# Achilles Rafts



## rsmith0955 (Apr 15, 2010)

Does anyone have information on Achilles Rafts. Reliability? How durable? How do they handle? Etc...

Thanks in advance!


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## OregonRafter (Jan 30, 2013)

I use to own an Achilles. It was a bucket boat from the late 80's. It was a great raft. Made in Japan and solid built. It handled great. I'm assuming you're looking at a little more recent year, but as long as they are built as well as the old boats you will be very happy with your purchase. It should last for decades.


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## garystrome (Jan 6, 2007)

*Old Achilles*



rsmith0955 said:


> Does anyone have information on Achilles Rafts. Reliability? How durable? How do they handle? Etc...
> 
> Thanks in advance!


The old Achilles are top quality stuff. I don't know about the newer versions.


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## bigben (Oct 3, 2010)

We use Achilles boats at the company I work for.
The 90s models we have are tanks for sure. 
They had some issues for a few years in the mid2000s tho. Most noticeably was the poor construction on floor i-beams. 
We picked up a new one last year. Seems like a really solid boat. I like that they finally switched to leafield valves. The old ones had a screwy placement on the military valves.
I really do like them. They're all around good boats. 
But personally I would stay away from 2000-2010 models


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## kayakerps (Jan 5, 2015)

I row a 2000 14' self bailer. Love it. I M fortunate and have the Tracy Harmon floor. No problem there. Bomber.


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## Soup76 (Aug 19, 2009)

I learned to row in a 14' Achilles bucket in the mid 90's. It tracked awesome with a little bit of water in it. Other than the 3D Achilles logo starting to take a beating the boat was bomber. I ran some pretty shitty lines dragging that thing over rocks a few times. You wouldn't know it afterward. Thing was a tank (and weighed as such).


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## kayakerps (Jan 5, 2015)

Soup76 said:


> I learned to row in a 14' Achilles bucket in the mid 90's. It tracked awesome with a little bit of water in it. Other than the 3D Achilles logo starting to take a beating the boat was bomber. I ran some pretty shitty lines dragging that thing over rocks a few times. You wouldn't know it afterward. Thing was a tank (and weighed as such).


People like to talk about the weight of Achilles. However, I see that the NRS E140 is only 5 pounds lighter (153lbs vs 148lbs).


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## Soup76 (Aug 19, 2009)

kayakerps said:


> People like to talk about the weight of Achilles. However, I see that the NRS E140 is only 5 pounds lighter (153lbs vs 148lbs).


I didn't say it was a bad thing. I never weighed my old Achilles but it was a heavy boat and took 2 people to move around and load onto the trailer. Inflated with a day frame. Whereas I can load my 15' Otter with a 4 bay NRS frame onto my trailer by myself and the deck on my trailer is about 3 feet off the ground. I am guessing my old boat was made in early 80's and the hypalon was a lot thicker than my Otter.

Love your avatar BTW.


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## ob1coby (Jul 25, 2013)

IMO Achilles are the most under-rated boat. double sided (I think) hypalon, I would put them right there with Hyside.


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## zbaird (Oct 11, 2003)

I have said it time and again here, Achilles are awesome boats and as ob1 said, way underrated. The fact that they haven't done much in the way of marketing, updating tube size and design, valve placement, etc has made them fade away from mainstream conversation for the most part. They are likely one of the, if not the best made hypalon boats out there. They are the only ones left using double sided hypalon, they are the only hypalon boat that has 1" seams and they are fantastic cosmetically showing that their workmanship is still top notch. They did have some I-beam issues at one point, but what company hasn't. They are also the only hypalon boat I have never in 11 years had in the shop with seam or baffle failure.
I have talked with their main rep several times about a brand resurgence led by a few updates to the design and a little ad campaign and he has replied more than once that they are mainly focused on the dinghy market which is much bigger than the whitewater market. They are certainly worth consideration if you are in the market for a hypalon gear hauler.


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## Kilroy (Oct 23, 2011)

I had a 14' bucket version made way back in 1994. Purchased it new in Anchorage and it spent 16 winters rolled up in the shed with -40 temps (no issues). Caught hundreds of Kings on the Kenai and flew it into many many glacial fed rivers via float plane! Only thing that wasn't ideal was the old military valves they used to install, but they weren't terrible. 

Sold it to another buzzard from Vernal, UT - It's prolly still living out it's final years in awesome river country. Maybe I'll see it again some day...


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## fishlake (Dec 10, 2012)

I have an 18-foot Achilles Expedition. We bought it used as a bucket boat in 1992, had a self-bailing floor installed in 1995. One leak repaired due to somebody tieing up to close to a branch; and one seam in the after-market floor leaked many years later. Otherwise this baby has been bombproof and still going strong.


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## roberts81 (May 18, 2013)

Running a 1989 16' Achilles bucket boat ... seen a lot of river, no patches. Still awesome.


Sent from my iPhone using Mountain Buzz


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## Toshkya (Nov 26, 2012)

I have a 1979 Achilles that still gets out once a year for family trips. Tons of patches but no blown baffles. 

Sent from my Z981 using Mountain Buzz mobile app


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## ob1coby (Jul 25, 2013)

zbaird said:


> They are the only ones left using double sided hypalon, QUOTE]
> 
> Zbaird, will you please help me understand that? As I understand it double sided means that the material is symmetric or that it has the same layers on both sides of the mesh. You can literally turn the material inside out and glue it back together, in fact I've seen that done with some older Avons. Anyway if that is correct the PRO Hysides also use double-sided hypalon as demonstrated from this image from their site. I think you know your stuff far better than I do so where am I going wrong on this?


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## Camp Butterfeet (Nov 1, 2017)

Just picked up this 14'


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## pyranha_rev (Aug 15, 2011)

You get what you pay for when it comes to rafts. The cheaper you go the problems will eventually come. The question I will ask you is do you see outfitters using these type of rafts? The answer is no! I’ve never driven an Achilles but can take you that I have 15 years of commercial experience and can guide class V. I beams can be an issue with cheap boats, when you see and feel a boat flex going down a drop, to me it feels weird and not natural. another question is how you’ll use the raft? If you’re pushing your skill level to class IV and above I’d get a better boat. If your just doing float trips the Achilles brand may work for you.


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## NoCo (Jul 21, 2009)

Well I've had my Achilles for 5 years now. The first thing I noticed was air bubbles under the chaffing strip and seam tape. I guess they must have been glue bubbles cause they went away. I regularly do float trips on the Poudre from Steven's to bridges, royal gorge of the Arkansas, browns, and the numbers. This boat has floated the Selway at high and low water, lochsa at 5 ft. Southfork of the Payette (staircase not the canyon), and 1 green river lodore trip. The only patch came from a gear pile rubbing the tube on the green.


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