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paddlemonster
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Joined: 24 May 2014
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  Quote paddlemonster Replybullet Topic: Newbie raft purchasing advice
    Posted: 24 Nov 2014 at 11:41am
I see quite a lot of "off brand" rafts out on eBay and Craigslist. I was wondering as to what kind of features/materials I should be looking out for and what makes a raft appropriate for whitewater aside from obvious features like self bailing and whatnot. How do these off brand rafts compare to those made by AIRE or NRS and being half the price or less are they worthwhile? Can I safely run class IV and V in these cheaper rafts? I'm not looking to run a guide company just take some friends down some class III and IV and perhaps eventually move into some harder stuff.
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Jed Hawkes
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  Quote Jed Hawkes Replybullet Posted: 24 Nov 2014 at 12:31pm
the biggest sacrifice in a cheaper raft will be the material and the care they take in gluing the seams. But each company has their own issues.

Another issue is the way that the thwarts are installed. Hi end folks will have straps sewn to the thwarts and then the straps go through the lacing. Some of the cheaper companies use a Batten which is fine for easy stuff but don't really stand up to heavy action, particularly if you are getting in the vertical world.

Also the Handles on the cheaper rafts are garbage.

As far as "off Brands" go Rocky mountain makes a pretty nice looking raft and it's made out of PVC.
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