Placing Your Order
Ordering a River King Cataraft generally follows the steps below. The three Red Titled Steps are where a 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) Information Exchange Most folks attracted to this website spend some time researching the information here and through emails or telephone calls with me to gain a good understanding of how the River King cataraft is designed and if it will fit their needs. I encourage you to take as much time here as necessary. Your questions help me design a better website and ultimately, a better cataraft. If, in my experience there are better choices for you than this cataraft I will tell you.
2) Placing Your Order When you know which model and configuration you want I'll email you a dated, numbered quote / invoice form itemizing your choices. This will only have an estimated amount for the shipping costs at this time as I won't know the exact costs until the boxes are packed, weighed and measured. To place your order you make a $1000 deposit at this time. You can send a check, 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.
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 little or no time is lost waiting for the check.) Actual production of your order could take from 2 to 6 weeks to completion depending on backlog (which is highest May through July). I will give you a closer estimate of the time when you place your order. I build parts ahead in the winter to reduce backlog in the spring.
4) Changes If you request any changes to your order after you place it, those will be documented on an updated version of the quote / invoice form 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.
5) Final Payment At the start of the final production week I will request final payment. That will be the balance stated on the latest version of the quote / invoice form that you have received. You can send a check at this time or you can use electronic funds transfer from your bank to mine. I don't use credit card or PayPal for this payment because they take such a big chunk of it. During this final week of production your cataraft is assembled, the components photographed in place, everything is disassembled, the parts labeled for your assembly, wrapped and packed into shipping boxes acceptable for the shipping method and carrier chosen. The boxes are weighed and measured which allows me to establish what the exact shipping charges will be.
6) I can ship your cataraft to you or hold it for pick up. I can hold it in boxes or fully assembled if you want to bring a trailer and take it fishing. If you want your cataraft shipped (as most do) as soon as I establish the shipping costs I will send you a separate invoice covering the shipping expenses and insurance that I have calculated. Most customers pay this shipping invoice by PayPal/credit card which is immediate. Once I receive the final payment (as described in step 5 above) the cataraft becomes your property. From that point forward I act as your shipping agent and deliver your boxes to the carrier. I pay the carrier as your agent from the funds you send to cover that.
7) Paperwork and Documentation Immediately after I receive your final payment (step 5 above) I mail you the Ownership Title and Certificate of Origin. These allow you to register your cataraft in states that require that. These usually arrive before your cataraft arrives. Once those are mailed off I also set up an area on my Internet domain (private for you) where I post the photos of your assembled cataraft. I also document any special information or requested customization information for your cataraft so you'll know how to assemble that part of it. Most assembly instructions are available in the publicly accessible Owner's Manual on this website.
