Rafting instruction articles by Aaron Cavagnolo a rafting instructor for over 20 years. Topics include how to raft, gear and how to select raft training.
When I started guiding in the early 1990's we were still using bucket boats. Once those rafts wrapped (and they did so much more often than self-bailers), they were extremely challenging to remove from a rock. Luckily the stiffer hypalon and polyurethane self-bailing rafts don't wrap nearly as often (they flip more!) as the old hypalon bucket rafts. However many people still treat wraps like their rafts are bucket boats. In this article we will review some basics about preventing wraps and simple ways of getting your self-bailing raft off a rock. How to Prevent a Wrap The best way to unwrap a raft is to not…
Understand why doing illegal rafting trips might not be worth the risk. The legal ramifications are severe and consiquences of an accident are even worse.
A strong paddle talk combined with a thorough paddle training will get your crew performing at a high level making it much more fun to guide your raft down the river.