But see Gig, you just answered a great question there…YOU are the determining factor for the white water. NFO says their boats are class V rated, and as you mentioned, under the right controller, they are. Not everyone can do a class V, but I do think the right person can pretty much float it with many different boats.
That’s probably it. I just go through whitewater to get to the other side, and I take the easiest way through. I don’t play in the swells and whirlpools, or anything like that. For me, it’s just a way to go downriver, and fish. Paddling back upriver to go home, I portage around the whitewater sections, and paddle through the back current and eddies. Portaging will really make you appreciate inflatables.
HEAY! New kid on the block! Sort of. The Escalade was out 1999, but here is the new and improved version:
http://www.northforkoutdoors.com/2012catalog/navigator.html
19 lbs!!!
Seems a bit over-priced, but it is rated for Class V water, so it’s probably OK. I’m not crazy about the “rack and pinion oar system”. Double blade paddles are the way to go, especially in rivers.
Fished the upper Ocoee in my Advanced Elements last week, and I think the fish were drier than I was at the end. 4 nice rainbows and 2 mean browns, destined for the skillet. Almost all were caught just downstream of Class IV-V water.
They should make this a new sport…Extreme River Fishing. It could be right up there with Full-Contact Golf 
The oar system is the same as Water Master and Water Strider and no complaints there. I do have those oars. Have not tried them on a river, but I love them on stillwater. Light as heck and like a graphite golf club, has give to it and sling shots through the water using less effort. I can row all day with these.
I called Pelican International and asked them how they rate boats. They said that what determines the ratings is the material and construction of the boat. Some of the polymers have flex in them, like RAMX, and Royalex. This makes them almost indestructible, BUT…if you were to become trapped between two rocks in Class V water, the boat would bend, trapping you in it, and possibly cutting you in half. Even though most boats have extra internal bracing to prevent this, according to the regs, they still have to rate it as Class III and under. I have never had a RAMX collapse on me (but I am also careful not to get trapped on rocks…). Whitewater hard-shell boats are much stiffer, and will break in two before they bend enough to trap you.
They were at a loss as to why some inflatables were rated at less than Class V, because they handle whitewater much better than hard-shell boats. They speculated that it may be due to some obscure bureaucratic regulation that has been misinterpreted.
Rowing is fine, if you like it. Everyone doesn’t have to go through world-class rapids to fish. Unfortunately, where I live, I am stuck with it. There are few places to fish here that do not involve the risk of fast, dangerous water, and/or long hikes. Even wading can be dangerous around here if you don’t pay attention. That’s why they had the Olympic Whitewater Competitions here. It’s also where they filmed the movie “Deliverance”.
I loved rowing when I live on Lake Texoma. I had a really nice dinghy, with a rudder, sail mast, and the works. I rowed it most of the time. I just don’t think you’d survive very long trying to row in the rivers and streams around here. There are few people who even try to use canoes (but there are some very insane people who do use rafts…which is simply an uncontrolled free-fall through the rapids, hoping you survive at the end…the main skill required is an ability to hang on very tight…).
I have a Sevylor Tahiti inflatable. More of a canoe than a kayak, really, but it’s stable if you remember to get the skeg. Only room for one like me, 5’8’’ 210, but they say it’s 2 person. Only skinny, short ones I guess. It’s good in smaller lakes or sheltered coves no white water here, so it’s not a problem. The best thing is, it’s under $200.
I’ve been considering getting a Sevylor Rio. They are on sale at Sportman’s Warehouse for $199.99 right now. It would be nice and light to carry on my bicycle, or hiking in. I’ve also considered an Advanced Elements Lagoon, just to keep on my bicycle for impromptu get-aways. I love my Convertable, but at 50 pounds, it’s a little heavy on a bike.
I had an infaltable kayak and gave it away. There was no freeboard with two people in it and it paddled like an old truck innertube. I replaced it with a Creek Company one person pontoon. (I’ll know more about it after Memorial Day…)
I noticed they don’t list a capacity in “persons” or weight in the specs…
What is the history of this boat? I am a firm believer in you get what you pay for, and if it has to do with MY LIFE and am very picky/ I had a Sevylor raft at one time too…never again.
Well, I couldn’t stand it. I bought the Rio, and it is fantastic, for what it is. It weighs only 25 pounds, and straps right to the back of my Specialized Crossroads bicycle. I bought the drop-stitch floor for it, as well (another $65.00, but more than worth it…). I took it out on the Ocoee River yesterday on the Olympic Section. It handled beautifully once I got used to it. The seat is super-comfortable. I watched a couple of rafts wipe out in Hell Hole, and glided right past them. It bounced off of rocks with seeming impunity. Rapids are no problem for this one. It has excellent maneuverability. The only thing I could say negatively is that I wish it came with knee-straps, but these can be purchased and installed easily. You really don’t need them unless you plan to do a lot of serious whitewater, but they do keep you from being thrown out of the boat when you bounce off of rocks and things.
After testing it in fast water, I took it to Carters Lake to see how it would perform on distance, and open water. I thought the wind might be a problem for it, but there was a light breeze, and it did not cause any undue issues. The Rio tracks very straight (once you learn it’s quirks…), and with the drop-stitch floor, standing up in it was very easy and stable. There is plenty of room for gear (unlike most yaks). I was able to fly cast easily. Bow fishing and frog-gigging will be no problem (unless you shoot the boat…), nor will duck-hunting this fall. I covered around 6 miles, from Woodring Branch to the old Dam, and back, and paddling was easy. It’s not the fastest yak I have ever paddled, but it’s not the slowest either. It handled boat wakes very well, and I was able to maintain 3 knots easily. I wouldn’t hesitate to take the Rio out on the coast (which I plan to do later…). One of the ‘quirks’ I mentioned is that you don’t want to try to power it up to speed from a standstill. Until you get some waterflow through the tracking fins (it has two), it will spin on you. You have to paddle very gently until you get moving a little, then you can dig in all you want, and it will track very well.
All-in-all, this boat was a bargain, even if I did get in trouble with the Mrs. over it. It will be great for times when using my other boats would be impractical. This could be easily transported on a plane, bus, bicycle, motorcycle, or thrown in the back of the car. The carrying bag even has shoulder straps, so you could hike it in to remote places (I’ll be trying that later this week…). I am thinking of taking it to Peru, or Ecuador later, and maybe doing a little of the Amazon in it. I am due for a vacation.
It’s not fast, it’s not pretty, but it does the job, and does it well. Hats off to Sevylor. They have a winner with this one, and I am guessing with the two-seater (called the Colorado) version as well. I would take the Rio just about anywhere, and feel confident that it would get me back home alive.
Here’s my #1 Water Ride. My Inflatable Advanced Elements Convertable Yak. It sets up and breaks down in less than 10 minutes, only weighs 53 pounds, can hold 530 pounds, and can keep up with all but the very fastest racing hardshell kayaks. It converts from a 2-seater to a 1-seater in less than 2 minutes. Her name is The Lake Princess.
SICK!!! that is sweet Gig
Wow, I had completely dismissed inflatables in the past, but that one looks great. I’ll have to check it out.
It has aluminum bow and stern inserts that make it cut and glide through the water like nothing I had ever paddled before.The really neat part doesn’t show in the picture. I have an aluminum ‘backbone’ for it that lays along the length of the boat under the floor pad. It makes it track perfect, and go as fast as any hard shell. They also have a high pressure drop-stitch floor for it that you even stand up on, but I have found no need for it. The boat also has a 1 seat, and 2 seat spray deck, and you can use a spray skirt with it. That comes in handy in the winter.