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< Mar/Apr 2001
	Gear
Pushing Rubber on the Green Test Driving the Best in New Inflatables

It was day two of our three-day trip down the Green River through Utah’s Gates of Lodore and my friend Amy was smiling and waving as she floated past a group of us scouting Hell's Half Mile. Fearing flotsam, we yelled for her to pull over. But she kept going, bobbing along in a big yellow inflatable kayak, bouncing off one rock, then another and hobbling over and through wave trains until she popped out the other end and raised her arms in cheer.

If Amy, a neophyte paddler, had been in a hardshell kayak, she surely would have been creamed. While IKs don't guarantee a safe ride, they do offer beginners a great option to spending all day on the raft (or crammed inside a plastic kayak when it’s 100 degrees outside). Not that all IKs are for beginners; some are built for performance and some for expedition-length trips. Here’s the rundown on a few inflatables--including rafts and IKs--that we got to bring along.

Inflatable Kayaks
by Dan Berger

Northwest River Supplies MaverIK I
NRS makes two boats in the MaverIK series; a one-person and a two-person. We had the MaverIK I and found it playful yet stable. The inflatable thwart acts as an adjustable backrest and the boat has movable thigh straps and foot pegs, allowing you to customize the fit. A sweet self-bailer, the boat has ample rocker on the ends to keep it on top of the waves, but, like most inflatable kayaks, the bottom is flat for improved tracking. Push up the pedals and crank down the straps and you can turn this boat with a swivel of your butt. Specs: MaverIK I : 9’ 9", $995; MaverIK II: 12’ 6", $1,150. Info: (800) 243-1677, www.nrsweb.com

Stearns Outdoors IK-116 and IK-140
If you’re looking for an affordable IK for flatter water, these are the boats for you. Stearns designed them for hunters and fishermen, but they took their cues from kayak makers. The one-person (IK-116) is shorter and narrower and fit tighter than the other boats we had along. Both versions have a small fin under the back that helps with tracking but the relative flimsyness of the construction still make them a far cry from a hard shell. It quickly became obvious that these boats are intended for milder water: they aren’t self-bailing (Stearns now makes a self-bailing model), so one big wave and you were up to your belly button in river water. While a full boat and a flat bottom do add stability, the constant pulling over to dump water became a drag. However, Stearns has addressed this issue with the release of the IK-116 SB ($480), a self-bailing version of the IK-116. Specs: IK-116: 9’ 8", $360; IK 140: 11" 8’, $540. Info: (800) 697-5801, www.stearnsinc.com

Hyside Padillac
This self-bailing boat that Hyside boasts you can stand in is the same boat Amy took through Hell's Half Mile. It's huge and was the most stable of the bunch. Though not the most maneuverable, the solid construction made it track nicely. High sidewalls and raised bow and stern make this the perfect boat for beginners or for really big water. We had the 114 HSBX model, which comes equipped with foot pegs and thigh straps and plenty of room for gear. The boat's width and high sidewalls can make precision paddling a bit of a chore, but the Padillac wasn't designed for the rodeo, it was designed for safety and comfort. Specs: 114 HSB: 9’ 9" $968; 114 HSBX: 9’ 9" $1,125 (includes adjustable foot pegs and thigh straps); 132 HSB: 11’ 11’, $1,289. Info: 800-868-5987, www.hyside.com

AIRE Force
Some inflatable kayaks, like some hardshells, fit and feel better than others. The AIRE Force is the one that fit me. With the thigh straps cinched tight and my feet wedged between the bow and the floor (this boat doesn't have foot pegs) I could maneuver the AIRE Force like a jet-ski sans noise and pollution. The voluminous front and back floated this self-bailer above the waves, but the lower rocker, in comparison to the others, helped the boat plow through the big stuff. A flat bottom and diminishing side tubes also allow the boat to track well. The Force XL, a nine-inch longer version of the Force, is a bit more stable and is more comfortable for stockier boaters. Both versions come with either an inflatable or a foam floor and are available in yellow, blue, stylie purple or red. Specs: Air Force: 9’ 6", $1,200 (air floor), $990 (foam floor); Air Force XL: 10’ 3", $1,300 (air floor), $1,035 (foam floor). Info: 800-247-3432, www.aire.com

The SOAR-Cat
Like the Stearns inflatables, this boat was designed with the fisherman in mind. Also like the Stearns, it doesn't fair well in big water. The boat is comprised of two pontoons lashed together with a mesh-covered seat frame, thigh straps, and a foot rest separating them (meaning self-bailing isn’t a problem--there’s no floor). The seat sits higher above the water than most kayaks, improving your position for fishing, but moving your center of gravity away from the middle of the boat, which can make it a little unstable. The SOAR-Cat has plenty of space to lash on gear and is an ideal boat for longer floats on mellower water. Specs: SOAR-Cat: 12’, $995. Info: (707) 433-5599, www.soar1.com

Innova Safari
Though this IK didn't arrive in time to make it on the Gates of Lodore trip, we did manage to take it down Colorado's Class II Blue River, about an hour east of our offices. This is definitely a performance boat, built for those with at least some paddling experience. Unfortunately, Adam had none and so he took a couple solid swims before we bailed him out and put an experienced boater in the Safari. One thing's for sure: this is the boat to buy if you plan on hiking into an isolated river somewhere. It packs down into its own little backpack--complete with carrying straps--and weighs only 24 lbs., making it perfect for hauling up to headwaters. Also, the performance of the Safari makes it the perfect candidate for serious surfing ventures--it even comes with detachable tracking fin. Specs: Innova Safari: 10', $549. Info: (425) 776-1171, www.innovakayak.com

Rafts
by Matt Hansen

NRS RiverCat
This boat made me fall in love with the cataraft design. The RiverCat is quick, agile and a ton of fun to row. Though it was rigged to the gills with beer and other necessities, I rowed it through a narrow chute of boulders that I wouldn’t have even tried with a sluggish raft. And during a horrific wind storm in 100-degree heat, I was grateful to be pushing less rubber through several miles of dead water.

Securing the RiverCat's 72-inch frame to the two tubes is a piece of cake due to its 16 D-rings. I found the RiverCat to be more difficult to rig than traditional rafts but that’s mainly because rigging a boat without a floor takes a little getting used to. (I think we lost a few water bottles.) Some of my passengers felt precariously perched due to the raft’s exposed sitting area but they liked getting more wet than they would have in a traditional raft. Simply put, this boat is best for hauling lots of gear but few passengers through big water. And did I mention how fun it was to row? Specs: NRS RiverCat: 14’, $1,660; 16’, $1,890. Info: (800) 635- 5202, www.nrsweb.com

NRS E-135
The E-135 is a fun, agile, self-bailing raft that handles like a sports car yet allows you to take on rapids with confidence. At the oars, this raft just felt like it fit. The E-135 also held its share of the weight, mostly from dry bags, beer, one medium-sized cooler and a groover. This boat would be perfect for two people who are neither gluttonous nor bent on taking three-week river trips. Though the "E" in the name stands for Expedition, I suspect that loading it for a 20-day solo trip would be a pretty tight squeeze. But for a four- or five-day journey, I can’t imagine anything better. The E-135 fit like a PBR in a beer coozy and though we didn’t try it on this trip, the consensus was that it would make a superb paddle raft for 6-8 people. Specs: NRS E-135: 13’ 6", $3,635. Info: (800) 635-5202, www.nrsweb.com

AIRE 156 cD
This was the "Caddy" of our trip. A big self-bailing beauty that was easy to assemble, easy to rig, carried more gear than any other raft, and welcomed the job of cradling hungover passengers while they drank breakfast and lunch from a can. The 156 cD floated smoothly through all of the big rapids and it was perfect for hauling lazy humans. Yet, designers at Aire weren’t just building a barge when they came up with this one. They designed the diminishing front tube smaller at the bow than farther back, to give more kick over the waves. And it works. But packing this boat full and rowing it through bony waters does take some current-reading skill: it doesn’t move very quickly when loaded. An all-around favorite with the reviewers, as one noted, "This is the raft I’d love to take down the Grand." Specs: Aire 156cD: 15’ 6" (also available in 13’ and 14’ 3" lengths), $3,650. Info: (800) AIRE432, www.aire.com

Jack's Plastic Welding Cutthroat
If you and your significant other wanted to spend a three-day weekend on a river trip, just the two of you, then this would be the boat. Small enough to throw in the back of a truck, large enough to haul plenty of gear, the Cutthroat may be the future of sporty rafts. Just about everybody on the trip took a turn behind the oars of the Cutthroat--in part because it was just so darn fun to row. It handled the Class III waves no problem and a couple of us even got it to surf a few times. This would also make an excellent fishing craft--light and maneuverable yet sturdy enough to let you stand erect. Specs: Cutthroat: 12', $1,457 (includes three oars, oarlocks and pump.) Info: (800) 742-1904, www.jpwinc.com