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sotar vs aire vs nrs

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aire
11K views 4 replies 5 participants last post by  bfreeman 
#1 ·
I'm looking to buy a used 14 foot raft. I found a Sotar in CA and I'm wondering shuold I buy it (and pay shipping costs). What do you all think of Sotars? I would use the raft as a paddle boat for day trips on the Lower Animas and as an oar boat for multi day trips. And if any of you know of used rafts for sale near Durango, let me know!
PZ
 
#2 ·
In my opinion, all the brands are good. It depends more on how they were used/stored/cared for and age. I wouldn't pay for shipping bec. I want to SEE what I'm buying and there are plenty of used rafts local if you keep an eye on the swap here or on craigslist for a little while.
 
#3 ·
Look at the NRS gear swap. I've always had good luck and good experiences buying & selling on the NRS site. There are several 14 ft. self-bailers on there right now. One is in Durango.
KJ
 
#4 ·
Kind of hard to do a true apples to apples comparison of the 3 brands, since all are drastically different in their materials and construction. That said, you really can't go wrong with a well maintained, used boat from any of the 3. If it were me, I'd base my decision on which boat best fit my needs, and which boat was the best value given the price.
 
#5 ·
We used a couple of 14' sotars in Alaska, where I guided for a season. We used them on multiple day trips, but one in particular stands out. The boat is amazingly manuverable, punches through holes o.k., but on the Matinuska we realized how poorly a self-bailing 14' Sotar released its cargo. A couple other trips followed suit. I have not floated the Animas, but if you are going to be in a mine field you might want to bring a bucket. I have a 14' NRS Otter, HOLYSHIt! Extemely stable, bombproof, slender for the close quarters and more than exciting on the bigH2O. Oh, and also important, if you can get pro-deal, you should pay around $600 less. It may be a little different, I got mine around 3yrs. ago. Just my opinion.
 
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