Inflatable boats becoming more popular
BOISE – Low water? Drought? Have no fear.
There’s no need to be bummed out because of predictions of low rivers this year because of the drought. More and more rafters and kayakers are discovering that they can squeeze or bounce down Idaho’s rivers in low water with inflatable kayaks and smaller catarafts, even if the flow is at a trickle.
The trouble is, you can’t take the Dutch oven and the kitchen sink. You’ve got to think backpacking style when it comes to packing the smaller boats with food and gear.
“It’s great,” said Cassandra Roberge, a Boise river-runner and backpacker who did her first low-water trip in an inflatable kayak this spring in the Owyhees. “It’s really easy to carry your stuff,” she said.
Basically, Roberge packed clothing, cooking gear and food for her husband and herself on a two-person inflatable kayak. She paddled it alone. Her husband, Ken Helms, carried a tent and some of his gear in his hardshell kayak.
“If you go light enough, you can get the gear of two people in one dry bag,” she said. “I had a ton of room, but I pack light.”
She even had their dog, Jessie, in the inflatable. “The smaller, lightweight boats can get you through in low water, and they seem to be getting more popular all the time,” said Alan Hamilton, one of the owners of AIRE, a raft and inflatable kayak manufacturer in Meridian.
Hamilton said inflatable kayaks and small cats are the key to doing Idaho’s desert rivers, including the Owyhee, Jarbidge and Bruneau, which always seem to run out of water early in spring, especially during a drought. The smaller boats also allow floaters to do other rivers in the off season when floaters are discouraged by low water.
“They extend your season, no matter if it’s a normal year or dry year,” Hamilton said.
The smaller boats also are popular late in the season when rivers are low and clear, when traditionally the fishing is better. Hamilton enjoys late-season trout fishing on the South Fork of the Salmon and Selway when the water’s low. He fly-fishes from a small cat.
You can always put the fly rod in your teeth if you hook a trout and have to row to shore, he said.
Inflatable kayaks, small catarafts and whitewater-style canoes vary in price, depending on how serious about whitewater you plan to be:
• Small fishing catarafts can cost as low as $499, including the frame, tubes and oars. This is the low end and is OK for mellow rivers.
• Small whitewater catarafts can run as high as $2,000 for a frame, oars and tubes.
• Two-person inflatable kayaks run between $600 and $1,300, with the higher prices being for more serious whitewater craft.
• Whitewater canoes run at more than $1,100.
• For more information, check out these Web sites: www.aire.com, www.maravia.com, or
Running low-water rivers in smaller inflatable kayaks and catarafts can be fun with a little bit of common sense and proper packing:
• Load your boat so that it is trim, or it’s sitting straight in the water. The bow or the stern won’t be sticking up. A trim boat is more stable and easier to maneuver. An unbalanced boat is prone to flipping in waves.
• The heaviest baggage should go right behind the seat in an inflatable and on a cataraft. That, plus the weight of the paddler, will keep a lot of the weight centered in the boat.
• Waterproof bags in the front of an inflatable kayak puts weight in the front of the boat and makes it easier to paddle. The bow won’t get deflected to one side or another in waves and possibly roll. The front bag also can act as a foot rest to give the paddler a brace to get power while paddling.
• The rowing frame on the small cataraft should be slightly forward for more stability and maneuverability in low water. That way the weight of dry bags and a cooler toward the rear will trim out the boat.
• If you are purchasing a smaller fishing cataraft for low-water trips, it might be a good idea to upgrade the oars to whitewater models for more durability and strength. Double-tubed cats are recommended for low-water trips on rocky rivers because they draft less water and also are tougher.
• Worry about rocks. You don’t want to get sideways in a river and get broached on a rock. It’s difficult to get a boat off a rock, even in low water.
• Your favorite river may look a whole lot different in low water. It may require a different way of running the rapids. Scout ahead and do some research.
• Just because you’re in an inflatable kayak, often referred to as a rubber ducky, it doesn’t mean it’s a toy and you don’t have to wear a life jacket. A life jacket and helmet are just as important.
• Carry a raft repair kit in the backcountry so that you can make repairs and get on the river again. Low-water rivers mean hitting rocks.
• Always have a third oar for a cat or extra paddle for an inflatable kayak or canoe in case one is lost in the river.