A Nu Frontier is coming to the boating world…. No seriously, that’s the name of the boat - The NuCanoe Frontier! I had the opportunity to get some time on the water with the boat and give it a thorough examination – Turn your head and cough Frontier – it’s time for your physical.

The Quickie

Before we get too in-depth with the review, let’s go over the Spec. Sheet:

Specs:

L = 144”

W = 41”

H = 16”/12”/16”

Weight = 76lbs

Capacity = 600lbs

Draft = 3” @ 250lbs, 5” @ 500lbs

Included with the Frontier:

(2) Multi-Seat Bases w/ Sliders

Gear Vault w/ Removable Hatch

72” Freedom

(2) Cup Holders

(2) Paddle Holders

Stern Anchor Hardware

(2) Scupper Plugs

The overall size is pretty close to the original NuCanoe, but this boat felt lighter to me. I also felt like I had more room in this boat, probably due to the new Cast and Blast deck that gives you more leg room.

What’s Nu?

The ‘deck’: The most obvious difference the Frontier has to offer is the redesigned deck – The Cast & Blast Deck. This area is much wider, which makes standing and maneuvering inside the boat a breeze. This also offers more room for storage and makes standing a lot easier. You feel more stable when standing on this new deck, because your feet have room to spread out.

The accents on the deck are not only awesome looking, but seem to help direct water toward the back of the boat, where it could exit through the next Nu feature…

The Scuppers:This is one thing I am really excited to see! I normally have a good inch of water in the bottom of my boat from fishing the rivers and these scuppers are the answer to my wet feet! The scuppers are easily covered with the included plugs, but even with all 250lbs of myself and probably a good 20lbs of gear, I didn’t take in any water. The paranoid can plug the holes, but I don’t think it’s necessary.

The Storage Locker: Another feature I really needed – rod storage. This isn’t your normal rod storage though, this is better. The front compartment opens up and allows you to drop in a mesh sack that can hold your small items. The sack has some rigidity to it, so it stays in place nicely and hooks don’t get caught in it – I’m guilty of throwing hooks into places I shouldn’t and end up cutting them out later.

Removing the sack opens up the rod storage area – basically the entire boat is available for rod/lifejacket storage. This area is pretty water tight, so you could even use it for clothes or larger items you wanted to keep dry (I don’t think it’s completely waterproof though, so don’t blame me when your flat screen gets ruined in the bottom of your boat).

The Freedom Track: Hate being restricted on where you can sit or put your rod holders and other gadgets? Well then this is the system for you! The freedom track allows your seats, rod holders, camera mounts, fish finder mounts, strobe lights, disco balls and anything else you want to use on the boat, move freely along the deck. Want to move your buddy who can’t cast all the way to the front? Do it and save yourself from a hookset! Want to move your kid’s seat close because they love to jump ship when you aren’t looking? Now you can! Heck, they probably even make a leash attachment for the freedom track – tie those kids down! (Don’t do that, it’s not safe)

While checking the boat out, John “Toast” Oast and Blake tested some of YakAttack’s products and they also fit into the Freedom Track system. This only adds to the unlimited possibilities you have with the Freedom Track.

Universal Seat Bases: Yet another cool feature added to the Frontier, the universal seat bases make it easy to switch out seating on the fly. One side gives you a bench seat to which you can attach the padded backed seat. If you flip the base over the swivel seat can be attached and used. Each option has its own advantages, but the swivel seat is by far my favorite for fishing. It gives you 360 degree mobility and also adds some height, giving you a higher vantage point and makes it easier to sit and stand.

Hull Design: The bottom of the Frontier has been vastly improved. The hull is much flatter, giving you even more stability. To offset the speed issue with the flattened hull, the tracking channel depths have been increased and streamlined. The kiss offs have been moved to the underside of the boat, not that they were an issue on top though…

Other Improvements: Along with all the changes that were made above, a lot of other features have been added. The area at the back of the boat has been increased – you can now place a crate or tackle box in this area and have it fit perfectly. There’s also risers in the back to keep your crate off the bottom and away from any stray water that may find its way in your boat. Cup holders have been added to the middle of the boat – now I can stop spilling my coffee… Don’t like using the freedom track for mounts? NuCanoe has you covered! They’ve added Mount Docks to the front and back of the boat. The handles have also been improved. The new handle design allows for a wider range of motion, saving your wrists from an unexpected twist.

How’s she runnin’ Doc?

The first thing I noticed about the boat was how it’s easily moved with the new handle design. This seems like a minor point, but it really is easier to get this boat unloaded with the new handles. It also felt lighter to me, but it may have been because of the new handle.

When I placed it in the water, I noticed it rides higher. The Frontier should be able to move through some pretty skinny water for its size – we were running a flooded creek though, so I didn’t get a chance to try much shallow water.

When I stepped into the boat, I was immediately shocked at its stability. I felt like I was stepping onto a floating dock – the Frontier has almost no rock at all and gives you a very secure feeling. The old model is stable, but this just took it to the next level! Most people think boats like this are ‘tippy’ because they feel that initial rocking motion you get with most boats – that doesn’t exist with the Frontier. I was in the boat and sitting down with no problem at all.

The speed and tracking of the Frontier is amazing for its size. I was really surprised at how little I had to paddle to keep moving and we were even paddling upstream. The boat also has a quick response time, making turns and emergency maneuvers easy. This also makes standing up and paddling a lot easier; you can move the boat with minimal effort, this minimizes stress on your arms and wrists.

Fishing from the Frontier is where this boat really shines. You can stand up on the front of the boat and flip and pitch jigs without anything in your way. The Cast & Blast deck makes you feel like you’re standing on the front of a bass boat; you soon forget about any doubt you had with walking around the boat. The Freedom Track also allows you to make quick adjustments to the location of your equipment. You can slide any mount into any position while fishing, so your fish finder is never out of sight or that rod holder isn’t just out of reach.

Final Diagnosis

It’s really the little changes that NuCanoe has put into the Frontier that make it the perfect boat. They’ve improved the stability, speed, storage, tracking… it’s just an all-around better boat. You’ll be amazed at how much this boat will improve your day on the water. The versatility is what sets it apart from other boats – you make it do whatever you want it to do. It’s a bass boat, it’s a kayak, it’s a canoe, it’s the Nu Frontier!

Check out the Nu Frontier Tour and the NuCanoe Website for more information!