Hello everyone,
After much saving I am finally in a position that I can buy my own raft but the options I am faced with seem daunting. I am mostly looking to paddle one day trips with up to 7 people. 14' seems like a good size.
my options:
USED Hyside. Guy says it is on "good" condition but I have no idea how to tell if thats true (IE. I don't know what to look for or what to test. I was a guide and we always used the same hyside rafts so I never had to think about what to look for in a good raft, I just got on and ran my boat).
NEW Tributary. I can get a brand new tributary boat for the same price as the used hyside. I got lucky with a prodeal but I can only use it for certain brands.
NEW Super puma. I wish I could say money wasn't an object but thats not the case. This one cost more...but is more worth it vs. the other two options? Also, the pumas looks small...how many do you think could fit in the 14' without being crushed? Also, does it ride much different than your average raft? It looks like it has an inflatable kayak kind of shape to me...
Thanks for any advice! I would love to hear what you would pick, your objections to either one of them, or advice on looking at old rafts. I know there were threads similar to this on the forum but most cases had answers that just said "hyside every time" without an explanation. I want to know why one versus the other!
After much saving I am finally in a position that I can buy my own raft but the options I am faced with seem daunting. I am mostly looking to paddle one day trips with up to 7 people. 14' seems like a good size.
my options:
USED Hyside. Guy says it is on "good" condition but I have no idea how to tell if thats true (IE. I don't know what to look for or what to test. I was a guide and we always used the same hyside rafts so I never had to think about what to look for in a good raft, I just got on and ran my boat).
NEW Tributary. I can get a brand new tributary boat for the same price as the used hyside. I got lucky with a prodeal but I can only use it for certain brands.
NEW Super puma. I wish I could say money wasn't an object but thats not the case. This one cost more...but is more worth it vs. the other two options? Also, the pumas looks small...how many do you think could fit in the 14' without being crushed? Also, does it ride much different than your average raft? It looks like it has an inflatable kayak kind of shape to me...
Thanks for any advice! I would love to hear what you would pick, your objections to either one of them, or advice on looking at old rafts. I know there were threads similar to this on the forum but most cases had answers that just said "hyside every time" without an explanation. I want to know why one versus the other!