Want a whitewater boat?
So many choices! How to pick? Here is a little bit of info to help you begin to sift through the possibilities.
WW boat categories
hull designs (bottom and sides) and approximate lengths
Playboat = Freestyle = Rodeo - 5'-6' acrobatic boat
Free Runner- 7' very playful river boat
River Runner - 8'-10' comfortable down river boat
Creek Boat- 8'-9' cork-like to escape gnarly holes in dangerous WW
Crossover - 9- 12' with a skeg to track straight, a bulkhead and a hatch
Slalom/racing >10'- fast
Deck (top) versions:
Sit Inside- the traditional kayak design. In rough water, a spray skirt is necessary to prevent water from entering the cockpit and flooding the boat.Sit On Top (SOT) - open deck with drain holes, moulded-in or clip-on seat and foot pegs, knee straps for edge control.
Hull Terminology
Planing hull = flat from side to side. Allows the boat to literally spin on a dime or on a wave
Displacement hull= somewhat rounded from side to side
Edges= sharp chines (angles) where sides meet bottom. Sharp, low edges help carve turns, but can make a boat more likely to flip.
Rails= grooves along the bottom edge. These help carve and stabilize, but can snag on rocks
Rocker= the curve from bow to stern. More rocker makes the boat easier to turn and harder to paddle a straight line. Rocker at the bow makes the front less likely to nose-dive (pearl). Rocker at the back end makes it easier to launch off rocks (boof ledges).
The playboats, free runners, most river runners and most modern creekers have planning (flat bottomed) hulls under the paddler with edges to carve turns. The flat bottom makes the boat more likely to spin, which is nice when surfing on waves, but a serious challenge for a long paddle on calm water. Rails help the edges carve turns and raise the edges to make the boat a little less likely to capsize.
The crossover boats, some creekers and some river runners have a slightly rounded hull under the paddler (displacement or semi-displacement) no rails and softer (rounder) edges. These characteristics make theses boats less likely to snag on rocks, less likely for the current to catch an edge and capsize the boat, and easier to roll back up. Their extra length makes them faster and less likely to go vertical or spin in confused currents and helps them track a straighter line.
Since fit and comfort vary wildly from person to person, it is very important to sit in the boat you want to buy before you purchase it.
The Jackson Funs, Fluid Spice, Dagger Axiom, LL Freeride, Pyranha Varun, and Wave Sport Fuse are a few examples of playful river runners. These boats have more length than the rodeo playboats for a little more stability, comfort, and speed, but are short enough to pull off spins and tricks on most any wave or eddyline. They are great boats for an athletic person getting into playing on whitewater and running rivers.
The Jackson FunRunner & Zen, Fluid Detox, WaveSport Diesel, Pyranha Burn, Dagger Mamba, LL Remix are some examples of stable river runners well suited for beginners, mellow paddlers and yet are boats that can handle big WW with style. Most modern runners have a flat planing hull and enough volume to pack compact gear for an overnight trip.
The playboats, free runners, most river runners and most modern creekers have planning (flat bottomed) hulls under the paddler with edges to carve turns. The flat bottom makes the boat more likely to spin, which is nice when surfing on waves, but a serious challenge for a long paddle on calm water. Rails help the edges carve turns and raise the edges to make the boat a little less likely to capsize.
The crossover boats, some creekers and some river runners have a slightly rounded hull under the paddler (displacement or semi-displacement) no rails and softer (rounder) edges. These characteristics make theses boats less likely to snag on rocks, less likely for the current to catch an edge and capsize the boat, and easier to roll back up. Their extra length makes them faster and less likely to go vertical or spin in confused currents and helps them track a straighter line.
Sizing
Your boat should be sized for both you and the type of water you will be running. Most WW boats come in three sizes (small, medium, large) with volume (in liters) and paddler weight ranges listed for each size. Jackson Kayaks often combine a size-related name with their boat name to get things like: Star, AllStar, SuperStar, and MonStar. If you are between size categories, then your skill might dictate which size. In general, talented boaters would rather be at the high end of the listed paddler weight range so they can more easily 'throw' the boat around (with their legs). Novice paddlers doing more down-river paddling may feel more stable if they are at the mid or lower end of the weight range.Since fit and comfort vary wildly from person to person, it is very important to sit in the boat you want to buy before you purchase it.
A few thoughts
If you are considering a whitewater boat, you should have a good idea of what rivers you will be paddling, how often you will be paddling and how playful you would like to be. Will you want to stop at features and play for a while? If you're only going out once or twice a month, do you want a boat that demands skillful handling? Are you willing to learn how to roll?
If you live in our area and only want one kayak, I'd recommend a crossover boat. I consider my crossover ideal for most rivers in our area, but remember, no boat is good at everything. I could take my crossover out on the Missouri River for a 4 hour float with recreational paddlers, but I would not take it there for a 4 hour paddle with strong paddlers in touring boats or a 20+ mile paddle-- I'd take a longer, touring boat.
If you never, ever want to learn to roll, then a sit-on-top might be your best choice.
If you never, ever want to learn to roll, then a sit-on-top might be your best choice.
I'm a big fan of getting a used boat to start with. Craigslist is a great source of used boats. Get a boat, get yourself out on the water, into a pool, gain some skills, meet other WW paddlers and sit in as many of their boats as you can. Soon you'll learn more about what you like and want.
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| Fluid's Dope - the cheapest playboat around |
The Categories
PlayBoat
The Jackson Stars, the Fluid Dope, Dagger Jitsu, Pyranha Jed & Molan, Wavesport Möbius & Project X are a few examples of short, stubby play boats. These boats have pinched flat front ends, almost no rear end and are designed to pop out of the water vertically to allow aerial rodeo moves such as loops (flips) and cartwheels. These are suited for aggressive paddlers wanting to do rodeo tricks at park and play spots. They are not ideal boats for learning to surf, but if you have a play spot nearby, you're gonna have to get one!Free Runners
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| Jackson's Fun, a popular FreeRunner |
River Runners
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| Liquid Logic Remix- a river runner |
Creek Boats
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| Dagger Mamba- a creek boat |
Creek boats are high volume boats with bulbous ends. They are designed for running steep creeks with waterfalls. Their high volume makes them surface faster after a plunge into foamy water and their thick ends are less likely to get pinned between rocks. Creekers also make good stable beginner WW boats while folks build up their confidence. They are certainly capable of surfing some waves.
Crossover Boats
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| Pyranha's Fusion- a crossover. |
Crossover boats are hybrids between a light touring boat (long, bulkheads/hatches) and a river runner. Most have a river runner inspired hull, a stern bulkhead and hatch, and a drop down skeg which massively improves tracking a straight line. The skeg is a must in flat, calm water to keep the boat traveling more efficiently for a long paddle. These boats are typically easier to pack for overnight trips than a whitewater boat. They are stable, comfortable boats and mine was easy to learn to roll in.These are great boats for rivers up to class III.
Sit On Tops
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| Fluid's Do It Now with thigh straps. |
If you are a fair weather paddler who will not try to learn to roll, then one of these boats might be your best choice. The
Perception Torrent, Ocean Kayak Frenzy, Liquid Logic Coupe, Fluid Do It
Now are examples of sit on tops that can handle waves and whitewater. Their hull is similar
to a creek boat, so they tend to be very stable for beginners. They need thigh straps in order to edge turns which is really important when crossing eddylines.
Lots of rental companies put folks in this type of boat because they are so easy to exit and reenter, even in the middle of a river! If you already know how to roll, you should be able to roll one.
I'm a huge fan of these to get people out on the river, but a stroke lesson, edge control, and river skills are very important for whitewater paddling.
Lots of rental companies put folks in this type of boat because they are so easy to exit and reenter, even in the middle of a river! If you already know how to roll, you should be able to roll one.
I'm a huge fan of these to get people out on the river, but a stroke lesson, edge control, and river skills are very important for whitewater paddling.
What ever you choose, get out there and paddle!
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