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Permalink Reply by Alex Koutzoukis on March 14, 2010 at 7:24pm

Hey Debbie,

I riverboard 90% of the time and kayak the other 10% (or less) nowadays, easy class IV (lower Kern River) is my limit on a kayak, whereas I feel pretty comfortable riverboarding class V rapids.

You will have a lot of fun riverboarding, since you will be able to charge class IV rapids within a very short time. You don't have to worry about taking an unexpected swim in hypothermic water, since you are already prepped for swimming, with a warm wetsuit, fins, helmet, etc.

I think some of the NZ guys on here both kayak and riverboard so maybe they have an opinion also.

I won't comment on who makes the best boards since I am affiliated with a riverboard company, but feel free to email me at kernriverboards@gmail.com or call (530) 686-5403 to discuss.

Good Luck!
Alex

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Permalink Reply by Donna Hood on March 14, 2010 at 8:00pm

Wow,

I can't believe you riverboard class 5! I just haven't progressed with whitewater paddling. I'm more comfortable out of my boat, swimming. Though, paddlers will tell you that swimming the river is the most dangerous position to be in.

This I think, is a sticky point with them. Most I talk to say kayaking and staying in your boat is the best place to be. So, they will always tell me I'm nuts for wanting to try this.

I beg to differ. I have been pinned, sucked under, trapped. Unable to release my sprayskirt. In the darndest places, no less. Sense I rarely push class 3.

I am looking at foam boards, designed like ocean bodyboards. I have done plenty of that. And, I would gladly trade my kayak for a bodyboard, swim all day in the surf. I can't do that in my boat. I get trashed. My boat gets away, and I'm swimming anyway. Its hard to get back in, unless your big, and strong. And have done it a million times. For all the struggle that involves? Nah. I rather just swim and play in the water.

FYI, I am short at 5ft and weigh less than 130. I need a short, light board I can handle.

Shoot. The last time I paddled and got dumped? I swam half a mile before I got back in my boat. At that point? I was like, forget it. I will swim the last rapid.

Debbie

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Permalink Reply by Alicia Anne on March 14, 2010 at 11:47pm

Hi Debbie,

Welcome to Team FLI! I am currently a rafter and riverboarder (I started as a raft guide, then got into kayaking, and have been riverboarding for the past 6 or so years). I used to kayak, teach kayak clinics, had 2 boats, and yes I had fun kayaking, but I was never as comfortable in my kayaks as I am on my riverboard.

Kayakers will tell you that yes, swimming the rapids is no fun, when you're kayaking. If you get dumped in a rapid as a kayaker, you have to not only worry about yourself, with your PFD as your only flotation, but you're wondering where the heck your paddle is, if you lost it. If not, you're trying to swim with it, while keeping an eye on your boat as well. Or maybe you're also trying to lug your now water filled kayak to shore, and let's face it, even with full flotation that's still a pain in the butt.

Running rapids on a riverboard is way different than merely swimming them. You get the senation of swimming, headfirst, and what a rush! But, you have your PFD AND a riverboard for flotation, which gives you more buoancy, keeping your head higher above water so you can see where you're going and what's coming up. Plus, you have fins to propel you.

Kevin Yount runs Appalachian Riverboarding, and is most likely the closest person to you who could take you on a guided whitewater riverboarding trip, and teach you the skills you'll need to have a fun and safe trip.

Hope that helps!

Alicia Anne

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Permalink Reply by Waterboarder1 on March 15, 2010 at 1:58am

Welcome to Face Level Debbie,

Like you, I am never too comfortable kayaking as I don't have a bomb-proof roll. In an attempt to make my occasional swims less......exciting, I thought I should kayak with my wetsuit and swim fins on but unfortunately I then can't fit in my Wave Sport. Also, being 53yo with one titanium hip joint, I can't stand to be in a kayak more than a few hours at a time, but can riverboard all day.

So I riverboard most of the time, getting in the boat only when the water in my beloved Kern gets too low to board without banging knees and such.

Whitewater kayaking has been the most counter-intuitive thing for me to ever learn but riverboarding seems to have a comfortable, organic, natural feel that makes me constantly grin from ear-to-ear.

Therein lies the biggest problem with riverboarding: you have to learn to laugh underwater with your mouth closed.

I am closely related, by birth, to a board company owner, but I will give you my old guy's opinion on the "best boards", meaning best for you. They all have distinct personalities. You'll have to try different ones to see which fits you. I don't mean just physically fit "on" but rather more importantly, "fit" to the style of boarding, type of water you want to run and your character.

Do you want to run gnarly, huge water with the least amount of drama? Get a custom hydrospeed type board. For surf and river-running, and if you can put-up with getting slapped around a little in big water, go for one of the surfing type riverboards. Want to play only on the surfing waves in a whitewater park? A good ocean board would be fine.

Then there is the variable of your personality. Without using names, I like one board because it is very buoyant, flexible, and forgiving, it floats over wave trains like an old Impala. But there is nothing buoyant, flexible, forgiving or floaty in my character. So I prefer and ride another brand. That board is stiff, precise, durable, challenging, fun, lively and keeps me constantly engaged. That is by far a "best board" for me.

Riverboarding has its own play-boat/creek-boat/river-runner conundrum that kayaking has.

Lastly, Alicia is right, the best place to start riverboarding out your way is to contact Kevin Yount.

Take care.

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Permalink Reply by Rochelle Parry on March 15, 2010 at 5:16pm

Welcome, Debbie. Good to see another gal interested. I am another user of the boards made by Alex and his dad... Look up Summer Wofford on here; she is a riverboarder in Tennessee.

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Permalink Reply by Tyler Mayhew on March 16, 2010 at 2:46pm

Debbie:

Welcome to riverboarding! I started riverboarding 8 years ago while working as a whitewater rafting guide, and today I split my time between paddling my Shredder (2-man high-performance whitewater raft) and riverboarding. Like you, I never felt comfortable in a kayak, but I think that riverboarding is easier, more fun, and more exciting than kayaking could ever be. Anyone who can swim and is enthusiastic about the sport can learn to riverboard class IV-V whitewater in a very short time.

As far as boards go, I am a little bit taller than you at 6', so what works for me might not work for you. I started off with a Carlson riverboard, which is an all-foam board very similar in shape to an overgrown boogie board. I love my Carlson, but it's not exactly designed for river running or playboating (it's a swiftwater rescue board) so it doesn't do anything "the best." One plus to the Carlson is I can use it as a chair in flatwater-- helps with the neck cramps I sometimes get on a long trip. A friend of mine uses a Ripboard, which is a different (much shorter) design, built specifically for running whitewater; he really likes it (and dislikes my Carlson), but it provides less body protection for taller people. A third boarder I know (which I think is the entirety of the WV riverboarder population) uses a Rocky Mountain River Board, which is similar to the Carlson board but is built more for river running; he really seems to like his board as well, but he started off with a Carlson so it wasn't much of a design change for him. I think in general people get comfortable with a type of board and stick with it; just find something that seems right for your body size and go with it.

As far as kayakers telling you that you're nuts for wanting to try riverboarding, they simply don't understand what makes riverboarding different from paddling a raft or a kayak. First, from a hydrodynamic standpoint, riverboarding is a MUCH more natural way of safely negotiating a rapid. When you riverboard, your body is oriented in a way that minimizes resistance to water features (waves/holes), so you are capable of diving under - rather than being forced to paddle over, through, or around - retentive water features. I like to explain it by comparing riverboarding to diving under a wave at the ocean; if a big wave breaks, the safest way to get past it is to dive under it rather than try to go over or through it.

Second, from a gear standpoint, riverboarding is designed around making swimming a rapid as safe as possible, whereas rafting and kayaking are designed to make the rapid safe to negotiate while in your boat. Lose the boat, and all hell breaks loose. Riverboards give floatation and protection from rocks, wetsuits insulate and protect from rocks, kneepads/elbowpads/shinguards protect from rocks, and swim fins give stability, control, speed, and protection from rocks. Other swimmers have zero body protection, zero maneuverability, and significantly less floatation. Also, riverboards do not present the same pinning hazard as rafts or kayaks (which, btw, is the single biggest killer of kayakers); to date I have only pinned my riverboard once, and all I had to do to fix the situation was let go of the board for a few seconds.

Bottom line: riverboarding, from a design and gear standpoint, is simply a safer way to run a river. There's a reason why they teach people to use a riverboard in swiftwater rescue courses.

Best of luck hooking up with some people to board with down south-- there are a number of good people scattered around the region that can help you get started.

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Permalink Reply by Romina on March 21, 2010 at 3:22pm

Hi Debbie!

I'm new to riverboarding too. I tried it first with Ripboard in Colorado and loooooved it. I've been out on the river once since then with Kevin Yount and it was great. I definitely agree with others to get in touch with him. You will learn a lot. I had the chance to try out several boards on that trip with him and that helped me decide what fit me best. I just moved to Columbia, SC and finally got my first board. I have yet to try it out since it's still with the rest of my stuff in Florida. Hopefully my stuff will join me in SC soon. I can't speak much for whitewater kayaking but I also agree that I feel much more comfortable on a riverboard (the 3 times I've been on one) than I did on any class whitewater on a kayak. If you love the thrill of the river but want to try something with an easier learning curve, riverboarding would probably be a great fit. Good luck with everything!

~Romina

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Permalink Reply by Donna Hood on March 21, 2010 at 3:39pm

Thanks. I really haven't tried it. I love bodyboarding in the surf. Its so easy and so much fun. I would do that any day over kayaking in the surf. This is what I am going by and the reason I think I will like it. Everyone says its easier than kayaking. I have really struggled with it. Never got a roll. Never progressed w/my group. Don't like the vertigo of being upside down or trying to swim w/kayak gear on.

Kinda small frame, lightweight. Not sure if its a disadvantage on a riverboard. But, it definately is in a kayak. Some skills? I am just not big and strong enough to do. Its different for those who are. It seems easy for them to give me a hard time. But, then I wonder? If they spent one day in my shoes if they would get it?

Anyway, I can't wait to get out there. We are still in this cold, wet, windy, weather pattern. I understand we may get snow sometime this weekend. Someone tap mother nature on the shoulder and tell her its supposed to be spring?

Guys? I get cold easily. Do I need a 5mm wetsuit and a neoprene hood? I have been diving in water 76 to 80 degrees. Still spent time being chilled. To spite the guys in shorts? I can't believe they were not freezing.

Debbie

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Permalink Reply by J. Young on March 25, 2010 at 11:25am

Debbie, the only thing you can't learn is a desire to be in the water, rather than a boat, and it sounds like you already have that. I went through the exact same thing you're going through, but in a C1, instead of a kayak. I couldn't solidify my roll and was paddling scared pretty much all the time, until I was out of the boat and swimming, where I felt very comfortable.

Other than the above, riverboarding demands a few things:

1. The ability to read water. It's damned hard to learn to do this from a riverboard, so your time in a kayak will pay off.
2. Endurance. Riverboarding is WORK. My first few times out every season, I come home exhausted.
3. A degree of balance that falls somewhere between what you might need for sleeping and sitting on a bar stool.

Riverboarding is absolutely easier than kayaking. If you already know how to read whitewater, then it's the fastest ticket to class-V, save perhaps a commercial raft trip. Assuming you manage to start up and keep getting out, I'll be surprised if you haven't left your friends in the dust within a year or two, and they're saying things like, "You river riverboarded what?!"

Another little benefit of riverboarding... I found that my time in the water has also made me a better boater. Since I've begun riverboarding often, I have guided rafts, C1-ed and open boated class-V water, all with very little trouble. I think it puts you into a frame mind where the consequences of swimming just don't seem as dire as they once did. That's a very liberating head space to occupy.

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Permalink Reply by Dan Guay on June 28, 2010 at 6:54pm

I am also new! I am in the beginning of my second year of kayaking. Just starting to get the roll down. From reading the NPMB I learned about river boarding from Rob Larkham. I plan to add river boarding to my "things to learn" I def want to get to be a better kayaker but for those days where I wouldn't feel comfortable in my kayak on a IV I would love to take a river board down something instead. .. and I found myself oddly liking swimming though rapids when I had to get out of the kayak.. so this should do the trick!

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Permalink Reply by Rob Larkham on June 29, 2010 at 7:49am

Debbie, I'm a class 4/5 whitewater kayaker. After 8 shoulder dislocations, surgery and the need for surgery again I mostly riverboard (a little kayak and raft thrown in). I mostly use a Ripboard which I like. Riverboarding is easy on my shoulder. I have done up to class 4 on my riverboard and love it. As long as you are a strong swimmer and are not nervous being face level with whitewater then jump right in. Find some local boarders and check it out. You will not want to leave the kayaking behind but riverboarding is an awesome way to see the river in a different way. :)

Dan, good to see you on here. You and I will get out. Shane from Ripboard gave me a demo board two years ago to use in spreading the sport. So I have two Ripboards as well as wetsuits, shin guards and fins. All you need is your helmet. We will hit the Dryway. It is class 4 but very forgiving to swim. Only a few rock hits. I'm working two jobs right now but we will have to stay in touch and see when we can get out. I need to make (create) some riverboard buddies in the area.

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Permalink Reply by Rochelle Parry on June 29, 2010 at 12:58pm

The only benefit to kayaking is more of your body is protected by the hard shell, so you can do more rocky ledgy and shallower options without getting beat up. In Washington this is a big issue, as there are many creeks that don't lend themselves to the depth needed for a comfortable riverboard ride. I am constantly told I need to learn to kayak. Maybe some day. I was told the first thing I should do is hit a pool session and learn to roll. But I know it will not ensue the same panic as being upside down in a moving river attached to a floating piece of plastic.

I like the Kern Riverboard because it is a smaller board, light and handles pretty well. For bigger, gnarlier rivers I like the hydrospeed style as they punch holes a little easier. Almost more important is good fitting fins, but get them the largest size you can fit with a thick bootie because the extra thrust will help propel you, and thick booties will help you portage and walk to the put in and back to the car more comfortably. I did a bit of a comparison at www.eriverboarding.com .

There's another gal on here in Tennessee, Summer Wofford, you should get in touch with her.

Remind kayakers that being lower on the water puts you in a better position to remain upright, it's just physics. They do kind of freak out though when you go into a rapid and disappear for several seconds, popping up 30' downstream :).

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