2007 small raft shootout
by mania
Small rafts are very good for playing, creeking, fishing and all around fun. They aren't so good at carrying gear or charging through gigantic holes, but its been done.
Considerations
Since you already have decided on a small raft, you'll just have to compare things like length, tube diameter, capacity, weight, material and price. If you need to carry it a long way then weight is pretty important, especially if you are going to R2. Most people already have a preference for material, which comes down to hypalon vs all others. You will be able to slap a frame and oars on most of these boats if you want, but check with frame manufacturers on available sizes first.
Many rafters worry about getting a boat that is too small for the river they run. In my opinion this is almost never a problem, the problem is can you carry enough? Jeff Hammond and I took a Puma down the Owyhee at 12,000 cfs and we had a much easier time than the 14 foot rafts.
The Contenders
AIRE
AIRE makes the Puma, a longtime favorite for raft creeking. Lately they have been making bigger versions of the Puma called the Super Puma and the Super Duper Puma but I feel like they should make a smaller version and call it the Baby Puma or something. Recently I portaged a Puma for three miles and that wasn't too fun. If you are listening AIRE please build me a Baby Puma, 9 feet long and weighing less than 40 lbs.
Hyside
Hyside is the proud maker of the Mini Me 9 foot raft. What fun! These things are popular R2 boats and make it possible to do some serious raft creeking. Made of Hypalon.
Incept
These New Zealand boats are imported directly to Idaho through a giant whirlpool from the Buller River straight to the Payette. They offer not one but three small rafts in delightfully light weights for those days where half your time is spent walking.
Maravia
Maravia makes two small rafts but don't try to find them on the Maravia website - better off visiting the River Connection instead. I was part of a two man crew that paddled a little Maravia down the Green Truss section of the White Salmon and the boat held up very well.
NRS
NRS has two 12 foot self-bailing models both made of hypalon. The E series is made for commercial abuse but is pretty heavy. The Otter is a good value and should be a great boat for the private boater.
SOTAR
Sotar has three basic raft models. The ST is their standard design, the SP is the standard design but in Tan color only and the ST has a diminishing tube design. The prices are pretty high for boats this small, save perhaps the SP model. Sotars have been used on some pretty balsy stuff including the first raft descent of the Green River Narrows.
Star
Star is the maker of the Bug and Ultra Bug as well as standard rafts. The bugs are supposed to behave more like catarafts since they have a lot of clearance. Check it out to see what I mean.
Vanguard
Vanguard makes two small rafts with a nice price. Unfortunately they are very heavy and would be difficult to carry for just two people.
The Specs
- PVC = PVC
- U = Urethane
- Poly = Polyurethane
- Hyp = Hypalon
| MFR | BOAT | LENGTH | WIDTH | DIAM | WEIGHT | MATERIAL | CAPACITY | PRICE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AIRE | Puma | 11'6" | 66" | 18" | 88 lbs | PVC/U | 950 lbs | $2500 |
| Hyside | Mini-Me (108SBU) | 9' | 62" | 18" | 45 lbs | Hyp | 4 | $1764 |
| 140SBU | 11'8" | 70" | 18" | 87 lbs | Hyp | 6 | $2779 | |
| 109RBS | 9' | 62" | 18" | 71 lbs | Hyp | 4 | $1420 | |
| 139RBS | 11'6" | 66" | 18" | 84 lbs | Hyp | 6 | $1975 | |
| Incept | G25S | 8'5" | 53" | 15" | 55 lbs | Poly/U | 2 | $NA |
| G29S | 9'6" | 57" | 15.75" | 66 lbs | Poly/U | 3 | $NA | |
| W33S | 10'10" | 63" | 15.75" | 78 lbs | Poly/U | 4 | $2190 | |
| Maravia | Seal | 11'6" | 72" | 17" | 77 lbs | Poly/U | 4 | $2201 |
| Elan | 12' | 69" | 18" | 95 lbs | Poly/U | 6 | $3998 | |
| NRS | E-120 | 12' | 66" | 17" | 108 lbs | Hyp | NA | $3400 |
| Otter 120 | 12' | 66" | 17" | 88 lbs | Hyp | NA | $2475 | |
| SOTAR | SP10E (Tan) | 10' | ? | 18" | ? lbs | Poly/U | ? | $2400 |
| SP12E | 12' | ? | 18" | ? lbs | Poly/U | ? | $2779 | |
| ST11E | 11' | 62" | 19" | 78 lbs | Poly/U | ? | $3381 | |
| ST12E | 12' | 70" | 19" | 85 lbs | Poly/U | ? | $3381 | |
| SL11E | 11' | 64" | 20" | 75 lbs | Poly/U | ? | $3740 | |
| ST12E | 12' | 68" | 20" | 82 lbs | Poly/U | ? | $3974 | |
| Star | LX12-SB THUNDER | 12' | 72" | 18" | 116 lbs | PVC | 3-6 | $2449 |
| VX12-SB | 12' | 72" | 18" | 90 lbs | PVC | 6 | $1485 | |
| B12-SB LIGHTNING BUG | 12' | 57" | 24" | 103 lbs | PVC | 3-5 | $1919 | |
| U9-SB ULTRA LITE | 9' | 50" | 18" | 75 lbs | PVC | 4 | $1675 | |
| Vanguard | PSB-1104 | 11'4" | 66" | 16" | 101 lbs | PVC | 4 | $2395 |
| PSB-1200 | 12' | 73" | 18" | 114 lbs | PVC | 6 | $2595 |
Conclusion
Well every shootout has to have some winners. The winner on price is the Hyside 109RBS at $1420 followed closely by the Star VX12-SB at $1485. Given that the Star is 12 feet vs 9 for the Hyside you get the most boat for the buck with the Star. We all know price isn't everything so check around for durability reports.
The lightest boat in our shootout goes to the Hyside Mini-Me with only 45 lbs to tote around. The Incept models were not far behind, but the smaller two models must be imported from New Zealand before you can get your grubby hands on em. Keep in mind lighter boats are usually made with thinner materials so your durability may suffer. I sincerely hope manufacturers will consider making lighter weight boats for those times we have to carry them. It would open up many more possibilities in terms of exploration and pushing the limits of rafting.
If you are looking for toughness, Maravia and Sotar have good reputations in this area, but it shows in their prices. The Aire bladder system is supposedly very easy to repair but I have yet to pop one.
Thats it for our small raft shootout. I hope this helps you in your boat buying decisions. Please feel free to link to this article or site anytime.