Comparing hyside Max 12 & nrs 12’ osprey

At the shop we currently we have two 12’ rafts, a Hyside Max 12 and a NRS Custom E-Osprey 120. We realize comparing these two boats isn’t an apples-to-apples comparison of designs; it would have been better if we had the NRS E-120D or NRS Otter 120D. Nevertheless, we still thought it could be informative, worthwhile and was a good enough excuse to set them up and stand around in the sun and talk rafts.

A 4-bay frame is being built for the Hyside and our plan for the NRS is to make a demo dory/raft out of it. The NRS is a continuous curve raft that we’ve had NRS custom make for us. It’s very similar in length to an AIRE puma.

12’ rafts are a ton of fun. They’re great as paddleboats as well as oar rigs. These boats are designed for different things. The Hyside Max 12 has a great shape for hauling gear and is flatter, good for packing in a bigger paddle crew. The NRS has a sportier continuous curve that makes for a more dynamic ride down the river.

Below is a chart with our comments and what we found in our comparison.

	Hyside Max 12	NRS Custom E-Osprey 120	Eddyline’s Comments
Affordability/ $$$ Outlay	$3595	$4850 - This boat is a custom order of an old design for a specific purpose.	Custom boat cost quite a bit more but also has high quality features.
Construction / Overall Layout	Tough Hypalon Coated 1680 Denier Nylon Fabric, Urethane Bottom Chafers, Preventive Wear Patch, Triple Bonded Seams	E-series heavy duty Pennel Orca fabric, full coverage rub strip on the top and a bottom chafe, that wraps well up the tubes	The Hyside is a lighter boat but the heavier weight of the NRS comes from the right places, more floor chafe.
Handles	2 - bow & stern	6 - bow, stern & sides	NRS handles are of a tougher construction and better placed.
Floor	Self bailing, pressure release valve	Self bailing, pressure release valve	The NRS has a tight fit to the side tubes. The Hyside has a 3-5” gap between the floor & the side tubes. The Hyside also has more drainage holes than the NRS, which will make the Hyside easier to keep clean of sticks, rocks, twigs, etc.
Thwarts	3 - hinge & pin attachment system	2 - batten attachment system	The Hyside attachment system can get in the way when the thwarts are not installed.
Valves	Leafield - placed slightly off to the side of the bow & stern.	Leafield – on the bow & stern.	The valves on the NRS are more exposed & more likely to get hit when loading, unloading, or bumping a rock. They're easy to access & make for easy pumping from the shore but, obviously, only one end will be on the shore at a time. The Hyside valves also easily accessed but are less exposed.
Chambers	4 chambers in the tubes, 1 floor, 3 thwarts	4 chambers in the tubes, 1 floor, 2 thwarts
D-Rings	1.5" D-rings, 8 total - 6 outside the boat, 2 inside the boat	2.5" D-rings, 12 total - 10 outside the boat, 2 inside the boat	NRS has more durable, beefier D-rings. Both style boats could improve their D-ring layout for frame rigging.
Tubes	19.5” diameter tubes	17” diameter tubes	The shape and tube diameter of the Hyside will enable to carry more gear.
Width	5’9” overall - 71"	5’8” overall - 70"
Floor Dimensions - the inside of the boat	30.5” wide interior - with thwart attachments 30”	34” wide interior - at widest, diminishes
Frame size - maximum	76” long x 60” wide - good for a 3 or 4 bay frame	50” long x 60” wide - approximately	Hyside will carry a bigger frame & bigger load.
Weight	92 lbs.	Heavier than 92 lbs.	NRS boat is heavier.
Overall shape
Warranty	5-year retail	10-year retail, 6-year commercial

Other Impressions - Even though these boats are built for different purposes, it was still a worthwhile comparison. We believe Hyside and NRS make some of the best rafts on the market. When comparing these two particular rafts in this situation, our opinion is that Hyside has a better design and NRS has better construction and slightly beefier materials.

Here are pictures of the frames we’re working on for these boats. The Hyside Max 12 frame will be a lightweight 4-bay breakdown. The NRS frame is a prototype dory-raft frame, that will be more enclosed and decked over.