Boat Guidelines
Whitewater Paddling School on the Mulberry River
Whitewater Instructors are generally concerned about any boat that is:
- Not in good repair
- Difficult to turn or spin
- heavy
- Without adequate flotation
- Lacking structural strength
- Likely to collapse when pinned
- Difficult to wet exit
- Less stable than appropriate
- Without high sides, full ends and lots of rocker
- Difficult for less experienced paddler to control
- Overloaded
If the buyers guide in either ACA Paddler or Canoe and Kayak magazines lists a boat in the whitewater category, it is probably OK for this school. If the boat listed as the recreational, touring, cruising or sport combination, it probably is not suitable.
Examples of unacceptable Canoes are
- aluminum canoes,
- Coleman Canoes,
- canoe with keels
- Canoes 17 feet or longer
- square stern canoe
- Lake or touring canoe
Acceptable Canoes with additional flotation include:
- most whitewater canoes with high sides, full ends and rockered keel line.
- Buffalo
- Dagger Legend
- Old Town Discovery
- Mad River Explorer
- many other traditional canoes
Examples of unacceptable kayaks
- nearly all recreational and touring kayaks including
- Perception Sierra, Tribute, Carolina, Prodigy, and Acadia
- Swifty
- Keowee
- Dagger Bayou, Blackwater, Catalyst, Element, Zydeco, and Specter
- Old Town Loon.
- Riot Sun, Azui, Journey, Quest, Stealth, Voyageur, Trophy, Tourlite, and Liberty
- touring kayaks
- Flatwater kayaks
- Folding kayaks
- Any kayak that is unduly difficult to wet exit.
- Low Volume Rodeo kayaks are questionable. Talk to an Instructor
Acceptable kayaks include:
- most modern whitewater kayaks
- Dagger Pegaus Sit on top
- Perception Torrent Sit on tops
- Certain Inflatable Kayaks --contact Mike Stanley to discuss.
The most important piece of equipment for whitewater paddling is the boat itself. Whitewater boats should be outfitted and rigged to:
- reduce risks to the paddler,
- allow quick, easy wet exit
- allow quick, easy self-rescue
- allow easy recovery of overturn boats.
Low volume craft may also present additional hazards to the inexperienced or poorly conditioned paddler.
Outfitting/Rigging:
- Install flotation bags in non-inflatable craft to displace water, securely tied in place. Loose ropes/line can cause entanglement. Lacing for air bags and rope for tying in gear must be properly secured and attached so they won't be a risk to the paddler.
- For any craft that is outfitted/rigged to perform eskimo rolls, the rigging must not impede a boater's effort to wet exit. Outfitting can be too tight or unsafely configured which might cause entrapment.
- Decks of decked boats must be adequately supported to prevent entrapment.
- Canoes must not have low slung paddling thwarts that might entrap feet and legs.
- Both kayaks and canoes should have grab loops or painters that allow a paddler to self-rescue, or for other boaters to retrieve an overturned craft.
- Kayaks/covered canoes--should have grab loops of 1/4 inch plus size rope that is large enough for gripping.
- Open canoes--should have bow and stern painters 8-10 feet long, 1/4 inch or larger diameter, easy to see color, and which will float. When stowed, they should be easily accessible.
- Sit-on-Top WW Kayaks may use either grab loops or painters.
- For all craft, carry sufficient spare paddles for the trip.
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For questions or comments about this page use Private Message on ACC Message Board to Arthur Bowie
mail to Mike 3/5/08 A Bowie