# why i bought my expensive american made boat



## pinemnky13 (Jun 4, 2007)

Cause I wanted to. And I thought buying a Made In The USA boat would suit me the best. I saved until Icould buy it and yeah its an Aire, if I can kill the thing in the next 7 years it will get fixed for free. I'm not busting on chinese made or mexican made I saw what I wanted and I got what Iwanted. I have freinds who have nrs, maxxon, vangaurds, and (gasp) saturns, baltics and rmrs. I dont bust their chops their boats get them on the water and make our freindships better by having great experinces together, hell i just might buy one of those boats from the guy in latin america so I can get more freinds involved in this whole rafting thing. 
Of course they can row that one cause nothing comes between me and my boat.


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## Avatard (Apr 29, 2011)

I did because somebody had to. If China owned the boat market 20 years ago we'd all be floating 80 ' s technology because that's what they know how to copy. Plus I like supporting people from the potato head state.

And I hate supporting people who do nothing to add to the industry


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## swiftwater15 (Feb 23, 2009)

I bought an american boat because I could. But a long time ago my first boat was a Udisco. They ran about 350 from NRS for a "10 man". I'm sure it was from asia somewhere. My friends looked down their noses at it, but it got me and my friends on the river. Buy the best boat you can and run it.


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## jpbay (Jun 10, 2010)

Avatard said:


> I did because somebody had to. If China owned the boat market 20 years ago we'd all be floating 80 ' s technology because that's what they know how to copy. Plus I like supporting people from the potato head state.
> 
> And I hate supporting people who do nothing to add to the industry


 I love my potato head boat!


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## cataraftgirl (Jun 5, 2009)

I'm an equal opportunity boater. I have owned a JPW, Outcast (Aire made), Maravia, Hyside (Korea), and have a Sotar on the way. I bought each one based on multiple factors....price, design, size, features, and recommendations from other owners. They have all suited my needs very well at the time that I had them. I'm always in search of my perfect, forever boat, but as you can tell from my list that appears to be a never ending work in progress.


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## Learch (Jul 12, 2010)

*needs*

Agreed on the no perfect boat. I'm the same with vehicles. I am not loyal to them. I want them to do what I need them to, and my needs and wants change. I have a Subaru Legacy right now, but I want to move up to a 1992-1999 Suburban. I pretty much need 4WD and the seating for float trips. My little car is great but fills up with people and gear too damn fast. The Subaru met my needs 3 years ago, now I'm ready to move on. 
Boats are the same. I don't get attached. I'd like a 13 foot paddle raft and a 15 foot overnight raft, but I can afford 1 right now, so a 14 it is. I like having an American made raft. I really like Aire, but the Sotar I have was a right time at the right price boat.


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## Wadeinthewater (Mar 22, 2009)

Because 25 years later it is still going strong.


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## LochsaIdaho (Jun 25, 2012)

*Check out our stack of fine American made goodness!*

What a beautiful sight. Hwy 12 Idaho. Lochsa River.


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## davecosnowboarder (Apr 25, 2007)

I bought an aire for the warranty. I am hard on my equipment, so I knew I needed to spend extra in the beginning in order to save money in the long run. My boat is 8 years old and the PVC was starting to become compromised on the top and the ends of the boat. I sent aire a photo they had me ship the boat back to them. Friday I got a email saying they are very sorry about my boat being compromised and a new one is on its way. Go aire. I also like the potato people.


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## okieboater (Oct 19, 2004)

*I am a big fan of the Aire bladder and outside skin concept*

for rafts. The fact they are made in US, makes it even better. Easy to repair if needed and a great warranty that most never need to use.

I am also a big fan of JPW products, made in US for sure and one of the few places where the owner personally answers emails and questions.

Maravia is also high on my list of made in USA rafts.

Partner Steel products, made in US and the quality there is worth the cost again my opinion based on a couple of stoves that so far got hard use for years and the only thing to go wrong was a little o ring leak on a hose that probably got dirt in it due to me.

Bottom line quality is not necessarily only there for only US made boating gear but in my opinion a person stands a better chance if it is.

Foreign made gear quality (my opinion here) primarily depends on how well the US selling organization monitors and requires it. Sadly most do a less than satisfactory quality check.

My personal belief is if a person buys quality gear and takes reasonable care of it, they save money over time as opposed to the cheapest low bidder product.

There is one good reason I like quality feedback here on the Buzz. Granted, some feedback is biased and not reasonable, most tho is quality and I value it big time.

The more money we spend for US made stuff, the better it is for the entire country as that money gets recycled through out the manufacturing chain.


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## mtrafter (Aug 13, 2007)

ill float on yer mother if it gets me on the river lol...ive owned a boat if not 2 from every maker out there,and the one thing ive learned is if it gets you down the river that's all that counts


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## cataraftgirl (Jun 5, 2009)

okieboater said:


> for rafts. The fact they are made in US, makes it even better. Easy to repair if needed and a great warranty that most never need to use.
> 
> I am also a big fan of JPW products, made in US for sure and one of the few places where the owner personally answers emails and questions.
> 
> ...


+1 on Partner Steel. I have a rafting friend who lives in Pokie and we went to Partner Steel to "browse." They took us in the back to watch the stoves being assembled. I bought a stove & they threw in a bonus griddle at half price. Great folks.

I agree about the foreign products only being as good as their US management. My experience with Hyside was very good.

Someone on another thread talked about JPW being a "unicorn" in the PNW, and said they had never seen one. Same holds for Sotar in the Southwest. In 17 years of rafting, I've seen few Sotars in Utah. Doesn't really mean anything in the grand scheme of things. Just means that folks like to patronize their local companies, which makes perfect sense. Whatever you can afford & gets you on the river with a smile on your face is a good thing in my book.


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## ob1coby (Jul 25, 2013)

pinemnky13 said:


> yeah its an Aire, if I can kill the thing in the next 7 years it will get fixed for free.


Seven years? I thought they come with a 10 year?


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## upshitscreek (Oct 21, 2007)

me thinks he bought his boat 3 years ago.


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## Avatard (Apr 29, 2011)

upshitscreek said:


> me thinks he bought his boat 3 years ago.


Or bought it used. He can sell it in five and the owner will also take ownership of two remaining years of no fault warranty


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## upshitscreek (Oct 21, 2007)

Avatard said:


> Or bought it used.


heh, that would be pretty funny if he did considering the point of this thread. buying made in the usa products used isn't really supporting a company. and quite the opposite if you are going to beat them up with their warranty.


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## Avatard (Apr 29, 2011)

upshitscreek said:


> heh, that would be pretty funny if he did considering the point of this thread. buying made in the usa products used isn't really supporting a company. and quite the opposite if you are going to beat them up with their warranty.


Not really. I've sold aire boats before to buy new. So in a way the person buying my boat was helping me buy new. Besides the thread has nothing to do with new vs used - other than supporting the mfg here. You pay a lot more for a used American boat -- I dunno maybe because it's got a better warranty? The point being maybe it's more expensive for a reason


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## Pinned (Apr 19, 2012)

I've bought used american boats out of warranty so others could buy new American boats in warranty.  The used boats were (are) still better than overseas options and they were what I could afford. I think that buying a quality used boat does support the manufacturer, in a less direct way. 

I started with an overseas boat. It was not the quality I desire and own currently but it got me down the river and was a great way to start.


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## M3mphis (Dec 30, 2013)

Pinned said:


> I think that buying a quality used boat does support the manufacturer, in a less direct way.


Yes, of course. Resale value is one of the reasons I went with a US made boat. If your resale values suffer, your new pricing will eventually suffer as well.


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## okieboater (Oct 19, 2004)

*Since we are talking about buying gear here is food for thought*

I may get flamed for this, but it opened my eyes cause I do buy a lot of gear on line and noted where some major outdoor gear retailers ranked. This is a paste from Kim Kommando a I/T expert on Radio etc.







Until online retailers start implementing better methods, your password is still the single-greatest vulnerability in your security. Some websites do a better job making sure that password is as strong as possible. But others are so bad it's scary.
In a recent study by consumer advocate Dashlane, the top 100 online marketplaces were ranked according to password safeguards. These include criteria like refusing to accept weak passwords, length requirements, blocking login after a few failed attempts and more.


Here are the scores, ranked from best to worst. A perfect score is 100, but the worst of the worst have negative scores.
Apple 100
Microsoft 65
Chegg 65
Newegg 60
Target 60
Williams-Sonoma 55
CDW 50
Amway 45
Musician's Friend 45
Nike 45
Best Buy 40
WW Grainger 40
Walgreens 40
Express 40
Sony 35
Abercrombie & Fitch 35
Bass Pro Outdoor 35
CVS 35
MSC Industrial Supply 30
Hayneedle 30
Oriental Trading Co. 30
The Children's Place Retail Stores 30
OfficeMax 25
Nordstrom 25
Deluxe Corp. 25
Crate and Barrel 25
American Eagle 24
Ann Inc. 20
Sears 19
Dell 19
Neiman Marcus 19
Saks 14
Lowe's 14
LL Bean 10
Avon Products 4
DSW 4
JC Penny -5
Foot Locker -6
Costco -10
Gap -10
Green Mountain Coffee -10
GameStop -11
Chico's FAS -11
Gilt Groupe -13
Estee Lauder -15
PC Connection -18
HSN -25
Etsy -25
The Home Depot -25
Staples -30
Barnes and Noble -30
ShopNBC -30
CafePress -30
Office Depot -35
Macy's -35
HP Home/Office Store -35
Rakuten -35
Cabela's -35
Ralph Lauren -35
Build -35
Sierra Trading Post -35
Northern Tool -37
Amazon -40
Walmart -40
Kohl's -40
Fingerhut (Bluestern Brands) -40
Scholastic Inc. -40
Eddie Bauer -40
1 Sale a Day -40
Victoria's Secret -44
Overstock -45
Vistaprint -45
Fanatics -45
Urban Outfitters -45
Shutterfly -45
Wayfair -45
PCM -45
Groupon -45
REI -45
Blue Nile -45
Fresh Direct -45
RueLaLa -45
Zulily -45
1-800 Contacts -45
Disney Store -45
Net-A-Porter -45
Hulu -45
Shoebuy -45
Edible Arrangement -45
Restoration Hardware -45
1-800 Flowers -46
Vitacost -50
Nutrisystem -50
American Girl -50
J. Crew -55
Toys R Us -60
Aeropostale -60
Dick's Sporting Good -65
Karmaloop -70
MLB -75
The whole study is a very brief but very fascinating read. Click here to see the complete results and methodology.


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## upshitscreek (Oct 21, 2007)

buzz needs a new forum for boaters with ADHD, i think. quite a thread.


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## Hey Zeus (Mar 19, 2007)

Does an American company make a Hypalon boat? or are they all PVC?


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## Avatard (Apr 29, 2011)

Hey Zeus said:


> Does an American company make a Hypalon boat? or are they all PVC?


Or urethane.


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## BilloutWest (Jan 25, 2013)

upshitscreek said:


> buzz needs a new forum for boaters with ADHD, i think. quite a thread.


Actually, one could say a Forum is really really needed for those without the benefit of ADHDHDHD.


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## Whitewater Worthy Equip (Dec 11, 2013)

MY understanding is that the EPA won't allow hypalon manufacturing in the US due to the use of toluene in the process. Toluene is a know carcinogen. Use your gloves in a well ventilated area when working with that nasty stuff.


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## dirtbagkayaker (Oct 29, 2008)

I bought my expensive American made raft because back in the late 90's Rocky Mountian didn't make boats!


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## Avatard (Apr 29, 2011)

dirtbagkayaker said:


> I bought my expensive American made raft because back in the late 90's Rocky Mountian didn't make boats!


And RMR liked those designs so much they incorporated them into their 2014 boats. Which is, I guess the upgrade from the 1980's era boats still being produced by maxxon


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## jimr (Sep 8, 2007)

Aire makes a urethane boat now I think.


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## caverdan (Aug 27, 2004)

Buy an Avon.....call it a day......go boat'in


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## pinemnky13 (Jun 4, 2007)

Fucking aristrocrats, god flog the queen!


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## flite (Mar 31, 2013)

*just trying to boat*

Well well well I bought a saturn last summer. Its a 9'5" and rocks! so eat my shorts. I had 60+ days on the water last summer and it is holding up great! we"ll see how a few more year wears but for 899$ i think i"ve already got my $ worth. Bottom line this boat got me on the water and i couldn"t be happier about that. If you work for corprate america and have 5k to spend on a boat more power to you. I would question where that money came from rather than where you are spending it though.

ps i love PBR too


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## garyherballeaf (Feb 2, 2014)

*hypalon neoprene*



Whitewater Worthy Equip said:


> MY understanding is that the EPA won't allow hypalon manufacturing in the US due to the use of toluene in the process. Toluene is a know carcinogen. Use your gloves in a well ventilated area when working with that nasty stuff.


Hypalon is a patented technology for sulfonated neoprene polymer. Hypalon is also a Reg. Trademark. There are many alternatives but good old neoprene wasn't bad. There is a mill in MA that sells a sulphur stabilized neoprene. Urethane encapsulated polyester or nylon is the next best fabric option.

The Chinese will tell you its Hypalon but they have not a clue to the crap they are selling; ditto for their PVC; whadda ya gonna do.... litigate it in CN or just not buy from them.

Hypalon was abandoned for a reason, there is no money in it.


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## k2andcannoli (Feb 28, 2012)

D.I.B.


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## swiftwater15 (Feb 23, 2009)

Did anyone besides Hyside ever build Hypalon rafts in the U.S.? And plus one for DIB.


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## cjhaines (Jul 26, 2013)

I believe Hypalon is still made under alternative trade names. For example, NRS uses Pennell Orca after the Dupont stopped manufacture of Hypalon, and it is the same thing as Hypalon (Chlorosulfonated Polyethylene). To my understanding, Dupont stopped manufacture due to public pressure, not because it was outlawed to manufacture. Correct me if I'm wrong though. 
https://www.anixter.com/north-ameri...-wisdom/hypalon-hype-about-discontinuing.html

NRS Inflatable Boat & SUP Guide at NRS.com


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