Congrats on the raft. I've only been on the water once so far (stuck up in the arctic right now for 4 weeks of geology exploration work) but it's definitely a riot.

Two quick comments on the raft selection since at this point your raft is still new and thus returnable:

1) Be very sure you're not going to want a spray deck since selling your raft and buying one with a spray deck is going to be really pricey if you decide you want to do that a year from now. My experience is limited, but even on class II water it seems like a nice to have since you still hit the occasional decent wave that can splash you pretty good if you're not a savvy paddler. Not a big deal in warm conditions, but if you're on class II water in the shoulder seasons it can be nice. Keep in mind my experience is very limited though.

2) Since you're valuing low cost and don't want a spray deck, have you considered a Flyweight Designs raft? They make 2 rafts ranging from 2.3 to 3.5 lbs depending on how rugged you want it. They're also cheaper ($299 and $399). The design seems a bit less refined (ie. no upturned bow), but the 3.5 lbs raft is likely of similar durability as the NRS raft (200D urethane coated nylon for both?) and you'd save some money and weight.