WTB Whitewater raft

Irrelevant

Irrelevant

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 17, 2015
Messages
12,319
Location
Wenatchee
If anyone hears or sees a deal on a used self-bailer, 12.5-15' I'd appreciate a heads up. I'm finally forced to give up on the canoe idea. There just aren't enough rivers around here that you can swing with a canoe, and none of my family care for the simplicity of the canoe. Plus all my friends bought rafts...
 
Welcome to the club!!
You will not regret switching from a canoe.
I’d definitely recommend not going less than a 14’ raft.
I’m a huge fan of Aire boats but there’s a lot of good ones out there. For the money, Aire is hard to beat. The Tributary is a solid all around boat. I run mine on everything from the Lochsa to the Grand Ronde and Salmon and everything in between, day trips or multi day trips, it’s been fantastic.

I know you said you were looking for used but you should check out the Star outlaw boats. NRS has them new for around $2500. I’m super impressed with them.
Anyway, you didn’t post asking for my opinion, I’ll keep my ears open for a good deal and talk with some of my rafting buddies.
Good luck and congratulations!
 
Elktrack said:
Welcome to the club!!
You will not regret switching from a canoe.
I’d definitely recommend not going less than a 14’ raft.
I’m a huge fan of Aire boats but there’s a lot of good ones out there. For the money, Aire is hard to beat. The Tributary is a solid all around boat. I run mine on everything from the Lochsa to the Grand Ronde and Salmon and everything in between, day trips or multi day trips, it’s been fantastic.

I know you said you were looking for used but you should check out the Star outlaw boats. NRS has them new for around $2500. I’m super impressed with them.
Anyway, you didn’t post asking for my opinion, I’ll keep my ears open for a good deal and talk with some of my rafting buddies.
Good luck and congratulations!
Click to expand...
yeah I saw those. But you don't realize just quite how cheap I am...
 
I keep looking at fishing rafts on FB and CL. Storage is currently limited. I would probably be better off with a kick boat for what I like to do.

I have always said that it is better if you have friends with fishing boats, rafts, drift boats, etc. But I still get tired of being subject to their schedules.
 
westbranch said:
I keep looking at fishing rafts on FB and CL. Storage is currently limited. I would probably be better off with a kick boat for what I like to do.

I have always said that it is better if you have friends with fishing boats, rafts, drift boats, etc. But I still get tired of being subject to their schedules.
Click to expand...
Boats, yes, but rafts, I don't know hard to bum room for a family of 4 on a 5 day float in your buddy's raft.
 
Irrelevant said:
Boats, yes, but rafts, I don't know hard to bum room for a family of 4 on a 5 day float in your buddy's raft.
Click to expand...

Definitely! I am either solo or sometimes as a couple so easier to get on some trips. But still much harder to fit a rafting trip in the schedule, even short trips.
 
westbranch said:
I keep looking at fishing rafts on FB and CL. Storage is currently limited. I would probably be better off with a kick boat for what I like to do.
Click to expand...
My brother in law has started a side hustle over the years on basically assembling rafts from parts he gets on FB/CL and whatever the guys at the shop have laying around the back.

If you know what you’re doing and are handy (it’s the last one precludes me), you can put a nice rig together for a few hundred bucks. E.g. He got a 2020-ish 14’ Aire with a couple small tears in it from the pissed off owner that was going to throw it away - 50 bucks, patched the holes for another 50 in goop, got a bunch of frame parts, etc. separately for another 200. Think he bought new straps and stripping baskets, but Bang, $2500 boat for 400 and a couple days work.

He’s restored a couple of wood Mack boats that he picked up for a song, also, but that’s a whole other world.

westbranch said:
I have always said that it is better if you have friends with fishing boats, rafts, drift boats, etc. But I still get tired of being subject to their schedules.
Click to expand...
As the former owner of both a hard and soft boat…

1750806594487.jpeg
 
trb said:
I’d recommend keeping an eye on it. There’s stuff from the NW all the time, and I’ve bought complete packages at very good value on there before. What’s your budget?
Click to expand...
IDK... Think small, then go smaller.
 
westbranch said:
I keep looking at fishing rafts on FB and CL. Storage is currently limited. I would probably be better off with a kick boat for what I like to do.

I have always said that it is better if you have friends with fishing boats, rafts, drift boats, etc. But I still get tired of being subject to their schedules.
Click to expand...
I agree, it’s better to have a friend with a drift boat.

You should get one.
 
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