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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4. Application

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The first step is to submit a pre-planning application to the Council, outlining the proposals. Once submitted, it takes up to 8 weeks for a response. The pre-application advice provides valuable guidance on how a Council would like to see a scheme delivered. The 8-week period is a perfect time to engage the local community for their support and feedback. A scheme is then designed which takes into account community feedback and the pre-application advice. Once the pre-planning surveys are complete and the planning drawings are ready, a formal planning application is submitted to the Council. The Council will formally validate the application and give a clear determination date (up to 13 weeks for more than 10 units and up to 8 weeks for 10 units or less). Communication with the Council is ongoing during this time in order to ensure that any issues that may arise are dealt with promptly. Once all the necessary paperwork is in place, a formal planning notice is issued.

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5. Appeals

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Whilst we have an excellent track record of successful planning applications, there is never a guarantee that permission will be granted on initial review. This could be as a result of a number of reasons. Nevertheless, if the planning application does not succeed at the initial stage, it does not mean to say that permission is not achievable. We have considerable experience in the appeal process and understand what is required in order to get a decision overturned. If there is a good chance that the decision could be overturned, we will proceed with the necessary steps in order to obtain permission on appeal.

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6. Sale

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Once permission has been granted, the value of your land will be realised either by way of a sale to Pearce Fine Homes or a third party, depending on the terms of our Agreement. We pride ourselves in having excellent relationships with landowners by communicating effectively and ensuring that the sales process is dealt with swiftly and seamlessly.

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