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Whitewater and fly-fishing rowing frames are on ths page, and oars are
found on the "Oars & Paddles" page. We don't stock frames due to the hundreds of possible variations, but highly adjustable
aluminum take-apart frames from NRS, and AIRE's steel and aluminum cat &
Puma series frames, are available with lead times varying from two weeks to as little as a couple days on the others.
Take-apart frames are handy for portability, and having one may make the
difference between getting your frame to a fly-in destination, or having
a bush pilot sadly shake his head. Most of the aluminum frames below can
also be adjusted on oarlock, footbar, and seat positions for different size
people, and the overnighter frames can be ordered in varying sizes for different
widths of coolers and gear boxes. They are held together with either strong cast
fittings that won't slip or clevis pins, and come
with one padded low-back tractor seat or slant board unless otherwise noted.
High-back seats may look comfy in the
pictures, but they do not allow a natural body movement when rowing and can
actually make your back very crampy.
The seats for the front & rear angler on most fishing frames are a padded plastic body fold-down chair. These rarely survive a flip in rocky water but then again, even the metal seats can be damaged if a heavy raft is upside down.
THE REALITY:
It's been another year since we updated this page, such as it is. We need to do a little revamping & make a few things clear about the frames below because of repeated requests for "package deals" on rafts or catarafts with frames. The first issue is that on most frames, dealer discounts are very small. Manufacturers simply have too much labor - or sometimes too much expensive metal - into the end product to build in 30, 35, or 40% margins for dealers. A few give 30% on some models, but they are the exception not the rule. We can get an extra 5% on some by pre-season ordering, but we are very reluctant to do this since customer's needs and wants are so inconsistant, and since, as mentioned at the top of the page, there are so many sizes. For this reason, when we figure a total package price for your needs, we do not extend the 10% accessory discount on the frame. On a few models from AIRE may be able to go 5% off.
We know there are sellers on Ebay and other venues of dubious professionalism hawking "packages" that will include some Asian glued-pvc raft with a certain frame, cooler, oars, et. al, at reasonable prices. Since they have a whole batch of just one model frame made they do get better margins on the frame. And if this combo works for you, there is no reason not to consider it as long as you understand any inbuilt compromises you may be making - like getting a raft that has a top lifespan of perhaps half what other brands might.
We want to give two specific examples of package requests we had to illustrate the dilema many raft dealers face. The first came from a woman looking for a purple AIRE Jaguarundi cat with a large NRS aluminum frame, and the second from a fellow who wanted an AIRE Tributary 14' raft with a mongo fishing frame, also NRS brand. We very much appreciate that both of these people liked our site enough to phone us,
and we hope the following doesn't make us sound ungrateful for their calls because that is not the case.
The lady who wanted the Jag & cat frame lived in Idaho. That was the first problem. We don't stock large cat tubes often (especially not purple) other than Tributary's and the occasional Maxxons, and AIRE will not drop ship into Idaho since they have many dealers there (ditto for Colorado & Oregon). If she bought the tubes through us & picked the tubes up at AIRE, she would have to write a check to AIRE for the sales tax, though she would have avoided UPS fees. Through us she would save about $100 on the tubes, but the UPS back to her from us would have made up for most of that, and we would have had to eat the incoming freight on them, which we often do. So in other words, the tubes would have made a big boomerang from Idaho to California, and back again, though we certainly would have made enough money to make it worth our while.
All our inventory involves shipping charges to get here of course.
The frame entailed a similiar situation. For a while NRS was willing to drop-ship items on a limited basis, but they changed their minds about it again. So, with the frame we would eat very substantial UPS fees on two huge, heavy parcels plus the seats, and the shipping charge back to her would have been more than the tax. Since we do not give the 10% accessory discount on the NRS frames, she was way ahead to get her frame direct instead of hoping for a "package price" savings. NRS would charge her the list price on the cat tubes, but would also discount the frame enough to more than make up for the $100 we would save her on the tubes, so buying the whole deal from them was one option.
The gentleman who called wanted to do one-stop raft shopping, and while we understand not wanting to order every single raft related item from a different source, unwillingness to at least call two places seems a bit lazy.
The raft he wanted, a Tributary 14' was out of stock both here and at AIRE. He had made the assumption, as many people mistakenly do, that with visa card in hand he could get his boat any time he wanted on short notice. This is incorrect, especially as of late, because NRS, Hyside, and to a lesser degree AIRE, have all had supply issues for different reasons the last two years. So, we could not get the boat to him in the few days he had before his Rogue River trip.
He also wanted a complex NRS fishing frame, and he lived in Oregon where again the heavy, multi-box frame would have had to boomerang to him from us. Once more, we eat UPS on the frame, and we typically spend an hour re-taping the oft-mutilated boxes (frame packaging rarely arrives here in good order). In both examples the inbound freight, credit cards fees, and re-ship time pretty well makes trying to handle the frame sale ludicrous. So, if we suggest ordering your frame direct, we are not trying to be unhelpful, just practical for both of us. If there are any parts missing or damaged, you can go directly back to the source with your problem.
Part of the reason NRS may not want to drop-ship has to do with customers refusing damaged rowing frame boxes (often without checking to see if there really is any damage to the contents), and NRS having to resend the same item a second time. Their margins are less too when they sell through dealers, so sending the same thing twice on a drop-ship order erases most of their profit as well. And, like AIRE, they wish to protect existing dealers in certain states and cities by not drop-shipping product for dealer A into dealer B's backyard.
The summation of all this is that you need to be flexible, and understand that sometimes buying one item like a frame or exotic drysuit from a separate source may make sense. Understand that you will receive a 10% discount on all other accessories with your boat, so there is still "package pricing" involved, but just not one one specific set of gear we are overstocked on & trying to ram down your gullet.
There are only a few representative photos here due to the
almost infinite number of variables on frames. Specify the size of your raft or cat and
let us know what all you want to pack. Frames for big boats over 16' are sometimes
subject to an upcharge; e-mail or call with your zip code for quotes and we will do our best. Please understand that
with large, heavy fishing and cat frames requiring multiple shipping boxes, it may take some time for us to accurately quote motor freight or UPS fees. We will not attempt to do this over the phone. And since it does take time, we would ask that you only request shipping quotes on big items like these if you are serious and ready to purchase.
Frames are generally not returnable, unless an error has been made on our end or the supplier's end. .
Updated July, 2008.
Raft Frames
Aluminum Stern Frame (four piece) from NRS: Available with either a low-back
seat or a slant board at the same price. These are popular among some
rafting groups, and then again there are other boaters who wrote these
off a long time ago. The shape of the stern on your raft has much to do
with how well or how poorly these will work. Many of the highly rockered
Maravias, AIRE SuperPumas, and other boats of similiar  shape
put the frame at a very steep angle. If the boat hits either a rock or
hydraulic big enough to stop the momentum, however briefly, the rower
gets launched through the air due to the poor bracing angle of your legs.
Launching is bad enough for a paddle captain, but with a stern frame you
run the additional risk of Heimliching your belly on the oar handles.
Think how much fun it is to hit the water after being relieved of all
your air.
Conversely, with any shape raft, a stern rower also runs the risk of
simply ramming an oar into a rock, and the same thing happens in reverse.
Instead of you flying into the oars, the oars come back at you and knock
you right off the ass end of the boat. Stern frame afficionados would
say you'd have to be a bozo for this to happen; that you must have been
dragging your oars. But anyone can take a stroke in murky water and immediately
hit the oar tip on a rock just under the surface without being at fault.
We'll let you decide. You can be knocked out of your seat with any rowing
frame, but you don't usually land in the water with a conventional one.
$389 for either slant board or seat version.
 Aluminum
NRS Day Frame (four piece, no cooler slot): This frame is simply a basic
rowing platform with no capacity to haul anything, though you could still
use one of the Cargo Nets and/or a CargoFloor (below) to haul a couple
small drybags. Better yet, build yourself a separate cooler frame with
schedule 80 (not sch.40) pipe. 50" long, in widths starting at 48"
up to 72" in 6" increments. Equipped with a low-back tractor
seat. $369
Overnight Aluminum (six piece, holds one cooler or drybox) from NRS:
With longer side bars than the Day Frame, and two extra adjustable cross  bars
for strap-mounting a cooler or drybox (straps not included). You cannot
haul both a cooler and have a second seat mount at the same time,
but a passenger could sit on the cooler. 68" long, in widths starting
at 48" & increasing in 6" increments. $499
Note: for about the same price as the standard "Overnight", one smart option is to substitute one extra footbar for the two straight front bars (the ones the cooler is nestled in in our photo), which you would position at the very front end where the forward straight bar is in the picture.
Cut (and varnish) a piece of 3/4" plywood that spans across the low part of the two footbars, but make it almost as wide as your raft interior. Cut notches out at the corners for a tight fit. Drill two holes through the front & back edge of the plywood deck, and on through the bars. Four carriage head bolts, inserted from the bottom with the rounded heads facing down, will now secure your deck to the frame. Use a bolt length that only pokes above the plywood 1/4" to 3/8", and use wing nuts for convienence. Left wing nuts and right wing nuts are both acceptable as long as they do not become abrasive.
Now, you have a deck to sit your cooler on, and by running cam straps around the footbar undersides
and over the top of the cooler (or drybox) everything is secure in a flip. Decked frame are easier to load, though it does take some labor to fit, sand, and varnish the plywood. For those who don't know, most plywood other than that ratty OSB product now use waterproof adhesive, so official "marine" plywood is no longer needed.
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Multi-Day Aluminum (eight piece, holds cooler and drybox):
Standard with one low-back seat, cooler straps not included. This unit
is for longer trips and the Multi-Day can be ordered for any size raft
with varying  lengths
starting at 88". Everything on this frame adjusts so you can taylor
it to any type of boxes, coolers, or extra seats that you wish. $629
For High Back Seat on frames above, add $20
Fishing Frame (many, many variables): Call for quote
The New SuperPuma Aluminum Center Module frame (just the middle part of what you see below; call for price) from AIRE is available
in a basic configuration that will fit the regular Puma and SuperPuma,
or in a Deluxe Fly Fishing Frame version ($1,395, with all three sections shown in the picture) that will fit into the
SuperPuma but not the regular Puma. There is also an extra-long Fly Fishing Frame available for the SuperDuper Puma ($1,695) as well. The  rear
portion is a seat and a casting platform, and the front section
is a casting platform where you would normally be sitting on a front cooler
or drybox. It is possible for some extra money to put a third seat in
the front, but this seat would prevent you from being able to drop in
a drybox or cooler. The seat or seats are padded fold-down plastic bodies
chairs.
Aluminum Dryboxes
Aluminum Dryboxes from Recretec can be ordered with optional kitchen-box
conversions ($90)
that include four legs, leg
sockets, and a retainer cable to hold the lid open at a 90 degree angle.
The kitchen option isn't shown in the photo, but you can make out the
small pieces of angle aluminum  that
hold the box from dropping through the bars, and negate the need for straps
under the box. Standard cross dimensions are 16" by 16", with
36", 40", and 44" widths. These are beefy, very dry, and
amazing lightweight. Please note that regardless of their modest weight
the size of these boxes puts them into what UPS calls "oversize 3",
meaning you will pay for a seventy pound parcel. And that's if Recretec
even will ship UPS; they often prefer to put them an a truck, which costs
even more.
36" box - $355; 40" box - $365; 44" box - $385. For narrower
13" X 16" cross dimension boxes, deduct $25.
Take-Apart Cat Frames
Aluminum Two-person FatCat, 107" or 120" long. $1,099
(twelve piece, two high back seats)
Aluminum Overnight AlleyCat, 88" long. $969 
(nine piece, holds one cooler, w/one high back seat)
Aluminum Multi-Day TopCat, 107" or 120" long. $1,099
(shown in photo) eleven piece, holds two coolers/boxes, w/one high back
seat)
Low Back Seat on Cat Frames, deduct $20
Extra Low Back Seat: $60
Extra High Back Seat: $90
Action Plastic Swivel Seat: $49
Aluminum Wildcat/Bobcat Frame (one padded plastic fold-down  seat)
This frame from AIRE is designed around small pontoons
ranging from 10' to 13', and 18" to 20" in diameter. 7 pieces
are held together with a dozen clevis pins. Not intended to hold gear
but you can suspend a drybag behind the seat with a couple straps. A definite
bargain at only $619
Solo Bobcat/Wildcat Fish Frame ($789, one seat only; no photo yet): One of AIRE's newer frames, this features a lean bar and a standing deck, with a area behind the seat for a cooler like the frames that come with AIRE's Outcast line. The difference is that the Outcast frames come standard with an aluminum plate to set the cooler on, and these don't - it's an option that costs extra money. The optional ad-ons available for this frame include a Motor Mount ($66), a Foot Bar ($59), and the afforementioned Cargo Deck ($72). Were you wanting to use this frame in stronger whitewater your best bet would be to forego the front lean bar but to definitely order the Foot Bar. This configuration would be $805. The lean bar would be extremely dangerous in bigger rapids if you were thrown forward or flipped. Of course it's removable so you can leave it on for fishing easy streams and get rid of it on the harder stuff.
This frame is a good example of one that has so many confusing variations that it mandates studying AIRE's website thoroughly before you order, whether you get it through us or them. Due to these variations, the pricing could vary from as little as $725 for a stripped version with no decks or lean bars, to as much as $1,100 for a fully loaded one.
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Cargo Nets
Last but not least are Cargo Nets and Cargo Floors. These
handy  items
always make packing much easier. String the Cargo Floors behind the frame
to set all your drybags on, and if you want, use a Cargo Net over the
top of everything to save time tying down gear. The Floors have a spider
web of webbing reinforcement. Both items require five to six D-rings on
the back end of your raft to mount. It seems like many  manufacturers
such as Maxxon and Hyside are a bit skimpy with them on their rafts, so
if you need more to glue on your boat we can give you pricing. There are
so many types it's tough to list them all on our site. We carry two sizes
each of the Nets and Floors. Pricing is as follows: 35 X 26" Cargo
Floor - $59; 40 X 34" Cargo Floor- $69; 60 X 80" Cargo Net -
$67; 80 X 90" Cargo Net - $72
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101 Brookside Place,
