Advice On Whitewater Raft Handling

by aeturnus

posted on 11/05/2009

Take a good look at the picture that goes along with this aticle. It is a picture of a small-sized inflatable whitewater raft that is being R-1'ed, e.g. manned by just one person. Taking a raft on the river with just one person at the helm is no easy task, but I will give advice on just how it can be done. The words that you are about to read can apply to most whitewater rafts, whether they are big or small. All that really matters is the techniques used, and, of course, a love for inflatable boats.

When I decide to grab a raft and haul its plump tubes down a river, I work it real good. I don't just sit back, relax and just float it downstream. No, I paddle it with excess. I paddle it as hard as I possibly could, making it feel the flex as it rides up and over every wave. I work for a rafting outfitter, so I should know. The rafts that have found our outfitter yard and nearby rivers a home tend to be a little wary of me, simply because I raft them harder than some of the other people that work there. I make my rafts feel the river, pure and simple.

I start by plopping my body towards the end of the raft, sitting at the stern and often favoring one side. I like rafts with high kick, simply because they lunge up and bounce around more. Smaller rafts with high kick are even better, such as the MiniMax seen in the photo. Once you find yourself comfortable at the stern, just take your paddle and begin maneuvering. You can apply a number of paddle strokes, most of which are beyond the scope of this advice column.

Two basic strategies for maneuvering a raft are the forward and backward paddle. All you need to do is place the blade of your paddle into the water and begin drawing forward or backward, and thus your raft will begin to move either left or right. This becomes critical when you are negotiating rocks and water obstacles, and many harder rapids can demand the utmost skill. Such paddling techniques are vital to any paddler, however. Then, there is me. And I don't paddle rafts just like any other paddler.

At first glance at my work on the river, one might believe that I am just paddling a raft like any other paddler. I go for the hard stuff, however. I intend to make my raft dance around on the river. I intend to make it bounce from one side to the other. If I want to really make the raft feel the river and what it has to offer, I'll aim it towards a rock and give it a ride it won't forget. Some rocks are great for this, while others can be very troublesome. A little knowledge of river currents and river obstacles is vital to making this work.

Once I remove myself from the river and thrust the raft ashore, it is usually over-worked and quite sore. With its tubes having been forced to withstand a great deal of flex, the raft likely isn't going to want to run the river again for a while. That is the way of inflatable boats, however. I don't ruin them nor destroy them. After all, I want them around to do the same with again and again. I have a preference for certain boats, and the boats around our raft yard know exactly who they are. When I decide to take one out on the river, it goes whether it likes it or not.

- Aeturnus -

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