Whitewater Raft Designs

Series Summary

Back in the days of sensible river travel, when rapids came into view, travelers would row ashore and walk their raft until they reached calmer water. But Huckleberry Finn didn't have the high-tech life jackets and padded helmets that we use today. If such was the case, he might not have experienced the on-shore adventures so essential to his story. He would have been too busy having fun in the rough waters to bother with the Grangerfords and the Duke. Indeed, if whitewater rafting today seems like an amusement park ride, it can be very dangerous if the proper precautions are not taken. Watch this series of rafting videos to ensure you know the safe way to hit the rapids.

Our expert will discuss raft designs and how they affect your whitewater experience. Learn what type of paddles are best for your rafting trip as well as what gear is essential for a safe trip. Our expert even tells you how to transport and store your raft for a totally successful rafting trip.

Video Transcript

"Hi, we’re going to talk a little bit about whitewater raft designs. Right here I have a self-bailing raft which is the most common raft out there used commercially now, starting to be a pretty common boat to be used privately as well. This is a twelve and a half foot self-bailing raft that you can seat, is sort of set up to carry between six to eight people, has three ports, is made of hyperlon, has an inflated floor so any water that comes into the boat drains out of the boat through these holes around the perimeter of the floor here. The outside tube and the floor combined, displace the weight of the paddlers in the boat so any big waves that come crashing in drain out through the floors. The more holes you have in the perimeter of the floor the quicker the raft will drain. The advantages of self-bailing rafts are they are more maneuverable in bigger water and you don’t "