Whitewater Rafting !!!

[Quad18star]

Any of you guys ever do any whitewater rafting?? I'm planning on getting a group of friends together this summer and take a couple days to do some rafting on the Ottawa River up here ( with a guide) . I've never done rapids in a raft before , so I'm not too sure what to expect , although I'm sure it's something that I'll love ... plus the tour package I'm planning on has 2 days of rafting plus an afternoon of bungee jumping ( 200ft platform) ... awesome cabins ( or you can tent) and a lot of cold beer on tap .

I have done rapids in a canoe for a whole summer back when I was 17 and it was a blast . I'll try and dig up the cd with pics on it .

So to anyone that has done both .... which did you prefer ?? The canoe or the raft ??

[Dumontexrider]

dude, i gone in canoes, rafts, and kayaks, and i must say, rafts were the funnest. make sure your up front or its not as fun. make sure to wear shoes and not sandals because your foot will chafe because you have to wedge it so you dont get tossed out.

the best was when we were at this spot where you could "surf". basically, theres a hole in the ground at a drop off and you go in there and because of the whole, the water keeps you in the same spot and your "surfing" on the drop off. Good luck bra

[Quad18star]

Originally posted by Dumontexrider
dude, i gone in canoes, rafts, and kayaks, and i must say, rafts were the funnest. make sure your up front or its not as fun. make sure to wear shoes and not sandals because your foot will chafe because you have to wedge it so you dont get tossed out.

the best was when we were at this spot where you could "surf". basically, theres a hole in the ground at a drop off and you go in there and because of the whole, the water keeps you in the same spot and your "surfing" on the drop off. Good luck bra

Thanks for the info . Like I said , I did a whole summer of running rapids in a canoe ( 2 months straight) and I loved it . The largest we did was a class 5 and it was pretty insane ... plus I was at the front of the canoe so I got nailed with everything head on . I actually have a picture somewhere of me completely under water and all you see is my buddy and the back half of the canoe .

I know what you mean about the "surfing" .... we used to get into a few of those pockets and just take a breather and plan out our next move . Swimming in the rapids was also another fun thing that we did .... I'd do it again in an instant .

Now I'm just keeping my fingers crossed that I can get a group of atleast 6 other people together so that I can make this a good trip . My girlfriend has been bugging me to take her to run rapids for over a year now , I just didn't know if a raft was going to be as fun as a canoe , but you just reinforced my willingness to go . :devil:

[honduh440]

it will be one of the funnest things you have done and if ur finances permit it will become a yearly trip for you. its awsome!

[Quad18star]

Here's a link to one of the companies I'm looking at . I think these are the guys I'd go with .

http://www.wildernesstours.com/

Let me know what you think.

[honduh440]

heh im jealous

[wheeltrax]

i did it once, it wasnt the most hardcore from the people i have talked to that went there also, but i had a blast, especially the the end, where we went off a 15-20 foot cliff

[wilkin250r]

A lot of it depends on the raft, the rapids, and the amount of people.

Large touring expeditions with several people per raft ends up more like a roller coaster, Because of the size and weight, you can take larger swells head-on, and it's not uncommon to get tossed ten or twelve feet up and down. In a canoe, the range is usually around four feet. You hit 10ft in a canoe, you're going to submerge on the landing and swamp the whole canoe.

However, if you're with a guided tour for beginners, you're not likely to hit anything over class 3. If you're experienced with a canoe and have hit class 5, you may find the rapids lacking a bit. The trip will be fun, with you and your buddies in the same boat, you can socialize a bit more, just don't expect the rapids to be quite as exciting.

[Quad18star]

Originally posted by wilkin250r
A lot of it depends on the raft, the rapids, and the amount of people.

Large touring expeditions with several people per raft ends up more like a roller coaster, Because of the size and weight, you can take larger swells head-on, and it's not uncommon to get tossed ten or twelve feet up and down. In a canoe, the range is usually around four feet. You hit 10ft in a canoe, you're going to submerge on the landing and swamp the whole canoe.

However, if you're with a guided tour for beginners, you're not likely to hit anything over class 3. If you're experienced with a canoe and have hit class 5, you may find the rapids lacking a bit. The trip will be fun, with you and your buddies in the same boat, you can socialize a bit more, just don't expect the rapids to be quite as exciting.

Thanks for the info also .

I was reading on the one website that if you take the 2 day tour , you have the chance to do the larger raft with 12 people and the second day you can take the small raft with 6 people . I also remember reading that you can chose which chanels you want to hit .... the first is for a more relaxed yet still fun experience for people that go with kids or older adults ( rapid levels 1-3) or you can chose the more intense ones which you hit level 3-5 . Myself I'd love to hit the larger rapids and I'm sure my buddies will also .... I know my girlfriend is up for hitting the big rapids ... I hope the rest of my buddies girlfriends want to do the same .


Swamping a canoe in rapids is not fun I can tell you that much . :ermm: Especially when it gets wrapped around a rock with the open end facing upstream . It took 5 of us nearly an hour to try and pry it off the rock ... the canoe was toast after that .... she wouldn't glide across the open lake at all .... it was a long 10 miles on the lake thats for sure . :grr:

[wilkin250r]

In class 5 rapids, a raft is a little easier than a canoe, because it's more stable, and impossible to swamp. You can fill it up completely and it will still float.

However, just because it's easier doesn't mean it's a peice of cake. It will still be challenging, and thus exciting.

Me, personally, I enjoy a raft more than a canoe. Half the trip (for me) is the calm periods, socializing with your friends as you drift, and it's much more fun when you're together in the same boat. It's impossible to do a drunken backflip jump off the side of a canoe.

Really, the only downside to a raft is that it's almost impossible to traverse across a lake. Rafts just don't glide through the water like a canoe, so you have to limit your trips to downriver only.

You'll have just as much fun on a raft, this I promise you.

[Quad18star]

Originally posted by wilkin250r
In class 5 rapids, a raft is a little easier than a canoe, because it's more stable, and impossible to swamp. You can fill it up completely and it will still float.

However, just because it's easier doesn't mean it's a peice of cake. It will still be challenging, and thus exciting.

Me, personally, I enjoy a raft more than a canoe. Half the trip (for me) is the calm periods, socializing with your friends as you drift, and it's much more fun when you're together in the same boat. It's impossible to do a drunken backflip jump off the side of a canoe.

Really, the only downside to a raft is that it's almost impossible to traverse across a lake. Rafts just don't glide through the water like a canoe, so you have to limit your trips to downriver only.

You'll have just as much fun on a raft, this I promise you.

Awesome ..... it's great to hear stories from others that have done it . Sounds like you've had a great time shooting the rapids with friends . I'll be sure to get pictures when I go with my group of friends . This package includes a bunch of stuff like I had mentioned , including steak cookouts at night , breakfasts and shore lunches .... and of course a few refreshments along the way .

Yeah backflips are hard out of a canoe ..... I have been thrown out of one though when we hit a nice size wave ...... the guys I was with were laughing ..... they said I flew a good 8 feet in the air and looked like I was trying to fly . All I remember was seeing this massive wave and thinking "Oh crap we're gunna get swamped " ... then it was a blur ... I ended up at the bottom of the rapids caughing from all the water I swallowed . Good times non the less.

[shano]

Hey Greg..

I went 2-3 years ago with my parents, I think it was owl outfitters or something like that, it was on the ottawa river. It was super fun, I have great memories from it. Definatly worth going.

If you want more info, just talk to me on messenger.

[Quad18star]

Originally posted by shano
Hey Greg..

I went 2-3 years ago with my parents, I think it was owl outfitters or something like that, it was on the ottawa river. It was super fun, I have great memories from it. Definatly worth going.

If you want more info, just talk to me on messenger.

Yeah Owl outfitters is another one I was looking at . They all seem to be pretty good . I really like the one I linked cuz they have a bungee platform .