Most common driftboat accidents?

[Nicechromer]

I just got done floating a more technical river, and I'm wondering what seems to be the most common way people flip their boats..

[Troutinator]

ways I've almost dumped it are:

stalling in a curl and filling the stern
misreading the line and stuffing it under shoreline brush, tipping and filling from the side
hitting a submerged obstruction, thus getting turned sideways... filling/flipping from the side

I'm really lucky... I have done each of these over the years of "learning". I have yet to sink a DB but I have had some 10.5 on the pucker scale moments.

[Big Will]

The best thing to do is to stay safe if it looks bad get out and walk it or rope the boat down.Always have an extra 100 ft of rope in the boat.Good luck with you new boat .

[steel_beaver]

Originally Posted by Nicechromer

I just got done floating a more technical river, and I'm wondering what seems to be the most common way people flip their boats..

I can think of many ways it could happen, submerged logs and boulders are scarry stuff. I hit a ledge last spring on the clack that probably would have flipped me if I wasn't in my toon. Didin't even see it until i got right on top of it. Also weight distribution seems way more important in a drifter and could get you in serious trouble.

I think what keeps you safe is fear/respect for the river. It is kind of like driving. People are usually more weary when they are learning to drive so they go slower and try to pay extra attention. Once you have 15-20k miles behind you you get comfortable and even a little cocky and let your guard down. Thats what gets you in trouble. I noticed it both when I was learning to drive and when I learned to row. Gotta have respect

[Grantspastor]

Most common are midstream boulders, and other obstructions. This would also include sweepers leaning into the river from the bank. Reading water is the single most important skill to master. Plan ahead. Don't wait til the last second to initiate your maneuver.

[dre5063]

Anytime you get sideways in fast water it spells trouble. A rock, a log, bar oarsmanship etc etc etc. It's amazing how fast those sides go down and you start taking on water.

Worst I have ever had was when I was dropping from fast water into a hole. I wanted to anchor at the top of the hole and let out about 4 feet of anchor before I got there. As I came into the hole the anchor wrapped a log and the boat stopped like I hit a brick wall. The back end dipped into the water and water was coming over the back. My son had grabbed the anchor line and now had his hand pinned to the gunnel with the weight of the boat on the line. I couldn't cut the line for fear it would get his arm. Also I couldn't reach out far enough back to cut the line without sinking the boat. I was able to start my motor and back up enough to slack the line and get his hand out. Lost the anchor but all in all it was the least of my worries.

They are very stable craft until you do something silly.

[Slow and Low]

getting sideways on a rock or swamping it in the big stuff. spend enough time in a boat and you will do both. as others have said learn to read water, know the river you are on, and keep your cool.

My rule has always been bow down. It's a good rule when you can't avoid trouble hit it head on. it also helps to have a good spin move or two in your bag of tricks.

also crabbing an oar up while sideferrying in shallow bony water. If you break an oar or worse flip your boat its big trouble. Throw your break down oars away and run a full length oar ready to grab when you need it.

That's my .02.

[97seahawk]

take a orr in the chest in the shallows.will not flip ya but it will make ya think twice about dipping in the rocks

[Nicechromer]

Great imput guys.. Let me ask this question.. First, If I go head on into a rapid and you don't see a rock in front of you and you hit it, should the best move be to allow the boat to spin around and slide off of it while rowing backwards off of it too?

[stevo]

Obviously, it's best to avoid such ocurrences, but if you can't and you do hit it, row like your hair is on fire. LEtting the boat just swing around and come off the obstruction will get you sideways in the rapid, a most undesirable orientation.
I always try to follow the most water, of course this isn't hard and fast, but the more water under my boat the better.
Also, when taking a rapid, aim for the middle of the chute, or V, or toungue or whatever you want to call it. Tha'ts usually the fastest and hence clearest path.
I'm finding that my boat is much more capable than I'm will ing to attempt. Have fun, be safe, and get 'er bloody.

[97seahawk]

one of the guys thats goes with me says if the rock is smiling on aproach run over it.Now if the rock is frowning row around it .wwwamatobooks.com has a real good book;driftboats,a comlete guide.by dan alsup

[kilchisfisher]

Scout things first

Also, don 't let anyone in the boat ever grab onto brush, a log, or a snag unless you give that instruction. They can cause you to get sucked under a sweeper or into a snag.

[JD77]

anchor issues

[Grantspastor]

Originally Posted by Nicechromer

Great imput guys.. Let me ask this question.. First, If I go head on into a rapid and you don't see a rock in front of you and you hit it, should the best move be to allow the boat to spin around and slide off of it while rowing backwards off of it too?

I think the answer to this is...you have to learn to see them. There's no foolproof way to recover after you hit one. The general rule is always hit an obstacle with the front or back of the boat. Never sideways. If a wave top doesn't change, assume its a partially submerged hazard. If the wave top undulates and changes, usually there is adequate depth. I never commit myself to a new rapid if I can't see my route all the way through to the runout without scouting first.

[flyin chrome]

I know of several boats that have sunk when an anchor line came loose in large rapids. When the line came to the end the knot hung in the rollers and sunk boat VERY FAST. Has not happened to me but it has happened. I always tie a knot in my anchor line next to the cleat when I am headed into really big water.
I have hit rocks and as long as they hit the bow you can usually spin off but beware!!! Keep an eye out for other rocks. I know of one that went down because he hit another rock mid spin on the back of the boat and down she went.

[water and sky]

Remember the basic rule of always pulling away from obstacles. Never try to push around them. If you do try to push past a seemingly small obstacle the current speed plus pushing will likely accelerate you into the obstacle, in which case even a smaal submerged boulder can tip your boat enough to take on water.

[whiteH2O]

Another cause of flipping is anchoring in really fast water, esp with anchor pulleys that are set to the side of the transom so an outboard can be on the centerline.

The boat can fishtail around and can flip.

[whiteH2O]

Broaching on a sweeper or boulder IMO is the number one cause of accidents.

Pilot error or loss of an oar often begins the chain of events. Most of the drownings I'm aware of started with a person pinned after a broach,
(in 25+ of guiding witnessed lots of strange events with boats, rafts and
esp canoes.)

[Slow and Low]

Originally Posted by whiteH2O

Another cause of flipping is anchoring in really fast water, esp with anchor pulleys that are set to the side of the transom so an outboard can be on the centerline.

The boat can fishtail around and can flip.

on that note, on anchor make sure the blades are vertical as to steady the boat.

"anchor issues"

put the anchor in the nest for the tough stuff.

[O Tshawytcha]

Originally Posted by flyin chrome

I know of several boats that have sunk when an anchor line came loose in large rapids. When the line came to the end the knot hung in the rollers and sunk boat VERY FAST. Has not happened to me but it has happened. I always tie a knot in my anchor line next to the cleat when I am headed into really big water.
I have hit rocks and as long as they hit the bow you can usually spin off but beware!!! Keep an eye out for other rocks. I know of one that went down because he hit another rock mid spin on the back of the boat and down she went.

DON"T TIE A KNOT IN THE END OF AN ANCHOR LINE!!!

Losing an anchor is cheap compared to a boat or even worse...

My other advice is to not look at the rocks but where you want the boat to go. If you stare at a rock 9 out of 10 times you'll nail it.

[Mad Mikey]

Some good info here, most of it has been covered.

I've run my hard boat through some nasty stuff, but the few times I've had close calls were in very tame water, when I got complacent.

I almost sunk my boat in some flat water on the Deschutes just above Jones Canyon. I was sliding down the river near the left bank, saw a huge buck taking a drink. Thought I'd get a little closer to see how close I could get.

Yeah I got close, was paying more attention to the deer than the water.

I hit a submerged tree sideways, the boat dipped and stuck, started filling with water. I high sided the bow, jumped out and yanked the boat off it but had to take about 20 minutes to bail out the dang thing. Lesson learned.

Anchor? Tie it off when travelling, always(or put it in the nest for rapids).

When you are anticipating a stop you have plenty of time to untie the knot before landing.

Seconds on "no knot in the end of anchor line", also keep a very sharp knife handy if you have to cut the anchor line. I always had a good knife in the tray next to the rower's seat AND one in my PFD pocket.

The knife saved my bacon once.

[Nicechromer]

Great info guys.. What's broaching? I'm not too familiar with that term. Also Some of you have talked about hitting a tree or rock sideways. Which side goes down, the tree side or the opposite side? Probably a dumb question..
So if you're stuck on a rock and you can't pull away from it because the water's too fast, what's the next option?
great advice on putting your anchor in the nest too while going through big stuff. I also agree about not tying a knot in the end of the line.. I had to explain that one to my dad.. I almost lost my anchor cause it didn't catch in the cleat, so he says to tie a knot in it, but I had to explain to him that that was the worst idea and why...

[kilchisfisher]

Would you believe Wikihow has an entry on handling a drift boat?

http://www.wikihow.com/Row-a-Drift-Boat


Broaching is when the upstream side gets sucked under the water. Usually it involves getting pinned against something first. I was in a friends boat on the NFN in high water conditions when a downed tree forced us into a nasty back eddy and it sucked the side under for a few moments. We weren't pinned but the eddy meeting the current acted like an obstacle. Fortunately I was able to put my weight to good use. Be careful with eddy and current seams.

[Grantspastor]

Originally Posted by Nicechromer

Great info guys.. What's broaching? I'm not too familiar with that term. Also Some of you have talked about hitting a tree or rock sideways. Which side goes down, the tree side or the opposite side? Probably a dumb question..
So if you're stuck on a rock and you can't pull away from it because the water's too fast, what's the next option?
great advice on putting your anchor in the nest too while going through big stuff. I also agree about not tying a knot in the end of the line.. I had to explain that one to my dad.. I almost lost my anchor cause it didn't catch in the cleat, so he says to tie a knot in it, but I had to explain to him that that was the worst idea and why...

Broaching is getting stuck on or between rocks or other obstacles. When you do, the upstream side dips and often the boat fills with water. The initial remedy is to "highside" which means everybody jumps to the downstream or "high" side to counter balance. This is somewhat counterintuitive, because the tendency is to lean away from the obstacle, which just makes it tip faster. If you're stuck and can't pull away, usually the next option is swimming. This why PFD's are mandatory in hazardous water. Sometimes (if you can get to shore and get some help) you can winch or maneuver the boat free once the weight is out of it. More commonly when the boat gets pinned, the hydraulic pressure will hold it there and there's not too much you can do

There was a recent thread about boating the Rogue Canyon that contained some pictures of carnage in Blossom Bar

[Klickman]

Originally Posted by Nicechromer

Great info guys.. What's broaching? I'm not too familiar with that term. Also Some of you have talked about hitting a tree or rock sideways. Which side goes down, the tree side or the opposite side? Probably a dumb question..
So if you're stuck on a rock and you can't pull away from it because the water's too fast, what's the next option?
great advice on putting your anchor in the nest too while going through big stuff. I also agree about not tying a knot in the end of the line.. I had to explain that one to my dad.. I almost lost my anchor cause it didn't catch in the cleat, so he says to tie a knot in it, but I had to explain to him that that was the worst idea and why...

If you get stuck it depends on the water you are in, and how your boat oriented to the river flow. If its nasty, huge rollers other big rocks, and you are pointed down stream, you could either rock a little not too much though, you could try to angle the boat a little into the current. If the water dictates you can just spin off othe the obstruction. It goes against what many people say but if you are on it you can spin a boat pretty fast. You need to be on it though.

KLICKMAN

[codfisher]

A driftboat will not get stuck on a single rock. You will either slide off with little or no damage, slide off after denting or cracking your boat or the worst scenario, you will take on water, possibly enough to tip you over. It all depends on the size of the rock, how much it sticks out of the water, how hard you hit the rock and the speed of the water. If the water is flowing hard and fast and you hit the rock anything but bow first you will likely flip over after the upstream side tips down and the boat fills with water. Please do not expect me to tell you how I know this, I just do.

Take a lesson from my dad, who taught me how to row and more importantly how to read water. There is no good way to hit a rock, just don't do it, no matter what.

Codfisher

[RB Drifter]

Put me behind the sticks and there is sure to be an accident. I do serious damage to rocks, they fear me!

[Slow and Low]

Originally Posted by codfisher

A driftboat will not get stuck on a single rock.

Beg to differ.

[Mad Mikey]

Originally Posted by Slow and Low

Beg to differ.

x 2.....

[dckkllr]

I think if you run a drift boat long enough you will get into trouble. My time was up this past winter. Second run of the day same line as before, but the water was on the drop. I hit one unseen rock at the bottom of a chute in the whitewater just left of the bow, maybe 2 feet back. That spun me around most of the time not a big deal. There was another rock that I got spun into that turned the boat on its side, and before I could get to the top to put us back in a horizontal position we hit a third rock that flipped the boat upside down on top of it. That is where she stayed until I could attach a couple of lines to the boat from a sled and pull the boat over and to the bank using my truck. Luckily I did this all where we could access the bank, county park, otherwise we probably would have needed a diver and air bags to lift it off of the rock. Remember to have one thing going in the back of your mind. That is it's just a boat. If it starts to get really bad, move away, because if you get pinned underneath that is most likely where you will stay.

[FishonDon]

Never tie a knot in your anchor rope! If you accidentally drop an anchor in a rapid, just keep going, and let the rope slide all the way out. Yes, you may be out of a line and anchor, but that is minimal.

Originally Posted by flyin chrome

I know of several boats that have sunk when an anchor line came loose in large rapids. When the line came to the end the knot hung in the rollers and sunk boat VERY FAST. Has not happened to me but it has happened. I always tie a knot in my anchor line next to the cleat when I am headed into really big water.
I have hit rocks and as long as they hit the bow you can usually spin off but beware!!! Keep an eye out for other rocks. I know of one that went down because he hit another rock mid spin on the back of the boat and down she went.

[FishonDon]

I have seen plenty of drift boats flipped and pinned on single rocks. You obviously haven't rowed through heavy water.

Originally Posted by codfisher

A driftboat will not get stuck on a single rock. You will either slide off with little or no damage, slide off after denting or cracking your boat or the worst scenario, you will take on water, possibly enough to tip you over. It all depends on the size of the rock, how much it sticks out of the water, how hard you hit the rock and the speed of the water. If the water is flowing hard and fast and you hit the rock anything but bow first you will likely flip over after the upstream side tips down and the boat fills with water. Please do not expect me to tell you how I know this, I just do.

Take a lesson from my dad, who taught me how to row and more importantly how to read water. There is no good way to hit a rock, just don't do it, no matter what.

Codfisher

[FishonDon]

The most common drift boat accident comes from not listening to the little voice in the back of your head. Artificial confidence is the real accident causer. Use your head and listen to your little voice.