River King Catarafts

Ordering a River King Cataraft

Ordering generally follows the steps below. The three Steps (2, 5 and 7) are where a possible payment is required. I use email and Internet extensively for documenting the order because of the speed and the automatic communication trail it leaves. If you don't have easy access to email and Internet I can also use FAX or US Post Office.

Feel free to call anytime with questions but if you request any change to your order I'll follow up with email to maintain that trail. (I save all correspondence and so should you.)

1) Learn and Decide Most folks spend some time researching the information here on the website and through emails or telephone calls. They try to gain a good understanding of how the River King Cataraft is set up and built and if it will fit their needs. I encourage you to take as much time as necessary on this. Your questions help me design a better website and ultimately, a better cataraft. If I believe there are better choices for you than this cataraft I will tell you.

2) Place Your Order When you decide which model and configuration you want and how you want it shipped I'll email you a dated, numbered quote itemizing your choices and what it will cost. This will only have an estimated amount for the shipping costs at this time as I won't know the exact amount until the boxes are packed, weighed and measured. To place your order (if the itemized cost minus the shipping is $500 or more) you'll need to submit a deposit (20% or $1000, whichever is lower) at this time. You can send a check for this, you can use electronic funds transfer from your bank to mine or you can use my PayPal deposit page. The last two are instantaneous while the check could take a few days to get here. If the itemized cost less the shipping is less than $500 no deposit is required.

3) Production When I receive your deposit I put your order in the stream and start production. (If you choose to send a check as a deposit I actually start some important parts of the process when you tell me that you have sent it so that no time is lost waiting the few days for the check.) I can give you a close estimate of the ship date when you place your order.

4) Changes and Cancellations If you request any changes to your order after you place it, no problem. Those will be documented on an updated version of the quote that I'll re-send for your approval. This is usually handled by email so there's minimum delay and you are fully aware of what your complete order will cost at every step. If, for any reason you cancel your order before shipment, any unrecoverable expenses to that point will be deducted from your deposit and any balance returned. Actually, this has never happened but a few years ago a guy in Australia cancelled his order just when it was ready to ship. It was only after that that I started requiring a modest deposit.

5) Final Payment About a week before your boat is ready to ship I'll sned you an email statement requesting final payment. You can send a check at this time or you can use electronic funds transfer from your bank to mine. I prefer not to use credit card or PayPal for this payment because they take such a big chunk out of it. During this final week of production your cataraft is assembled, the components photographed in place, everything disassembled, the parts labeled for assembly, wrapped and packed into shipping boxes acceptable for the shipping method and carrier chosen. The actual boxes are weighed and measured which allows me to then establish what the exact shipping charges will be.

6) Paperwork When I receive your final payment the cataraft becomes your property. I then act as your agent to ship it to you or hold it for your pickup. At this time I mail you the Ownership Title and Certificate of Origin if you will have the boat shipped. These allow you to register your cataraft while waiting for your boat, in states that require that. Some states don't require registration for non-motorized inflatable watercraft. The papers usually arrive before your cataraft arrives. If you plan to pick up your boat in person I deliver these papers to you at that time.

7) I can ship your cataraft to you or hold it for pick up. I can have it fully assembled if you want to bring a trailer and take it fishing. Or it can be ready to go in boxes. Or any other way you want your boat set up. If you want your cataraft shipped to you - as soon as I establish the shipping costs for your preferred method (truck-feight, UPS, Fedex, air-freight, barge to Alaska, etc.) I will email you a separate invoice covering the shipping expenses and shipping insurance cost. Most customers pay this invoice by PayPal / credit card which is immediate. Once I receive the final payment (as described back in step 5 above) the cataraft becomes your property. From that point forward I act as your shipping agent. As soon as I recieve the shipping charges from you I deliver your boxes to the carrier you chose. I pay the carrier as your agent and I send you the receipt.

Note: If you are not a Washington state resident and if you have the boat shipped to an address not in Washington state, then you will not be charged Washington state sales tax which is a little less than 10% right now. However, if you pick up the boat in person here then I am required to charge you that tax no matter where you reside.