# Ever hear of Baltik Boats?



## raftus (Jul 20, 2005)

I bet that you will have a great time with the raft. Let us know how it treats you.


----------



## El Flaco (Nov 5, 2003)

I thought about getting that same size from Baltik for awhile- last year I went as far as emailing a couple of eBay buyers a few months after their purchases and they said they were pretty happy with the quality. I talked to one guy who had bought 4 of them for a commercial operation down in Costa Rica, and he thought they were well-made for the price..and he had been a guide on the Ark. He hadn't started using them yet, so no report on durability, but his only gripe was that the thwarts are permanently sewn in...which could be a big deal when you're trying to use the boat as an oar rig / gear boat. 

But at that size, I wouldn't sweat it b/c you're probably planning to use it as primarily a paddle raft. I would still buy one as a secondary boat (I have a 16' Aire) for fun little decents down tight rivers, like the Gunni Gorge, of as a paddle raft down Westwater w/ gear boat support.

Besides- $900 delivered for a brand new self bailer is awesome, regardless of anybody's brand snobbery. Let us know how you like in 6 months- I'll be curious..


----------



## cayo 2 (Apr 20, 2007)

thats a helluva deal ,a selfbailing raft of moderate quality for 9 bones!!A good ducky costs more new.


----------



## Redline (Jul 30, 2007)

Phew, I'm glad nobody said "Dude, you just made a huge mistake. Hope you can get your money back..."

So far my new toy has made it from Anaheim to Sacremento on its way up to Portland.

It's first float will be in Woahink Lake in Florence, OR. Does anyone know of a class I or II nearby?


----------



## Redline (Jul 30, 2007)

> his only gripe was that the thwarts are permanently sewn in...


Out of curiosity, how are thwarts usually attached? It won't be a big deal that they are permanently attached. As you said, it will be used primarily as a paddle boat. It would certainly be nice if they could be removed though for versatility and probably cleaning purposes...


----------



## El Flaco (Nov 5, 2003)

I think he mentioned that they were glued in. Separate chambers from the tubes, but glued to the sides. 

Worst case, you could _try_ carefully cutting them out and gluing in a lacing system. That's kinda scary, though. Or, if you really want to have removable thwarts, you could always buy some separately from Aire- I think they were about $180 each.


----------



## Stevie (Jun 29, 2007)

It's not near Florence, but it's not too far from where you live either- the Clackamas River in Oregon City and Estacada is a good get-aquainted-with-your-boat kind of float. Barton Park is the put-in, and the takeout is Carver. There's nothing bigger than a II through there, plus it's a really pretty afternoon float. Congrats on the great deal too! Have a great time with it and keep us updated on your trips!


----------



## Redline (Jul 30, 2007)

Ah yeah I had a guided tour of the Clackamas starting ~20 south of Promontory Park. Great stretch of river and pretty mellow. Had a couple great places to stop for a swim and jump from the rocks. I'll definitely be making my way over there again soon


----------



## Redline (Jul 30, 2007)

Okay, well I haven't been on the river with it yet, but I did float it out at Hagg Lake and it seems to be pretty well built. It feels tougher than the commercial raft I was on a few weeks ago, but time will tell whether it lasts. Right now I have zero complaints except for some minor things...

The air floor is not detachable at all. It is attached at the bottom-center at two points, front and back. When deflated you can fold one side flat over the other for cleaning, so at least there is that

The thwarts are, as said previously, sewn onto the tube.

Some of the good points...

- Seems to actually be built fairly rugged
- There are nice handles attached all around the raft
- There are a total of 10 foot straps, so you don't have to jam your feet under the thwarts or between the floor and tube
- The floor inflates nice and tight


----------



## Experience Bliss-Stick (Nov 8, 2007)

Redline said:


> Okay, well I haven't been on the river with it yet


Ok how about now, it has been almost 3 months, hopefully you have gotten to use your new toy.

Can you give us a trip report and an update on the raft?

Curious to know about these myself.

Thanks.


----------



## striker (Aug 22, 2007)

I know someone who owns a 14' baltik he got on ebay. He runs it in wyoming alot, and I ran the snake with him and the baltik. Its a sweat boat for the money, and he put a rowing frame in it and ran it hard all summer with no problems.


----------



## VINIMEX (May 24, 2008)

*HELLO FROM MEXICO CITY!!!*



Redline said:


> I just won one of the 13' inflatable Baltik rafts on ebay for $900 wet from these guys...
> HELLO GUYS!!!
> ALMOST ONE YEAR AFTER, I JUST WON A BALTIK RAFT IN EBAY AUCTION.
> I'D LIKE TO NOW FINALLY...WHAT'S YOUR EXPERIENCE WITH THE BOAT???
> ...


HELLO GUYS!!!
ALMOST ONE YEAR AFTER, I JUST WON A BALTIK RAFT IN EBAY AUCTION.
I'D LIKE TO KNOW...FINALLY,WHAT'S YOUR EXPERIENCE WITH THE BOAT??
I'M ACTUALLY WAITING FOR DELIVERY FROM SALER, THEN I WILL RUN RAPIDS CLASS II AND III IN ACTOPAN RIVER (VERACRUZ, MEXICO) IN JULY.
SALUDOS AMIGOOOUUSSS!!!


----------



## El Flaco (Nov 5, 2003)

I would probably glue some shaf pads on the bottom of the boat before you see too much use on the Actopan- that travertine riverbed will do a number on the bottom of any boat; cheaply made or not. I think it's PVC, so get yourself some excess PVC fabric (Jack's Plastic?) and some Sta-Bond and be liberal with the patches.....

That being said, all the more reason to spend as little as possible on the rubber...


----------

