# Hyside Outiftter VS NRS Expedition



## cataraftgirl (Jun 5, 2009)

I don't have personal experience with the NRS, but I did get a Hyside Outfitter raft this season. They both are hypalon and the fabric is about the same denier on both (1670-NRS, 1680-Hyside). I took the thwarts out as soon as I got the boat because I will only use it with a frame. The thwarts weren't too hard to remove, just took a firm pull to get the pins out. The Hysides have urethane bottom chafers which I like. I have had several Maravia catarafts, so I know how tough urethane is. So far I have no complaints about my Hyside. It appears sturdy and well made. The Hyside was about $900 less than the same size NRS Expedition, wider, lighter weight, and came with free shipping. The NRS Expedition does have a longer warranty.


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## Paul the Kayaker (Nov 7, 2004)

Hey thanks for your reply to my post, so do you think the 900 more for the NRS is justified? Are they tougher? I mean it seems like the NRS boats have more rubber on the bottom, but its soft sticky penl orca or whatever they call it. The Hysides do have the tough urethane chaffers on the bottom of the tubes, but is the bottom of the floor reinforced as well? 

Also I think I sent you a PM but not sure, would you be willing to sell one thwart since you wont be using them? Did you have 3 or 2 with your boat? I'd buy both if you really didnt need them. PM me and we can chat.


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## cataraftgirl (Jun 5, 2009)

Paul the Kayaker said:


> Hey thanks for your reply to my post, so do you think the 900 more for the NRS is justified? Are they tougher? I mean it seems like the NRS boats have more rubber on the bottom, but its soft sticky penl orca or whatever they call it. The Hysides do have the tough urethane chaffers on the bottom of the tubes, but is the bottom of the floor reinforced as well?
> 
> Also I think I sent you a PM but not sure, would you be willing to sell one thwart since you wont be using them? Did you have 3 or 2 with your boat? I'd buy both if you really didnt need them. PM me and we can chat.


My catarafts have mostly been Maravias which are urethane, so I really like the urethane on the Hyside. Tough stuff and it helps slide over rocks better. I really don't know anything about NRS boats. I don't know anyone personally who owns one. I will keep my thwarts in case I ever have the need to use the 12 ft raft as a paddle raft, and for resale value if I ever sell the raft.

Right now I am debating selling my 14 ft. cat and getting a 14 ft. raft. My top contenders at the moment are Hyside and Sotar. I'll base my final decision on specs/dimensions, weight, availability, and price.

Hopefully an NRS owner will see this thread and chime in with their observations.


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## Trout Hunter (Jun 4, 2013)

Hey CG, saw you broke your leg. How'd you do that?


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## cataraftgirl (Jun 5, 2009)

Trout Hunter said:


> Hey CG, saw you broke your leg. How'd you do that?


I'm fine on the river, but not so good on dry land. I slipped and fell walking into a restaurant for lunch. Broke the femur just above my previous knee replacement. Huge bummer. Ruined my summer plans for sure. Maybe back on the water in the fall? At least I got a Deso trip with my new little raft in before I wiped out.


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## Trout Hunter (Jun 4, 2013)

Dang. Sorry about that. I see you fly fish. Can you wade or is that out too?


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## cataraftgirl (Jun 5, 2009)

Trout Hunter said:


> Dang. Sorry about that. I see you fly fish. Can you wade or is that out too?


Two more weeks of non-weight bearing, then we'll see about walking again? I'm afraid my summer is going to consist of physical therapy and patience. I hope I can float & fish in the fall? I had such wonderful plans to float and fish the Southfork Snake this summer. Oh well.

Sorry for the thread drift P the K. NRS owners speak up please.


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## suzannetheotter (Aug 6, 2010)

I've guided both NRS and Hyside boats for different companies, I like both boats, but I think Hysides stay nicer longer- haven't seen the seems fray on a 5 year-old hyside but have on an NRS, and I like the pin thwart system more on the Hysides than the flat plastic tab thing on the NRS -which always dug into my shin and seemed kinda rickety.


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## Trout Hunter (Jun 4, 2013)

*thread hijack*

Sorry for the prior thread tangent. Newbie mistake.


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## Paul the Kayaker (Nov 7, 2004)

Hijacked thread... HAHA just kidding, the extra responses boosted it back to the top of the home portal deal so its all good. 

Thanks for your input too on NRS. I feel similar, that maybe hyside has nicer longevity, even if NRS are tougher... Maybe I am making that up, but the handles and little round rubber pads on the bottom of NRS E series always seem to be breaking and peeling off, simple fix though, the actual construction of an NRS e series is bomb proof from what I have seen, they simply never leak even if they look like they should be put to rest.... The handle situation is redic though, that easy carry handle they have is no easier to carry than a normal webbing handle, and the stupid plastic pipe inside the webbing is cutting through every handle I have ever seen. Handles are cheap to replace, replace with standard webbing I would say. 

Anyway, that's a known issue though, more concerned with the bottom of the boat, does NRS actually have more protection down there or not? 

More opinions would be great! Sorry to leave all you other brand people out, but I am a hapalon guy, no PVC boats for me, its really only NRS or Hyside that interest me, if outfitters trust them to be on the river every day getting trashed by rookie guides and 10 loads of Texans(sorry gross overgeneralization) then it will be good enough for me and the next 30 years hopefully!


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## RockyMountainMan (May 5, 2010)

Don't know too much about the hysides - but my 2011 14' NRS E series, that I unfortunately just sold, was very, very well made and had no issues whatsoever. The 10 year warranty was reassuring as well..


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## Paul the Kayaker (Nov 7, 2004)

Why did you sell it? And do you mind me asking what you got for it?


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## RockyMountainMan (May 5, 2010)

I sold her because I have a two year old now, and the boat was spending too much time on dry land getting 303'd - she needed to get on the river more. When you love something, set it free right? Price was very fair for me and the buyer - was a package with trailer deal.. 

- Fear not, I replaced it with a 14' SOAR canoe that is way more portable so I can get out for quick jaunts instead of the 7+ hours it seems to always eat up with a 14' raft, even on the most efficient local day trips, leaving wife disgruntled since we are not into having him on the boat yet and I am of no help when on the river, or even when I get back half the time due to beer, leaving wife downright ornery. I do plan to move back into a 14' boat when my boy is a little older, when we can all enjoy it on a regular basis as a family unit..

Speaking to the original question, the boat looked near showroom condition when I polished it up to sell - every seam, d-ring and handle, even the bottom - granted I 303'd the heck out of her like I said, and she sat around a lot lately, but nothing was coming apart, wearing out or getting weird, and I did abuse it a few times and it did see some miles..


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## NWO Whiewater (Apr 27, 2011)

Both great boats; both tough as nails, and both will last a looooooong time if well taken care of

I will say, I seem to see a lot of older Hysides on the river that still look like they're just hittiing their prime


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## Hyside Inflatables (Jul 26, 2012)

*Floor Bottom Difference*

Paul The Kayaker, to answer your question about the differences between NRS and HYSIDEs floor bottom protection...the old school way of thinking was to glue fabric layers to the boat bottom, in order to beef it up and prevent against wear. Our older Hysides used to have "gum rubber" on the bottom to prevent wear. This is what NRS still uses today and it works well. We learned years ago that it had its limitations.

We chose urethane as the bottom coating because it was lighter, had better abrasion resistance and could be applied to the specific areas that wear the most. Urethane is great when applied to a cured surface (Hypalon) as you'll get the durability/longevity of the cured material and urethane provides the slick, durable, long lasting abrasion resistance for the bottom. You get the best of both worlds.

Our standard Urethane application prevents wear for 99% of private boaters and commercial outfitter uses and we can add urethane to specific areas when requested. Some outfits need the entire boat bottom urethaned because of their specific conditions, but most don't, it's just not necessary. It's just a newer technology we chose in order to lighten our boats and provide a more abrasion resistant, longer lasting, slicker coating to the boat bottom's wear areas. 

Hope that helps!


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## Paul the Kayaker (Nov 7, 2004)

Thanks for the responses everyone, and thanks for the direct response from Hyside. That's what I was hoping to hear. I know they are both great boats, just wanted to hear about the bottom coatings since I know they are different. Now to outfit one... Can't wait!


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## Whoapiglet (Aug 23, 2010)

I've had three hysides (14.3 pro '96, 2003 13.0 outfitter, and a mini max) inow have a '09 13.6 nrs e series. 

Here's my thoughts. Both companies are top notch hypalon boats. Hysides have a decidedly more handmade look- the seams vary from one inch wide to three inches wide and are rarely straight. There are lots of little inconsequential defects etc on the hysides compared to an NRS in terms of construction. However I have never seen anything fail due to these little imperfections but prefer not to see them. He NRS looks like a robot cut and assembled the thing. Can't find an imperfection anywhere. 

My NRS is a heavy beast tho. 140# compared to about 100 for the Hyside outfitter. The pro is closer in weight and durablity to the e series. Would like the construction of NRS with the weight of Hyside. Really all are great boats. 

Ps the urethane on my mini max peeled quite a bit but it stuck on he bottom where you need it.


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## oarframe (Jun 25, 2008)

maybe I'm late to the party here? Who won?

Actually piglet's post above woke me up - I thought that the hyside looked less than perfect in the construction, but have been abusing my new m-max pretty hard so far this year and have had no problems. I hope it lasts as long as my 15+(??) year old E 140 which gets 4-6 weeks of use each year and is showing no sign of slowing down. Yeah the rubber boats are heavy but they roll (up) nicely. I had a very old hyside (14') with the old military valves prior to the nrs, but sold it after it started to wear out... I only had it for a year or two but it was an old commercial boat somewhere in CA. The only thing on the NRS boat I would have rather had was a lace in floor.....


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## BoilermakerU (Mar 13, 2009)

Probably late to this as well, but I two own one of each - 14 foot NRS Otter (the wider version) and a Mini-Max.

I love them both, and dislike a couple of things on each.

I don't like that my NRS has only three chambers plus the floor. I hope it never comes into play, but I'd prefer to have had 4. I also wish it had handles on the front and back of the boat. However, I have no issues with the handles themselves like others have mentioned, just would like to see one on each end, not just the 4 on the sides.

I do not like the thwart system in the Hyside. I find the pins much harder to get in and out than the things the NRS uses, and they are easier to lose the pins and rings that the NRS flat bars. The one good thing about that system though is that those hard plastic hinges for the Hyside thwarts are in the perfect place to keep my dry box and cooler from rubbing when I put the frame on it! LOL

I would buy another of either brand of boat in a heartbeat. Both are great boats.


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## Paul the Kayaker (Nov 7, 2004)

Great replies everyone, thanks, the decision was made, I bought one of each... Haha, but I am selling the smaller (NRS) basically because the hyside I bought is a foot longer and wider and fits my double rail frame much better. 

I do feel that when compared side by side the hyside has more protection under the tubes, but the NRS has more under the floor. NRS comes with twice as many D-rings as well. The valve location on the hysides is curious and makes me wonder if it will be right where people sit or the frame rests, I still need to get it out on the water. NRS puts its valves in the front and back so they are always out of the way. 

As for toughness though, I think both are equal in the end, the hysides are a bit lighter and may slide over rocks easier, but the NRS boats have extra coating all over the bottom and half way up the sides. Had my NRS been an E-140 rather than a 130 I would have kept it probably. But I like my DRE frame much better than the NRS frame I can fit on the E130. 

Thats a whole other topic though, DRE frames rock, but the attachment system (LoPro) from NRS is way easier to use and move while on the river, plus it seems more stout... I wish DRE used something like that rather then the set screws, they worry me, I like knowing things are pinned, or that I can remove them without taking the whole frame apart, but I have had no problems yet either with the DRE, just like when things are way over built and burly beyond their needs. 

Thanks everyone! More comments are always welcome, who knows one day maybe I'll need to sell the hyside for an E-140...


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## Paul the Kayaker (Nov 7, 2004)

What I really meant though was I am not settling for the hyside because of its size. It's bomber and I'm really excited to have a top of the line rig. And as a guide I almost always pushed a hyside... I didnt want it to seem like I think its less of a boat. I really think they are about equal and maybe hyside uses some newer/better materials and methods to make it stronger and lighter than the NRS boats, we'll see in the years to come. Maybe I'll resume this thread in 30 years when I am looking for my next boat, until then I am hyside guy.


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## cataraftgirl (Jun 5, 2009)

Which model Hyside did you get? Have fun with it.


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## Paul the Kayaker (Nov 7, 2004)

14ft outfitter, basically brand new. Pretty excited!


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