on at all? 

[Reel trouble]

How much moisture do you get with the heater running and what about if you don't turn it on at all?

Long as you keep a few vents cracked when running on high its not bad never have had it drip and some days we don't even use the heater unless were just fishing in the hut and then all the insulated gear comes off and we run it. It does absorb quite a bit of heat from just the sun i would guess cause of the darker colors im pleased with mine i really am, I also have a eskimo caravan and im thinking about getting rid of it cause its just to big and heavy compared to the flatfish

[Chris338378]

Thank you for the info.  Does it get any moisture when not running the heater? 

[Reel trouble]

Yes it does get some but never have it drip

[DonDee]

I have the QF4...and nothing but decent things to say about it.  It's tall which is what I wanted.  I rarely if ever jig and sometimes we get a few extra people so that extra height comes in handy when people are standing up.  I really dont think you can go wrong either way, it would come down to which one I could get cheaper.  Good luck

[Chris338378]

Does your Quickfish have the cold air barrier in it?

[Chris338378]

How heavy is this material?  Is it heavy weight, referring to thickness, or is it more like the material used on the roofs and skirts for portable tree stands?  The material on the skirt and roof for my Brother's tree stand is pretty thin.

[Reel trouble]

Ok I took a pics for you guys Mr heater big buddy was on high we fished from 11am  to sunset it was around o to 15 for the high wind blew 25 mph and then slowed down to around 10 was one of the coldest days i have been out, flap was cracked so we could see poles and was opened quite often when we went out to catch fish or take smoke breaks. This was the area right above the heater and the windows above the heater. Yes i know it was still light outside but took this pics and it didnt get much worse. 


 

[Chris338378]

Wow, that's a lot less moisture than I thought there would be from reading through these posts.  Heck you could wipe that dry with a small towel.  I wonder if Eskimo has any plans to install the cold air barriers in all their models?  Either way from these pictures moisture won't be much if a problem at all.  Thank you very much for posting them, they have been a great help.

[Chris338378]

How do you dry them out if you don't have any where to set them up in doors?

[Aaronl41]

I just got a fatfish 949i and have used it a couple times so far... I'm pretty impressed with it.  I will say the bag it comes in is junk.  It was ripped right out of the box.  I called eskimo and they shipped me a new bag.  Last time I was out with it, it was about 10-15 degrees we had a sunflower heater going and it was borderline too hot.  My 4 year old daughter was complaining she was too hot.  She wound up fishing in her t-shirt and jeans.  Condensation was very minimal.  I did get one of them clam light/fan combos which seems to help a lot with both heat and condensation.  A friend that was with has a frabill hub that isn't insulated and after 1/2 hour in mine he said the insulation was night and day better.  I've fished in a friends old eskimo quickfish 3 (i think) flip over and after an hour with the big buddy going and 2-3 people in there it is raining on you from condensation.  All in all I'd go with either one as long as it's insulated, you won't regret the extra money spent.  Also, I don't know where you're at, but you can order the fatfish 949i from landmsupply.com for $275 and free shipping.  I did just see that they put the fatfish 949 on sale for 199 if you want to save the 75 bucks.

[Aaronl41]

How do you dry them out if you don't have any where to set them up in doors?

I would guess it would be near impossible.  If you've got no other options I'd set it up in my living room just before I went to bed and put a fan in it.  I don't have room to set mine up at home either, but I can set it up at work.   It don't take more than a couple hours with a fan to get them completely dry, so overnight is plenty of time.

[anotherred]

You can set them up outside with the heater on hi, and a house fan to dry them out. Worked. on my flipover today.

[Chris338378]

Aaronl41, How warm is your 949i without a heater running?