Boating Gear Guide

RAFTS

PICKING A RAFT

People struggle choosing a boat. It's a big choice and you don't want to miss by much if at all. Having helped people make this decision all these years and owning three different size boats myself, this is fairly straightforward for me to advise. My first advice is to buy as much boat as you can for your budget and floating plans. If you're a day floater only and your river is a small fishing stream, you need a smaller boat. That means a 12 or 13 footer because you can run that boat with shorter oars and it will slip down smaller rivers. If you fish but also want some overnighters with the family or a few buddies you'll need to size up to your gear load. This scenario calls for at least a 13 but the better choice is a 14 footer for the extra cargo room both in length and width. A 13 foot raft with gear and 3 adult bodies get really jammed up.

Now lets up your days of use and length of trips. If you're going for several days the cargo increases and the space decreases. I have seen fully loaded 14 footers shine in pretty big whitewater but move to the 15 and you'll have the same easy to manage boat but without the mountain of gear stacked behind the oarsman's head. Remember you are picking up a full foot inside the raft. I think a 15 footer might be the single best size for all around use in multiple scenarios. Most 14's and 15's have the same size tubes and are identical widths and you shouldn't notice any difference in handling. Moving up the size scale from here means you are really wanting a big boat. These are the 16's, 17's and 18 footers that are built for commercial use and really big loads and the longest of trips. These big boys are heavier as well so unless you're buying for the annual floats on the Salmon or the Colorado stay down in the most useful size range.

THE RIGHT RAFT FRAME FOR YOU

You don't just buy a frame, you plan a frame based on your uses of your raft. There are always some trade-offs one way or another but identify what your biggest needs are and make sure your frame will deliver.

If you are fishing from your raft 90% of the time you're floating, obviously, you'll trick out your raft with a frame that makes fishing easier. There are several options that you can add to a standard fishing frame that will make you and your fishing guests more comfortable for a full day of trying to fool those fish. Check out the NRS fishing frame as it comes with most of what fishermen want and can be loaded with useful options. If your floating with the family and doing multi day camping trips you'll want defined space to store camping items and to create room so you can move around the boat.

One of my favorites that I put into a lot of friend's boats is the Rec Re-Tee outfitter. This frames is a great choice for all around floating and a real winner in the multi day versions. Basically you can add 1 or 2 dry boxes plus a large cooler to the frame and you'll have tons of hidden storage plus 100 to 120 quarts of goodies on ice. Another great feature of this frame is the center floor console which allows you to pack gear in the remaining center console and it allows the oarsman (woman) to stand anytime for scouting or stretching out. Dry boxes make perfect seats for up to 3 people and keep anything you want handy and seconds away.

If you are struggling with which way to go look very carefully at all the options and make an honest assessment on how much you're using one need vs. another and which is most important. If camping and multi days are important but you also fish you can start with a cargo frame and see how that works and then you can add fishing stands at either or both ends. A tricked out fishing frame really doesn't pack gear well or have room for more than 3 bodies total. My personal favorite and what I use on my own boat is an Eddy Cargo model, it's lightweight, strong and I believe as well designed as any frame available. At Northern Lights we can customize almost any need to make it work best for you. Visit the showroom floor and you'll see all these models and several options on display. A well planned frame really makes your raft become all it can for you.

RAFT CHECKLIST

Good thing you've got plenty of room in that raft. While it's easy to keep your canoeing and kayaking list down to the essentials a rafting trip usually involves more people, more gear and more potential overall of having to fix something. I have had enough things break or almost break on multi day rafting trips to cover just about all the repair possibilities. Whether it's your boat or someone else's on your trip things come to a quick halt when repairs are needed. I've made a 2 part list, one for day use and a more comprehensive one for multi day trips and whitewater runs.

DAY TRIPS

-Life vest, spray jacket or good breathable raincoat, paddle pants or good breathable rain pants, river knife and whistle attached to your life vest.

-Synthetic underwear of fleece, good sun hat, fleece gloves or neoprene gloves.

-Water shoes or river sandals with wetsuit socks or neoprene booties.

-Dry bag with full change of clothing per person plus matches-headlamp-food-first aid kit

-Duct tape and roll of white athletic tape (great for first aid)

-Water bottle and water purification tablets or water filter, sunscreen

-Pump, extra oar, bowline, throw rope, repair kit, tool kit with needed items for repairs

-Spare parts (extra valve, nuts and bolts to fit your frame and oar parts)

If I'm on a multi day trip or more serious whitewater I fix up one bad ass repair kit. I make sure I have all the tools I need to repair whatever could break. I look at all the items on the trip and their parts, meaning the nuts, bolts and rivets holding them together, then I make sure I have spare parts to match. This might seem a bit overboard but this extra gear and planning doesn't add up to much time or many pounds and it saves a ton of frustration when something goes crack. All these extra parts and the few extra tools fit easily into my dry box and my toolkit is an ammo can strapped to my frame within reach.

MULTI DAY AND WHITEWATER TRIPS (everything listed above plus)

-Helmet, dry top and paddle pants or dry suit

-Tool kit includes, vise grip, needle nose and wide mouth pliers, crescent wrench, pop rivet tool & stainless steel rivets, proper size screwdrivers, hand drill and bits, good file, nuts and bolts to match your frame, oar components and important camp items, aqua seal

-Extra grease for pump, 30 feet of medium weight steel wire, lots of repair fabric in case of large tear. I carry a few square feet plus a piece that's 1 foot by 10 feet, large needle and thread to sew larger tube tear, good scissors, tear aid tape (great for many repairs)

-Sand stake, 100 foot bowline, at least 6 carabiners for each raft, flip lines

-2 spare oars matched and ready to row, extra oarlock & oar stand

-Pro rated rescue bag (4500 lb) for rescuing a stuck or wrapped raft, prusik line, rescue pulley and some of your carabiners will complete this task

-As many cam straps as you own to secure all your gear

-Most important item: A map of a great river and time off

What to Wear

Whitewater Kayaks

Inflatable Kayaks

Touring Kayaks

Recreational Kayaks

Canoes