Packrafts. The thread.

I brought my Yukon Yak in with me today. I might be able to swing north after work. Or I should be in your neck of the woods tomorrow and I can get it to you. I'm not sure if the inside dimensions have changed or not (2012 Yak vs current Yak). You might know since you've been doing the research and in touch with Alpacka (Nancy?).
 
I agree. It looks like the Yak would fit better. Will you bring your dog? Nice to have a little extra space.
 
Mike K said:
I brought my Yukon Yak in with me today. I might be able to swing north after work. Or I should be in your neck of the woods tomorrow and I can get it to you. I'm not sure if the inside dimensions have changed or not (2012 Yak vs current Yak). You might know since you've been doing the research and in touch with Alpacka (Nancy?).
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Cool Mike, thanks. Nancy says the dimensions changed in 2014. Regardless, I'm going to get a Yukon Yak, so save your gas. On the next trip we'll compare the 2012 yak to a 2014 yak and 2014 alpacka.
 
River said:
Will you bring your dog? Nice to have a little extra space.
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Unsure. He's still a little anxious on the water, but he's getting better. I may bring him on a trip or two, but I'm not planning on having him with me on most of these.
 
@River , do you ever wish you had the cruiser spray deck? Since it's removable I'm tempted to get one.
 
It would be great to see Alpacka make a self bailing boat. That would be the ideal combination for me. I usually run shallow, rocky rivers that frequently require getting out of the boat. Between that and having Molly along if possible, a skirt would usually be in the way for me. But for higher volume rivers, a skirt would be great to keep the water out. I'm often sitting in water and need to pull over to dump the boat. Between the two the whitewater skirt seems like the better design, although I like that the cruiser deck can be removed. One thought if you do get the cruiser deck - be aware that one side is zippered and one is velcro. This means you can only get out on one side if upside down. A friend was trapped underwater against a rock on the Bruneau and had a difficult time getting out because of that.
 
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Aggree with River completely. Spraydecks specializes the boat too much for me. No more dogs or other unweildy cargo on board. Shallow water a pain. More weight on my back. But that's just for the uses I put the the boat thru: it spends a lot more time in the my backpack than sitting in the water.

Self bailing would be better in many respects, but I'm concerned the weight would go up too much with such a design. We'll just have to wait and see.
 
I'd like to get swiftwater trained. I saw this in May. I'm interested in attending.

Swiftwater Rescue Training
Canyon Voyages Adventure Company is hosting the Swiftwater Safety Institute for a Swiftwater Rescue Training class. Space is limited to 12 students. Lead instructor is Eric Riley of Swiftwater Safety Institute and assisted by Scott Solle from Canyon Voyages. This class is open to rescue professionals, river guides, and private boaters. Class fills up fast and so does Moab, so register for class early and make lodging reservations early.

When: May 1, 2, 3, 2015 in Moab, UT
Class Cost: $335 (Includes an internationally recognized 3 year Certificate of Completion)
Where: Moab, UT (Meet at Canyon Voyages warehouse, 1521 S. HWY 191 at 8:30 AM)
Registration: Contact Canyon Voyages (1-800-733-6007) – 50% Deposit Required
Prerequisites: Students must be physically capable.
Required Equipment: Type III or appropriate Type V PFD, Drysuit (no 2 piece), appropriate Helmet with skull cap or wool hat, Footwear with sturdy soles, Thermal Protection (warm fleece works best), and Eye protection (sunglasses with retainer). Canyon Voyages has a limited quantity of Drysuits for Rent ($60 for the 2 river days). Students can purchase drysuits, or other required equipment, through Canyon Voyages at 25% off MSRP. Canyon Voyages will order NRS or Kokatat drysuits with a price ranging from $500- $900 and must be ordered no later than April 1, 2015. You can contact Canyon Voyages at 800-733-6007 for advance purchases. PFDs and Helmets can be provided if needed.

First day of class will be in Moab and there will be a break for lunch. The 2nd and 3rd days are out on the river and students will need to bring a sack lunch. Transportation to and from the river are provided by CV. Don’t forget your sunscreen, water bottle and coffee cup; we’ll have hot beverages available in the mornings.

Objectives: SSI Rescue Philosophy – “Simple is smooth and smooth is fast,” Hazard Identification, Low-risk to high-risk rescue techniques, Self-rescue, Throwbag Rescues, Contact Rescues, Shallow Water Crossings, Hydrology, Medical Considerations, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), Technical Rescue Equipment (Repair and Maintenance), Knots & Anchors, Mechanical Advantage Systems, Swimming (Passive and Aggressive), Boat Pins (Course site dependent), Foot Entrapment Extrication, Strainers, Boat Tethered Systems. (Working on the river is a dynamic environment. Effort is made to cover each topic. Water levels, weather, student retention, and other elements may make some skills unworkable. No guarantees are made that all skills will be practically performed).
Testing: Students are required to prove competency through practical evaluation and written tests. Students will retain a carbon copy of core competency skills covered.

More Class Information: Contact Lead Instructor Eric Riley at swiftwatersafetyinstitute@gmail.com (307) 200-1959 or Scott Solle at scott@canyonvoyages.com (801) 560-9588. More class and instructor information available at the SSI website www.swiftwatersafetyinstitute.com
 
any one have advice on paddles. i'll probably pull the trigger on a yak in the next month.
 
You'll definitely want a 4 piece paddle. Werner makes the best paddles, but they're pretty expensive and tough to find as a 4-piece. The recommended length for alpackas is 205-210. I got a 210 aquabound mata ray carbon. While I haven't used it yet, I think the manta ray hybrid would be an excellent choice for $60 less.

FYI, kokopelli is coming out with a new packraft model this year called the Nirvanna. They're sending us a prototype in a couple weeks, and @Parma will be testing it on our maze trip. I'll still have it in April, and you're welcome to head down and borrow it for our trip on April 10-12 if you'd like to test it out. We're thinking of exploring somewhere around powell or possibly running the dirty devil. I'll keep you posted on that if you're interested. We'll also have a kokopelli hornet for testing as well, so you can compare the two.
 
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Also, I traded my alpaca in for a yukon yak. It fits me much better. I decided to go all in and get the cruiser spray deck and the cargo fly. I'm still not 100% in love with the cruiser spray deck, but I'm 100% glad I got the cargo fly. I was curious how much of the added weight (2 lbs) was due to the zipper vs the internal bags. I'm guessing the zipper added 1-2 oz, it's not much at all. So when it's zipped up with no bags in it, it's hardly any heavier. I'm really glad I got the cargo fly, because now I can stash my gear in there for long all-day paddles and not have to strap it to the front of my raft and block my vision. Just food for thought for those thinking about getting one.

Regarding the cruiser spray deck, it's removable, which is nice, and I think I'll like it on the colder days, but i'm not sure if it's worth the extra $200 to me.
 
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if you plan on paddling whitewater, get a shorter paddle. flatwater, length is your friend. I have the Werner 4 piece breakdown, 197cm.
 
BJett said:
if you plan on paddling whitewater, get a shorter paddle. flatwater, length is your friend. I have the Werner 4 piece breakdown, 197cm.
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Why is shorter better on white water? My 4 piece is a 210 cm I think.
 
Stability. You always want one paddle blade in the water, shorter paddle makes it easier to do that. longer paddle is much better for long flatwater sections. I use a 191cm paddle when I whitewater kayak, bumped it up a bit to 197cm for my packraft. Most people...normal height...will go 200cm and higher for packrafting.
 
Which packraft model do you have BJett? Do you feel like the 197 is too small to get around the sides of the boat?
 
I have the Alpacka. the 97 is perfect for me, I've paddled more whitewater than flat with it so far. Anything longer and I risk stretching out too far if I brace...hello shoulder dislocation. I'm 5'4" though...for most 200cm would be a good minimum.
 
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