Submitted: 04-13-2012 by rikjohnson 
I bought a pair of Scramblers from a pilot who was selling his excess gear (he said homeland Swecurity was trying to shut down the airlines so he was building a nest egg for when he was out-of-work).
Basically I got bare boats.
I think the problems people have with the Scrambler is that they don't accept the boat for what it is! It is a dive platform.
Scramblers do not race, they are a stable platform for scuba divers that transforms very well into a fishing platform. They are the choice of rentals because they are stable, easy to get into, and very forgiving.
BUT, this stability is because the seat well is so low, you are below water level and so sitting in water. Adding scupper plugs simply traps the water in the well. Since I paddle Arizona or San Diego, I find the water pool under my tush to be acceptable when compared to the assets.
Although I HAVE raced these boats, always loosing, I realize that they are not fast! I have not camped in them but I hear it is possible if you think like a back-packer and accept that you will need to drybag everything! And my kids enjoyed tying them to a drowned tree and using them as a play-dock for diving and swimming.
Bottom line... If you want a fast boat that carries a lot of gear. go elsewhere. If you want a stable boat for exploring and fishing, this is the one to get! |