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Help me decide Sotar Legend or ST or Aire Ocelot

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7K views 19 replies 11 participants last post by  lhowemt 
#1 ·
OK gearheads help me deicide which cat. I'm looking to add to my growing cache of gear. What I want the boat to do is carry me on light weight multiday trips on tight tech rivers, think low water MFS or the Illinois, Tuolumne ect. Mostly just me with a small/moderate amount of gear and maybe one passenger on day trips without overnight gear.
This is a big change for me as this summer I rowed a 16' Sotar raft with all the trimmings, nice for high water trips when you bring almost everything including the GF. Here's the boats I'm considering: 14' Sotar legend, 14' Sotar ST or Aire Super Puma. These boats will be run mostly as oar boats and rarely as a paddle raft.
Thanks for you opinions.
 
#6 ·
Super Puma with a small t-box/table combination, a 60 qt cooler with a DRE or AAA seat over it, and a custom Stitches-n-Such gear clamshell bag for the stern. Took that same spec'd boat on a Lower Canyons of the Rio Grande WITH a passenger and cold weather gear for a 7 day Christmas thru New Years trip and had no problem at 600 cfs. Rowed pretty much all the time between the rapids/riffles. It all depends on what your primary uses will be.
 
#8 ·
I have a 12.5 Legend and love the boat. It can start feeling a bit small when the water is up on the "T" though. I boat with someone who has a 14' x 25.5 Legend, and I think it might be a better all around size especially if you are looking to take a passenger and gear.

If you go with Sotar, give Neil Nikirk a call (www.golightoutdoors.com) he is the local Sotar rep. Very knowledgable boater and great to deal with.
 
#10 ·
Cat Frames

Thanks for the tips, I'm kind of leaning towards the boat you mentioned 14' with slightly oversized tubes 24". Sotars having their 20% yearly sale which makes it fairly reasonable in price.
Anyone have pictures of their Cats with their frame setups???
:D Would love to get some good ideas as this looks like my winter boating project.
Thanks for the ideas so far,
Wavester


I have a 12.5 Legend and love the boat. It can start feeling a bit small when the water is up on the "T" though. I boat with someone who has a 14' x 25.5 Legend, and I think it might be a better all around size especially if you are looking to take a passenger and gear.

If you go with Sotar, give Neil Nikirk a call (www.golightoutdoors.com) he is the local Sotar rep. Very knowledgable boater and great to deal with.
 
#12 ·
Don't rule out a Super Duper pUma. I own one,along with the 12'6 Legend,along with a 18' Superpro ;).....anyways,the SDPuma def excels at smaller,techy rivers and can carry a good amount of gear without comprimising your maneuverability. Can be more of a pain with a cat...you wanna keep them shits light. And passengers on cats can get old fast. It'd be hard (for me)to get a Legend that's not a 12'6,easily the best size for a "go-to" rowdy boat......maybe not the most ideal for carrying gear n people....but then again,Cats aren't really suited for tremendous gear hauling and carrying passengers.It (the 12'6) feels like a 14fter and the tubes are huge. But the Legends great regardless. Get chaffers on top too,esp since you get the 20% off. I got mine this past spring and saved a buttload with their sale.

I have pics of my Legend if you're curious about frame setup and stuff, but can't figure out how to post pics(after all these years). Doesn't help that I'm doing all my computing on my droid phone these days too. You can email me if you want pics of it...its a sexy boat. Wish I could post the pics in the boat porn thread
 
#13 ·
You mentioned a "growing cache of gear." What other boats do you own? Knowing that might help guide you in what to get next. I row a 14 X 24 Maravia Cat, and I agree with BarryDingle. I almost never have a passenger on my Cat. Maybe for a day run with no extra gear. I have my gear load pretty much dialed in for multi-day trips and I'm very careful not to overload my Cat. A small (under 14 ft.) cat would rock for day runs, but when you start adding overnight gear & people, it could become overloaded fast. If you already own a gear/people hauler, then go with a small Cat.
KJ
 
#14 ·
KJ,
I only own a 15.5' Sotar raft, set up with a gear hauling frame. Also 2 Aire Lynx IK's. Went on a couple multiday trips this year solo on the boat and the 15.5' raft is just a litlle big. It would be nice to have a fun relatively sporty cat boat to take on these trips when I don't have a passenger. The Cat needs to carry up to 1 wks worth of personal gear and maybe some lightweight community gear and yet be fun and easy to set up for day trips locally maybe with one passenger on those trips.
It's a pain to set up the 15' raft for day trips. I'm leaning towards the 14' Sotar ST with 24" tubes which incidently is the exact specs for your Maravia. Curious about if you like your boat, maybe pros and cons??
Thanks,


You mentioned a "growing cache of gear." What other boats do you own? Knowing that might help guide you in what to get next. I row a 14 X 24 Maravia Cat, and I agree with BarryDingle. I almost never have a passenger on my Cat. Maybe for a day run with no extra gear. I have my gear load pretty much dialed in for multi-day trips and I'm very careful not to overload my Cat. A small (under 14 ft.) cat would rock for day runs, but when you start adding overnight gear & people, it could become overloaded fast. If you already own a gear/people hauler, then go with a small Cat.
KJ
 
#15 ·
I take my 12.5' Sotar Legend on week long trips and carry my share of food and community gear. I am amazed to hear anyone experience it as small at all, or ever. That boat is designed for Class V and will do nearly anything. It is HUGE for 12.5'. When stacked on our 14' raft it seems larger in presence. I am also taking it on the Grand Canyon this spring, but clearly then I won't be carrying my complete equal share.
 
#17 ·
Your going to have a blast on the GC, about 15+ years ago I oared a 14' Aire Cat down the canyon, I think the CFS was in the low 30's and thats when Crystal at that level was the hardest rapid in the GC imho. That cat felt like a farrari compared to the barges I've rowed since and Crystal lost a lot of it's punch :D

I take my 12.5' Sotar Legend on week long trips and carry my share of food and community gear. I am amazed to hear anyone experience it as small at all, or ever. That boat is designed for Class V and will do nearly anything. It is HUGE for 12.5'. When stacked on our 14' raft it seems larger in presence. I am also taking it on the Grand Canyon this spring, but clearly then I won't be carrying my complete equal share.
 
#16 ·
I love my Cat. It's the perfect size for me. I had a 14X22 Maravia cat for a few years, but I like the 24 inch tubes better. Most of my trips are 6-8 days (Deso, Main Salmon, Middle Fork, Rogue) with about 4-12 people in the group. I carry my personal gear and a small-medium amount of group gear. If I went on a solo multi-day trip, I could easily handle everything on my boat (if I planned wisely and didn't get too crazy with stuff). My newer Cat has more rocker that my old one, and is a bit more lively. Maravia changed their Cat design a few years ago. I think you would enjoy a 14 X 24 Sotar. Small & lively enough for day play runs, and you could definitely support yourself for a week long trip. Just remember that Cats can't handle being overloaded very well. It sounds like you already have a nice boat for gear & extra people.
A few pics from this summer. Rogue, Southfork Snake, Main Salmon, Middle Fork.
KJ
 
#19 ·
My frame is an NRS with some AAA parts mixed in (Flip seat bracket, oar stands, custom footbar). I didn't buy an NRS "packaged frame." I figured out what I wanted and bought the parts. I use 96 inch siderails(max length for my boat), with 66 inch yokes. I like a narrower frame. Works great on the low water Middle Fork trips, and keeps me from overloading. I had my dry boxes made by Partner Steel and I carry a 95 Qt. Igloo Marine cooler. I could get some shorter siderails & make a day/play frame easily.
Laura...... 12.5 ft. Cat on the GC !!!!! You Go Girl !!!!! Sorry for calling your baby a "Little" boat. My 14 ft. still feels small to me sometimes.
KJ
 
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