Has anyone seen one of these crazy self-righting river rafts? (creature craft)

Dustin Chromers said:
Neither of the above statements are accurate. I will attempt to clarify. Class V is regularly run by expert boaters most often in kayaks. Often raft companies claim the V rating falsely to inflate customer expectations and feelings of accomplishment I know of no companies operating in the state that are actually actively running class V water. For instance nobody is guiding Tumwater to my knowledge when it's flowing well enough to be considered a class V venture or the Cascade. I believe there used to be an outfit guiding the Cascade. That was and is truly class V rafting.

Class VI are rapids rarely run and I would say likely near never in rafts with a few fringe exceptions. Rapids are never downgraded once ran regardless of designation. Just cause a class VI drop is run doesn't mean it's now V or V+. The river isn't changed therefore the rating stands. Sunset is an example of this. It's been creature crafted. It's been kayaked by I believe three individuals and "canoed" in a log by Al Faucet as the pioneering decent. It's still class VI.

As for the creature craft? They are not really well respected in the cadre of whitewater paddlers. Granted kayakers can be purists and often view alternative craft as slow moving impediments in the river piloted by fatter less capable athletes needing a crutch but the sentiment stands. They are kinda the quad of the river. Sure they can take on amazing feats and make them safer but the dirt bikes of the river will never respect them. They lack the utility that breeds respect in every thirsty kayaker needing a cooler of cold ones transported to camp and frankly just too gadgety to have the cool factor a raft and experienced pilot demand in exchange for gear transport.

Personally, I see them as a gadget that is perfect for low head dam rescue or other rescue operations where a pilot isn't caring about a crutch or cool. They have their place but I would lower myself to actually ride in one or even be seen in the same vicinity as one. They are just too goofy looking to mix with kayakers. Like plunking, they can get a job done but there's no asthetic or mastery in it. You just chuck it out there with all that gear and hope.
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Sorta like indicator flyfishing or trolling a fly around a lake, versus actual reputable flyfishing!
 
Dustin Chromers said:
Neither of the above statements are accurate. I will attempt to clarify. Class V is regularly run by expert boaters most often in kayaks. Often raft companies claim the V rating falsely to inflate customer expectations and feelings of accomplishment I know of no companies operating in the state that are actually actively running class V water. For instance nobody is guiding Tumwater to my knowledge when it's flowing well enough to be considered a class V venture or the Cascade. I believe there used to be an outfit guiding the Cascade. That was and is truly class V rafting.

Class VI are rapids rarely run and I would say likely near never in rafts with a few fringe exceptions. Rapids are never downgraded once ran regardless of designation. Just cause a class VI drop is run doesn't mean it's now V or V+. The river isn't changed therefore the rating stands. Sunset is an example of this. It's been creature crafted. It's been kayaked by I believe three individuals and "canoed" in a log by Al Faucet as the pioneering decent. It's still class VI.

As for the creature craft? They are not really well respected in the cadre of whitewater paddlers. Granted kayakers can be purists and often view alternative craft as slow moving impediments in the river piloted by fatter less capable athletes needing a crutch but the sentiment stands. They are kinda the quad of the river. Sure they can take on amazing feats and make them safer but the dirt bikes of the river will never respect them. They lack the utility that breeds respect in every thirsty kayaker needing a cooler of cold ones transported to camp and frankly just too gadgety to have the cool factor a raft and experienced pilot demand in exchange for gear transport.

Personally, I see them as a gadget that is perfect for low head dam rescue or other rescue operations where a pilot isn't caring about a crutch or cool. They have their place but I would lower myself to actually ride in one or even be seen in the same vicinity as one. They are just too goofy looking to mix with kayakers. Like plunking, they can get a job done but there's no asthetic or mastery in it. You just chuck it out there with all that gear and hope.
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In a log?!
 
Dry Falls...
Have some nads
:)
 
Mossback said:
Dry Falls...
Have some nads
:)
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Ya know, it's only a matter of time before a flotilla of these things, fabricated to look like big ducks and piloted by Billy-Bobs, successfully blast through sacred Class V whitewater and achieve media stardom...causing the whitewater purists to get their panties in a big scruntched- up wad.
 
krusty said:
Ya know, it's only a matter of time before a flotilla of these things, fabricated to look like big ducks and piloted by Billy-Bobs, successfully blast through sacred Class V whitewater and achieve media stardom...causing the whitewater purists to get their panties in a big scruntched- up wad.
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We honestly don't care but nobody takes them seriously with any campfire chatter. The practitioners of the creature craft seem to be big in body, big in hype, and kinda drunk on their own farts.

Then again to be fair us creek boaters trend to look at other padding pursuits as a substitute or less than. There are however open canoeists that garner respect. I've run the little white salmon with one that made a zero portage decent and was noted to remark, "well done sir. Here's to you. You possess half the paddle but appear to be twice the man."
 
Zak said:
In a log?!
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Yes. Worth a Google. An interesting man. Ran several large falls in his log canoes. More a daredevil than a boater, but still first. He was a showman who sold tickets to witness his brass balls in free fall. He died a strange death of freezing while carving his next craft. To do so he had to remove the walls to his house. Committed to the end.
 
Dustin Chromers said:
Yes. Worth a Google. An interesting man. Ran several large falls in his log canoes. More a daredevil than a boater, but still first. He was a showman who sold tickets to witness his brass balls in free fall. He died a strange death of freezing while carving his next craft. To do so he had to remove the walls to his house. Committed to the end.
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I'm not really sure what to say about this. What an interesting human. Maybe a stupid one as well? Committed indeed. I will have to google a bit.
 
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Paige said:
Here you go!
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I hadn't seen that. Damn.

I can't even imagine the mindset it takes to do something like that. It's along the same lines as that Alex Honnold guy who dies the freeclimbing.

Hard "no" from me. I like living.
 
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