# Question about Aire - Airecells



## MNichols (Nov 20, 2015)

cemark2 said:


> I am curious about the longevity of Aire boats. I know many swear by them. Mainly, do people tend to find the Airecell a decent reinforcement? Like, are the tubes more puncture or wear-resistant than other tubes on other boats? It seems to be my guess that an internal bladder could provide added reinforcement. What do you think?
> 
> Mark Cemanski


It all depends on your perspective. Mine comes from a guy that's run Hypalon (rubber) boats for his entire life, but have dealt with AIRE products on the river that others have purchased. People either swear by them, or swear at them. After dealing with stuck zippers helping others patch theirs when the worst happens, I'd not consider one for MY use, but again, that's just me.

The internal bladder is a neat idea, but is paper thin, and provides little reinforcement. You can literally patch them when they fail for whatever reason with a roll of duct tape, or tear aid tape. 

That being said, the outer shell is quite durable, and pretty slick to boot, which allows them to slide past many sharp things that would puncture a Hypalon boat. They seem to be a little less resistant to UV fading than other plastic boats, but if kept covered, or rolled indoors they hold their color well. 

AIRE's warranty at 10 years is bomber, I know some who send their boats in every year for repair, AIRE fixes the up and ships them back. Hard to beat, but you bear the cost of shipping. 

The downside to this, is the zippers, and the floors that hold water, they are a relatively high maintenance boat, but they cost a lot less than a Hypalon boat, they don't last as long as a rubber boat, but then they don't cost nearly as much. Some say that the models that don't have the floors that hold water are flippier and neither floor will win any tracking competitions, but that's just what I've heard from those that own them. Like I said, they have a huge following, and a large group of folks that wouldn't be caught dead with one.

At the end of the day, it's all about your preferences, the amount of maintenance you're willing to do, and the handling characteristics you're looking for. Nothing wrong with them, they are just a different critter, and far above the quality of many other "budget" type boats. For me, a Hypalon boat is the only way to go, among my fleet is a 1983 Avon Pro, still going strong. Don't see any AIRE's of that vintage on the water.. 

Good luck in your quest..


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## Big George Waters (Jul 2, 2021)

I own the following AIRE boats:

*disclaimer - all are kayaks, except for the Power Traveler which I'm told makes for a wicked creek boat with three people on board, along with the CRUZaire which is a SUP which I use for diving.

Lynx I
Lynx III
Sea Tiger II
Trinity II [limited run custom The Boat People model]
Outfitter I
AIREforce prototype
Power Traveler [which I would love to get a rowing frame for !!]
CRUZaire


Now, I've heard plenty about the zipper issues but other than that, I really like my AIRE boats a lot.

I like that they are easily repairable in the field.
That to me is a huge consideration.

But once out of the water, obviously drying the boat out properly is way more of a big deal, plus I think they weigh a whole lot more.

I had a chance to get like a 20 year old AIRE Puma raft, and to tell you the truth I am so sorry I passed on that, and I think the reason why I passed on that was a seasoned rafter told me it was way way too much $$$$ and he was an AIRE head as well, but I still wish I got it [I ended up getting a RMR bucket boat that is bomb proof instead]

Maybe it's a Cult thing, I don't know.....


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## nolichuck (Mar 11, 2010)

I have 1995 and 2005 Aire Ocelot tubes - both of which I bought used. I have had no issues whatsoever and they hold air all winter and on all my multi-day trips. When I was still living back east a friend and I bought an 8-year old Puma. It is now 30 years old and still going strong. Their no fault warranty speaks volumes about the quality of their boats.


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## MR. ED (Jan 21, 2008)

Yeah the airecell is crazy thin! But the PVC over it seems pretty bomber. I was a little apprehensive about the zippers but my boat was local, on sale and it has a sweet warranty so I went for it. Don’t have too much time in it because of the drought and pandemic so I can’t speak to it’s longevity. One thing that irritated me is I rolled/folded it up for a couple weeks when I was working on my trailer and now the airecell seams are a lot more noticeable under the pvc. I opened it up a bunch trying to readjust it. It’s better than it was but not smooth like when I got it. It’s not an issue or a liability just cosmetic. Aire said I could bring it to a local fixer to see if he could get it back but I’m not sure it’s worth the hassle.


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## Quiggle (Nov 18, 2012)

I owned a trib tomcat tandem (1st Aire and first non Hypalon) Bought it from a outfitter with 2 years left on the warranty and abused it daily on the local creeks in Colorado. I stored it rolled most of its time with me. I went through 2 side tube bladder and about 4 zipper cars. I was very impressed with their warranty but that’s about it. The cell is easy to repair with tear aid unless it’s on the seam, which is where mine always failed. All of my zipper problems occurred while portaging strainers or while trying to get it to dry out to put away for winter. I bought it for cheap and actually made money off the sale and it treated me great. I’ve seen some other crazy things happen with Aires that you would never see with a rubber boat. One thing that was recently brought to my attention was about invasive species cleaning and that pretty much turned me away from buying a 156 R.


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## zbaird (Oct 11, 2003)

The bladders are thin but are very oversized. This allows them to flex quite a bit when you puncture the skin. I have patched many rips in the skin of AIRE's where the bladder didn't pop, thus continuing to hold air. Its a big upside to the bladder system.


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## MT4Runner (Apr 6, 2012)

I own a156R and a Trib 13.0

no disagreement with anything said so far.


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## atg200 (Apr 24, 2007)

My 156R is about 16 years old and on its last legs. The inner bladders are still good, but the outer pvc shell is brittle and cracking. I still use it for trips where I am sure I won't wrap or hit anything hard, but its days running the grand canyon or the selway are over.

The boat is a workhorse gear hauler. It drive like a dump truck, it is heavy, and it doesn't track very well, but it is really forgiving and stable, and a great family boat. Keeping them out of the sun is really important since PVC doesn't handle UV damage at all well.

I haven't found the zippers to be an issue - i just open them up every other year or so and expect that it'll take a bit of work with a scrub brush and dish detergent to get them open. Make sure you have that stuff in your repair kit.

The standard floor bladder is a different material that is much harder to patch. Keep some gloves, aquaseal, and some kind of rolling tool to get the patch material to stick. I really hate the floor.

All in all it is a good boat, but i am thinking hard about upgrading to a hypalon boat when i scrounge up the cash for a replacement.


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## John_in_Loveland (Jun 9, 2011)

My first raft was a used 12' Tributary that I bought from a raft company on Clear Creek in 2011. I used that a lot and sold it to my SIL in 2014 and she still has it...going strong. My son bought a used 12' Trib from the same raft company in 2016. Its going stong after many days on III-IV rivers. I bought a 14' Trib in 2014 and have had it on multiple rivers at multiple levels. I have never had trouble with the zippers or bladders. On a low water MFS trip this summer I pinched the floor and easily fixed the bladder with Tear-aid. I will have it welded this winter. I also have a 13' Aire Wave Destroyer that bought used. I roll both boats at the end of the season with no problems.

last year I had a gasket start to leak at the floor bladder valve. I sent pictures to Aire and they said even though the boat was no longer on Warranty, that the gasket shouldn't have failed. They sent me a new floor for free.

Their service and warranties are incredible and their boats hold up well. I am a confirmed Aire-Head and would recommend them to anyone wanting a low maintenance boat.


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## kengore (May 29, 2008)

I own an Aire Cougar cataraft, circa 1996. I bought it used around 2004. I am a recreational boater and I usually run just 2-3 overnight trips per year, the rest of the time the tubes are stored rolled up in my garage.

This boat is over 25 years old and has no leaks or patches. The rubber is still flexible. It still has its original valves.
Like others I am impressed with Aire's customer service. When I called to ask about a replacement valve they said the old style Hawkley Roberts valves were discontinued, but they had some parts on stock which they sent me for free.

Hard not to like.


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## chitwoodc6 (May 4, 2018)

I don't own an Aire but we run them at our company and a few friends have them. We specifically use the E bow in our company for class 4 and 5 runs where the hits are bigger, consequences are greater and the rocks are sharp. I love aire and I would buy one when it's time for me to buy a new boat mainly because of the warranty. 

The only con that I have with them is something that I've always heard of but finally experienced last year. Sometimes if you pierce the PVC outer layer the bladder can tumor out and rip a bigger hole in the PVC. My partner and I at the time were R2ing down the Piedra in SW Colorado, It's tight, techy, class 3-4 with super sharp rocks. Long story short we narrowed a buddy's boat and nicked a rock pulling into the eddy above a big rapid. The outer PVC broke and blew a roughly 30-inch rip down the side. Now we were still floating since the inner bladder is still holding air, we got to the eddy and everything was fine but we weren't about to go through the next rapid because the one below that is called meatgrinder for a reason. So we rolled up the puma, strapped it on a 9.5 RMR, and put 4 people in that boat it was quite hilarious honestly.


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## zbaird (Oct 11, 2003)

If nicking a rock blows a 30" rip in a boat you're likely running too much pressure which is very common in PVC boats especially. These days people love to run their boats drum tight which is a mistake. A little give to absorb an impact go a LONG way to keep from popping boats. That said, the fact the bladder was still holding air is a testament to the biggest benefit of AIRE boats IMO. A quick half ass stitch job and a piece of tear aid could have had you back on the water in less than a half hour where as a 30" rip in another boat would have been a couple hours minimum, even for someone who does big repairs on the regular. Now, if the bladder would have gone too, its a different story.


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## B4otter (Apr 20, 2009)

What Zach said above. I've had half a dozen AIRE boats over last 20 years and the only problem ever was over-inflated Force that "sausaged" on me running a 5' drop over cobble on a really remote river in Ecuador. It wasn't over-inflated when I started at dawn-thirty, but I was aware it was getting drum-tight as the day wore on and I would drag it over rocks, take a break for a look around. Just too damn stupid to let some air out then, know better now... As always, AIRE was awesome on warranty, didn't even charge me return shipping (in return for the story, which involved a mule ride and 5 km walk into closest village, arriving on Carnival...).

AIRE's are super slippery, slide well over everything and don't need to be 2.5-3.0# to do it. Says something that every other fisher boat in Colorado and Idaho is an AIRE. Their designs also lend well to paddling/smaller oar rigs. Yes, you have to deal with zippers and clean the floor out at end of season (except for sealed packets, extra cost option) but once you get the hang of it it's an hour or so chore with garden hose and scrub brush. Hang to dry or build a little stand out of junk wood - just get it up in the air so the floor can drain - and you're good to go for another year!


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## SpudCat (Aug 24, 2020)

I have a 20+ year old 9' AIRE fishing pontoon and I have beaten the ever-living crap out of that thing... years of total abuse and wanton disregard for its well-being. Lol. So many times it has been piled under heavy things with bladders deflated and still attached to the frame--opportunities galore to rub/chafe/pinch/tear. It went 10+ years at one point without having sand/debris cleaned out of the tubes. It's been dragged off the tailgate to drop and bounce on the ground (on so many suspect surfaces) with other pontoons stacked on top of it and dragged long distances from truck to shoreline more times than I can recount.

The zippers (scrubbed, but never lubricated/waxed, ha ha) still function well. The outer material is obviously worn on the bottom but still functional. I've only had two minor leaks in the bladders due to reckless ownership. One was 5-6 years back and even though the boat was well outside of its warrantee period, AIRE took care of it. Two cases of beer for the shop crew as thanks! The other time was last year. It was a slow leak that I couldn't find it for the life of me. I was in a rush because I needed the boat for a rapidly approaching low-water San Juan trip. I told them I was happy to just pay for a new bladder to get it back right away instead of having them search and fix a leak. Not only did they squeeze me in last minute, but they quickly found and fixed the leak and charged me a nominal fee. It would have been easier to just charge me $$ for a new bladder instead.

So yeah... AIRE makes solid stuff. And they're here locally. These are several reasons my first big boat (16' cat) two years ago was an AIRE.


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## Waterhopper (Jul 3, 2017)

MT4Runner said:


> I own a156R and a Trib 13.0
> 
> no disagreement with anything said so far.


6 dories + 2 rafts = many boat MT4


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## MNichols (Nov 20, 2015)

Waterhopper said:


> 6 dories + 2 rafts = many boat MT4


Don't forget the kayaks and canoe 😂😆😂


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## MT4Runner (Apr 6, 2012)

Waterhopper said:


> 6 dories + 2 rafts = many boat MT4


2 dories, 1 driftboat, 2 rafts, 4 whitewater kayaks, 3 sea kayaks 

... once had as many as 11 kayaks. All my WW boats were red and all my sea kayaks were white...helped my wife lose count. 


Read Gunrunning, a chapter in "The Grasshopper Trap" by Patrick F. McManus.


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## MNichols (Nov 20, 2015)

MT4Runner said:


> 2 dories, 1 driftboat, 2 rafts, 4 whitewater kayaks, 3 sea kayaks
> 
> ... once had as many as 11 kayaks. All my WW boats were red and all my sea kayaks were white...helped my wife lose count.
> 
> ...


5 boats and 7 kayaks.. you need more boats to round the count out, can't be lopsided dontchaknow!


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## Big George Waters (Jul 2, 2021)

oh boy, think I'm going to try and list all my other kayaks.........

In addition to all the AIREcraft I listed, ok here we go:

Malubu X-13, Ocean Kayak Trident 15 [extra heavy layup], 1970[??] Ryan board [modified with seat well] 19 foot long spearfishing boat, Wilderness System Tarpon 160i, Wilderness System Tsunami 170 prototype, Old Town Dirigo 140 [older heavy lay up version], Old Town Predator 140 [the original one that's a Twin Otter set up for duck hunting], Old Town Dirigo tandem 15.5, Wilderness System Pungo 140, Wilderness system Pamlico 160 [?? big tandem kayak], Old Town Osprey 15.5 - set up so two people can row it, it's a 3 seat canoe, another Canoe - made in New Haven CT about 40 years ago, fiberglass, weighs over 100 lbs - custom made for eco project Yale was doing many years ago, Spirit 4.5 tandem surf kayak, Emotion Temptation 10, Perception Acadia 140t, Perception Carolina 12, RMR Bucket Raft, some kind of folding tandem kayak with metal tubes - Pakboat maybe ??

Not trying to play can you top this, but I was curious if I could list all my other kayaks off the top of my head.

Why so many kayaks ??

For 8 solid years I did river clean up as a volunteer all year round, so I had 3 or 4 different boats just for that.
I also expanded this into wildlife monitoring/rescue, and even further into marine life monitoring and diving [free diving]

The good thing about living where I do in Connecticut is the endless amount of options when it comes to getting out on the water, as we have it all from small ponds and creeks, fast moving rivers, and of course the Long Island Sound.

The bad thing about living in Connecticut is that if one gets out on all different kinds or water all year round, you end up having kayaks all over the place.


I used to do 85 to 90 trips a year, now it's about 30, this year it was less than 20 due to a blown out knee.

Today, I can only use my AIRE boats or my Emotion Temptation 10.

Bad back and knees make everything else impossible, as I am stubborn and feel if I can't get a boat from my car to the water safely by myself, then I should not be using that boat, also anything with a cockpit I can get into but can't get out of, so those days are over too.

Best boat ever was my parents 1975 [??] Klepper Tandem, bought at the Klepper Store on Union Square, NYC
That boat took many a trip on the Adirondack Trailways bus from NYC to Schroon Lake.

Ah, to be young again !!


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## MNichols (Nov 20, 2015)

Damn... Just damn, and I thought I had a lot of boats...


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## MT4Runner (Apr 6, 2012)

That's awesome, Big George.


I've gotten rid of most of the whitewater kayaks I once had...sold them off cheap to others entering the sport...a Perception Pirouette, Dagger Redline, Wavesport X, Wavesport Big EZ (loved that one but my knees hated it). Still have my twitchy little Dagger Agent, a Jackson SuperFun, a big BlissStick creeker and a LiquidLogic Big Hoss.


And sea kayaks I once had:..a super sweet 30# aircraft layup Necky Chatham 16...a Chesapeake 17 (my first wood boat build), a hybrid s&g 16' hull with a strip deck....still have my Guillemot 17, VCP Avocet and a plastic necky chatham 17.


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## jerseyjeff (Apr 16, 2016)

At some point george ya gotta post picts of the force prototype. sounds like an interesting boat. My name is jeff and I definitely have an aire problem. I have a force xl, force xl expedition, lynx 2 and superpuma in the garage, along with a jpw culebra. at other times there was an ocelot and a bobcat too. I will mirror what others have said, the system works, and it takes big cohones to offer such a sweeping warranty. The older boats have heavier fabric and last. My biggest problem (after 20 years) is mostly valve related, and i have been slowly replacing valves, and that is it. A former brother inlaw punched a fist size hole in the super puma hitting some iron in the lehigh river, and even though he hit is so hard he dumped the right side of the raft, the airecell held and he was able to finish the trip. I paddle in mostly silt free water on the east coast, and so the boats in the fleet look nearly new. The super puma with a row frame is like a big ducky, and it just makes me happy. I would have no qualms about getting a 15-20 year old aire if the price was right and it looked good, although, I think at some point there will be a hard stop to buying boats, and I think I want a sabertooth too at some point. In 25+ years of aire boating I have never punctured and aire cell. I screwed one up in a rushed valve replacement, but that was entirely operator error. 
Aire has been great to work with for any repairs, and at some point if I am in the area I want to drop some beer off for Ryder and the team. Good folks that stand behind their products!


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## chitwoodc6 (May 4, 2018)

Oh yea, it was certainly operator error, very cool to actually see though.


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## mountain boy (Aug 20, 2021)

cemark2 said:


> I am curious about the longevity of Aire boats. I know many swear by them. Mainly, do people tend to find the Airecell a decent reinforcement? Like, are the tubes more puncture or wear-resistant than other tubes on other boats? It seems to be my guess that an internal bladder could provide added reinforcement. What do you think?
> 
> Mark Cemanski


I've owned a Aire Jagarundi since 1995, great boat, tough, handles like a sports car, still holds air like it is brand new. I've taken it down the Grand Canyon, the Middle Fork 15 times, lost count on the Main and Lower and had zero problems with the boat. I've slammed it into rock walls (S.Fork of the Salmon-kickass run oh yeah!) Flipped on the GC, (swim of my life-oh shit) That being said I've been reading about Aire owners having to replace the bladder and that Aire is stabbing them $1200 per bladder to replace. Aire never told me that I would eventually have to buy two bladders that was the equivalent of what I bought the boat for originally, so they can kiss my big white patootie. In 2006 I went to a standard 18ft used raft because tearing your cat apart at camp and doing a massive rerigging in the morning is a pain in the ass. Go with a roundy boat, it is a easier rig.


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## idahosharky (Jul 1, 2017)

cemark2 said:


> I am curious about the longevity of Aire boats. I know many swear by them. Mainly, do people tend to find the Airecell a decent reinforcement? Like, are the tubes more puncture or wear-resistant than other tubes on other boats? It seems to be my guess that an internal bladder could provide added reinforcement. What do you think?
> 
> Mark Cemanski


Run Aire boats ,cats, IKs for over 30 years, never been dissatisfied. As solid of product you will find. Get splashy


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