|
|
|
I can see where waterdog is coming from on the "type" comment. There are always people in groups such as BT that will jump onto a pedestal and trash products and methods, which in their minds are "other than the norm". For example people that are raft owners, (take Avon for example); think their rafts are simply the best. They are usually people that do not spend much time on the water in their rafts and have absorbed some of the British aloofness from their boats ... ! I have been on BT for 5 years and know what the deal is⦠Avons are great boats but so are Maravia, and NRS and Hyside!
I am a year round commercial raft guide, raft company manager and have been involved in all aspects of the rafting business for 13+ years, from Nepal to Idaho. I have had the opportunity to get solid guide time in everything from Riken Bucket boats to slick Maravias with the flame paint-jobs!
In my humble opinion some rafts are better than others at certain applications but really no raft stands out in my mind. For example. Raft companies in Asia, (Nepal, India, China) like using Avon, Hyside, NRS-hypo boats because they work best for their situation. In Nepal and India the rafts are deflated and rolled up on a daily basis for years on end. Imagine doing that to a PVC boat! But in Colorado on the Ark or ID where boats are left inflated most of the time, PVC works great. On tight technical runs PVC works better than Hypo.. So in my experience no raft is better than another.
From the business side, we have to look at optimum value our rafts provide. In Idaho our boats are beat to death and we like to cycle our rafts. So not only do we look or durability but we also look for value. PVC boats have come a long way in the last 5-10 year. The glues used on PVC boats are better today then they were 2 years ago. As any new product, its takes time for the product and processes to evolve. In time you will see more and more outfitters moving to PVC boats, especially in ID. I am sure the day will come when Maravia will have to move manufacturing overseas in order to compete... especially as other brands get better manufacturing overseas.
At our company in ID we have, 12+ NRS boats, a few Hysides and 3-4 Incepts. I am not loyal to any manufacturer.. I just want a product that is safe, good quality and offers the best value for money and works in our applications.
It would be great to find a manufacturer that will build a boat to our specifications and our needs. For us an ideal boat would be, PVC, 16â long, 8â wide, 22â tubes diminish to 18 just in the bow, 4 removable thwart, 8 foot cups, SB floor that sits lower in the water and a floor that does NOT have a relief valve (I have patched over many of these leaky valves and never had a problem!) I would also like the stern to have more depth than the bow and with a little more kick, to fit a stern frame with a cooler. D rings on the floor 2â apart under the thwarts!
Anyone?
Cheers and have a great summerâ¦!
|
|
|
Comparable Raft? New 
BoaterTalk 
