white water

 Has any one on here ever ran any mild white water on a SOT? If so how did it handle? Is it worth the trouble or more trouble then it is worth?

It's doable in most SOT's. Class 2.

It's more about your skills than the boat. I'd learn and practice as much as you can and go with people more experienced than yourself.

The quick solution is to take some WW classes. You'd be in a closed deck WW boat, but it will help you learn how to manage all kayaks better.

Jason

Nonook, why doesn't AC offer an SOT WW class?

The girl I bought my 1st yak from had taken a WW class on the Santiam that was geared toward SOTs.  I really wish I'd asked who the outfitter was!

-Spot-

I've run my Hobie i9s in ww that was class 2. It's pretty much a pontoon boat so haven't needed any thigh straps or anything so far. I think looking at the bottom surface of the kayak is a very important concern. If your SOT has any kind of keel to it the current will grab it and have it's way with you. I've run a few rivers w/ Kykfshr and I could see he'd have to fight his yak to make it through some tough spots. I think while his more than ample skills got him through well, if you wanted to do it a lot, getting a yak w/ a nice smooth bottom will make it a lot more fun and productive.

Z

Definitely doable. How well it works is going to depending on your skills, the boat, and the water. Side-to-side edge control,  anticipation, & maneuverability will be the biggest challenges. The hull shape of most SOTs are not ideal for ww, but will work in mild stuff, particularly if you don't have to maneuver too much or too quickly.

In any event, I can't over-emphasize the need for lessons. WW is a blast, but things can go wrong quickly & painfully*. A weekend or two of lessons will go a long way toward having a fun time when you go out. I believe the Columbia Gorge Kayak School offers ww lessons using inflatables and SOTs. You can find them here:

http://gorgekayaker.com

I might also be up leading an intro ww course in March/April



*I have many scars to prove this

Merlin
this thread might help
http://www.northwestkayakanglers.com/index.php/topic,4044.0.html

When I first got my Trident 15, we did a drift down the John Day river for smallies, a 4 day trip from Monument to Clarno Bridge. There were 8 of us, 4 kayaks, one canoe with 2 people and a 13' WW raft carrying most of the gear and the other 2 people. Mostly class I & II, a couple of II+ or III. I wish my kayak was a little shorter, but it was very doable. Great trip. It is better to go with someone who has drifted it before, and follow their line thru the tricky parts, I learned to hit every eddy and fish the seams.

The wind was more of a problem than the river. Upstream wind means you go nowhere or upstream.  I did fall off twice, but I was just getting my "sea butt". I doubt I would fall off now. I learned to scull since then, and have better rudder pedals now.

A long trip like that you need a mothership, you have to haul out everything (meaning EVERYTHING) and I don't want a fecal capture device in my boat.

I drift the Sacramento River around Chico several times a year. Easy stuff.

Nonook, why doesn't AC offer an SOT WW class?

The girl I bought my 1st yak from had taken a WW class on the Santiam that was geared toward SOTs.  I really wish I'd asked who the outfitter was!

-Spot-

We can do private classes for that, or you can use an IK in the regular one, but there isn't enough demand to make it regular. It would just be you, me, and 5 other guys from this site!
The regular WW classes draw thousands of people a year, so that's the main reason

 Well I gave it a shot yesterday. I picked a short float (about 3+ miles) down the west fork of the Millicoma and ran it twice. It was a very mild stretch of a small river. I was a little apprehensive as I floated up to the first set of rapids because they were wrapping around a tight turn and I could not see what lay ahead but it sounded big. I cut the rapid in half the first go around by paddling into a calm spot on the out side of the turn and after taking a look at the remaining rapids gave it a go with no issues. Over all I think my Ocean Kayak handled pretty good in the river. The float was a lot of fun and I am looking forward to more in the future.

Good for you, for scouting the rapid you couldn't see. Smaller rivers make me more nervous about the possibility of strainers stretching all the way across the water.