# Boogie boarding Class Vs



## Jbertone (Aug 17, 2012)

Can a rapid that is supposedly CLASS V, really be a class V when commercials have large groups of tourists boogie boarding it? Seems that the rapid is over-rated. Your thoughts?


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## caverdan (Aug 27, 2004)

:mrgreen: Not sure what river your talking about, but I have an old shirt from River Runners naming 5 class V rapids in Browns Canyon.:mrgreen:


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## yesimapirate (Oct 18, 2010)

Please elaborate. What river? What rapid? Got video?


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## dirtbagkayaker (Oct 29, 2008)

If bused river trash can board a drop; it is not class 5 at that flow.


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## jmacn (Nov 20, 2010)

Kiwis do it. I think they call it sledging


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## bystander (Jul 3, 2014)

I know a lady who has boarded the Grand Canyon, Giant Gap and other bigger water Class V(-) stuff. Those boards are pretty forgiving in the right kind of water.


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## gannon_w (Jun 27, 2006)

caverdan said:


> :mrgreen: Not sure what river your talking about, but I have an old shirt from River Runners naming 5 class V rapids in Browns Canyon.:mrgreen:


Browns isn't class V????


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## mkashzg (Aug 9, 2006)

bystander said:


> I know a lady who has boarded the Grand Canyon, Giant Gap and other bigger water Class V(-) stuff. Those boards are pretty forgiving in the right kind of water.


The Grand Canyon is NOT class V either!?


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## lmyers (Jun 10, 2008)

Chris Baer tubes the upper Gauley..... but he's nuts.

Where Is Baer ?


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## bystander (Jul 3, 2014)

mkashzg said:


> The Grand Canyon is NOT class V either!?


They have their own rating, but I could have sworn that a couple of the rapids were class 5. The point is that big water class 5 can probably be boarded.


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## lmyers (Jun 10, 2008)

bystander said:


> They have their own rating, but I could have sworn that a couple of the rapids were class 5. The point is that big water class 5 can probably be boarded.


General consensus by kayakers and most rafters is the big ones are class 4. Definitely nothing that fits the description of class V there. If you want to see class V rapids on the Colorado look at Gore Canyon.


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## joejacksonframing (May 20, 2011)

Lava Falls is a class eleven


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## jmacn (Nov 20, 2010)

Pierce Ferry is often Class V


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## jmacn (Nov 20, 2010)

Sledges and Riverboards are like the kayaks & duckies of whitewater swimming. In the right hands they make swimming hard whitewater not only safe, but much easier than without them. You better know the river, and be super fit- but yes, people do boogie board Class V.


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## phillersk (Apr 24, 2006)

Jbertone said:


> Can a rapid that is supposedly CLASS V, really be a class V when commercials have large groups of tourists boogie boarding it? Seems that the rapid is over-rated. Your thoughts?


Ok, I'll take the bait. What river/section? Not guessing it's in the states since there is no class V commercial riverboarding outfit here. Please do tell. Sounds like bullsh*t to me!


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## skibumandy (May 18, 2016)

Here is a video of people riverboarding (Sledging) Upper Death in Glenwood Canyon. This rapid is every bit of class V with some legendary hydraulics. This is lower water than you see creature crafts running this stretch but still quire gnarly.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GD7EuMlh-G0


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## co_bjread (Oct 26, 2004)

joejacksonframing said:


> Lava Falls is a class eleven


So if I understand this correctly, the dial on the Grand Canyon goes to 11.


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## CB4Life (Apr 5, 2014)

There are pictures on AW of someone river boarding rigor mortis. And at Bailey fest there way a guy river boarding.


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## duct tape (Aug 25, 2009)

gannon_w said:


> Browns isn't class V????


Methinks maybe you missed the sarcasm in his post?


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## Pizzle (Jun 26, 2007)

They run commercial river board trips in the PNW. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkDgTlgaRAQ


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## buckmanriver (Apr 2, 2008)

Every commercial company on the Ark calls browns class V! It is just as difficult as OBJ. If you are a river border looking to step up start on OBJ then move to Brown canyon.


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## phillersk (Apr 24, 2006)

Yes, there are commercial outfits. None of them take custys down class V.


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## jimr (Sep 8, 2007)

co_bjread said:


> So if I understand this correctly, the dial on the Grand Canyon goes to 11.



The grand is always turned up to 11. 


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## jmacn (Nov 20, 2010)

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=B55rv0Be_BI

Done and done. 


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## bystander (Jul 3, 2014)

phillersk said:


> Yes, there are commercial outfits. None of them take custys down class V.


Are you referring to boarding, or rafting too? Cherry Creek is commercially rafted, and a class V run.


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## phillersk (Apr 24, 2006)

bystander said:


> Are you referring to boarding, or rafting too? Cherry Creek is commercially rafted, and a class V run.



Whelp, I was commercial rubber guide for 10 years so yes, I'm aware that rafting outfitters run class V. I'm kind of surprised that I'm the only riverboarder to post on this. It's nice to see that people are aware of the sport. The videos posted in this thread are people well known in the dick-dragging community. However, folks like Josh Galt are the reason the sport is known in the US.

I've been kicking down the river for many years and miles with the occasional class V excursion. I've worked for outfitters, "safety boarded" for them, but I have never seen or heard of any outfitter running custys down serious (IV-V) water on sledges.

Pretty sure the point of the this thread was that "some company" was running customers on boards down a "V". If so, yes, that would make for an interesting discussion about the "V" classification. Frankly, the person who started the thread does not know what they're talking about. Maybe he saw someone like myself going down a stretch with commercial boats.


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## Andy H. (Oct 13, 2003)

Holy crap. Thanks for posting the vids, folks. I am no longer skeptical of river boards on Class V, just skeptical that I'll ever do it... As to commercial outfitters taking custies down Class V water, I don't think we'll see it anytime soon, at least in the US (then again, I never thought we'd see terrain parks where you can launch insane air...).

Cool.


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## duct tape (Aug 25, 2009)

Hey, thanks for posting my ride in that river board clip at 2:36!,

- Jon. 

PS. Holy shit. I'm impressed.


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## craven_morhead (Feb 20, 2007)

For a while outfitters were running boards/sledges down Okere Falls on the Kaituna (7 meters) until one of them got pinned on the bottom for an uncomfortable amount of time.


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## AndyFarq (Sep 17, 2014)

I've worked on the Ark for a few years now and don't know anyone who calls Browns class V (some call it class IV above 2k which is amusing to me). But the best way to make a section seem more intense is to tell the customer the class of Rapids are harder than they are. Commercial class IV= normal class III/+III


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## jmacn (Nov 20, 2010)

Aaanyway. Back to swimming Class V

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Jcu6r8RnULo


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## jmacn (Nov 20, 2010)

There's bound to be some classic first Ds to be had still...


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## Andy H. (Oct 13, 2003)

That board looks like it's in production by Fluid. Are they still making them and if so, are they importing to the US?

Leif?


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## jmacn (Nov 20, 2010)

Fluid still advertises the Anvil in print media like Kayak Session. I don't know the status of getting one now that they aren't distributing in the US any more. It definitely looks like fun!


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## Electric-Mayhem (Jan 19, 2004)

The dude riding the board runs a website called Face Level and he has it advertised for sale for a totally and completely reasonable price of $2998. I'm hoping that is just a place holder price while he waits for delivery on some, since for that price I don't think he'll have a ton of takers.

Riverboards Archives - Face Level Industries

The original alternative to the Anvil is the Rip Board, which I've seen on rivers for at least a decade.... 

RipBoard - riverboards, riverboarding gear, wetsuits & more.

...as seen in this video...not sure they are doing them justice.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWnQ-FGVAsw

I think my favorite shot was the oar rig with gear pilled up so high you couldn't see the boatmen.

Anyways, the Rip boards vary in price from $359-$500 depending on how thick the plastic is layed up and such. Seems more reasonable. I saw one on Craigslist the other day for $175 including a helmet and a pair of fins.

Oh, and they are based in Denver too, so if you are local you could go pick one up. I've seen them at the Golden Whitewater Park quite a bit.

The foam ones like the Carlson and Kern ones seem awfully expensive ($400) for what is essentially a piece of plastic glued to a piece of foam. Seems like you could make one yourself for less then $100...but maybe I'm missing something.


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## phillersk (Apr 24, 2006)

No more Anvils in the US. Just like their whitewater line, it's not available in the US. Ripboards are a nice board for recreational III swimming, but not for the big game. They're not quite shaped right. Think sit-on-top balance vs. kayak. Rocky Mountain Riverboards used to make a nice product, but there's not much for options in the US. Making your own is doable, I've made them before. However they will cost more that $100 bucks Electric-Mayhem. If you do a shi*t job or don't know what you're doing you could die. Really, a Carlson is fine for most people.
"The Dude" running facelevel is Josh Galt. He is the reason the Anvil exists, and has swam more whitewater than any boarder out there. However, the website is past date and doesn't work. We are kind of in a holding pattern for the next step, no one in the states makes hydrospeeds or specific suits. Don't be fooled, ripboards suits are NOT PADDED or river-board specific. You need full leg armor and lots of aquaseal. Of course, the French (Hydrospeed - VADE RETRO) are the only ones making real gear. You can even buy the one that was used to swim the entire Amazon from start to finish. Also, buy fins. In the US we use short fins, the Euros use dive fins.
The Kiwis running a water fall (V) actually makes a good point. If you strap a custy to a foam plate and huck them down a drop, is it class V?


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## craven_morhead (Feb 20, 2007)

Even though Okere Falls is 7 meters, I think it's still considered Class IV on a kayaking scale. The commercial outfitters, of course, call it Class V. I've run the falls in the front of a topo duo, which was exciting.


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