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!.

Jeff Bennett (Portland, OR) is an avid snowboarder and the author of The Essential

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 Cats

The Fremont Expeditions

John Wesley Powell

Nathaniel Galloway

The Post-World War II Era

The Self-Bailing Generation

The Russian Influence

Looking Toward Tomorrow

2. Get Wet: Your First Rafting Adventure

Outfitters

Other Ways to Get Wet

Clubs and Organizations; Raft Rentals3. Equipment: From Oars to Floors, Helmets to Hi-Floats

Basic Raft Anatomy

Tubes; Panels and Seams; Valves; Thwarts; Floors; Accessories; Footcups

Materials

Base Fabrics; Coatings

Design Characteristics

Length and Width; Tube Size; Symmetry; Rise; Waterline; Floors

Catarafts

Types of Catarafts; Cataraft Design; Characteristics; Rotocats and Plastic Cats

Other Types of Rafts

North American Rafts; Plohts

Purchasing a Raft

Traditional Rafts; Catarafts; Used Rafts

Frames

Traditional Raft Frames; Selecting a Frame; Other Considerations; Cataraft Frames; Cooler Frames

Oars

Oar Construction; Selecting Oars; Oar Length; Setting Up Oars; Pins and Clips; Oarlocks; Fine Tuning

Paddles

Essential Riverwear

Clothing; Lifejackets; HelmetsSaddle Up: Assembling Your Gear and Crew

Inflating Your Raft

Pumps; Inflating the Raft

Rigging the Frame

Loading Accessories

Spare Oars; Spare Paddles; Bowlines; Handlines; Bail Buckets; Additional Gear

Passengers in Oar Rafts

Nonpaddlers; Paddle Assists/

Paddle Teams

A Solid Foundation; Seating Arrangements; Varying the Size of the Paddle Team5. River Morphology: The Dynamics of Running Water

A Look Beneath the Surface

Water Mechanics; Laminar Flows; Turbulent Flows; Chaos; Helical Currents; Meanders

River Characteristics

Volume; Gradient

Surface Features

Tongues; Upstream Vs; Standing Waves; Diagonal Waves; Haystacks; Breaking Waves and Stoppers; Pillows; Undercuts; Rooster Tails; Boils; Holes; Lowhead Dams and Weirs; Waterfalls; Eddies

The Big Picture

The Rating Game

The AWA River-Rating Scale; Fine-Tuning the Scale6. Propulsion Basics: Different Strokes for Different Boats

Oar Strokes

Backrowing; Portegee; Turning; Shipping; Rowing Sweep Boats and Plohts

Paddle Strokes

Get a Grip; Three Types of Paddle Strokes; Basic Power Strokes; Advanced Power Strokes; Turning Strokes; Bracing7. Paddle Captaining: The Art of Whitewater Choreography

The Pretrip Lecture

Seating the Captain and Crew

The Captain's Chair; Seating the Crew

Guiding Strokes

The Strokes; Experience Is the Key

Paddle Commands

Basic Commands; Advanced Commands; Fine-Tuning; Handling Lag Time; Handling Overstroking; Your Voice; The Seasoned Team8. Whitewater: Running the Rapids

Five Types of Maneuvers

River Directions

Staying Parallel with the Current

Ferrying

History; Oar Rafts; Paddle Rafts; Apparent Versus Real Course; Ferrying Around Bends

Turns and Pivots

Sideslips

Eddy Maneuvers

Putting on the Brakes; Entering Eddies; Staying in Eddies; Exiting Eddies; Capsizing Forces

Heading Downriver

Reading Rivers; The Two Cs

The SAFE System

Scout; Analyze; Formulate; Execute

The Added Edge

Bailing; Highsiding; Digging; Lowering Your Center of Gravity; Beaching

Honing Your Skills

9. Safety and Rescue: Keeping Your Head and Gear Above Water

Having What It Takes

Pretrip Preparation; Time on the River; Pretrip Discussion

Equipment

Group Travel

Lead and Sweep Rafts; Group Scouting and Rescue

Portaging and Lining

Self-Rescues

Swimming; Rerighting Rafts; Active Swimming; Holes and Dams; Strainers and Sweepers; Pulling Swimmers into Rafts

Rope Rescues

Throw Bags; Getting Ropes to Swimmers; Belays

River Crossings

Solo Crossings; Group Crossings

Other Rope Rescues

Strong-Swimmer Rescue; Loose Horizontal Line; The Telfer Lower

Wraps

First Things First; Basic Rope Systems; Z-Drags

First Aid

10. Advanced Rafting: Rafting on the Cutting Edge

Preparation

Skills and Conditioning; Choice of Raft; Accessories; Stowing Gear; The Class V Attitude

Rafting in the Third Dimension

Helpful Hydraulics; Waves; Holes; V-Holes; Eddies

Boulders and Slots

Boulders; Lowsiding

Waterfalls and Steep Drops

Irregular Ledges; Waterfalls

Low- and High-Water Techniques

Low-Water Trips; High-Water Trips

A Quick Course in Steep Creeking

Reading the Horizon; Slowing Your Descent

R-2ing

11. Single-Day to Multiday Trips: Carrying Your Toys

Planning Ahead

Waterproof Containers

Dry Bags; Ammo Cans and Dry Boxes

Stowing Gear Safely

12. River Camping and Cookery: Life at the Riverside Inn

Clothing and Camping Equipment

Campsite Selection

Wind and Water; The Riparian Environment

Campfires

Firepans; Campfire Cleanup; River Saunas

Human Waste

River Cookery

Menu Planning; Packing Food; Coolers; Sorting Food; The Kitchen; Dutch Ovens; Dishwashing; Drinking Water; GarbageOne Step Further: Rafting Alternatives

River Exploration

The Research Phase; Selecting the Crew; Equipment and Supplies; Safety; Getting to the River; Running the River

Racing

Types of Races; Prerace Tips; During the Race; Wildwater Tips

Playboating

Equipment; Skills; Playing on Waves; Playing in Holes14. Stay in Shape: Gear Maintenance and Repair

Raft Care

Takedown, Rolling, and Storage

Raft Repair

Materials; The Workplace; Applying the Patch; Patching Tips; Major Repairs; Welding; D-Rings; Valves

Oar Maintenance and Repair

Riverwear

Neoprene Clothing; Drysuits

Other Equipment

Lifejackets; Pumps15. The Rest of the Story

Becoming a Professional Guide

Opening Doors; Getting Your Ticket to Ride; Guide-Training Schools; The Inside Track; Landing the Premier Jobs

Whitewater Photography

Equipment; Protecting Your Gear; Film Lighting and Exposure; Shooting Angles; The Learning Curve

Rafting for the Physically Challenged

Rafting with Children

Start on the Right Foot; Raft Safely; Keep Them Entertained

Other Whitewater Craft

Inflatable Kayaks; Inflatable Canoes; Sit-on-Tops; Kayaks; Canoes; RiverboardsConservation--Preserving the River ResourceAppendix:

Safety Code of the American Whitewater Affiliation

Water-Level Information

United States Maps

Canadian Maps

Regional Guidebooks (U.S.)

Local Guidebooks (U.S.)

Local Guidebooks (Canada)

International Guidebooks

Books for Physically Challenged Rafters

Additional Canada Information

Periodicals

Rafting Equipment Catalogs

Rafting Manufacturers

Portable Toilets

Outfitters Organizations (U.S.)

Outfitters Organizations (Canada)

Private Boaters Organizations

Rafting Schools

Safety Instruction Organizations

Conservation Groups

Checklists

Knots

Glossary

Index