Alpacka Rafts?

[luke moffat]

Im pretty sure Larry has some video floating a moose down a river in one. Personally, it wouldn't be my first choice.

Agreed....they are great but I'd want atleast 2 PR-49s to do a single moose and it'd have to be a pretty mellow as well due to my limiting skill set. It can and has been done, Larry has proved that, however if your main objective is a float hunter for moose and really never a pack the raft and want a single craft for a moose the X-stream is a much better choice IMO. I will be getting one someday.

 

[Where's Bruce?]

When I get to the NWT i'll rent a proper raft, for Sierra trips i don't need that much boat...especially going up.

 

[luke moffat]

When I get to the NWT i'll rent a proper raft, for Sierra trips i don't need that much boat...especially going up.

Wasn't saying you needed a PR-49 Bruce. If you wanna rock the scout then by all means got for it. Should keep ya mostly dry paddling across alpine lakes.

 

[FreeRange]

Bruce are you talking about Long Lake above South Lake in the bishop pass area? Great fishing there. I fish out of a Klymit LWD all over eastern Sierra lakes. I only weigh 160 and even still that thing is a pool toy but it's light and effective for that use. Never ever take it on a river though! Not many of the lakes I fish are dangerously large, I feel the trade off for weight savings is not safety but how wet you'll get when the wind picks up. What rivers would you float? In the eastern Sierra I've only floated sections of the Owens in canoes and that's all drive up. Next up I want a real packraft or IK for overnight floating and fishing the East Carson, camping at the hot springs.

 

[littlebrotherC]

Am I correct that I could fit my wife, myself, two 35 pound packs, and two dogs in the pr49? We would be limited to class II, yes? What if I were solo; could I handle a class III. And with the Denali Lama, is there enough room for a pack and 40 pound dog?

 

[Where's Bruce?]

Bruce are you talking about Long Lake above South Lake in the bishop pass area? Great fishing there. I fish out of a Klymit LWD all over eastern Sierra lakes. I only weigh 160 and even still that thing is a pool toy but it's light and effective for that use. Never ever take it on a river though! Not many of the lakes I fish are dangerously large, I feel the trade off for weight savings is not safety but how wet you'll get when the wind picks up. What rivers would you float? In the eastern Sierra I've only floated sections of the Owens in canoes and that's all drive up. Next up I want a real packraft or IK for overnight floating and fishing the East Carson, camping at the hot springs.

You know my spot! Yeah, that's the one. There are some places in OR (Rogue River and Alsea) that I might wanna float on too.



Don't need a lot of boat here. Dang the place is crazy purdy eh?




View attachment 20372

 

[luke moffat]

Bruce,

Agreed you don't need a lot of boat to float there at all man! Gorgeous spot though. My only comment was if you are spending the exact same money for a Yukon Yak and a Denali Llama and the weight penalty is like 4 oz then why not get the larger boat to give you more options in the long run if you ever do wanna do a river float trip of any kind.

 

[DaveC]

Size comparison to the Scout...pretty roomy right? (Scout on right, Yukon Yak on left)

Am I missing anything?

Bruce, that's me in the above photo. 5'11" for reference, with long legs for height. That Yak is a 2010 model, the new ones are longer but have no more interior room.

The Scout will have enough air to float you and your enormous pack easily. It's a big step up from the pool toy packrafts (Klymit, Supai). You'll want some tie points for your pack, you can see mine in the above photo. I put my pack in the bow parrallel with the long axis of the boat and sit with my feet up on either side of the pack. Quite comfortable. I've run class III in it plenty, but you will get very wet. Great boat for the Bob Marshall in July, for instance. The non-rockered bow and smaller tubes make it better for flatwater than the Yak, in that it is much less vulnerable to headwinds.

My Yak with deck and thigh straps in 6 pounds. The Scout is 3.5, and packs to half the size.

If all you want to do is lake and calm river floating, the Scout is a good buy. If you anticipate wanting to run moving water, especially in colder weather, get a bigger boat with a deck.

 

[Where's Bruce?]

All good advice, I hadn't considered the wind factor, we certainly saw some serious afternoon winds up there during our week. Now I am absolutely unsure what to do. LOL

 

[bcimport]

I'm 6'2 210 and use a Denali llama. It is fine on smooth or slow water with me and up to 100# on the bow. After that the handling starts to go south. I did cross a big lake twice with my hunting partner sitting in the front (another 200+ pounds) and it worked but I don't think either of us were sure we weren't going swimming. If all you want is a fishing and smooth water boat the scout will be fine. Anything other than that go bigger.

 

[luke moffat]

Which packraft did you end up with Bruce? Have you gotten a chance to use it much?

 

[BroodBuster]

I'm with ftf. Every time I put one of these out of my mind up pops a thread. .

I've paddled canoes and have been rowing a drifter now for a while. I much prefer rowing both for fishing and avoiding river hazards. Can any of the above rafts be set up to row?

And what is everyone's prefered pfd's? Is everyone using/packing inflatables? All of the pfd's I own are bulky.

I'd use one almost exclusively for camping and fishing alpine lakes as I can get my drifter into just about any river in Wa.

Very cool thread!

 

[Where's Bruce?]

I carefully considered DaveC's advice (thanks man) and then found a deal on this site. Ended up with this Yukon Yak. Waiting to use it, gotta 6 week vacation starting May 20th.

 

[luke moffat]

Right on!! I think you will be very glad you went that route over the little scout! You seem like a larger fella so the Yukon yak should work much better and be quite happy with your purchase.

 

[COlineman78]

Bruce,

If you're like me and only really want it for fishing alpine lakes and possibly the occasional lake crossing, you may consider the Flyweight Designs Flytepacker and/or CrossFlyte. The Flytepacker has been discontinued since the Crossflyte came out with the intention of replacing it, however he is doing another run of 50 that is due from the manufacturer this week and will be up for sale soon (will be placing an order myself). The Flytepacker is much lighter than the Alpacka's, however as such is isn't really designed for river use. It is significantly wider than most pack rafts and therefore inefficient paddling wise, so not ideal for long treks. The Crossflyte is narrower and supposedly tracks better than the Flytepacker, but not as well as a Alpacka. It is a little tougher because the design is closer to that of a fly fishing tube with a skin wrapped around an inner tube. Again, not sure if it fits what you want, but something you may consider. Also, both are significantly cheaper than an Alpacka.

On a side note, I am currently working on a project for a 3D printed paddle head that will universally attach to the end of most trekking poles (I only say most cause I am making it as big as my thickest pole and can only measure what I or friends have). I doubt that it would stand up to significant stress on a river, but should be good enough for lakes. My goal weight is under 6 oz. I plan on a 4th design iteration soon that may actually make it to the printer so I can get it out and tested. If anyone would be interested or would like to contribute measurements of your thickest trekking poles to ensure that you are covered, feel free to PM me. If this works out, I may eventually design something that could be used for more demanding uses.

 

[luke moffat]

Very interesting COlineman!!! Got some pics of you in action with that setup.

 

[Where's Bruce?]

I looked at em but decided I needed something bigger (I'm a larger guy) that could carry me and a pack. Love the inflator bag on the Flytepacker but as you can see in the post above, I went with Alpaca. The Flytepacker would be good for a smaller guy and I am gonna be using my raft to catch golden trout next month.

[video=youtube;SnwPFHsiQyo]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SnwPFHsiQyo[/video]

 

[COlineman78]

Very interesting COlineman!!! Got some pics of you in action with that setup.

I don't actually own a flytepacker yet as I have been waiting for the latest run to get in, which according to his facebook page will be this week. If you are referring to the paddle, I haven't gotten it printed yet as I am still trying to revise the design. The latest had it as 4.5oz for plastic only, so it would be 6-8oz with everything. I will post some 3D model renderings when I complete them.

I looked at em but decided I needed something bigger (I'm a larger guy) that could carry me and a pack. Love the inflator bag on the Flytepacker but as you can see in the post above, I went with Alpaca. The Flytepacker would be good for a smaller guy and I am gonna be using my raft to catch golden trout next month.

I can see where you would want something bigger, especially if you are going to be loading up some serious weight in it. Just wanted to mention it in case it would fit your needs/desires better. Doubt it will make any difference, but I will post a review and possibly some pictures of me once I get the Flytepacker as I am 6'5" 230lbs so you would at least have a frame of reference. Also, the new version will not have lash tabs so strapping your pack on wouldn't be an option without fashioning your own out of something like zpacks cuben tape or tenacious tape. He also just posted the dimensions of 67x42 outer and 46x18 interior which I think will be plenty for me.

 

[luke moffat]

COlineman,

Yeah I was referring if you had some pics of you with the raft in action. Very interested to see some pics of you in it especially being that large and paddling around and such. Certainly not something you'd want to packraft down a river with, but for your needs and what Bruce is describing it could be the ticket for just dinking around in a lake or something of that nature and not hauling you and your pack down a river.

 

[COlineman78]

COlineman,

Yeah I was referring if you had some pics of you with the raft in action. Very interested to see some pics of you in it especially being that large and paddling around and such. Certainly not something you'd want to packraft down a river with, but for your needs and what Bruce is describing it could be the ticket for just dinking around in a lake or something of that nature and not hauling you and your pack down a river.

Here is a video by someone else out on the water and also quickly shows some pictures at the end, one with 2 people in it. I would think that if I am spin fishing I may either be on my knees or sitting on the edge in order to get the right action/angle on the lure, but fly fishing I'd be fine sitting down. Here is a text review to go with the video. Some more pictures on BPL.