Buying a Raft

[Joe Stelfox]

Anyone have experience buying a raft with the (fishing frame) and what kind would you recommend? From what I've seems the NRS Outlaw seems to be the way to go. Finally, is there a place I can demo some of the options?

[Connor Donovan]

There are a few ways to skin this cat. 

First, don't buy a raft expecting to fish more if you are the only one who knows how to row. 

Second, remember trust falls?  Well, putting your friend/family member/co worker in the rowers seat is the ultimate trust fall, no matter what body of water.  You'll be shocked at how quickly they'll ram rocks, go into strainers, lose total control of the boat. 

From personal experience, if this is your first time owning an inflatable, buy a used inflatable if you can find one.  These things, if properly taken care of will last a very long time.  At the same time, if not properly cared for, it's easy to mess up a $3,000+ brand new purchase pretty quickly.  It would be ideal if you can find an operator selling used rafts.  I feel like there is nothing I can do to a used operator raft that hasn't already be done to it and realistically will never hit the water as much as it did or as hard as it did while the operator had it in service.  And don't shy away from a used raft that may need a little TLC.  Repairs to inflatables, like valve replacements, non-air holding patches, wear spots are fairly easy to undertake and usually don't cost much.  There are only a few deal breakers to be wary of like blown baffles, sun rot, mildew, bad seams.  Which is something to note if you intend to fish with friends who don't know how to row, repairs are relatively easy.

For companies, NRS, Rocky Mountain Rafts, Hyside, Aire, Moravia, Star are some of the big players in the raft world and I'm sure I'm missing a few.  They all use heavy duty materials with a few nuanced differences in design, material, type of valves, shapes.  As long as its a quality brand with easy access to replacement parts and repair materials, you can't go wrong.  If budget is important, look at the NRS Outlaws and Rocky Mountain Rafts. 

For frame, go simple to start.  I would even recommend waiting to buy all the frame parts if possible.  You can make a simple frame out of spare 2x6's, toss on some oar towers and oar locks and you'll be able to hit the water.  Over a few trips, you'll realize what you like/don't like so when it comes time to buying an actual frame, you won't waste money.  If you are a DIY type of guy, you can make your own frame pretty quickly with speed rail fittings, fence posts/aluminum pipe, and some spare wood. 

Not sure if you'll be able to demo any rafts in the immediate area.  Perhaps you can ring up some local operators on the Shenandoah, James, New, Gauley, Upper Potomac, etc. to check out what brands they run and if they have a few size options to see what you may like.  I've heard that a few companies will bring rafts to Gauley Fest and let potential costumers take them down the river to test them out. 

[DontCallMeEd]

Hey Joe,
That’s good advice above from Connor. You might find that most of your fishing buddies, like mine, aren’t really interested in learning to row when they could be fishing instead.

I have a NRS otter. I’ve been real happy with it, and the company so far. I haven’t had an issue, or question, that they haven’t helped with. I’m not familiar with the outlaw raft, but I suspect it’s also a good boat. The fishing frame is great, but it’s heavy and a lot to deal with if you’re not trailering it. Many of my favorite floats aren’t trailer accessible, so the less I have to carry the better …. but the frame is modular, so you can always leave pieces at home. If I were doing it over, I would spend more on the oars at the beginning. Good oars (and a good seat) make rowing so much better.

Good luck with your purchase.
-Brian

[Brad]

All great advice. You won't fish more, but you will get a great upper body. All kidding aside, with a decent anchor system, you'll fish all you want. 

I definitely second getting some time behind the oars before you buy a boat. Find someone with a boat. Talk them into letting you knock your own teeth out with the oar handle...Alternately, go find and take a class. There are quite a few out there. You may find that you aren't cut out to be an oarsman. You actually should get a class as there is a ton of great water in the area that is guarded by really hairy water. Like Little Falls. 

Best boat on the market, IMHO, is Streamtech. It is a raft that rows like a drift boat. 

Best budget boat, probably NRS.

Best advice? Call rafting companies and buy their old rafts. They usually get rid of them every two years and generally, while well used, are in good shape and decently maintained. When I used to live in DC a local guide that guided the Potomac in the spring and the New and the Gauley all summer could get me a company boat and frame for under $1000. That is a really great deal considering the Otter 130 retails for $6000, with the fancy fishing frame. He also let me get behind the sticks a fair amount. 

[Rob Shane]

Reading this thread got me thinking about buying a raft myself. I stumbled across this company from a friend and saw they're running what I assume to be a good deal (with 0 background in raft pricing) on their fishing version. I can't speak to quality, durability, or any other factor than price but would love some input if anyone is familiar. thanks!

https://www.seaeagle.com/FoldCat/375fc