Unroll

Place the rolled raft far enough from the water so that when you unroll it downhill, the stem is at the edge of the water and the bow is toward land.

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Inflate

Check the valves.  Sotars and Maravias have valves with a center push action spring valve and can be opened by pushing air into a closet valve by using a finger to push, turn, and lock the center action spring down and open.  For the purpose of filling the boat, you want these valves closed, so the stem is up.

Each raft has at least four separate air chambers, separated by internal baffles.  Take care to put the same amount of air into each chamber.  Inflate each chamber 70%, and then go back around and inflate the raft to nearly 90%.  Close the valves and cover them with the caps.

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Attach the Frames

• Place the Main Frame with drop bag towards the bow, and the empty cooler space toward the stern.

• The Rear Frame goes directly behind the Main Frame.The hatch can open either direction: boatman’s choice.

• Center both frames side to side on the boat, parallel and touching.

• Pull the buckles out from under the frames, so they won’t be underneath when you strap things down.

• Attach frames to each other & to one D-ring using the 3’ strap on each side of the raft.

• While avoiding twists, orient each strap with the cam buckle right side up and close to the D-ring so the strap can by tightened with an upward pull from on board the raft (while it is upright).

• Attach the bow and corners of the Main Frame with two 3’ straps to the nearest D-ring & the stern end corners of the Rear Frame with two 3’ straps to the nearest D-ring.

• Attach the Main Frame to the remaining D-rings forward of the oarlock fittings.

 

Rig the Suspended Aluminum Floorboard

The floorboard is where the boatman’s feet will be, with gear rigged on either side.  The aluminum floorboard is attached to the Main Frame with six 4’ straps.  Loosen the straps and lower the metal floor to within a few inches of the raft floor.  If the raft is a self bailer, it may be close to the raft floor, but not touching.  Ideally the floor height should be 13.5” below the side decking.  Tuck the ends of the floor straps into the obvious cutouts in the floor.  Should items shift in your journey, you can retrieve these tails and square up your floor.  Rig any items you’d like on the floorboard, while considering the safety of the boatman’s legs, and the tubes of the raft.  There are two straps in place on each side of the floor with which to rig boxes, cans, or bags.  If you have PRO side boxes, rig them so they open toward the middle of the floor, and you won’t have to move them until the takeout.  Straps crisscross the lid.  Remember that the boxes are not dry unless the straps hold the lid tightly shut – the floor needs to be high enough so that the box lids are higher than the side decks.  The straps are long enough that you do not have to undo them to get into the box – just loosen them and slide them off the side.

 

Carry the Raft into the Water

Pull it close to the shore and tie the bowline to an immovable object.  Once the boat is placed in the cold water, the air inside will condense, and the boat will get soft.  After 10 minutes or so you may inflate the boat to 100%, adding air evenly to all sections.  Tighten your frame straps evenly.  This will make the boat much easier to load.

 

Rig the Cooler

The cooler is the boatman’s seat.  The Main Frame has four straps across the cooler area.  The two inside straps are ‘cooler top straps’ (10’) – they suspend the cooler above the floor and the two outer straps are ‘cooler top straps’ (8’) – they hold the cooler in the boat.  Adjust the ‘sling straps’ so the cooler sits just above the floor, but don’t undo them.  Undo the top straps – the ladder lock will keep them attached to the frame.  On 16’ boats with 123 qt or 150 qt coolers, the cooler is offset to the boatman’s right to accommodate a water jug to the left (drain end) of the cooler.  To support the cooler properly, locate the sling straps 2 feet apart; each offset about 4 inches to the right of where you’d place them if the cooler was to be centered in that area.  Once the cooler is in place, adjust the cooler height as needed for the boatman’s rowing comfort and make it level.  Put the cooler cover on top of the cooler, and the ‘top straps’ over the cover.  These straps never need to be unfastened, just loosen them enough to open the cooler to get your food.  The opposing forces of the straps underneath and the straps above hold the cooler in the raft and tightly closed.

 

Load Drop Bags

Anything you put in the drop bags will get wet, so load only waterproof items.  Keep sharp objects away from the tubes and the floor of the raft.  Keep in mind the boat will track and handle better with more weight in the bow than the stern.

 

Attach Oarstands

Using the 3/16” Allen wrench found in your raft repair box, turn the set-screw until contact is made with the frame.  Then tighten ½ turn or 180 degrees, and no more.  Although our frames are made of aluminum, the set-screws (used to adjust the oar stand position and the cooler bar position) are made of steel.  If the oarstand works loose with rowing, loosen the set-screw, rotate the oarstand slightly, and re-tighten ½ turn past contact.

 

Spare Oars

Rig the spare oars along the sides of the frame using four 2’ straps on the corners of the Main Frame.  Allow them to hang loosely on the side of the boat, blade forward, clips out, for easy retrieval.  If you cinch them too tight, they can break when the boat flexes in big waves.  When you ship your oars, the blades of your running oars with rest inside the spare blades.

 

Runner Oars with Oarlocks

Slide the runner oars, blade first, into the oarlock, and tie them off with the poly cord leashes attached to the frame.  Use a bowline knot to make a 6” loop on the oarshaft between the oarlock (or clip) and the blade.

 

Runner Oars with Pins & Clips

Unscrew the black ball on top of the thole pin and allow the top of the white plastic stirrup to rise up off the thole pin and open up.  Now you simply slide the clip on the oar over the thole pin.  The oar should be oriented so that when the stirrup is closed and the black ball reinstalled, the oar itself is inside the stirrup opening.  Also keep in mind that when your oars are shipped (resting on your spares parallel to the boat) the stirrups should be inboard.  This will allow the oar to take the stress of a pull stroke instead of the clip.  Don’t forget to tie your oar leashes as above.

 

Final Rigging

• Rig your 50 cal ammo cans on the diamond plate walkway with the four 6’ straps provided.

• The front deck of a boat has a cover providing a comfy seat for passengers.If you have a table up front, attach the cover before rigging the table, legs down, over the open drop bag.Strap the table tightly to the frame.Hatch covers can stay on for the entire trip.Close the hatches using two 3’ straps in the hatch finger holes.

• Rig dry bags, chairs, solar showers, etc., on the flat surface of the Rear Frame.

• Attach miscellaneous items with carabiners or straps, always considering the safety of your passengers and the raft.

• RIG TO FLIP!It’s not embarrassing to flip – it’s only embarrassing when you lose all your stuff (and group stuff)!

 

Test Drive the Boat

Once your boat is rigged with most of its load, take it for a test drive.  You may end up adjusting your rig a couple of times during the first day or so, but it is time well spent.  You’ll be “assuming that position” for the next 2-3 weeks.

• Adjust your seat height by tightening or loosening the cooler sling straps.

• Adjust your oarlock or thole pin angle and distance from your seat with your allen wrench.

• Consider whether you need a foot brace to have a comfortable push distance with your feet.

• Change the fulcrum of the oar by moving the oarstop or clip.