What is a Cataraft? (Catamaran raft)
Catarafts, commonly referred to as Cats, are a specific catamaran type of raft that is used for fishing, white-water rafting and river touring. Catarafts were first made popular by the Russians, who used them on crazy outdoor adventures and competitive river racing. Cats typically accommodates less people compared to a common raft of similar size, and on some models, there is less or no freedom to move around in the centre of the craft – the majority of Cats used abroad have a metal frame holding the two main tubes apart. However, smaller Cats are commonly used as a fishing platform with a fixed chair in the centre of the craft (in USA), and the larger Cats are great for rafting over rougher water (EG 'Shredder') or for river touring / camping, with sitting being on the main tubes.

How does the R2, R4 / R6 Cats compare to a normal mono-hulled raft? Unlike a raft, there is no floor that gets pushed by waves or gets sucked into holes. Instead, there is just the raised metal frame or inflatable cross tubes (thwarts) connecting the two main flotation tubes with a mesh floor in between. What this means for you as a catarafter, is that you will have a harder time flipping your raft. In very simple terms.....Cats are like skiing and rafts are like snow boarding down a mountain - one carves down the river and the other slides down the river. Cats are simply fast and nimble, and also very light.

On the SportCat-2 / VectoR-2, it is possible to Eskimo roll back the right way where one paddler has fallen off and the Cat capsizes. The other paddler can attempt to roll back up if he has remained seated!


Comparisons / differences between mono-hulled river rafts and river catarafts
Rafts have a self draining floor, Cats have no solid floor, only a suspended mesh 'trampoline" which is above the water level.
- raft floor has a large water surface area plus self draining holes, both of which causes a fair amount of drag. Cats have a smaller surface in contact with the water and therefore can travel faster. EG least effort required to paddle and turn the Cat
- raft floor is not just a single skin. There is an separate inflatable drop stitch 'mattress' on top. This is extra weight compared to the Cat's weightless mesh. ZelGear's biggest 6 man cataraft weighs only 33kg
- raft has more material in the boat's construction which adds to its packed bulk and fits into a very large bag requiring more than one person to carry it. Cats fits into a single backpack (included) and is easily carried by one person
- raft of a similar length to a Cat requires more air to inflate all of the chambers and therefore has a longer inflation time
- raft is like a snow sled with minimal skill set to use, Cat is like snow skis - a much larger skill set can be developed and be more rewarding. The fun factor is far greater. C1 / C2 paddle strokes comes into play

UK raft racing teams (mono-hulls) who have tried out Cats are appreciating the benefits of the Cats for training purposes to improve their racing skills / teamwork on the mono-hulls. The Cats magnify crew imbalances etc that are not readily apparent on mono-hulls.


The ZelGear Catarafts
ZelGear produces both types of Cats - Framed and Frame-less, with kneeling and non-kneeling versions on both types. ZelGear started out with producing aluminum framed catarafts about 18 years ago, and since then, has largely catered for the east European market such as Russia, Georgia, Ukraine, Slovakia and Romania where there are several major white water and large flat rivers very suitable for catarafts - used by river touring companies and sport racing tournaments. The Russians dominated cataraft racing scene with their kneeling seat framed catarafts design. ZelGear was the first to introduce the kneeling seat design on frame-less catarafts about seven years ago and shortly thereafter starting selling these new Cats via the ZelGear outlet in USA.