Whitewater
Over the years I've taken my River King catarafts through some pretty rough water . . not necessarily for the thrills. I was trying to get to that secluded stretch of fishy water on the other side. I saw the more dangerous whitewater as a locked door that kept all but the most serious anglers at a distance. Big fish that don't see many flies were the prize I was after.
A while back I finally had a chance to test drive the new River King through some pretty serious whitewater on purpose. Actually, I didn't do the driving. Instead, I prevailed upon a friend, Cherie Murphy, who has had plenty of whitewater experience and who could probably give me a better critique of the performance of the boat than I would have been able to myself. Two other friends, Susan Dalby and Bill D'Olier, also experienced whitewater catarafters, kindly offered to take me down in their boat, a 16 foot Aire Craft so that I could watch the River King perform and document the whole thing on film.
It was a beautiful day with north Idaho's Moyie River flowing at 5.9 thousand cubic feet per minute, which I was told, was well into the range for adequate excitement. First, here are some of the pictures of our 6 mile run. At the bottom I'll tell you my overall feelings regarding the ability of this boat to handle the challenge.
These pictures pretty much tell the story. The boat is the RK12, a model we produced from 1995 through 2000. At that time I started producing larger catarafts - although I may produce the 12 footer again, which I see as the ideal one-person fishing cataraft size. The frame design today is similar structurally using the same cross section components - just longer. The whitewater rating this day, according to Bill who has done this river many times was 3 plus.
My instincts told me that this boat should do pretty well in heavy water. One thing to notice in the pictures is the relative alignment of the two hulls as they fly over, dive under and penetrate through the waves. A weak frame with little torsional strength will "walk" through the waves, each hull rocking fore and aft to it's own rhythm. As you can see these RK12 hulls stay pretty much parallel through even the heaviest sections. This indicates a strong, stiff frame that will ride over the waves with reduced drag and will allow quick transfer of oar energy to the boat.
I credit the combination of the aircraft grade rectangular aluminum tubing cross braces and the boxlike construction of the upper decks that the cross braces are firmly connected to. Together they create a large amount of torsional bending resistance, especially for a structure that is so light. In the photos this RK12 is maintaining it's rigidity very well. I've seen whitewater photos of round tube frames with four and five cross braces that exhibit more than15 or 20 degrees of twist between the two hulls.
Whitewater Caution The hydraulic forces caused by rivers in motion are large, unpredictable and life threatening. Never take a new boat into dangerous water. First, spend some time in lakes or ponds and then slower rivers to familiarize yourself with the rowing system, learn how the boat responds to your efforts. Don't enter water that is beyond your skill level. Seek certified whitewater training, available from many parks and rec departments as well as colleges. Good instructional books on whitewater rafting are available online and in most bookstores. Then, if you plan to take your cataraft into heavy water situations, be sure to use an approved PFD (personal floatation device) with a crotch strap, wear a helmet and observe all safety precautions. If in doubt, portage.
