<\/p>\n
Just outside of Mancos, a small group of people worked together Friday to create something that defies logic \u2013 a lightweight boat that can handle nearly anything, yet roll up to fit at the bottom of a pack.<\/p>\n
And the woman who started it all, Sheri Tingey, sat at a sewing machine Friday, piecing together a new camouflaged boat fabric.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis fabric was hard to find,\u201d she said, standing up to give a tour of the shop, a group of dogs following her around.<\/p>\n
At 69, Tingey said she still very much likes to sit down and sew.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is where I belong,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
She started Alpacka Rafts in Chugiak, Alaska, in 2001 and moved to Mancos eight years ago. The business moved to its current location just east of Mancos off U.S. Highway 160 in October 2013.<\/p>\n
Tingey started her company when her son Thor began backcountry adventures in Alaska.<\/p>\n
\u201cTrying to hike through Alaska, the most difficult thing is water,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
So, about 14 years ago, her son set off on an adventure with a boat he purchased from a retail store.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt weighed 3\u00bd pounds when he started,\u201d Tingey said. \u201cWhen he got back, it had so many patches on it, that it weighed 13 pounds.\u201d<\/p>\n
That is when Thor asked his mom a favor.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said, \u2018Mom, you\u2019ve got to look at this. Can you build me a boat?\u2019\u201d she recalled. \u201cIt was one of those magic moments; my health was coming back, and I said, \u2018Yeah, I can do that.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
The rest is history.<\/p>\n
Today, Alpacka Rafts employs nine full-time and six part-time employees.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is our cutting room,\u201d said Tingey, while giving a tour of the building, which she recently equipped with solar panels on the roof last year.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey run this whole shop,\u201d Tingey said.<\/p>\n
The business is growing, thanks to the Internet, Tingey said.<\/p>\n
While Tingey would not say how many rafts the company makes a year, she did say they sell all over the world.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve had boats go to Mongolia, Siberia and Antarctica,\u201d she said. \u201cIt is quite fun because we have a loyal clientele. We are very connected to all of our clients.\u201d<\/p>\n
Clients usually share pictures of their grand adventures after purchasing a boat.<\/p>\n
The company make 11 styles of boats, including the Ghost, which is designed with flat water and fishermen in mind. It weighs only 1.5 pounds and can be rolled up and put in a fisherman\u2019s vest. Then there\u2019s the Alpackalypse, the world\u2019s first whitewater packraft, which weighs about 12 pounds with all the gear.<\/p>\n
Tingey was proud to show of the Alpackalypse on Friday.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is for serious whitewater,\u201d she said. \u201cThis is designed to run up to Class V rapids.\u201d<\/p>\n
Because of the Internet, Tingey says she is able to craft everything in the United States.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t wholesale,\u201d she said. \u201cThat\u2019s how I can manufacture here.\u201d<\/p>\n
Because Tingey was 55 when she started her business, she said she was at an age that she could look back and figure out what is important.<\/p>\n
\u201cI couldn\u2019t live with myself if I didn\u2019t produce the best product and do it with honor and pay a wage people can live on,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
In the \u201960s, Tingey started up a outdoor clothing company, so she wasn\u2019t new to the design world.<\/p>\n
Today, Thor is a lawyer in Portland, and he still goes on backcountry adventures with rafts his mom makes.<\/p>\n
The company also makes repairs on boats and tests them in a testing pond behind the main building.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t want boats ending up in landfills,\u201d she said. \u201cPlus,if people send them back for repairs,we can see what is going wrong with them and fix it.\u201d<\/p>\n
And the boats have gained some fame over the years.<\/p>\n
Recently, an Alpacka raft was on \u201cUltimate Survival Alaska.\u201d The rafts also appeared in a show called \u201cMotion\u201d and were featured on the Discovery Channel\u2019s \u201cMother of God\u201d.<\/p>\n
Alpacka rafts: www.alpackarafts.com<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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