Re: [Paddlewise] Anyone paddled a SOAR Cat?

First off, I have no experience in the Soar. I'm mostly a kayaker, but 
I do row on occasion. I also have an interest in a 14 foot raft. My 
goals are kayak support on multi-day western USA rivers. You will 
likely get good feedback if you post your question on 
boatertalk.com/raft zone forum.

On the plus side, cats are very maneuverable. They are the playboats of 
the hypalon world.  They excel in technical whitewater. They are also 
cheaper and easier to move around, portage, store, etc. However, they 
don't carry much of a load. A 16 foot cat typically has a total payload 
of 850 pounds, plus or minus 25, depending on tube diameter, 22-24 
inches. That isn't much when you add in frames, boxes, seats, toilet, 
oars, oar locks, ammo cans and then gear, bodies, extra kayak, etc. All 
that starts to affect handling, which is why we like cats to begin 
with. When you are the gear schlepper for half a dozen hardshell 
kayakers you either make them carry something or you decrease what you 
bring, or decrease nights out on the river.The NRS 14 ft raft I get to 
use once in awhile will support 7 paddlers in hardshells for a week, 
including tasty beverages, though not a plethora of the aforementioned 
tasty beverages. It all depends on what you want out of it. But for day 
paddling, nothing beats a cat. Look at the end of tube girth to see how 
it will handle steeper drops.

Cats stick up a little higher and catch wind easier than standard 
rafts. That matters more when the wind comes from down canyon and less 
when it comes from up canyon. All that aside, when I get too old to 
kayak, I'll be in a cat, unless I'm retired and being paid a menial 
wage to haul kayakers gear down a permitted river, then I'll be in a 
raft.

Cheers,

Rob G


-----Original Message-----
From: Paul Ash <AshP_at_sundaytimes.co.za>
To: paddlewise-digest_at_paddlewise.net <paddlewise-digest_at_paddlewise.net>
Sent: Tue, Mar 16, 2010 8:16 am
Subject: Re: [Paddlewise] Anyone paddled a SOAR Cat?


Thank-you to everyone who replied to me directly about SOAR's cat raft 
- lots of
useful advice. James, I tried emailing you back but our server doesn't 
like your
address for some reason. Thanks for getting input from Rich, though - 
all good
and valid stuff.

Cheers,

Paul
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