New For 2012 from Alpacka

Hi Everyone, this is an update on what is happening with the spraydecks.

After 10 years of trying different solutions, we have finally come up with a real “dry” spraydeck! And the dreaded Velcro is gone except for two small tabs. The 2012 Spraydeck is a big of a change in the boats since the big “booty” we introduced this past year.

Many of the things we have been finding out with our testing of the more extreme whitewater boat we have been working on have been filtering down to the rest of our line. The new spraydeck is one of the benefits of this experimentation.

So is it dry?? YES!!!

Please understand that you MUST pull your grabloop at the front of your sprayskirt to exit your boat. This is just like a hard shell kayak. You cannot count on the deck just falling open when you turn over as happens with the earlier models.

Go to the website to get all the technical information about this deck. This note is to let you know that it is available and what you should consider in deciding which deck will work best for you.

This deck will be available during our Christmas Sale, but WILL NOT SHIP UNTIL JANUARY, 2012!

Are there any drawbacks to the setup? Yes, if you want your boat to be totally open, this is not the deck for you. The cockpit rim is quite large and you do have feeling of an open boat, but it is still not totally open. The boat can be paddled without a sprayskirt but will not work well with passengers. Realistically, the older model decks are more kid and dog friendly.

You do sit up straighter with this skirt, more like a standard kayak.

The 2011 model deck will still be available. For some people that is still the better answer. But for those of you who dream of a simple, truly dry boat and don’t need a totally open boat, this is it!

If you have and older model boat and want to upgrade to the 2012 Spraydeck, we STRONGLY urge you to get your boat to us over the winter. We anticipate a lot of people will want to change to this model so wait times will be longer as we move into our busy summer season.

Cheers,
Alpacka Raft

Still no news re drysuit for 2012 then… shame

Hi all, mighty impressed with the latest development! Once again, packrafting is lead in develeopment by Alpacka.

Find a first impression, more detailed pictures and already some reflections on our blog:

Sven + Marc

Any word on the new whitewater boat this design came from?

This looks like a great progression, but I’d hate to drop $300 on a beefy version upgrade and have the whitewater boat released soon after.

Also, this appears to not be removable like 2011 decks. Is there something about the design that prevents a zipper along the outside? Seems logical for an open boat option and spraydeck repairs.

Wow, this looks super! After many wet days packrafting with the current sprayskirt (that just does not seem to fit me tight enough, so I am constantly getting a boat full of water, I am excited to try out the new skirt! Thanks, Alpackaraft!

Hi AlpackaRaft,

are there any other modifications planned for 2012 models ?

best regards
Claude

The boats have been gaining weight for a while. Anything planned to bring the weight down for those of us intending to do more walking than floating? Perhaps something as simple as a lighter fabric as an option?

Anything new coming out in or around he beginning for Feb?