How to Choose a River Raft

The right river raft will last and serve you on many great adventures.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Life Vests
• River Raft Oars
• River Raft Paddles
• River Rafts

1. Take a rafting trip in a rented raft with guides, if possible. Talk to the guides about buying a raft, and what you should look for. Learn as much as you can about maintenance and operation.

2. Determine the type of river rafting you are going to do. Consider how many people you are usually going to be taking, how much equipment, how long the trips and what type of river.

3. Visit an outdoor outfitting store and ask for a clerk who knows a lot about white-water rafting.

4. Discuss your needs with the clerk and ask to see what they have available.

5. Ask to see the rafts under consideration in their fully inflated state. Once the raft is inflated you'll have a much better idea of how much room you have to work with.

6. Ask about the safety features of the raft. Ask about the size of the buoyancy tubes. Smaller buoyancy tubes handle better, but larger tubes help prevent water from coming on board.

7. Make sure the raft has multiple air chambers.

8. Decide whether you want cross tubes (thwarts) on the raft. These take up room but are good to sit on, especially when paddling.

9. Consider the material the raft is made of. Cotton is the least expensive, but it also decomposes the fastest. Nylon doesn't deteriorate like cotton, but is subject to tears and is quite heavy. Dacron Polyester is twice as strong as nylon, but also twice as heavy. DuPont Kevlar is the strongest and most expensive material available, however it's difficult to repair and fairly rigid.

10. Ask about warranties on the raft before you buy it. You definitely want one.

Tips & Warnings

• For a private rafter, a 12- to 16-foot raft is usually big enough. Here are basic size guidelines: six people need a 12-by-6-foot raft; seven people require a 13-by-6 1/2-foot raft; 10 people need a 15-by-7 1/2-foot raft; and 14 people need a 17-by-8-foot raft. This varies according to how much gear you intend to bring.
• Make sure you get proper safety gear with the raft, especially whether you have enough life vests.
• River rafting is an inherently dangerous activity that can result in serious injury or death. We recommend that you seek proper training and equipment before attempting this activity.

Who Can Help:

• Tired of Being Tired? Fight Fatigue and Try FRS for FREE!

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on 5/20/2009 There's a good writeup about different inflatable raft materials and construction methods here:http://www.vanguardinflatables.com/service-support/inflatable-boat-materials-construction

on 8/30/2006 Materials typically used in raft construction are (listed lowest grade to highest grade) vinyl, PVC, EPDM, and Hypalon. Hypalon materials also vary in thread count. The higher the thread count the better the material. Also, rafts are available with many different valves. The better valves are Leafield, while most rentals use a military valve. Neoprene is the common material for the floors, but a high quality raft with have hypalon floors also. Look for layers on the bottoms of the tubes and for rub strikes to prevent abrasions from rocks. Top of the line rafts will have giant "D" rings on each end and large handles for transporting to and from the river.