Originally Posted by budman5
rost495

I started with a 16 foot aire cataraft, I soon began to dislike it because of all the parts and bulk. I wanted a boat for fly ins. Sold It.

I then bought a 13 foot NRS and used it for about 12 years for my float hunts
It will carry a moose, 2 guys and camp. This size is slow when loaded down.
Weights about 86 lbs.

I now have the 14 foot NRS otter with solid floor and it carries more weight than the 13 footer and is much more nimble to paddle.
Had a moose, two sheep, two guys and camp , plus a 2 hp honda. It was a load but handled it with grace. This one weights 100 lbs.

I skip the rowing frame and use canoe paddles to cut weight with my rafts.


Experience is hard to trump have done a lil bit of floating

Achilles double ender

Rikon double ender, self bailing

Another double ender who's name eludes me currently (rental)

And aire catarafts


All had frames, sans one lil double ender we floated birch creek to birch creek village on



Putting together the Aires or other catarafts are a pita as bud man eluded too

With that said we just purchased our 2nd one last season

My pards a machinist & scallops the frames to reduce weight & imprints letters on the alum frame to make assembly a lil easier

Here are the major reasons we opted for a second cataraft, though at least one of those reasons are a moot point now with the asymmetrical tubes they offer these days

Lightly loaded a double ender will run off & leave the cat in its wake

But when hauling game we had to put 1.5 moose on the cataraft & .5 moose On the d/e

Hanging up in shallow water: often in the cat you just hop off the cooler seat down into the middle & just pick up on the frame on either side to keep the boat moving whereas on the d/e you have to jump out & then back in, may seem trivial to some but it's not where the river is braided or starting out up high. Lots less energy consumed & much easier ime to keep it from hanging up

Retrieval of dead moose, if you kill a moose a ways from the river but there's a creek or lake that cuts distance for the pack pretty slick to unleash one tube ( ours are both twin tubes of same size so it's like a mini canoe almost ) load some quarters on it lash em down and float quarters to river instead of carrying them on your back

Also because it breaks down smaller I find them easier to load in an aircraft

They truly are a bit of a pita to assemble & or break down than a d/e but for me the advantages of the other stuff I mentioned are worth it

Love to float hunt, though it's a lot of work breaking down and reassembling camp when on the move, still cruising a river with a load of game is just hella cool ime

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I'm pretty certain when we sing our anthem and mention the land of the free, the original intent didn't mean cell phones, food stamps and birth control.