Thread: Inflatable jetboat

Hi folks
Has anyone tried or used the riverrun type of inflatable jet boats and how do they compare/last looking real reviews as can’t seem to find much online

Try here, this guy has had a couple

https://www.youtube.com/@goatracing610/videos

Riverrun, Sib river and Solar are inflatables all designed and made in Russia, though some manufacturing may now be occuring in China.

The war in Ukraine has seen embargos on the Russians, and they have lost their supply of high quality South Korean PVC's and European made glues and have had to rely on Chinese made fabrics and glues. And you can tell where that is going.

Riverrun do use heat welding for their air chambers, which is a step in the right direction, but PVC falls well short of puncture resistance when compared to polyurethane. Something like 4 times less.

The only inflatables on the NZ market made from polyurethane are Outback boats. The use of polyurethane incurs a price increase, which makes them more expensive. But for NZ conditions where you spend an awful lot of time making contact with rocks, they are the ducks nuts.

I have pushed mine hard for 4 years, and it has never punctured. I know a guy who uses his Solar even harder, but it looks like Norman Gunston, covered in patches from one end to the other

If you buy a PVC made inflatable jet boat, ensure you always carry the right glues, fabrics, tools to do repairs up the river.


Edit: The links @mikee has put up are to Goats' jet boating adventures. He started with a Solar boat, then changed to Outback boats polyurethane inflatables.

I am not knowledgeable at all but that looks very similar to the one that @XR500 has so bumping him so he might comment.

Originally Posted by Rushy

I am not knowledgeable at all but that looks Verkley similar to the one that @XR500 has so bumping him so he might comment.

And then he beat me to the bump. Ha ha ha ha

Originally Posted by XR500

Riverrun, Sib river and Solar are inflatables all designed and made in Russia, though some manufacturing may now be occuring in China.

The war in Ukraine has seen embargos on the Russians, and they have lost their supply of high quality South Korean PVC's and European made glues and have had to rely on Chinese made fabrics and glues. And you can tell where that is going.

Riverrun do use heat welding for their air chambers, which is a step in the right direction, but PVC falls well short of puncture resistance when compared to polyurethane. Something like 4 times less.

The only inflatables on the NZ market made from polyurethane are Outback boats. The use of polyurethane incurs a price increase, which makes them more expensive. But for NZ conditions where you spend an awful lot of time making contact with rocks, they are the ducks nuts.

I have pushed mine hard for 4 years, and it has never punctured. I know a guy who uses his Solar even harder, but it looks like Norman Gunston, covered in patches from one end to the other

If you buy a PVC made inflatable jet boat, ensure you always carry the right glues, fabrics, tools to do repairs up the river.


Edit: The links @mikee has put up are to Goats' jet boating adventures. He started with a Solar boat, then changed to Outback boats polyurethane inflatables.

You are living the life. Into a lot of interesting shit. Go you.

I sold my big boat with the idea of buying one, but life................and the gorse in my pockets got in the way!

Originally Posted by XR500

Riverrun, Sib river and Solar are inflatables all designed and made in Russia, though some manufacturing may now be occuring in China.

The war in Ukraine has seen embargos on the Russians, and they have lost their supply of high quality South Korean PVC's and European made glues and have had to rely on Chinese made fabrics and glues. And you can tell where that is going.

Riverrun do use heat welding for their air chambers, which is a step in the right direction, but PVC falls well short of puncture resistance when compared to polyurethane. Something like 4 times less.

The only inflatables on the NZ market made from polyurethane are Outback boats. The use of polyurethane incurs a price increase, which makes them more expensive. But for NZ conditions where you spend an awful lot of time making contact with rocks, they are the ducks nuts.

I have pushed mine hard for 4 years, and it has never punctured. I know a guy who uses his Solar even harder, but it looks like Norman Gunston, covered in patches from one end to the other

If you buy a PVC made inflatable jet boat, ensure you always carry the right glues, fabrics, tools to do repairs up the river.


Edit: The links @mikee has put up are to Goats' jet boating adventures. He started with a Solar boat, then changed to Outback boats polyurethane inflatables.

Norman Gunston. Wow, that popped a forgotten memory back into my head.

Originally Posted by whanahuia

Norman Gunston. Wow, that popped a forgotten memory back into my head.

Ha ha ha yes me too. Bad comb over from memory.

Originally Posted by Tahr

You are living the life. Into a lot of interesting shit. Go you.

Thanks Tahr,

While conventional jet boats can be a lot of fun, for carting yourself and a couple of mates up our bony NZ rivers to go hunting they are far more heavy (150kgs vs 750 kgs), expensive (35k new vs 80k new) are not well designed for regularly bumping into the hard parts of rivers, and are far more intensive in maintenance. Our inflatable spends a lot of time cruising, sliding, bashing, squeezing over rocks, and only needs a new set of spark plugs each year.

Inflatables do have their downsides: they are relatively slow and they get blown around easier when crossing lakes. But they cannot sink. And when you are getting on in years, a 150kg boat is a damn sight easier to get off the rocks by yourself than a 750kg boat

Hi XR500, Sold my big boat and getting keen on outback 380 with a 30hp Tohatsu, any advise you can give, thanks mike

Gidday,

The Extreme 380 is a cool wee boat. Goat has done a ride or 2 and a simple review on one. Look him up on his YT channel.

The 3.8m version of the Extreme 47 was developed I believe to fill a niche, and you would have to ask yourself if that niche is where you sit. Its made to be extremely portable (potentially the grey nomad on the road exploring the South Island, yet still wants access up the rivers to go exploring/fishing/hunting. Or anyone who only ever sees themselves in their boat by themselves, or only one passenger and overnight kit.

I am expecting that they will get up ever so slightly skinnier water than the 47, but conversely may not handle well the foaming dumping waters of, say the Hidden Falls rapids on the Hollyford river. The almost double the buoyancy and extra power of a 47 will see you right.

When the water gets skinny, the bigger size and power of the 47 can actually be useful, as you can throw it sideways to build up a deeper level of water under the keel, and keep feeding it to the jet unit.

It would be neat to take both boats out and do some empirical testing side x side on different rapids and shallows.

If portability is a necessity, the lighter 3.8 will win hands down. If I take the Tohatsu 50 off my 4.7, I gotta be real careful when moving it about. Its very top heavy and at 72 kgs, it can take control very rapidly. A 60hp 4 stroke would be 30 kgs heavier.

The Tohatsu 30hp is 51 kgs. Far far easier to move from the mobile home or the back of the ute to the rivers edge. Esp on a wheelie frame.

Thanks XR500 for your knowledge on these boats, I think I will be alone with the dog mostly and don't like the thought of drowning in big rapids so will avoid them, portage?, I was thinking of a wheel that can be clamped on the motor like a wheelbarrow, I have a little caravan to tow so would put the boat on the back of the cruiser , you're on the money with old grey nomad , thank you for the reply , I have seen goatracing excellent review but good to here from an owner .

I think Graeme (Outback boats) may have done a bit of work on putting lightweight plastic wheels bolted to the transom, not the motor for a client who wanted to do much the same thing. They store pointing upwards, then pull a pin and rotate all the way down to lift the arse about 200mm off the deck. Lock in place. Lift the bow and walk away. Well that's the theory Certainly the 3.8 would be a whole lot easier to heft around than the 4.7

Originally Posted by XR500

I think Graeme (Outback boats) may have done a bit of work on putting lightweight plastic wheels bolted to the transom, not the motor for a client who wanted to do much the same thing. They store pointing upwards, then pull a pin and rotate all the way down to lift the arse about 200mm off the deck. Lock in place. Lift the bow and walk away. Well that's the theory Certainly the 3.8 would be a whole lot easier to heft around than the 4.7

Quite a common idea on little tender dinghies at the beach. Go for the biggest diameter wheel available. Lots easier to drag.
I bought a little Seaspray pontoon boat with a 25 hp Tohatsu jet on it. Not the sort or boat I'd take on a narley river but great little boat for mild water. Would need a few more horses for fast water.