Best thing about it: Can handle any whitewater you throw at it. The criteria for our rankings are weighted with the most importance being given to safety, ride, and maneuverability in whitewater (think; the boat the guides liked the best), next to that durability vs. cost (something that’s important in any river rafting business), and finally the look and feel of the boat as it relates to the preference of the guests. This big cat can maneuver with the kayaks and take a lot of cargo and a passenger too. Very few outdoor sports can match the thrill that a white-water rafting trip can bring. AIRE decided to redesign their well-made boats. Many boatmen find that catarafts offer higher performance and more fun in white water. R2s very well. Another raft that probably deserves to be higher on the list, at least in the minds of those who love this design. The super-tough laminated vinyl raft can definitely rough it. The Aire 143D whitewater raft is a different animal altogether than the Aire 143R when it comes to on the river performance. Sometimes simple is better. The Methow River is perhaps the best suited river for rafting and kayaking in the state and adds to the large amount of recreation found in the area. Raft down Colorado’s Arkansas River in Browns Canyon on this half-day whitewater rafting adventure. Worst thing about it: Is like a sail pointed in the wrong direction in the wind. The Aire 130D Whitewater Raft. The rafts have all been used by your guide staff on training trips as well as commercial whitewater rafting trips in Washington, as well on private trips (guides at Triad have open access to demo boats at any time) in Idaho, Oregon, and in British Columbia. NRS uses unrivaled Pennel Orca material and Leafield C7 valves. Source: https://www.nrs.com/product/1081/nrs-e-132d-self-bailing-rafts. There is a reason why their rafts are often called the “Ferrari for the private boater”. As a paddle raft the 20-inch diameter tubes are comfortable to sit on. One of the key reasons why we preferred the Aire Super Puma to the Spider was that the Spider controls itself in a way that almost requires the guides to retrain themselves. Ready for big water and big rapids? It has the look of a very small gear boat, and it performs just as you would expect; it does very well with weight for a raft with such big tubes (it carries weight better than the flagship NRS E-130; a very popular raft). The NRS E-136 whitewater raft. Based in Gold Bar, WA, just an hour East … The New Wave models have 3 chambers and only come in Blue. That means that even the biggest guy can stand up and point to the rapid coming up around the bend. Source: http://www.maravia.com/index.php/main/product_detail/154/7, Best thing about it: Money maker for 6 loads on less technical water. Explore the best white water rafting in the Southeast! … BRIS’s 12-foot White Water River Raft might be the perfect size. It is sleek, fast, useable, and in the words of one of our trip leaders on the Skykomish; “it just gets the job done”. We like all the customizable features on this boat. This raft was stretched out to 13’9 and had some other custom features to it, and so it’s really not relevant for someone looking to purchase a stock model raft. The Aire 130E Whitewater Raft. Interesting, to say the least. The new Maravia collaboration with Stream Tech is similar in that the rafts have high rocker and continuous curve on the bottom; but make no mistake the Super Puma was doing this same work on commercial trips for decades before this design (which is a great one for its intended purpose) was conceived. The abrasion resistant PVC is durable and has no problem bouncing off a boulder or two. Among commercial rafting companies in Washington there is a prevalent need for the raft that comfortably carries the 6 load; a raft design that has the capacity for 6 adults plus a guide, and can navigate the technical whitewater rivers of Western Washington. The first is that the nose pierces waves and looks and feels cool; like you’re in the Trojan war and are stabbing waves like Achilles stabbed Trojans (bad analogy but hey, experience it and you’ll see). The craft has commercial-grade 2,000 Dtex 1.2mm PVC fabric with polyester support, so it is puncture-resistant and … Your group can definitely win a race to the water! So, if you need a raft that is a little larger than most self-bailers out there, this is the boat build for party people. The Aire Super Puma was recommended to us by a local kayaker who worked on the Upper Yough in Maryland, with a river similar to ours in some ways and a system similiar; technical, steep drops, quick turns, well compensated guides, simple system. This was, ultimately, the only issue with this boat. The E-136 is more akin to the Hyside design, while this is more like the Aire 130D. Best thing about it: Awesome fun family type raft in splashy (warm) class 3. Top 5 Best Whitewater Adventures in the World; Salmon River, Idaho; Salmon River situated in Idaho is the most beautiful whitewater rafting destination in the whole of US. This is great for adults taking their kids on a camping trip or tourist adventure, because they are easy to carry and easily adjustable (with the center hand wheel) for everyone in the family to share. Amazing … Best Multi-Day Rafting Trips 4. AIRE is one of the most recognized outdoors raft brands. The Middle Fork of the Salmon is the quintessential multi-day rafting trip that has it all: hot springs, world-class trout fishing, jaw-dropping scenery, abundant wildlife, great hiking, and nearly continuous whitewater … It even comes with a free trial membership to Trout Unlimited. If you haven’t noticed AIRE rafts on the front of adventure sport magazines, take another look. Our favorite raft in the 13 foot class for all around commercial use on the whitewater rivers of Western Washington is the NRS E-136. The Super Puma is a raft design that lives in the hearts of many guides and private rafters. It’s a raft that if we would have stayed small as a company would have worked well as an all around raft for all river levels on the Sauk and Nooksack Rivers, where it seemed to be very at home. The raft has diminishing tubes and as a rule it was not used with a stern mount frame. The biggest bonus to being a mini raft is that it easily can fit inside a car. The floor is stable enough to stand on but not self-bailing. There really isn’t much else to say other than this raft was one of the most useful raft designs we have ever had, and was a raft that seemed to do well wherever we put it. Best thing about it: Like driving a Porche on a back road in the Alps. On the plus side of things, the raft is very inexpensive, and the PVC material used for the tubes, while being relatively heavy, was very tough (which it had to be in order to sustain the abuse of hitting so many rocks). Source: http://www.aire.com/aire-raft/130d.asp, Worst thing about it: Excelled at things more relevant to the private rafter market. The rafts were slightly softer and less rigid than that of the standard Aire rafts, causing them to flex more and in steep drops like the ledge over “the fence” on Boulder Drop the nose tended to bend back and “squeeze” our guests. This is simply a raft that has stood the test of time for us and has never failed in any situation. Other than that this is an excellent buy at it’s price point, and offers a very capable raft for a variety of uses. Whitewater Rafting trips in New … Worst thing about it: Has almost no viability as a commercial raft due to internal dimensions. https://www.outdoorrated.com › best-white-water-raft-reviews That post was the catalyst for some great discussions about the most legendary single day rafting … Still, this raft can carry cargo and passengers and a cooler full of refreshments. It was simply the runner up in our competition to the similar NRS E-136. Stunning scenery and mild whitewater action make the Skagit River a perfect introduction into whitewater rafting for the entire family. We enter this raft in this competition because it deserves to be here; even though it’s not a commercial production raft, it’s worth considering it’s value as a design because most 13’ rafts have 18-19 inch tubes and are 6’-6’6 in width. It’s has flawless design. Intriguingly priced around the same as the Outlaw 130, this boat got heavy use during our drought stricken 2015 season, and held it’s own fairly well. To make matters worse, this raft was used extensively during low water runs on the Sauk, which meant that the extra weight ended up causing the raft to pin. The Otter 130 is perhaps the greatest private boater raft on the market when you consider what it can do. The Best Washington Whitewater Rafting company since 1982. In Washington our water is cold, and hypothermia is our greatest risk to human life, and as a result we want our rafts to have either round tubes or at least plenty of rocker/kick on the bow to prevent our guests from getting splashed continuously and getting cold. The welded PVC outer shell seams is high-end and the internal urethane bladders are for serious boatmen. I mean, this sucker is a pig. The glacial river from Mt. The floor is five inches thick and has 4 individual air chambers and pressure release. Best White Water Rafting on East Coast. Trips from 1/3-day to 10 days long. Who knows who first started calling fun inflatable rafts “duckies.” Duckies don’t have to be yellow, but they do have to be small. Source: https://www.nrs.com/product/86038.01/nrs-outlaw-130-self-bailing-rafts, Worst thing about it: Runs like S*&# in technical whitewater. The East Coast has a plethora of wonderful rafting … We won’t bore you with background information about gender stereotypes and the color pink, but lets just say that the soldiers that occupied this raft during it’s first weekend ended up taking a picture of, giggling fully at the contrast between their camo clothing and the “watermelon” color of the raft. The Spider is unique in it’s narrowness and thick tubes, and has a specific niche. The raft material is heavy duty PVC coated fabric formulated to be puncture proof and abrasion resistant. Source: https://www.nrs.com/product/1136/nrs-otter-130-self-bailing-rafts, Worst thing about it: Not a great design for big or steep water (especially when under load). 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