I can't speak to the 8 footer, but we have a 9 footer and an 11 footer, and LOVE them. They've both been down the Gunny Gorge a couple times, and multiple trips down the Upper C and the lower Blue The bigger one has also been down Browns a couple times. You feel like a bit of a cork in the big waves, but it's a super fun ride! My only recommendation might be to upgrade the oars to either a Sawyer wooden utility oar or a Cataract Mini-Magnum. The standard ones that come with the Outcast just seem a little flimsy to me.

 

Also consider the Sawyer SST oars which are specifically for smaller sized rafts & pontoon boats. They are a composite oar comparable to the Sawyer MX series but about 1.25" in diameter and you can get them in 6' to 8' lengths in one or two piece breakdown construction. Sawyer can also rope wrap them as needed.

If you need any technical help, feel free to PM me and I can walk you through what will work best from the Sawyer product line. Can also get you to a local Sawyer dealer to get them coming.

Thanks,

Aaron/Sawyer Paddles & Oars

 

Just noticed you're in Idaho. The runs I mentioned are in Colorado - they're anywhere from Class I to III+, depending on flows.

 

Thanks I think it might be perfect for a bored tween of mine on lazy floats.

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Thanks guys! I'll probably float it a bit first to see if I got my Franklin's worth!

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I had a PAC 800 for one summer.. Super fun little boat and it's the one that got me started in whitewater 20 years ago. I bought it for fishing and a friend took me down Alpine Canyon with it. It was August, lowish water, and it handled Big Kahuna & Lunch Counter like a champ. I was hooked and traded it in on a PAC 1000, 10 footer that I've been rowing on & off ever since. I use cataract mini-magnum oars and I added an extra piece of diamond plate in the back to make an expanded deck for gear. Class II day & self support weekend trips are where I use it now. After 20 years, I've had one valve worked on and that's it. The tubes are made by AIRE, so it's a solid boat. You'll love it!

 

I've got a outcast prototype from their demo list, it had been used once. It's 11'6, 2 chambers per tube, and has the same material the aire rafts are made from. It's been such a great little boat. I love running tech rivers in mine although your may be too small to handle bigger stuff. I did snap my frame and got a real one and up graded the oars. Photo is my first time down numbers.