Alpacka Raft Explorer 42

£1,065.00 – £1,355.00 Inc. VAT

Explorer 42 (FX42)

Our lightest and most compact multi-person packraft, the Explorer 42 is the perfect boat for introducing your kids to paddling or taking your dog on a backcountry trip. It can also comfortably be paddled by two smaller adults looking to save weight and bulk on long traverses and adventure races.

Looking for additional options? Check out our Custom Lab packrafts.

Pricing and Stuff

SKU: SKU-2575 Category:

Description

 

On any given day there are 8-10 dogs roaming the Alpacka factory. It’s only natural that we’d want to make a boat that is perfect to bring your four legged companion on your adventures. The Explorer 42 is lightweight and easy to paddle for one person but with extra space in the bow, which makes it our best boat for bringing kids and pets on adventures. It’s also about half the weight of carrying two single packrafts, which makes it a great choice for two adults doing long traverses that involve shorter days on the water or adventure races that require you to carry your boats for long distances.

The Explorer 42 is built with our 11.7-inch diameter Cargo Hull, which is easier to paddle for one person than the larger diameter Cargo Hulls in the Oryx and Forager. The Cargo Hull features our center panel stern and our late rise bow, which maximize stability, buoyancy, leg room, and cargo capacity. The Explorer 42 seating system allows the rear paddler to slot their feet on either side of the seat for better control while the front paddler sits on the forward third of the seat. A backband can also be added for the front paddler.

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  • Manufacturing: Made to Order in Mancos, Colorado
  • Shape: Cargo Hull
  • Tube Diameter: 11.7-inch
  • Valve: Temper assist valve for inflation and deflation
  • Attachments: 4 bow grab loops, 2 stern grab loops, 2 rear strap plates, and 2 forward strap plates
  • Seating: 3/4 length Explorer 42 seat, Optional front passenger backband
  • Build Configurations: Open
  • Cargo Fly: Optional (Internal dry bags sold separately)
  • Materials: Proprietary 210-denier high count nylon hull and 840-denier ballistic nylon floor (Made in USA).
  • Includes: Inflation Bag, Stuff Sack, and Basic Repair Kit
  • Open: The Explorer 42 is available only in the open build configuration. It is not available with spray decks due to the variance between one and two paddlers. It is not available in a self-bailing configuration because the seating configuration necessary to fit two people in the boat will result in too much water pooling in the seating area.Cargo Fly Zipper:The Cargo Fly is the ultimate packraft gear storage solution featuring an airtight zipper installed in the stern of the boat to allow you to load your gear inside the tubes. The system provides drier and more secure gear storage and improved paddling performance due to a lower center of gravity. The Cargo Fly is perfect for expeditions, whitewater performance, and keeping your gear dry in any conditions. Internal dry bags are an optional upgrade on all Explorer 42 models with a Cargo Fly. The dry bags clip in place along each side of the tubes with a side release buckle and allow for better organization and weight balance than placing the contents of your pack loose inside the Cargo Fly. They also act as additional balanced air chambers to make it easier to get to shore in the event of a puncture.
  • Hull: Proprietary 210-denier high count nylon, single side laminated with pigmented polyurethane film (Made in USA)Floor: Proprietary 840-denier ballistics nylon, laminated on both sides with polyurethane film (Made in USA).Seat: 200-denier oxford nylon, with single side polyurethane laminate (Made in USA).Accessories: All grab loops and similar attachments are manufactured in house in Mancos, Colorado out of scrap floor materials and USA made webbing. Small parts and fasteners are Made in USA, when available, and sourced from industry leaders like Duraflex, YKK, and ITW-Nexus.

  • Sizing and Specifications
    Exterior Length 110in | 279cm
    Exterior Width 38in | 97cm
    Interior Length 62in | 157cm
    Interior Width 15in | 38cm
    Rear Cockpit Length 41in | 104cm
    Front Cockpit Length 28in | 71cm
    Weight w/o Cargo Fly* 8.0lb | 3.63kg
    Weight with Cargo Fly* 8.3lb | 3.74kg
    Packed Size** 19×7.5in | 48x19cm
    Max Capacity*** 600lb | 272kg

    *Max Capacity is the maximum total weight (paddlers and cargo) that the boat can reasonably carry in flatwater under ideal conditions. Actual capacity for any given trip will vary widely based on the paddler’s skill and water conditions. Please review our weight carrying capacity guide for further details.**Weight includes all components except inflation bag, repair kit, and internal dry bags for Cargo Fly.

    **Packed size is a reference measurement based on folding each lengthwise edge of the boat to the center and rolling from the bow. There are many other methods of rolling and folding the boats that will result in a different packed size that may be more or less efficient for packing depending on the situation.

  • Design Story

  • We released the original Explorer 42 in 2011 based on customer requests for a packraft that could carry a second person for crossing rivers and lakes and short downriver trips but that wouldn’t be much heavier or bulkier than a single person packraft. The original model was designed utilizing a stern similar to our Alpacka Series combined with longer sides and a short bow to keep the weight and bulk to a minimum. The rear paddler was given a two level seat to more easily see over the front person and the front person was given a simple square cushion towards the bow.Despite gradually lengthening the stern on the Alpacka Series from 2011 to 2014, we left the Explorer 42 largely unchanged from its original design.  However, three things happened in 2016 that gave us some great ideas for improving the Explorer 42. First, we noticed that our 3/4 length self bailer seats added some stiffness to the floor that we thought could benefit a larger boat like the Explorer 42 especially with a second person.  Second, when we developed our new high volume hull design in the Gnarwhal we realized that the extra volume and floatation would also benefit the Explorer 42.  Finally, our new custom foam backband for the whitewater boats was light enough that it would be a great option for the front paddler in the Explorer 42. We combined those three concepts together with our new one way valve and out came the new Explorer 42. More comfortable, stiffer, and better performance at the same weight and bulk as the original.

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