Polyurethane (Urethane) boats
Why Urethane?
Polyurethane material, more commonly called urethane has undergone many transitions in the making of the material. Since 1986, we have been experimenting with this material because of the attributes of the material itself. It has proven to be durable and very abrasion resistant, but in the past was either too heavy and stiff to consider building boats with or proved to have difficulty in the actual construction of the boat. Over time, the composition of the material has changed. We are now able to hot weld and glue the materials together. In 2011 we gave it a try and built a 12 foot self bailing raft with 21 oz. urethane. It has been on Class I-V whitewater and has shown to have adequate abrasion resistance and best of all….weighs only 62 lbs. with thwarts installed. Called the U-Reach. We built this raft at the request of a customer who wanted to be able to pack the boat by himself when fishing. He was unable to do this with the rafts he currently owned. This was the reason we moved on to develop the ThrillSeeker design of the boat. We use the 21 oz. urethane, originally made for life rafts, and the finished ThrillSeeker with thigh straps installed weighs 19.6 lbs. The original PVC ThrillSeeker weighs ~35 lbs, so this is a huge advantage in the weight of the boat.
The reason we have wanted to build this lightweight ThrillSeeker inflatable kayak, which we call the U-ThrillSeeker, is to gear it to many different types of paddlers. Being close to the average retirement age, I personally wanted a boat that would be easy to carry, pack and travel with. I did not want to sacrifice the performance of the ThrillSeeker but was willing to give up some of the proven durability and life of the boat in exchange for the lighter weight. The original ThrillSeeker, “Goofy” is going to be 25 years old this fall, so we know our boats last! In addition to meeting the needs of the older generation paddler such as myself, the new U-ThrillSeeker is a great boat to be able to pack and hike into beautiful remote locations for put ins that are not easily accessed. And it is a great boat to pack or ship for anyone who travels extensively that does not want to deal with a heavy boat.
Only 19.6 lbs. of packable fun
The U-ThrillSeeker is made of 21 oz. Polyurethane 846 denier/940 dtex fabric. What does that mean: The performance and design of the ThrillSeeker in a under 20 lb. package ( regular PVC ThrillSeekers weight is ~35 lb.) that is nearly a 45% reduction in weight.
Find Out More About U-Thrillseekers!
Introducing the U-Reach
- 12’ Self-bailing raft
- I-beam floor
- 2 Main Air chambers
- 2 Thwarts (cross-tubes) fixed
- 6 Cushy handle/d-ring patches
- 4 D-rings patches – inside
- ~65 lbs.
Since these boat are new to the market, we will offer the same 5 year warranty on craftsmanship and a 1 year limited warranty on the material. This boat is intended for recreational use. The U-ThrillSeeker currently is only available in orange and ivory, but we can can also use dark blue for trim and/or accents and keep the weight the same. If you would like a more colorful trim options, we can use the PVC trim and/or accents, which would lower the price of the boat, but add weight.
Call Us Today and Lets Get Your Thrills Started!
We can answer any technical questions you might have regarding inflatables. Or give you any information you might need to choose among our world-class designs. Thanks for your interest!
800-673-3537 (800 6SEEKER) or 304-329-2359
attila@tseeker.com