river inflatable recommendation

Hi all,

I'm in search of an inflatable for running the local rivers.
I understand the compromises of inflatables, but want something packable.
I've been looking at the alpackas http://www.alpackaraft.com/ but they are just too much $...
What do people recommend?
Any thoughts would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Ben

What sort of vessel are you thinking about?  Given your mention of the packraft, I'm thinking small.  Something you can hike in with and float out upon?  That does sound fun.  I don't know about much about boats other than inflatable yaks like the tomcat.  Those are used by a lot of swift water guys.  May be too much to pack around, though.  I do some bicycle touring, and those alpacas are popular with folks wishing to bike in and float out with their steed onboard.  That kind of durability seems worth the price of admission.  Maybe troll the classifieds in Alaska?  I'd hold out and save pennies for one of those.

I managed a few steelhead out of my sevylor inflatable kayak.  It had a self bailing floor and was extremely stable.

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Lee has a point.  Those Sevylors can make for sweet rides.  They get a bad rap sometimes, but, pound per dollar, they can be a good bargain.  We did an informal race down the Nehalem, and an albeit athletic guy came in third with one of those.  Beat a Kevlar canoe.  I don't think it was that heavy, and it had some splash guards.  Was self bailing, too.  I don't know the model name, but Google probably does.  If you want packable and economical, that may be the route.

Might want to check out "Water Master"  the Water Master Kodiak looks promising.   You can find them at www.bigskyinflatables.com

I can't say enough good things about the Aire Lynx, an IK I've used all over Alaska on short and long float trips. It's not a pack raft; it's a full size inflatable kayak with enough rocker to makes for great maneuverability in Class III and IV waters when its needed. Self-baling. Plenty of room for gear. Very comfortable ride. Fits easily in a small plane for remote trips. Very durable -- I've had mine for 8 years, and covered hundreds of miles on big water (Yukon, Koyukuk, Kenai, Talkeetna) as well as smaller streams (Little Susitna, Talchulitna, Gulkana). Despite working the heck out of it, my boat's never had a valve failure, a seam leak, a rip...  Reliably gets me to the fish, and fits a milkcrate in nicely.

Not cheap, though you can sometimes find a used one on Craigslist. 

I'm a fan of the NRS inflatables, and they even have one that has attached scotty mounts.  they're quite ridged and i'm looking forward to getting one of my own this year

here's and article and video about the kayak http://www.yakangler.com/articles/news/new-products/boats/item/1126-nrs-brings-the-good

Lee has a point.  Those Sevylors can make for sweet rides.  They get a bad rap sometimes, but, pound per dollar, they can be a good bargain.  We did an informal race down the Nehalem, and an albeit athletic guy came in third with one of those.  Beat a Kevlar canoe.  I don't think it was that heavy, and it had some splash guards.  Was self bailing, too.  I don't know the model name, but Google probably does.  If you want packable and economical, that may be the route.

+1

I have had a couple Sevylor K79 Tahiti boats, and they may be the most fun for the money that I have spent. As far as packability, it depends how far and how you are packing it. They aren't real light or compact - they really aren't much better than the Hypalon (or PVC/nylon) inflatables, but the price is right for occasional use.