Maxxons rafts and cataraft tubes now have welded seams. This should increase their lifespans dramatically becasue previously they were all glued, and the glue would typically fail around the 12 to 15 year mark. The image for this boat shows an I-beam air mattress style floor and sections of chafe pad dispersed around the top of the main hull. We need to update the image because the chafe pad is "normal" now, running along the top of the straight section only, and the floor is now a 6" thick flat drop-stitch inflatable pad adhered to the "sub-floor" underneath it. These drop-stitch floors provide superior handling and less draft, plus a flatter surface to stand on if you will be fishing from your raft. It may be a while before any new photos are available, but when we have them we will swap out what is here.
We have not been in one of these new Maxxon 16' SB-490 self bailing rafts ourselves nor even seen one, so with this model we are having to wing it a bit on the description. That said this is basically scaled up from the 13' XSB-390 and 14' XSB-430, which we are very familiar with.
This model, as sixteen footers go, has fairly small tubes at only 20", but this combined with the generous 7'8" width means the interior is huge (over 50") - helpful for long multi-week trips or shorter expeditions where you need to support a lot of kayakers. Leafield C-7 valves are used all around, and the three thwarts are batten-mounted and removable. The raft weighs about 150 without thwarts, and the boxed weight is a good 15 to 20 pounds above that, so both the package size and weight are too high for UPS deliveries. This raft has to ship motor freight, and the best way to say money is to have it shipped to a business. Or, if that is not possible, to the carrier's freight hub near you where you can pick it up.
Maxxon rafts have wrapped double layer tubes up to the 2:00 / 8:00 point, and nearly unrippable floor bottoms. And like the Rocky Mountain boats, they are rather difficult to roll or fold up. Sixteen foot models of either brand are best for rafters using a trailer. Some of the specs below are out of date, but the length/width/weight numbers are accurate.
Specifications for Maxxon XSB-490 16 Foot River Raft
- Length: 15' 8"
- Beam: 7' 8"
- Colors: Red, Blue & Gray
- Weight: 176 lbs.
- Moveable Thwart: 1
- Max Persons: 16 (this manufacturer spec is not correct according to me. I believe 10 to 11 persons)
- Max Capacity: 1,240 lbs. (this manufacturer spec is not correct according to me. I believe it is half their spec)
- PVC: 1,100 top / 3,300 bottom
- Tube Dia: 20"
- Chafing Pads: Yes
- Air Chambers: 5+3
- Floor: 7" I-Beam
- Self-Bailing 3/4" Scuppers every 6"
- Stowed Dimensions: 140x92x41
- Warranty: 5-Year
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