WTB Whitewater raft

I missed out on like 3 screaming good deals this summer, either because I hemmed and hawed, or was out of town. One of them... my gosh, I really kick myself over a 14' NRS Otter, 12 yrs old, $2,400....

Anyway, I made a guy a lowball offer on a fully outfitted old Riken on a trailer that had been up all summer. In his ad he said the trailer was pretty bad. It's a cheap enough price that I figured there was no way I wasn't coming out ahead. I got there, the boat was inflated but probably less than 1 psi. I look under the trailer and it's bad, real bad, I should have left it, but didn't. The UV damage on the top was bad, but it was still holding air, so I figured it wasn't THAT bad. And it's a nicer and slightly newer hypalon boat than I thought looking at the pics. The bottom is pristine. The original owner (neighbor of the guy I bought it from (DIED)) must have only used it a couple of times, but stored it outside. Frame, drybox, barney bag, all in great shape.

Get it home (towed over Snoqualie) and the frame is bent just behind the axle, without CONSIDERABLE welding, it's trash. After I cleaned up the boat, which shocked me how much material just washed off the top, I aired it up. And my wife immediately hears a leak. Put a soapy rag to it, and it's a giant area of the worst UV damaged section.
1754936009789.png
That section did hold air when I got it (at least enough to call it fully inflated), now it's dead. And I need to decide if it's even worth trying to fix. If it wasn't right along a seam I would be more inclined to give it a try, but I fear the placement makes it a worthless endeavor.

Any thoughts?
 
Yikes. Sun damage leading to leaks is usually a very bad sign. Holding air at low pressure means nothing. What do you mean “material” washed off? Like, the laminate coating came off?

Is the air coming only from under the seam? Or from multiple pinholes around the seam? Is that a spot the frame sits/was rubbing? Any more pics?
 
trb said:
Yikes. Sun damage leading to leaks is usually a very bad sign. Holding air at low pressure means nothing.
Click to expand...
I see that.
trb said:
What do you mean “material” washed off? Like, the laminate coating came off?
Click to expand...
Like it was so deteriorated it was just washed off, not in chunks or slabs, but just like powder.
trb said:
Is the air coming only from under the seam? Or from multiple pinholes around the seam?
Click to expand...
Nothin is actually coming from the seam, just directly adjacent to the seam. not just multiple pin holes, think porous coffee filter, just through the actual material.
trb said:
Is that a spot the frame sits/was rubbing? Any more pics?
Click to expand...
No, in fact the spots where the frame sat are in good shape because they were blocked from UV.

I'm thinking a couple of these, in the worst areas? Pretty cheap "solution"
www.ribstoreusa.com

Hypalon Wear Patches - 450mm x 500mm - Clearance

Hypalon inflatable boat fabric for repair of RIBs, inflatable boats. Discounted, cheaper... offcuts, older stock.
www.ribstoreusa.com

But then I ask myself if I want to trust that on day 2 of a 7 day trip?
 
Irrelevant said:
I see that.

Like it was so deteriorated it was just washed off, not in chunks or slabs, but just like powder.

Nothin is actually coming from the seam, just directly adjacent to the seam. not just multiple pin holes, think porous coffee filter, just through the actual material.

No, in fact the spots where the frame sat are in good shape because they were blocked from UV.

I'm thinking a couple of these, in the worst areas? Pretty cheap "solution"
www.ribstoreusa.com

Hypalon Wear Patches - 450mm x 500mm - Clearance

Hypalon inflatable boat fabric for repair of RIBs, inflatable boats. Discounted, cheaper... offcuts, older stock.
www.ribstoreusa.com

But then I ask myself if I want to trust that on day 2 of a 7 day trip?
Click to expand...
I’d be interested in seeing more pics of the material in the spots you’re concerned about, and where it came off in the washing.

But all indications based on what you’ve described are that if I were in your position I’d throw that thing in a dumpster and to use the dry box etc that you got in the deal. Wear patches are for areas of specific wear from a rocket box, frame, etc, not for sun damage. It’s not worth chasing coffee filter-type holes a universally deteriorated boat.

Post a pic of the frame and box. Is it an adjustable aluminum or an old steel welded frame?
 
I know you’re determined to find some bargain basement deal, and there are some to be had, but you’re going to save yourself a lot of headaches if you just buy a new RMR boat and slap the frame, box and oars you got in this deal onto the new rubber.

If you end up with a used trailer, I would encourage you to replace/repack the bearings and seals regardless of what the person selling it tells you.
 
I definitely wouldn't trust that boat on a long trip. Hit a few rapids and something major fails and you're up a crick you didn't plan on floating.

We ran SOTAR as we did pretty extreme stuff, but a friend has a RMR and does Class III with no problems, and he's had it for 5 years or so.
 
trb said:
I know you’re determined to find some bargain basement deal, and there are some to be had, but you’re going to save yourself a lot of headaches if you just buy a new RMR boat and slap the frame, box and oars you got in this deal onto the new rubber.
Click to expand...
I mean, yes, that's definitely the go-to move, but it's also not me.

I have 1 single rifle I bought used, it's not fancy, and it's over 20 years old. My mt bike is a 2003 26" with blown shocks. My car is a 2007 with 210k miles. I don't spend much on anything. Hell, I hunted in $5 brown goodwill pleated wool slacks for several years. I'm simply not going to drop $4k on a new raft. Esp when we're probably only going to ever do 1-2 trips per year for the next decade or so, maybe we stick with it long-term, but I could also see us not rafting once the kids are gone. And at that point, I'd be way more likely to jump over to a cataraft.
 
I’m all for frugality, but some projects aren’t worth saving. Cut your losses and take the lesson.
 
Sounds like you need to buy the junkiest boat possible and live with it.

RMR is well under 4k.
 
This sounds like a joke but I'm actually serious. I wonder if the flex seal stuff would work?

Did a google search and hit this video. Never would have thought about using some type of internal sealant.

 
wvhunter304 said:
RMR is well under 4k.
Click to expand...
Well under? Their cheapest 14' is $3,774 to me. And if I'm going to buy a PVC boat, I'd probably go Star Outlaw for 1k less, it's wider, with bigger tubes, and thicker PVC. <- is a real option I might actually go with.
 
Irrelevant said:
Well under? Their cheapest 14' is $3,774 to me. And if I'm going to buy a PVC boat, I'd probably go Star Outlaw for 1k less, it's wider, with bigger tubes, and thicker PVC. <- is a real option I might actually go with.
Click to expand...
The Star outlaw is a very good boat for the money. I’d highly recommend scrapping this one and looking for something different. I don’t know if you ever get down around Moscow but NRS has a decent repair department. It’d be interesting to have them take a look at it. Might be worth a call to them.
I’ve seen some creative patches but I’m thinking you have lost too much integrity of the material.
 
Irrelevant said:
I mean, yes, that's definitely the go-to move, but it's also not me.

I have 1 single rifle I bought used, it's not fancy, and it's over 20 years old. My mt bike is a 2003 26" with blown shocks. My car is a 2007 with 210k miles. I don't spend much on anything. Hell, I hunted in $5 brown goodwill pleated wool slacks for several years. I'm simply not going to drop $4k on a new raft. Esp when we're probably only going to ever do 1-2 trips per year for the next decade or so, maybe we stick with it long-term, but I could also see us not rafting once the kids are gone. And at that point, I'd be way more likely to jump over to a cataraft.
Click to expand...
One thing I've shifted to in my thinking is the net cost of things. If you buy a nice raft for $3k and use it for 10 years and keep good care of it, most likely with inflation you would be able to sell it for $2,500 or even $3,000 if you chose to. What did that really cost you? $500 maybe?

If you buy a piece of crap for $500 and after 2 or 3 years it is unuseable and you throw it in the dumpster, what did it cost you?

The sweet spot seems to be the higher quality stuff if you can find it lightly used or on sale. I'm still wearing the Kuiu clothes that I bought used 12 years ago, but if I wanted to sell them I bet I could sell them for pretty close to what I bought them for. Lots of stuff has actually gone up in price due to inflation. The 2011 LS 5030 tractor that I bought used in 2016 for $18,500 is worth at least $25,000 now, probably closer to $28,500. A new one is close to $45,000.

Of course my difficulty is actually selling anything. Even if I rarely use it I can't seem to make myself part with quality equipment.
 
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