Hi Duke,
Now that the season is winding down I can put an 08’ deck on your old boat for you if you want. If certainly is the driest deck model we have come up with and it is certainly a cheaper option than buying a new boat. The cost is $200. Give Andrew or me a call and we can discuss it with you.
cheers, Sheri
I am really impressed with the 2009 Alpacka rafts that I’ve just seen for the first time. There were two features that I was particularly excited about.
The first is that Sheri put the mouth inflation tube on the back of the boat, adjacent to the main inflation valve. I have been bitching about this for years, as every third time I get in my boat my hip opens the mouth tube valve and I paddle off with a rapidly deflating boat.
The second feature I really like on the 2009 is that the front seam does not fully open. I’ve always felt that the front velcro cross seam was a major point of water entry no mater how well you close the velcro. Again, good move on sealing this point of water entry.
The 2009 I inspected had the “Big Bertha Butt” that I had only seen on a a proto-type. I don’t know if this is a standard feature now, and I would be curious to get feedback from folks who’ve paddled both boat styles.
I am always a bit skeptical about zippers on boats, and will be curious to see how that works out. I would be inclined to use the zipper as little as possible, and only when there is no silt or sand around the boat.
I still think Alpackaraft is skimping on the velcro on the principal seams, and I’ve watched countless folks struggle with their spray decks as they get pounded by holes and waves. I’ve added a button snap at the top of the spray skirt to keep it closed and added an additional two inches of velcro on the side seam, the hip seam, and the closure flap. My boat is staying really dry these days, much to the envy of fellow boaters who are constantly stopping to dump water. And I still slip out of the boat easily in the event of a swim.
Lastly, I’ve just come onto a hand pump with a nozzle that fits the mouth tube and am able to blow the boat up super-tight. I don’t know the maximum psi the Alpacka’s can handle, but my boat performs far better the tighter I get it. This pump caused me to wonder about the feasibility of installing a bicycle tube valve on the boat in place of the mouth tube, and using a small bike pump to top up your boat.
We found the velcro’s life-span to be far shorter than the rest of the deck, so I’m hoping a zipper might do better. We also installed a clip at the end and corner of the velcro (2007 style decks) once the velcro got weaker. There are little tab-clips that are weak enough that they easily pop under stress, but they provide a more solid connection.
Agreed on a front seam that doesn’t open fully. We basically never used its ability to open, but often got water in that way.
We have a 2005 big-butt prototype and love it, particularly in the ocean. It’s substantially more stable in a high tail-wind, and does better in surf. I’d be happy if all my boats were big-butted. However, the compromise medium-butt that was implemented in 2005 or so is pretty good too. Here’s a pic of the big-butt next to an older boat:
