Floating the Gunnison Gorge below the Black Canyon | Catarafts VS Rafts Vs Drift Boats
Vložit
- čas přidán 4. 08. 2024
- We wanted to put our boats to the test and take the Two-Person Hydro-Slay down one of the hardest to access and most technical floats in Colorado... the Gunnison Gorge below the Black Canyon. This is a technical whitewater float with over 16 named class III/IV rapids and is extremely hard to access. The trail down to the river is just over a mile and is in a wilderness area which means no wheels or mechanical advantages are allowed to get your boat/gear down to the river. We decided to carry our Two-Person Hydro-Slay (completely assembled) and our camping gear down this steep/long trail to see how well our boats do for overnight floats, serious portage, some serious whitewater, and last but not least, some serious fishing. The Talon Hydro-Slay did not disappoint to say the least.
We also wanted to share our take on the differences between our catarafts and the more popular rafts and drift boats to give you an idea on how well these boats fish, maneuver and row and what the Hydro-Slay is really all about. Tight lines and Enjoy!
00:00 - Intro
01:19 - Fishing and Rapids
05:20 - Catarafts Vs Rafts Vs Drift Boats - Krátké a kreslené filmy
Looks very much like the Green River.....good video !
Awesome video
Gorgeous fish and scenery. Well done. 👍
Thanks Don!
JB made that gauntlet and boulder garden look like a breeze! Wow!! Well done as always boys.
Always appreciated brother!
I’m looking to get a smaller raft around 12ft. Something like the flycraft just for solo trips on the north platte or other easier to float streams. Do you think I would need a bigger raft and do think this is a solo trip kind of river?
Hey Bradley
Thanks for watching.
The north Platte is a great river and definitely can be done solo.
And we actually tested our boats on most of it from North Gate canyon to Treaure island (3 day trip) as well as the Miracle Mile and Grey reef.
The Gunnison gorge could be done solo but I wouldn’t recommend it due to the remoteness and the white water is pretty serious so if something went wrong you could be in real trouble….
With that said on both rivers are ideal for a small Catraft! The hydro-slay twin and Twin Pro are perfect on these 2 rivers due to their rapids and rocky terrain. They are also great since they have lots of public water to stop and anchor or wade fish along the way!
We have seen quite a few of the smaller rafts flipped on these rivers as they tend be less stable and can easily fill with water. They can also get wrapped on rocks when mistakes are made (and they do get made )
One of our 2 man CATS, are perfect for solo over night trips as they can hold plenty of gear for a multi day trip for a solo rower….
Hope this helps
Let us know if we can help!
Cheers
Could you do a 3/4 night trip? Starting from Chukar trailhead. Where about would you take out for a multi night trip? And, are there any major rapids after the Gorge section? Thanks
Ricky I’ve attached a link that’s a great float map for the gunnison gorge. It shows all the boater camp sites and all rapids to the confluence of the north fork of the gunnison. You can only stay two nights in the section from chukar trail to the confluence of the smith fork. You can however stay a third night at any camp site below the smith fork. Hope this helps!
www.blm.gov/sites/blm.gov/files/River%20Map%20in%20PDF%20for%20web.pdf
I own rafts, catarafts, and a drift boat. Having floors in a cat is just dumb. Being able to fred flintstone your boat is the reason for cat. Rafts float higher than cats and work better in low water. Cats always struggle on longer trips with gear. If you overload a cat with gear (and a metal floor) you lose the performance. I understand you are selling a boat, but focus on why it's better than an Aire, Sortar, or Maravia cat which are the gold standards. For example, you hiked your boat in a mile. What's the difference in weight between the boats that most whitewater people buy?
Jason thank you for the message! We always appreciate when people reach out with these same questions/points you are making… our TFC Hydro-Slays are specifically designed as fly fishing vessels, not recreational whitewater rafting boats, which is why every boat we build comes with standing platforms, rod holders and yeti cooler seats. It is made for comfortability and made to fish out of… having a solid fishing frame with solid and stable standing platforms and lean bars make them far more comfortable for fisherman on multi day floats. All in all, fishing and sitting down sucks. Additionally, this is our two man cataraft and including the standing platforms, rod storage, frame and tubes it still only weighs 130 so maneuverability is not a problem.
You are correct you definitely can overload a cat if you are not careful however the ability to split rocks, avoid getting high centered, and being extremely difficult to flip compared to rafts/drift boats make up for the trade off. Additionally, our slightly oversized tubes get rid of the draft problem when loading it with gear. So while these boats may not be the most ideal cataraft for whitewater only guys, we believe they are absolutely the best option for float fisherman! Thanks so much for the comment 👍
ripnlip33 you don't know sh!t about catarafts with rigid floors. Fred Flinstone? Right. Sortar? Proofread much? Always struggle my ass. Wow one subscriber?