The Complete Whitewater Rafter

by Jeff Bennett, McGraw-Hill Harvard Business School Pr

Overview

This is the manual endorsed by professional guides, instructors, and recreational river runners everywhere. With comprehensive step-by-step coverage starting with the first run, it includes tips from top guides, outfitters, and instructors, plus the most complete guide to Class V rafting techniques ever assembled. This is the completely revised and updated successor to Bennett's best-selling manual, Rafting!.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780070055056
Publisher:	McGraw Hill LLC
Publication date:	01/01/1996
Edition description:	Net
Pages:	208
Product dimensions:	7.20(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Jeff Bennett has been running rivers in rafts, hardshell and inflatable kayaks, and canoes since the 1970s. A columnist and contributing photographer to Paddler and Snow Country magazines, his work has also appeared in Canoe & Kayak, Adventure West, and other publications. He is author or co-author of three classic river guides--Class Five Chronicles, A Guide to the Whitewater Rivers of Washington, and Soggy Sneakers Guide to Oregon Rivers--and has contributed tales of hairball whitewater descents to the wildly entertaining book, No Shit! There I Was. He is also author of The Complete Inflatable Kayaker and with Scott Downey, The Complete Snowboarder, both published by Ragged Mountain Press.

Table of Contents

IntroductionThe First Splash; About the Author; A Little Help from My Friends; What Are You Getting Yourself Into?; How to Use This Book1. The Evolution of Rafting: From Powell to Paddle CatsThe Fremont ExpeditionsJohn Wesley PowellNathaniel GallowayThe Post-World War II EraThe Self-Bailing GenerationThe Russian InfluenceLooking Toward Tomorrow2. Get Wet: Your First Rafting AdventureOutfittersOther Ways to Get WetClubs and Organizations; Raft Rentals3. Equipment: From Oars to Floors, Helmets to Hi-FloatsBasic Raft AnatomyTubes; Panels and Seams; Valves; Thwarts; Floors; Accessories; FootcupsMaterialsBase Fabrics; CoatingsDesign CharacteristicsLength and Width; Tube Size; Symmetry; Rise; Waterline; FloorsCataraftsTypes of Catarafts; Cataraft Design; Characteristics; Rotocats and Plastic CatsOther Types of RaftsNorth American Rafts; PlohtsPurchasing a RaftTraditional Rafts; Catarafts; Used RaftsFramesTraditional Raft Frames; Selecting a Frame; Other Considerations; Cataraft Frames; Cooler FramesOarsOar Construction; Selecting Oars; Oar Length; Setting Up Oars; Pins and Clips; Oarlocks; Fine TuningPaddlesEssential RiverwearClothing; Lifejackets; HelmetsSaddle Up: Assembling Your Gear and CrewInflating Your RaftPumps; Inflating the RaftRigging the FrameLoading AccessoriesSpare Oars; Spare Paddles; Bowlines; Handlines; Bail Buckets; Additional GearPassengers in Oar RaftsNonpaddlers; Paddle AssistsPaddle TeamsA Solid Foundation; Seating Arrangements; Varying the Size of the Paddle Team5. River Morphology: The Dynamics of Running WaterA Look Beneath the SurfaceWater Mechanics; Laminar Flows; Turbulent Flows; Chaos; Helical Currents; MeandersRiver CharacteristicsVolume; GradientSurface FeaturesTongues; Upstream Vs; Standing Waves; Diagonal Waves; Haystacks; Breaking Waves and Stoppers; Pillows; Undercuts; Rooster Tails; Boils; Holes; Lowhead Dams and Weirs; Waterfalls; EddiesThe Big PictureThe Rating GameThe AWA River-Rating Scale; Fine-Tuning the Scale6. Propulsion Basics: Different Strokes for Different BoatsOar StrokesBackrowing; Portegee; Turning; Shipping; Rowing Sweep Boats and PlohtsPaddle StrokesGet a Grip; Three Types of Paddle Strokes; Basic Power Strokes; Advanced Power Strokes; Turning Strokes; Bracing7. Paddle Captaining: The Art of Whitewater ChoreographyThe Pretrip LectureSeating the Captain and CrewThe Captain's Chair; Seating the CrewGuiding StrokesThe Strokes; Experience Is the KeyPaddle CommandsBasic Commands; Advanced Commands; Fine-Tuning; Handling Lag Time; Handling Overstroking; Your Voice; The Seasoned Team8. Whitewater: Running the RapidsFive Types of ManeuversRiver DirectionsStaying Parallel with the CurrentFerryingHistory; Oar Rafts; Paddle Rafts; Apparent Versus Real Course; Ferrying Around BendsTurns and PivotsSideslipsEddy ManeuversPutting on the Brakes; Entering Eddies; Staying in Eddies; Exiting Eddies; Capsizing ForcesHeading DownriverReading Rivers; The Two CsThe SAFE SystemScout; Analyze; Formulate; ExecuteThe Added EdgeBailing; Highsiding; Digging; Lowering Your Center of Gravity; BeachingHoning Your S