Raft Porn Needed -Let's see them rigs!!!

This boat is a raft guide’s dream build. The dream began when I was recovering from ACL surgery in the Winter of 2017. It started with the rubber. I wanted a super light boat for Alaskan fly-out trips. I wanted a boat that was big enough for month-long trips and gear hauling, but small enough to fit in the tail of a super-cub. It also needed to be tough enough for harsh, remote conditions. I decided on a urethane boat from SOTAR, a custom frame fabricated by my local rafting guru, and accessories from NRS, DRE, Stitches-n-stuff, plus a few DIY items.


The Rubber:
-14’ Self-bailing urethane SOTAR Classic ST
-custom dark/light blue color scheme
-custom 2 additional handle/D-Rings dead center on each long tube, and 3 d-rings on the inboard stern tubes for cargo and transom rigging

The Sticks:
-2 – Cataract SGX 10’ oars with Dynelite blades
-2 – Cataract SGG 9’ oars with Duramax blades (spares and for tight rocky stuff)

The Frame:
-Alaska Raft Connection custom 4-bay frame with foot-bar (using NRS lo-pros)
-10” NRS Oar Towers
-Sawyer Cobra Oarlocks
-Engel 123 Deep Blue Cooler in Arctic Blue

The Accessories:
-Custom Jack’s Plastic paco pad sized for the cooler
-Custom Jack’s Plastic paco pad sized for the front hatch
-XL Drop Bag from DRE
-Custom zip-top Drop-Bag from Stitches-N-Stuff
-NRS throw-bag
-NRS bow-line, bag, and perimeter line
-NRS oar leashes
-NRS cargo floor
-many, many cam straps of all sorts

The Motor:
Tohatsu 5hp Sail-Pro Propane powered outboard with 25" long shaft

Custom DIY Accessories:
-20mm Ammo Can Captain’s boxes (excess metal removed for weight savings and ease of access)
-Quick-draw spare oar rings and color-coded spare strap
-Rower’s bay floor with Seadek foam, rigging slots, and two 20mm ammo can spots (¾” marine plywood, spar urethaned, and painted with Petit EZ-Poxy topside paint)
-Twin side panels with Seadek foam and rigging slots (¾” marine plywood, spar urethaned, and painted with Petit EZ-Poxy topside paint)
-Camp Table/Front Hatch cover with collapsible legs and rigging slots (table legs cannabilized from old folding cot and modified, ¾” marine plywood, spar urethaned, and painted with Petit EZ-Poxy topside paint)

This was the logo I made for the boat. It earned its name when I didn't tee up....


Sure thing WaterBob83, I will post photos of the boxes for ya, and thanks for the comment!

The one on the left is a normal 20mm can, the one on the right I modified. I used an angle grinder to trim off the locking hinge and trim some metal from the handles.


I added a lid "hinge" by putting two bolts in the lid and running cordelette through a channel on the can. I also trimmed the lid side flanges down, as illustrated above.


Now, the lid is easy to open, the rower just has to loosen two cam buckles to access the contents (I am sure someone will howl about chopping up perfectly good rocket boxes...but you gotta crack some eggs to make an omelette). The goal was to shaved a few pounds (I do a lot of fly-out trips, so every ounce counts) and make the boxes quick and easy to open while rowing.

Big Splash said:

@skiakbc49 If folks are making requests, can you post about the table?

Click to expand...

Sure thing!
I made the table out of 3/4" marine ply, and cut it to fit as a hatch over my front drop bag. I rounded over all the edges with a router and cut out rigging slots. The wood was sanded, treated with spar varnish, then top-coat paint. I found an old cot at the dump and used the aluminum tubing to make nice long legs for the table. A little tinkering and some cotter pins get them to fold up nicely. The fabric from the cot got repurposed into a bag for the pump.