I bought a used cataraft recently and I am now in the process of rigging it for a week long trip this June. We are going to a little known river in Oregon for my 65th birthday. The boat is 16 feet long and will haul about 1,200 pounds. It is an Aire jaguarondi with a large aluminum frame holding two pontoons. The frame has no floor so I am building one with nylon mesh and some 3/4 inch plywood. The frame fits a very large Igloo cooler and an aluminum dry box with a waterproof gasket. It has been down the Grand Canyon three times. I will propel the boat with an oar rig and 9 foot oars. Rafting is something I really miss. It is easy to bring great food, furniture and even cold beer. Yippee.
Thanks to ponderosa. I am going to let the forum members in a on a little secret. Running rivers with rafts, driftboats and canoes is one of the best ways to travel in remote country. You can bring enough food and equipment to be really comfortable, you get to live in rhythm with the river, it can be as remote as you want it to be, and you can travel a lot of miles in a day as in 15-50. The only thing that comes close is to travel with a pack string of horses and mules.
I am really happy for ya man. Travel by water is such a pleasure and its why I chose the profession. Have a great trip and I look for wards to you keeping us informed, as the preparations continue.
Thanks Cappy. There are so many things that you "get" because of all of that time on the water. I grew up on Chesapeake Bay. We slept on the boat a lot because there was no air conditioning in those days. Running rivers is the closest thing there is to being Tom Sawyer. I am a slow backpacker now in the mountains, but I am just as good as any man in a boat.
I am a slow boater. Not cause I gotta be, cause I wanna be. My fishing boat can do 50 but I very seldom let it. I prefer paddling slow or just drifting. Thats when ya really see Gods glory at its best. I never really think about it but I guess I have spent more nights on the water than many posters here have lived. I really am happier for ya than words can express. A trip like ya are getting ready for would be my fondest wish for almost every one on this forum.
Yep, I'm jealous. In my youth we spent a lot of time on the water but, alas, grandma fears the water, especially if I or her babies are near it so I just grit my teeth, humor her, and envy y'all.
Cappy, Your words bring me close to tears. That sounds dramatic but it is the truth. Nature is my religion, but the water and the big mountains are my denominations. There is a kinship among watermen that is undeniable. Running rivers with my brother the last ten years has made us very close. I have some friends that I really trust that have become closer friends as a result of canoe and raft trips. Some people I invite only once. You would have a standing invitation.
