I have a question in regards to multi-day vs. single day weight totals (kayaker and gear) and boat size. I am right below, say the Hero limit, 190lbs. kayaker, I am confident the Hero is the right size boat for single day trips.

When I load it down for a multiday with an additional ~30-40lbs. I’ll be in the Super Hero weight range. I’m in the new/used boat market and am torn…..any advice you could offer….?

The list is awesome.
I think I’m looking at a couple years of paddling steps ahead of me.
Sweet!

-drake

I would say that right now you might even like the Super Hero better unloaded! I have a friend around your size that was in a Hero, he got in a SH one day and went for it. He said it turns faster and rides a lot higher. If you do go that route, be sure to get your seat up a little higher, either by putting foam under the sweet cheeks, stacking two 100 bean sweet cheeks or getting a 200 bead sweet cheeks. This will make the boat feel a LOT smaller.

In light of that you will for sure want a larger boat for multi-days, no doubt about it.

Stookesberry is only around 175lbs and paddles the Super Hero all the time.

Of course if you are looking at new boats, the Villain might just be the boat, it’s due out in late February/early March and will be worth demoing. I am not sure if it will be able to switch me out of my Hero though!

If I can buy new I am definitely thinking about the new Villain. I got to see it at the Rio Vista waterpark when EJ and Dane where there after the Mexico trip with wonder vets.

Looks nice, softer chines, or inverse chines/double chines, as the case may be, not sure about the specific techy lingo…..same as Hero, but softer edges. Has the new moveable seat…..looked sweet!

I want one…

Coming in from a reader:

I saw your post on boof about class IV-V runs and got your e-mail off
your website. I was curious if you had any advice on runs of similar
difficulty in the winter. How many of the runs listed are good to go
this time of year? I was thinking of road conditions, daylight, and
general thoughts on levels.

I’m one of a few IV-V boaters going to school in the Bay Area who have
been trying for some time to put together some 2-3 day weekend trips
on harder runs. I’m not necessarily talking multiday, just runs we
can do a few times in a weekend. All of us are from different parts
of the country (PNW, SE, and NY), so we haven’t been down a lot of the
rivers around here. We have gotten on Cherry Creek, Tobin/Lobin, and
Chamberlain Falls, but other than playboating on the SFA not much
else. Is it worth the drive to some of the northern rivers (Trinity
and Salmon drainages) this time of year? How about the Yuba area? IV-
V is a good level for how frequently we get out, so we’re probably not
interested in the full-on stuff. Since we’re a long drive from
anywhere, it’s nice to be able to string together a few days of
paddling, especially with longer days on the river. Driving 6 hours
round trip for a few miles on Chamberlain is hardly worth it…Is
Giant Gap feasible this time of year, or will there be too much snow?

Response:

Winter runs. The most reliable in the state is the Smith River drainage, because it a) gets a lot of precipitation and b) is below snow level. It’s well worth spending a few days up there on the various forks. Camping can be rough because it’s so wet, but is possible, and there are hotels in Crescent City just 15 minutes from the gorges. There is no formal gathering of Arcata kayakers, but if you show up while the Smith river is flowing and it’s a weekend, you’ll find people.

I personally would save the Salmon and Trinity for the early spring. While I love both of them, they are cold in the winter, often freezing at night. I’ve done the Salmon once in December and it was a bit of a buzz kill, just too cold for my tastes.

Other than that, yes look at the Yuba and Feather. For more challenging runs: 49-Bridgeport, which comes in the most often, as does Ben and Jerry’s on the West Branch Feather. From what I know these runs are more on par with Cherry Creek difficulty, but more like a creek, maybe a small touch tougher.

Giant Gap is possible but I wouldn’t bother. This time of year most of flow on the gauge comes from low elevation tributaries, so the paddle out will be long and cold.

What’s up Darin,
1st off- awesome site! I read all of your stuff, and take the photo tips to my own shots for sure.
Just wanted to share my two cents on these comments though, it has been an unusually warm winter up here, with lots of storms focusing further south than normal. The South Trinity, Eel (especially the South Eel), New River, Van Duzen, etc. have all been flowing with regularity like the Smith River usually enjoys, plus there is better than normal access with the unusually high snow levels.
Also, we do have a solid group of paddlers in Arcata, after our area experienced a resurgence of boaters a couple years ago. Check out paddlehumboldt.com, or dmenten.blogspot.com. cheers,
Good work Darin,
Dan M

Dan, I’m glad to see that there has been a resurgence of kayakers up there. As I’ve been writing the stepping stones guide I’ve realized that the best place for a IV-IV+ and some V boater, is far northern Cali. While the Sierra has some great multi-day V-V+ the day run goods are up North, I miss the Salmon! I’ll be in touch about spending a week up there this spring – Darin