The Water Master Kodiak—produced by Big Sky Inflatables, LLC, in Missoula, Montana—offers big raft performance, in a compact one-person design. From flat water to swift-flowing rivers, the Kodiak provided a stable platform from which to fish safely and effectively. 

When launched on lakes, the Kodiak’s open floor design allowed easy use of kick-fins to power the boat when trolling woolly buggers or delicate chrominids. The lack of a rocker on the raft tubes allows the Kodiak to track well, though not quite as straight as a pontoon boat. And the low position on the water, compared to the slightly more elevated seats in the pontoon-style boats, makes sight casting a little more difficult. 

But no other boats in the class come close to the Kodiak’s performance in river use. When drift angling on a river, the Waster Master boats earn the name.  The traditional oval raft design keeps the Kodiak tracking cleanly on active water, and the closed bow ensures the boat bounces off mid-stream rocks where pontoons can split over them and get hung-up. We found the open-floor design in the rivers was best used to ‘body anchor’ the boat—when you reach an area that called for more than simply drifting a fly through as you pass, I could simply stand up mid-boat and use my body to hold the boat in place while I cast to fishable waters.   

When designing, and refining, their Water Master boats, the folks at Big Sky Inflatables opted to build strong, even though it meant a little more weight. The raft’s 1100-denier polyester material is treated with UV protectant before it receives its PVC coating. During construction, all seams are joined with an overlap of 1 inch, then covered with 1-inch seam tape. That is then sealed with 2-inch seam tape. That stout seam construction is backed with a life-time warranty. 

The boat weighs no more than its competitors—only 27 pounds for the boat by itself, but nearly 40 when seat, oars, gear bags, etc. are added—but it also hauls more than any other boat we tested. The 750-pound capacity is twice that of the Creek Company boat. The length of the Water Master (8’10”) means there’s also room to use that impressive capacity. When I’m in the Kodiak, the space behind me is big enough for a gear bag and a small cooler while still allowing room for my yellow lab to comfortably ride along. Or it can handle is a sizable dry bag or two to haul overnight gear for multi-day floats. 

The Water Master Kodiak stands as our pick for best all-around boat for solo anglers.