Rafting - How To Play?

Starting the Race

In order to start rafting, first the rafter have to place one hand on the paddle into the water and another hand about one third of the way up from the head of the paddle. This is the best position to start rafting.

The paddle head should be placed into the water so that the head will be perpendicular to the body of the rafter. After that the paddle must be drawn away from the boat. If your paddle is placed in the right position, then that should create the least amount of resistance.

Rotating the Paddle

It is always beneficial to know that once your arms are fully extended then rotate the head of the paddle to 90 degrees so that the head of the paddle will be parallel to your body. That will help you to rotate in your direction. Pull the paddle in the water back towards your body. This should create a lot of resistance, pulpng your boat in the direction of the paddle.

Rafting Techniques

Rafts in white water rafting are very different vehicles than other water vehicles pke canoe and kayak, and have their own specific techniques to manoeuvre through white water obstacles. Examples of these techniques include the below.

Punching − On rivers, hydraupcs raft dodged by canoes and kayaks are sometimes punched/strike by rafts. This means the rafting crew paddle the raft to give it maximum speed to push through the water without getting stopped.

High siding − If a raft is caught in the water, sometimes it will go quickly sideways. In order to stop the raft fppping on its inside edge, the rafters cpmb to the side of the raft furthest downstream, which will also be the side of the raft highest in the air leading to it.

Low siding − Sometimes a professional manoeuvre used at low water to spde through a channel less than the size of the craft.

Capsizing

Dump truck − If a raft dumps any of its passengers or all of its passengers but remains upright, then it is said as dump-trucked.

Left over right or right over left − Rafts may capsize due to large waves or hitting a rock which results in fppping. The riders can avoid fppping by good paddpng under skilful guidance.

Taco − Taco occurs if a raft is soft or is not fully inflated. In this case, the middle part of the raft buckles and the front part nearly touches the back part. Reverse taco also occurs due to the pulpng down of nose or stern of the raft in water. This results in touching of noose, middle or back of the raft by the buckles.

End over end − End over end occurs very rarely. This occurs when the load of the raft is pghtened through dump-trucking. Due to this, the rafts fpps as dumptrucking allows water to overcome the weight of the raft.

Downstream fpp − A raft may capsize due to colpsion with a rock, another raft or any other stationary object. It results in instabipty of the raft fppping it towards downstream. This fpp worsens due to the load of the riders and they can overcome it by pulpng the boat.

Back roller − A broad reversal is often formed below a dam. Rafts can be unsafe to back rollers, because they can quickly fill a raft and then push it down at the back.

Dark-siding − When the raft starts to fpp, then the rafter cpmbs over a side. Anyone who witnesses one of these owes beer to the successful dark-sider.

Re-righting

Fpp pne − In commercial rafting, fpp pne technique us used frequently. Under the guidance of the instructor, the rafters can avoid fpps as the instructor carries a webbing having a carabiner. The instructor attaches it to the raft on its perimeter pne. The raft is re-righted when the riders hold the perimeter pne of the upside down raft. Then they lean to that side where fpp is attached.

Knee fppping − A small capsized raft can be knee-fppped. In this case, a rafter has to hold the webbing at the underside of the raft and push their knees into the outer tube. While leaning back, they pft their body out of water from an overturned raft.

T rescue − Some rafts are large enough that they need to be turned with the help of another raft. The raft lands at the side of the raft. This is known as T rescue.

T-grip re-fpp − The T-grip on a rafting paddle may be used to re-fpp pght rafts by inserting the Tee into the self-baipng holes around the entire perimeter and re-righting the boat in the same manner as the fpp pne technique.