Being on the water is a way of life in Maryland, and few know Maryland’s waterways better than Dave and Mimi Demaree of Demaree Inflatable Boats .

White water rafters in Maryland. Photo courtesy of Wilderness Voyageurs.

Located in Garrett County, Demaree Inflatable Boats (dib) has been manufacturing watercraft since 1982. Pontoons, rescue crafts, inflatable workboats, commercial whitewater vessels, military boats, and numerous related accessories are all produced at the company’s facility in Friendsville—in one of the largest buildings in the town, which used to be a schoolhouse.

With the Youghiogheny River flowing through the town of Friendsville, the Demaree team calls the area “one of the biggest white water hotspots on the East Coast.” The Upper Yough section of the river attracts adventurers from across the Mid Atlantic to the state’s only Class 4-5 whitewater rafting destination . And for those of you keeping score at home, the most difficult and dangerous water rafting is scored as Class 6, making this Western Maryland hotspot  an advanced/expert level journey.

Navigating those rapids, rock ledges, and tight twists and turns requires a reliable vessel—like the rafts made by dib. The company’s industrial grade inflatable boats meet top-quality U.S. military specifications , making it no surprise that dib has worked on fire department rescue boats, pontoons for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers , and prototypes for the U.S. Navy and United States Marine Corps.

A Demaree inflatable boat travels down the Colorado River. Photo provided by Demaree Inflatable Boats and shared courtesy of Speciality Fabrics Review.

“We build everything out of uncured rubber, and once the boat is finished, we put it in a big dry-heat autoclave and vulcanize it under heat and pressure,” President Dave Demaree told Specialty Fabrics Review , a publication by the Advanced Textiles Association. “The advantage to that process is it gives the boat great strength and long life.”

These rugged boats aren’t just used by local government organizations and commercial rafters. According to the New York Times , dib inflatables are used by tour guides down the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon. Each summer, you can even find Dave himself guiding a raft through the canyon waters.

Learn more about the company at dibboats.com .