The Aire 130E Whitewater Raft. Worst thing about it: In big water it’s like a rodeo where they ride giraffes instead of bulls (i.e. Sotar rafts are light; did we say that? The first is that the nose pierces waves and looks and feels cool; like you’re in the Trojan war and are stabbing waves like Achilles stabbed Trojans (bad analogy but hey, experience it and you’ll see). You’re probably trying to find this design on the catalog and you can’t; that’s because we have the only one. From the Arkansas to the Animas, there are more … These binoculars do not have as many high-end functions for the more experienced hunters and bird watchers. The 130D is a raft that we hesitated to give up, but ultimately did so in favor of having multiple raft designs in the 13 foot arena. The higher ride for improved visibility are great safety features. The boat is highly specific, but deserves some attention, if for no other reason than being the primary choice of Dan McCain and others who have taken to running them down very serious Class 5 water in an R2 setup. Interesting, to say the least. It’s easy to maneuver and moves well into tight eddies behind holes or down a fish ladder. The E-136 does OK with a stern frame and 6 guests, but does exceptionally well on larger coastal rivers and a paddle crew. Whitewater Rafting trips in New … The rafts have all been used by your guide staff on training trips as well as commercial whitewater rafting trips in Washington, as well on private trips (guides at Triad have open access to demo boats at any time) in Idaho, Oregon, and in British Columbia. It’s no secret that West Virginia is one of the best places in the world to whitewater raft. It has the look of a very small gear boat, and it performs just as you would expect; it does very well with weight for a raft with such big tubes (it carries weight better than the flagship NRS E-130; a very popular raft). Comparatively, river rafting on multi-day sections or general private boater use typically causes much less wear and tear, and need for such high capacity. While you cannot order this raft, it is worth noting here because the design itself is an excellent case study. The shape is great for safety with an enlarged bow, huge 20 inch tubes, and minimal seams on it’s made with PVC material. The built-in foot holders are much appreciated by passengers. The craft has commercial-grade 2,000 Dtex 1.2mm PVC fabric with polyester support, so it is puncture-resistant and … Saturn offers all the same specs as the big boats. It can carry a family of 4 down the river with a centermount frame and gear, it can run a paddle crew of 6 plus guide with relative ease, it’s light (in the Otter design especially), durable, comes with a good warranty, and just in general represents an incredible value for a raft that is at home in a variety of situations. Source: http://www.aire.com/aire-raft/130d.asp, Worst thing about it: Excelled at things more relevant to the private rafter market. One of the key reasons why we preferred the Aire Super Puma to the Spider was that the Spider controls itself in a way that almost requires the guides to retrain themselves. The Sotar material is fantastically light, and the rafts always run exactly as you would predict them to. The NRS Kodiak cataraft definitively makes the list for best white water rafts for this reason. Stable. One of the top rafts out there, we like that this 14-footer only weighs 119 pounds. The new Maravia collaboration with Stream Tech is similar in that the rafts have high rocker and continuous curve on the bottom; but make no mistake the Super Puma was doing this same work on commercial trips for decades before this design (which is a great one for its intended purpose) was conceived. All-Inclusive Trips with Steak BBQ - Leavenworth Full Day and Express, Whitewater/Wine Adventures, River Tubing, and more. It’s easy to see why it’s popular with private boaters; the diminishing tubes and width make it fun and splashy while being capable as a centermount as well as being a solid paddleboat. AIRE decided to redesign their well-made boats. The strong plastic flooring makes it stable in the water and all-around nylon grab line make it a versatile recreational boat. The Super Puma is not well suited for heavy loads, which make it a cumbersome boat to paddle with 6 people (about how many you need in a commercial operation to turn a profit). All our rafts, catarafts, and kayaks are made in the United States. The rafts were slightly softer and less rigid than that of the standard Aire rafts, causing them to flex more and in steep drops like the ledge over “the fence” on Boulder Drop the nose tended to bend back and “squeeze” our guests. Best thing about it: Fun 13’ raft in continuous steep drop whitewater. AIRE is one of the most recognized outdoors raft brands. The Aire 130D Whitewater Raft. This raft is, for us, not a commercial raft, even though it’s commonly used as one. The super-tough laminated vinyl raft can definitely rough it. BRIS’s 12-foot White Water River Raft might be the perfect size. The modifiable storage includes 20 pockets and two insulated drink holders. The high bow and stern kick would create issues in the wind for multi-day rafting, and it can be hard to see over the bow of the raft at times. Now; onward… or should we say “All Forward”. The new material makes a squeaky noise reminiscent of bozo the clown at your nieces 6th birthday party when some kid asks him to make a bicycle; it sounds like a bunch of mice mating in the bottom of your raft. The Spider is unique in it’s narrowness and thick tubes, and has a specific niche. It also is a good raft in cold conditions because it tends to ride over waves and holes rather than spear into them. This raft was a great addition to our fleet for a season, and it proved itself as a jack of trades as it excelled in high water Class 4-5 rafting on the Skykomish River, and also did well as a people mover in lower water when technical rapids were the daily norm. They come in all sizes. Take on the … Source: http://www.aire.com/aire-raft/super-puma.asp. The Spider effectively tumbles because the large tubes create a higher center of gravity; it is thus a great raft to be used to agile and/or experienced paddlers, but as a commercial raft is more suited for less technical water like that of the Wenatchee River, where there are large recovery pools to deal with the carnage that is invariably a part of running a commercial operation with Spiders. So, you are guaranteed the best whitewater rafting in New England with Northeast Whitewater and the best and safest whitewater experience for your family and friends. All of OARS whitewater rafting guide school programs and rowing clinics are taught by our professional river guides who have formal swiftwater rescue training and extensive backgrounds in leading whitewater rafting trips. Other than that this is an excellent buy at it’s price point, and offers a very capable raft for a variety of uses. The reports back were that it was heavy and that the floor of the thing filled up with water so that it constantly held a few hundred pounds of water in it making it far less maneuverable than any other raft in the fleet. It’s likely that if this list were arranged as a buying guide for rafts it would look much different. There is an extra layer of PVC on top of tubes, so that you can throw a rowing frame on and go down some rapids. The High Definition rafts are for the biggest whitewater conditions. It’s a design that occupies a middle ground for Aire between the Super Puma (A narrow, 13 foot long raft with diminishing tubes) and the bludgeoning 130R. It’s a raft that if we would have stayed small as a company would have worked well as an all around raft for all river levels on the Sauk and Nooksack Rivers, where it seemed to be very at home. It does not have the stability of the Aire 130R, nor does it have the narrow slot dropping ability of the Maravia Spider or NRS 130A. Photo of Hyside Pro 13.0 source here: https://hyside.com/product/pro-13-0/, Worst thing about it: Manufactured overseas (?). They are aptly named the HD series for good reason. The most common size rafts used by private boaters are between 12 and 14 feet long. We won’t bore you with background information about gender stereotypes and the color pink, but lets just say that the soldiers that occupied this raft during it’s first weekend ended up taking a picture of, giggling fully at the contrast between their camo clothing and the “watermelon” color of the raft. Very few outdoor sports can match the thrill that a white-water rafting trip can bring. NRS pulled out all the stops with three air chambers in each huge 28 inch tube. The design of the Super Puma can really only be done by Aire as it has the continuous rocker of the sewn outer skin. The abrasion resistant PVC is durable and has no problem bouncing off a boulder or two. 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