Use a professional-grade boat
Recreational inflatable boats aren't suitable for rafting. They can burst from the impacts during the route. When choosing, the first thing to ensure is that the boat is professionally certified for rafting. Rafting companies always use top-quality materials.
Materials
The materials typically used to construct rafting boats are hypalon neoprene and PVC. The former are more resistant, more durable, but also more expensive. PVC boats are lighter. This affects the price, with hypalon boats being considerably more expensive. To choose between them, consider the type of river you'll be rafting on, what kind of rapids it has, and seek advice from professionals at the point of sale or from experts in the rafting industry.
For rivers with lower flow, we recommend using a PVC boat – you'll move more easily through the water, making the descent less strenuous. Hypalon boats are for high-volume rivers with challenging sections. The weight of a hypalon raft provides stability and greater resistance to impacts from obstacles like stones, rocks, branches etc.
Size
It's important to consider the boat's capacity and size. They range from four seats to twelve or more. A group with a guide rides in the boat – make sure it has enough capacity for you and your friends plus a guide.
Overloading could cause potential accidents on the river. Rafting boats with fewer than four seats are called canoe-rafts, where there's no space for a guide.
The boats consist of four watertight compartments. If one gets punctured, the other compartments keep the boat afloat. They're self-bailing, automatically expelling any water that enters. The side chambers prevent folding if the boat hits a rock. All feature a grab line around the entire raft and other securing elements, including foot anchors.
Now all that's left is to gather your friends for this great adventure.
Oh! Check out our recommendation for the best rafting spots in Spain Fancy joining?
