Hey all - My first post here (but frequent reader). Thank you for all the helpful information. I am upgrading (family needs) from my smaller Jack's cat and was looking at way too many options. With a track record of nothing ever gone wrong with my 20 plus year old tubes, I am looking at Jack's raft collection. I am being told I need to sell that boat to get a new one - ugh - but that is another matter. Besides the pack cats and smaller rafts, there is little discussion about their 14-15 foot rafts. I am up in Oregon and they are not widely used or available to look at. My intended use is a multi-day oar rig for family of 4 on our NW rivers. Anyone out their have one in their fleet? Experiences? Looking specifically at the 14.5 and 15 foot rafts. Any help/info would be greatly appreciated! Thanks
Being in the Northwest I'm surprised you're locking yourself into JPW's. This is especially true since you say there's none up there for you to even look at.
I think it's a great idea...anybody who has had an interaction with Jack and Co over the phone or in person knows the kind of service they provide. There's not a more honest and easy going manufacturer in the business. His material is soft and rolls well, holds up great over time considering its plastic. The largest boats of his I've been in is the daddy cat and culbra grande. Speak with Jack if you want him to make ya a boat...we'll tell you what his best option is for your situation.
I second K2. I worked with JPW a couple years ago to design and build a 15.5' boat. I love the boat and I loved working with them. Stand up folks down there in Aztec.
You can never go wrong with a JPW cat/raft. I have a 16', 12', and a 10' cat for all occasions. The 16' was purchased back in 1990 and has saved my bacon in way to many circumstances. Only flipped once and that was in 1991 on the Grand C at 209 rapid.....
BTW Jack is no longer the owner. His partner Errol Baade purchased Jacks interest a couple of years back. If you have any questions Errol is always there to answer them.
Just to confirm what everyone else has said. I too am looking for a new boat. Last week I called a few different manufacturers to pick their brains. All of the people I spoke with answered my questions and the conversations were short and they didn’t offer up anything extra I didn’t ask about ... I then called JPW....spoke with Errol for over 30 minutes. Great dude! Asked me some questions about the where’s,what’s etc. and we just chatted boats. A little more money than the competition with a 10 year warranty and made locally.
I don't know their org chart, but think Jack is doing only the custom stuff as of late. He personally designed my oversized Royal Flush tubes in early 2018, and then sent to Errol and team to build.
I certainly didn't say anything bad about jpw. My first two catarafts were daddy cats purchased in about 1986 or 7. I also had them make up an 18-foot asymmetrical cat that I would mount with motor to tour the islands in the Sea of Cortez. Their services is exceptional and they aim to please. I just never saw many in the North or Northwest where other manufacturers seem to predominate.
I really only ever had two issues. Are they fully welded now (no glue on d rings and stuff)? And the lightweight fabric while very easy to roll up tight tended to develop pinhole leaks, scrimshots leaks and punctures tended to tear longer then other heavier weight fabrics. But I'm sure these are no longer issues.
I really like the Drop stitch floor. flat and supportive. my only issue is that they decided to make it with 3 chambers. Jack said he couldn't curve it enough to mach my bow and stern kick. I would have preferred that they put as much rise as possible in the floor and just let the floor flex the rest of the way. we were experimenting. and I agreed to work with the result. it is really pretty minor. would make it easier to clean. Also I tought I wanted a lower rise on the top of the boat but still keep a lot of kick. so I went with a diminished tube design. I probably went to far according to my wife. she feels she gets a too much splash from the effectively lower bow. I like the extra storage in the stern and less wind resistance for the UCW. If I build another one, I'll diminish less and try for a one chamber floor. I love the durability of the fabric .
I'd work with them again in a minute
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