# Raft vs cataraft?



## WhiteLightning

What rivers would you mostly want to run?


----------



## caverdan

Get you a 14' self bailer. It's the perfect all around raft for what you are describing. You might try checking with Marshall Welding in Salida or Down River in Denver for used rafts or possible deals on a new one.


----------



## Andy H.

I agree with Dan. Check the swaps (Alpenglow this weekend, AAA soon?) for a used 14' boat. A 14' is big enough to do multi-day trips with, small enough for headwaters rivers like the Ark, and you can run paddle boat or oar rig with it. Also easier to rig than a cat if you don't have a trailer.

See you on the river,

--Andy


----------



## WAVER

I'll throw in my opinion....Multiday trips with four people is tight for space without going to a 16' SB or simular sized Cat. In general your passangers will get wetter on a Cat, a concern if you'll be running Spring or late Fall. Of course everyone thinks what they run is the best and you'll have to think about YOUR needs for the rivers you REALLY expect to run.


----------



## bkp77

yeah, I agree, a 16ft raft is the way to go in my opinion. Especially if you want to get into multiday trips w/ 4 people and gear for 4. This past year was my first year owning a 16fter and took 2 week long trips with 3 people each time. We kept it pretty simple gear wise and it was a full raft, for sure. Can't imagine going smaller anymore. Very good size for that stuff.

4 people in a cat would suck. Plus you can move around abit in a raft. Not in a cat.


----------



## yojimbo

Our boat is a 17 foot Aire Cougar. We've done 7 day Deso trips with 5 people (some in kayaks part of the time, somtimes all the boats piled up on the tube tips for lunch or long flatwater pulls). It's worked well for us on all the standards like Deso, San Juan, Ladore, Cataract, etc.

Cats are less rubber, so may be lower cost. Some say less rubber in the water, so more maneuverable, but we generally pig it out so badly, who could tell.


----------



## Piedra

Thanks for the replies so far. The rivers we want to run mainly are the Colorado (Colorado and Utah), Arkansas, Green. I live in Colorado. May check out other rivers as well, once we get some experience on rivers we know. I've heard that catarafts are better for novices - anyone agree/disagree?


----------



## Ture

A cat is more fun to oar, but I would rather be a passenger on a raft than on a cat. You can outfit a cat with a few chairs up front for 2 passengers but then you have reached your limit and they have to sit in that chair all day, perched in the path of all oncoming waves. No small kids allowed, but it sounds like you have big kids. I like sitting in a raft, where I can either sit on the decking on the front of the frame or on a tube when my ass gets sore. Passengers on a raft have more freedom of movement than cat passengers and they can put their feet on a floor and move around instead of having a 2' wide foot rest for a week.


----------



## bkp77

I wouldn't really factor in being a novice personally. If you are already a kayaker and understand how to read water then it won't take long to lose the novice status at all. This is a boat you can have for 10-15 years and an expensive investment. Why worry about a slight edge to the novice for the first few days on the river? I'd look at the long term first. Just my opinion.


----------



## LSB

I went from a 12' Momentum to a 15' NRS and loved them both. Although now the 12'er wouldnt do because I'm also hauling gear for a wife and 2 critters.
I like the way cats step across the top of waves but I think they are slower to turn than a boat with a floor. Also you cant really run a paddle boat with a cat. 
Besides if you knock over your beer in a cat you have to chase the can down the river.
It may be hard to find a used raft. People tend to hang on to them. There will be lots of swaps comming up next month, call ahead, the shop may know if there will be any rafts. Also call some river companies. They sometimes sell old boats that wont hold up to professional abuse anymore but will work fine for someone who will take care of it. Thats how I got my first raft


----------



## WhiteLightning

Rowing is easy to pick up if you already understand reading water, as just mentioned. I was a kayker who switched to rafting, and it was an easy transition once I realized I had to set up way earlier for my lines.

I have a 13'10 raft, and I can semi-comfortably pack me and a passenger and gear for one or two nights. If you are aspiring to run overnighters on bigger rivers like the Colorado in Utah, the Green, etc. 16ft would be best. If you think you are going to run Arkansas, etc. often, then 16 would work at medium or better levels, but would be a little cumbersome for those Ark day trips, etc. I would guess that inside surface area in a 16ft boat is maybe 50% more than a 13-14ft boat, and can hold a bunch more gear.

The ideal solution: 16+ footer for big water and overnights, a 13footer for day trips, and a little creeker for those R2 trips through the Black Canyon...

Happy boating, and be sure to holler at the Buzzards if you are looking for people to run rivers with.


----------



## dkrakel

*cat*

hi,

i rowed rafts for years, lots of family trips, etc. but bought a 16 foot cat, jacks plastic, 4 or 5 years ago and i'd never go back to rafts. we've done long trips, up to ten days with kids and adults and baggage (and it was rather like rowing a log but it got the job done) and day trips and a cat works just fine. it all depends on how you rig it. deckboards help and also block out the splash.... i truly don't think it's any wetter of a ride. a cat is way more fun when it's light. cats are way more intensive for rigging and they are strap happy. a raft is much faster to rig at the put-in and people can sit on the tubes which is more comfortable....although it's hard to beat a deckboard with a paco pad laid on it for comfort. the ideal thing of course is to have both. my 2 cents.

dean


----------



## mania

your situation: raft for sure.


----------



## onebakedpotato

I found cats to be great for kids. we usually did class 1-2 desert rivers and the cat made great access to the water for the kids easy to get on and off with those drop floors. they can learn self rescue in the cat. in a raft you have to pull them over the tube. rig it right and you have some nice high and dry areas for sitting and sleeping. Nice to straddle a rock every-once-in-a-while for those low flows. or have the ease of dropping an anchor for fishing.

It is a tough choice but really there is not that much difference. each is great and gets the job done. I would be more concernd about the length to accomodate what you want to do and enjoy floating down the river reguardles of cat or raft.

later,
tater


----------



## jester

*the misconception with cats*

For your situation I'd go with a 16' raft. You'll be able to take 3-4 people and plenty of gear and still be able to get performance out of a raft. The misconception with cats that many people don't understand is that the more weight you throw on the cataraft, the more sluggish and difficult to row the cat becomes. Don't get me wrong, cats are alot of fun (if they are loaded right...ie. light). Most people tend to overload the crap out of their cataraft...they don't know what they're missing. Good luck.


----------

