Boats n' Holes! Boats n' Holes!

[tacocat]

I have been semi-seriously looking at getting a fishing raft. I understand self-bailing is the way to go. However, is a bucket boat really that bad for Northern California rivers? Farther north it could spell doom, but most of the Northern California rivers don't seem quite as technical.

I hear the bucket boat is easier to stand in, but how do they handle studded boots? How would a self-bailer handle studded boots?

Thanks from your friends at Prestige Worldwide.

[Jaybinder]

"Almost out'a gas... Call The Arabs!!!!!"

To answer your question, I have no idea. I just love that movie.

Jason

[Darrin.Deel]

Regardless of bucket boat or self bailer, they are both very uncomfortable to stand in, unless you have metal standing decks.

As far as being capable of handling nor-cal rivers, there isn't much that I know of that I would NOT take my bucket boat down. Obviously I won't be running the bad stuff on the trinity, but Lewiston to Pigeon Point is a breeze in a bucket boat. Valley rivers would be no issue.

[JasonB]

I've had plenty of time in both types of rafts, mostly in class 3 type whitewater (Rogue, Deschutes, North Umpqua, South Fork of the American, type runs) and a little bit into class 4 (Upper Klamath, Illinois, Grand Canyon, etc). As far as the boats ability to handle whitewater, the only real issues with standard floored rafts are when the boat is taking on too much water, making it very heavy to maneuver: long continuous rapids, really high big water, or when rowing/paddling the boat without a person to bail the boat out. High water can be a big deal for non self bailers, but really only when you're getting to class 4 or higher type whitewater; this is probably NOT where you'll be heading out to fish anyways. I'll agree that neither type is really meant for standing in, and if it were my raft NO one would be wearing studded boots (self bailing or not) while in the raft. Ideally, you should look at frame options for optimizing fishing performance of your raft and consider the costs of such options when weighing costs of various rafts. Perhaps a standard floored raft (much cheaper usually) would allow you to spend a bit more on really "tricking it out" with nicer frame features...? If cost wasn't a major factor, I would personally prefer a self bailer but that's mostly due to the benefits of whitewater capabilities rather than any real benefit for fishing.

There are lots of subtle differences that various individuals have as far as preference to one type of raft floor or another, but imo none of those would really be a deal breaker and ones technique could easily adapt to fit the boat and type of water encountered. Probably the biggest plus for self bailers is that of convenience; no bailing, and much easier to clean at the end of the day (and you will want to keep ALL sand and gravel out of the boat).

As for river difficulties, I'm not quite sure which rivers you mean when you say:
"Farther north it could spell doom, but most of the Northern California rivers don't seem quite as technical."
If you are staying within the central valley rivers, then there is just not enough gradient to produce much difficult whitewater. Outside the valley, in the sierra foothills or the north coast there are many stretches of river that have much more technical and difficult whitewater. Do be aware that the state of California is world renowned for some of the hardest whitewater in the world in the kayaking circles (MUCH more so than say Oregon rivers, where the river gradients tend to be more even and less dramaticly "pool drop" style).
JB

[smokeater]

I would go with a selfbailer for the same reasons mentioned above and personally if I had to stand I would rather do it on an inflatable floor than a standard non-bailing trampoline. And as far as studded boots....I have an old 3'x5' rubber mat that I put on the floor to avoid that problem. This spring I'm planning on putting a plywood casting deck across the front of my frame on days I don't have other folks in the boat.

In the long run you'll probably get more satisfaction out of the SB. Much better than having to bail footsie bath water every 20 minutes.

[tacocat]

Thanks for the opinions. Seems that boats and holes are the best option, but not the only option.

Jason,

I should clarify. California is more the whitewater mecca than points farther north, but usually peak whitewater season is not peak fishing season. I plan to never be on a boat during peak whitewater times. During prime fishing season, it appears that you need to be able to drag your boat a good portion of the time. I could be wrong though.

It seems in Oregon and Washington, the rivers don't get as low as ours, and hazards are more prevalent during fishing season. This is more an educated guess from research, and not from experience.