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How does the Odyssey raft compare to Aire or Maravia? The one I'm looking at is only a year old, so it is probably PVC. The price looks good but I don't really know anything about these rafts. I searched for other threads but only got info on how to repair them.
The ad:
"This raft is one year old & just like new...it has been used 6 times...it has been stored inside & is in immaculate condition. It includes a Mad Dog oaring frame with 8' Carlisle oars & 4 new 6' paddles that can be used without the oaring frame. It also includes an electric & manual pump, safety rope, rescue bag, cargo net, all needed nylon straps & 2 Coast Guard rated life vests. It is salmon red with gray in color & has a full wrap floor that is also inflatable." They're asking $2500. Is this reasonable?
I am partial to Aire, but have also been considering Hyside because of the Hypalon/ weight/ etc. I've rowed/ paddled both and I'm really torn at this point about which way to go. Is it just personal preference or is one really better than the other? (I hate the NRS Otters.)
Too much if the raft is a PVC. Also depends on year. I own a 4 year old star pvc boat, and really like it, but don't expect it to hold together much past 10-12 years. That 10-12 years has nothing to do with age, so if the raft is older, its life span has diminished, even if sitting int he garage partially inflated. I don't know for $2500 I would try to buck up a little more, check swiftwatersports, they have some cool looking packages on the tribs.....I think for about $500 more....
cheers
jefe
The Otters don't track well because they sit too high in the water; they are very light, which on the ground is great- on big water is not; and the location of the rear D-ring never fails to rip my knuckles open when I'm running a paddle boat. (We run a couple of them commercially.) They are also more difficult to get back into because of the tube diameter and how high they sit in the water and more difficult to climb on top of when upside down for the same reasons. Some of these things I will attribute to my height and weight, but regardless, for me, the Otter is not the right boat.
Hmm, that's not my experience at all. I think they sit low in the water, and am seriously thinking about getting taller oar stands. I am tall, and I really had to fiddle with the rigging to avoid the oar handles from hitting my knees when I have to lift the oar blades high out of the water. Sometimes I wonder if I got an odd boat (bought it used) because of this weird problem. I've never heard of anyone else having it, well maybe one person. On my boat, the tubes are noticeably smaller than my friends 14' NRS boats, and even the NRS specs say that.
Amazing how people can have such different experiences with the same gear, but we have to deal with what works for each of us and make our choices.
Quote:
Originally Posted by TakemetotheRiver
The Otters don't track well because they sit too high in the water; they are very light, which on the ground is great- on big water is not; and the location of the rear D-ring never fails to rip my knuckles open when I'm running a paddle boat. (We run a couple of them commercially.) They are also more difficult to get back into because of the tube diameter and how high they sit in the water and more difficult to climb on top of when upside down for the same reasons. Some of these things I will attribute to my height and weight, but regardless, for me, the Otter is not the right boat.
I think we're talking about the same problem in different ways. Are your knees close to the oar stands because the floor is so high off the water and your feet are higher up? We run a 13' and a 14' in our fleet and the tubes on the 13' are noticeably smaller than the 14'. Both have the problem of not really being deep enough inside I don't think. It is the floor that sits high in the water, not the tubes necessarily- I think this throws the tracking off, makes the boat less stable, and harder to maneuver. And I hate that F-king D-Ring on the back- my knuckles are scarred.
YES! We are talking about the same thing. But I've not ever thought it had problems tracking, or unstable or harder to maneuver. But, it is my first boat, except I just rowed an 18' NRS down the grand and can't say that my impression was that my little boat was as you say. We'll see this weekend how that little otter feels now when I get it out on the river this weekend.
I've tried overinflating the floor, underinflating, and it never changes. You are right, but I don't understand how it ends up like that since the attachment point seems the same as on other boats. Maybe the floor is just too wide and it floats up???
My friends 14'NRS have way more vertical room between the floor and the frame, much more than my Otter.
Quote:
Originally Posted by TakemetotheRiver
I think we're talking about the same problem in different ways. Are your knees close to the oar stands because the floor is so high off the water and your feet are higher up? We run a 13' and a 14' in our fleet and the tubes on the 13' are noticeably smaller than the 14'. Both have the problem of not really being deep enough inside I don't think. It is the floor that sits high in the water, not the tubes necessarily- I think this throws the tracking off, makes the boat less stable, and harder to maneuver. And I hate that F-king D-Ring on the back- my knuckles are scarred.
Do some more research before you buy the boat. If it is a glued PVC boat, it will not last very long. If it is hypalon, it might me alright. I don't know much about that brand. I would be skeptical if you are looking for a boat that last. $2500 seems high for an off brand.
Side: I also don't like the Otters too well, but for different reasons. I think that they paddle real nice, but the material is really thin and rips easily. I have put on several patches on my buddy's that seem to appear out of nowhere during transportation.
Good luck,
Dan
Quote:
Originally Posted by TakemetotheRiver
How does the Odyssey raft compare to Aire or Maravia? The one I'm looking at is only a year old, so it is probably PVC. The price looks good but I don't really know anything about these rafts. I searched for other threads but only got info on how to repair them.
The ad:
"This raft is one year old & just like new...it has been used 6 times...it has been stored inside & is in immaculate condition. It includes a Mad Dog oaring frame with 8' Carlisle oars & 4 new 6' paddles that can be used without the oaring frame. It also includes an electric & manual pump, safety rope, rescue bag, cargo net, all needed nylon straps & 2 Coast Guard rated life vests. It is salmon red with gray in color & has a full wrap floor that is also inflatable." They're asking $2500. Is this reasonable?
I am partial to Aire, but have also been considering Hyside because of the Hypalon/ weight/ etc. I've rowed/ paddled both and I'm really torn at this point about which way to go. Is it just personal preference or is one really better than the other? (I hate the NRS Otters.)
Maybe this is a better example. I think the floors on the Otters are built to be level with the tubes on the bottom of the boat. For example, the Aires and Hysides have a wide indentation between the tube and the bottom of the boat, easier to grab a hold of when the boat is upside down. There isn't really anything to grab on the Otter, so your hands just slide off. I think they are built to inflate upward, if that makes sense, making the interior of the floor more "bubbled" if you will, than the bottom. In addition, the interior of the Aires are flat because of the bladder, but Hysides, even with the Ibeams, tend to inflate more downward than upward, leaving plenty of foot room inside and providing a good hold underneath. Not that I flip a lot of boats, but even in practice I can tell that I would not want to try climbing on top of an Otter in a rapid. I think this is also why they don't track well- less surface area on the boat is actually touching the water. I've heard this from others as well.
Hi Dan! How the hell are ya? I agree that the Otters are made of cheap material in addition to the other problems.
To get back to your question -the Oddessy is probably a glued PVC you'll actually see on a lot of the rivers where Laura is. I saw quite a few up in MT last year and helped a guy get a really good deal on a 14' SB w/ NRS fishing frame as a starter boat that he'll use as a Class III whitewater & family camping trip boat.
I don't know about their gluding technology but the material seemed like decent-weight PVC with chafer pads where it counts and a thick bottom. It seemed like a decent boat and they're going pretty cheap - kind of like Vanguards a few years back but with a little lighter-weight construction.
The things to consider before plunking down for the this boat are: what length is it? what's the frame like (e.g. high-value sturdy breakdown aluminum or 1-piece flimsy welded steel)? and mainly, what is your intended use (Animas or family trips)?
You'd be getting a lot of extras in the deal so its river-ready but if you've been around boating awhile you may have a lot of that stuff or be able to score it all easily.
Consider it an $1800 boat with all the extras thrown in for $700. Put that way, the thought of picking up some rubber off an outfitter and scroung the frame & kit doesn't sound that bad...
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Nothing in the world is more yielding and gentle than water. Yet it has no equal for conquering the resistant and tough. The flexible can overcome the unbending; the soft can overcome the hard. - Lao Tse
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