DESIGN & MANUFACTURE

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Frontier Packrafts are made to Blue Duck's designs in Qingdao China in a modern factory with the latest machinery. The fabrics are nylon coated with TPU (thermoplastic polyurethane). TPU coatings provide excellent UV resistance and wear. View technical details here. Most joins are welded and some are glued.
The designs are a collaboration between Blue Duck Packrafting and the Frontier factory designers. We know our rivers and lakes and we have paddled most of them and result is a top quality, fit-for-purpose range of state-of-the-art packrafts.

The design features are oriented to our conditions:

• Cruising

• Expeditions

• Whitewater

• Adventure Racing

You need to be confident that dragging the gear through New Zealand forest and over alpine passes and being confident that your packraft will get you home.

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FLOORS

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Packraft floors from different manufacturers vary considerably in design, material specs and performance. There is a compromise between lightness and robustness. New Zealand rivers are full of abrasive rock and many rivers have shallow shingle rapids. Our floors are 840D and are really tough.
We took a lesson from whitewater rafts where the best rafts have a raised floor design that keeps the floor off the bottom of the gap between the tubes. Some packraft models have this feature and we like it for NZ conditions. Our floors wrap right around the tube bottoms so you get a double layer where the most wear occurs.
What it also does is reduce the span by a third, increasing the tension and making the floor very tight and flat. You don’t have your butt bulging down to hit every rock and the boat is just that much quicker across the water. In self-bailing models there is less water in the boat. Our packrafts track in a straight line and require less effort to paddle. The Apex Series, fitted with thigh braces, are capable of 'edging' or 'sailing' so you can catch those must-have eddies.

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COMFORT

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Why be miserable sitting in your packraft? We have worked with the factory to produce a seat, backband, thigh braces and foot rest combination that allows you to be comfortable and have a good efficient paddling posture. No more slouching and tired arms. The seating position is such that you can use your more powerful trunk muscles and sit up without tiring.

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MULTIPLE COLOUR OPTIONS

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Most manufacturers either offer a pricey custom service or you can have any colour as long as it’s the one colour. ​ Frontier manufacture to order on a very short delivery time. The colour choices are shown in the chart. You can have any combination of the above you like. NO EXTRA COST. The seam tape is black. So is the floor.

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SINGLE OR DOUBLE-COATED NYLON

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Single coated is more flexible and lighter and according to reports is therefore less likely to be sliced by a rock, tree or other sharp object. There are manufacturing reasons for double coated as it gives you more options when using welding as opposed to gluing. How hard you pump the boat has an effect on how easily the boat rips. Too hard can be a vulnerability. Too soft is no way to paddle the boat. The two fabrics feel different, but we can’t tell you yet what our preference is. We have owned a packraft that was single coated and it got scruffed a bit, and that is a pathway for moisture to track along the fibres. Pick the colours you like for the Colour Chart, and if you need light weight, go single.

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ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERN - TPU VS PVC?

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Packrafters. by the very nature of the activity, will want to know they are making the right environmental choices when considering their purchases.

This is a technical comparison of the two most common materials used in inflatable boats.

All our packrafts are made from TPU (thermoplastic polyurethane) by a sophisticated welding process. Some joints, due to access during manufacture, are glued using a specialised 2-part adhesive. TPU, under the right heat for the right time, joins to TPU and the resulting bond is molecular and permanent. There are other considerations when considering the bigger picture.

However, to work around this, most PVC product manufacturers apply DWR (durable water repellent) on the outer surface of their products, or they add anti-UV chemicals that stabilize the coating agent by absorbing and dissipating the UV light as heat. TPU, on the other hand, offers solid protection against the damaging impacts of the UV rays.

The big reasons why TPU is used in all our packrafts?

• LIGHTER

• SLIPPERY WHEN WET

• MORE DURABLE

• LESS ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT

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TI-ZIPS BAGS (FACTORY FITTED)

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The experts agree. If you intend to run overnight trips then a TiZip is more than a nice-to-have, it’s essential. Storing overnight gear such as tents, clothes and food inside the tubes keeps the weight low for stability, off the decks to stop it all getting wet, and maintains a smooth profile for wind and water to shed off the boat. Finally, you can see so much better without a wobbly pack sitting on the bow. Once you have this feature you won’t go back to packs tied on the bow. Our TiZips are the global industry standard and our factory installed prices are the most competitive for this feature. Bow or stern? Your choice. Engineers will note that a radial zip in the bow is subject to 50% of the stress compared with a stern longitudinal zip.
We don’t offer dry bags with the TiZip option. They are available at Bivouac and kayak retailers and are very cheap online on TradeMe. Aim for a diameter of around 250mm or they won’t be easy to load and unload. HINT: put them in handle end last.

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SPRAY DECK (FACTORY FITTED)

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A spray skirt 9 keeps water out of the cockpit in rapids. They keep your lower body drier. They are suited to those who may not wish to carry a wet suit or dry suit. Spray decks keep you a bit warmer. ​ We have a unique design of spray skirt. Our spray skirts are excellent at keeping water out. They have two means of exiting the boat, and a number of safety features lacking in many other packraft spray decks. ​ The seating position in a spray skirt packraft can be set lower, which is more stable for those who value this characteristic.

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SELF BAILING VENTURI DRAINS (FACTORY FITTED)

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We trialled these simple light additions to our self-bailing models. The results were not what we expected. They are now standard on all Apex Series self-bailing models. The flaps protect the drain holes from being a ready-made place to start a big tear in the floor and they work as intended if you get the boat moving fast enough (from about 7km/h). In practice this means you can surf upstream on a wave or in a hole and the water is sucked out completely. This allows some ability to play in whitewater or surf ocean waves with a dry boat. In a hole the bow often submerges and with our venturi flaps the cockpit empties in a flash. This feature extends the self-bailer into the realm only decked models occupied. Self-bailing packrafts allow water to get into the cockpit, but drain it out quickly through floor drains. They require an inflatable seat to keep your lower body out of the wet. ​ They have the advantage of being very quick and easy to get in and out of, for scouting and portages. For people who feel trapped by spray skirts, choose the self-bailing option. ​ Self-bailing seats are set higher. This has two effects; they are less stable, but enable the paddler to practice more efficient paddle strokes and use a shorter paddle.

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OTHER CUSTOMISATIONS

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You can ask for additional D-rings and attachment points at very low cost.
ALL Blue Duck Packrafts are made to order and therefore payment is in advance.

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