Boats... to rent or buy?

I used to want a boat, and then someone who owned a boat told me about the two best days of boat ownership. I may still buy one someday, but I'm just so focused on retiring early that I can't seem to make myself spend that kind of money these days.
 
Yeah, the two best days. That's all I hear whenever it's brought up. I just can't stomach the thought of renting a POS for $1000 per 4 day trip vs. just buying a brand new one for $20k.
 
Yeah, that's true if you use it enough. I want to be primarily a backpacker for now, though, and so I don't want to commit the time away from backpacking that would be necessary to justify the price of something that big. So for me $1000 for four days every two or three years is a better deal than $20k for four days every two or three years.

But a boat would be fun! You'll enjoy it!
 
Yeah, I would really like to get out on 2-4 boat trips per year (and still backpack a lot), so it makes more sense. Perfect kind of trip to take Audra and all the dogs on and still get into some remote areas and explore.
 
I'm trying to jam in all the
backpacking trips now before my wife's knees completely give out. After that happens we'll be buying all kinds of expensive toys like that.
 
I had the great fortune of growing up in a motorboat family. It's nice, albeit expensive.

I just bought a whitewater kayak in the hopes of building some skills on class 2 stuff soon. For kayak touring, I'm watching classifieds for a sweet deal on a used boat.

I love the idea of a packraft but worry I would end up using it much.
 
I just bought a whitewater kayak in the hopes of building some skills on class 2 stuff soon.
Click to expand...
Looking forward to some Utah whitewater trip reports! :)
 
Bummer, Alpacka doesn't do a group buy discount. I still think I'm going to end up with one.

I also found these guys:

packraftrentals.com out of SLC.
 
sixstringsteve said:
I also found these guys:

packraftrentals.com out of SLC.
Click to expand...

We rented from these guys before buying our packrafts. (I was going to mention this a few days ago but forgot). We were able to pickup/dropoff and avoid shipping fees since they are local (SLC area). Might be worth considering a test run...maybe try a few different sizes (Alpaca vs Yukon for example). I'm 5' 8" and went with the Yukon.

Also, don't forget to consider the extra money you'll need on accessories (paddle, PFD, safety gear, etc.). I ended up spending more than I thought I would. :)
 
Do you own a packracft Mike? I like the idea of being able to run the escalante, dirty devil, or san rafael when it's deep enough. Sounds like a fun day trip.
 
Dang, after pricing my dream packraft and a paddle, I was over $1400. That cargo fly, where you stash your gear inside your boat's air chamber, is too cool. With none of my friends having pack rafts, I don't think i'm going to get my $1400 worth anytime soon...

... I sill want one though.
 
How close are you to buying one? Which features would you get? The cargo deck zipper thing sure seems like the ideal way to carry your gear. I'm not really into whitewater, it scares me. But I would love to do the Escalante, San Rafael, Dirty Devil, Provo, etc.
 
The cargo thing sounds cool, but also perhaps a little gimmicky? I don't know, I've never done it, but the impression I had is that you still pretty much have to pack like you're backpacking so it's just as easy to just load up your pack (waterproofed) and stick it between your legs to help with the structure of the boat. I mean, I'd definitely get it if it didn't add much $$, but I bet it ain't cheap. Take that for what it's worth though - not very much. :)
 
Well, the only thing holding me up right now is waiting to see if I'm going to get transferred out of state. If I do get transferred, I may not buy one. If I don't get transferred, I will definitely buy one. I'm hoping to find out within the next couple of weeks if I'm going to be transferred because I'm little better than homeless right now.

I'm not interested in any technical white water, either. I want to do a lot of mountain rivers, but I'd also like to do things like the Dirty Devil.

I don't know if I'll get the cargo zipper...but I might...I haven't decided, yet.
 
Nick said:
The cargo thing sounds cool, but also perhaps a little gimmicky? I don't know, I've never done it, but the impression I had is that you still pretty much have to pack like you're backpacking so it's just as easy to just load up your pack (waterproofed) and stick it between your legs to help with the structure of the boat.
Click to expand...

Good points. Regardless of the cargo deck, I'm going to have to pack like I'm backpacking. Small and light loads are key. I haven't seen anyone who's been able to transport their backpack between their legs of a packraft, they seem pretty tight (though I'd love to be wrong about this one). Most people are lashing their packs to the bow, above the raft. I like the idea of a lower center of gravity, and 100% waterproof and dry storage.

However, that zipper adds one more failure point that would sink your boat if it did fail. Plus you have to deflate your raft to get to your gear. I'm sure I'd still end up with a small dry bag for snacks, water, and the like.

I like the idea of having all my stuff at the lowest point possible, totally dry, and completely out of the way so I can focus on the boat more. But you're right, it sure aint cheap, and it could be added later on, so I guess there's no rush.
 
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Why not go even cheaper and just get an innertube? Just add another one and tether it for your backpack...
 
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