# Come w/ Us Down the GC! Qualified Motor Guide and Passengers Needed!



## lcbeckman (Aug 8, 2017)

Hello Boaters! I JUST won a very last minute 8 person permit to raft down the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon launching the 18th! 

Due to the late notice, we are having trouble finding an experienced GC boat driver and filling our boat. We have 3 to 4 people committed to the trip and are looking for a group of 4 or 5 to join us! We have a quote from Ceiba for 10 days from August 18th to August 27th on a Ceiba's Motor Boats: S-Rig (37'). The quoted estimate is about $1600 per person with the "whole shabang" package including a great food plan and including the $100 NPS permit fee. 

Come join us, we're 3 young professionals with potentially my father. Any suggestions or help would be greatly appreciated! Spread the word! We don't want this permit to go to waste!

If you are a solo qualified motor guide we can talk about subsidizing the costs!!


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## Vasevida (May 2, 2017)

Just looking for some clarification here. You need someone to take the reins of the entire trip, and (rig,de rig &) drive a 37' motorized raft the whole way?  Oh yes - in ten days or less, and in 10 days from now? Does anyone on the trip have any experience? Just wondering......


This site is something else. 


Good luck - one suggestion, paying a private party to run your private trip is against the conditions of the permit. Be careful on a public forum as the NPS does not like this sort of thing.


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## buckmanriver (Apr 2, 2008)

lcbeckman,

I am sure you can find someone. This is a good place to start. Perhaps the trolls are out early giving the uniqueness of your request. 

Typically, folks are looking for non-motor support. 

Just curious if your set on a motor trip? 

If you switched to four oar boats and asked for rowers. 

I bet you would have an inbox of 60+ people willing to row for free the entire trip. 

Cheer's

~ B


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## lcbeckman (Aug 8, 2017)

*Open to Almost Anything*

I have lots of experience rafting as a rafter, not as a guide. I never envisioned having only 10 days to plan and execute this trip, but would hate to slap the opportunity in the face.

The reason we went with the motor idea is that we can only get 10 days off work with such short notice. If there are any suggestions how to accomplish this trip in 10 days on a man powered raft.. I'm open to it.

Especially if there are any qualified guides that would like to join us.


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## buckmanriver (Apr 2, 2008)

lcbeckman,

I feel you I have a 9-5 job now and my last three trips have been 6-10 day kayak self-support in order to make things work with my professional job. 

225 miles in 10 days on rafts is totally doable. 

22.5 miles a day will need to be your average. The river moves at 3-5mph so that is 7.5 - 4.5 hours each day on the boats. 

Here are some strategies that can help the literary work on a 10 day oar trip. 

1. Make sure everyone knows it is a working vacation. 
2. Have cold breakfast each day. Each breakfast in a flotilla moving down the river. Jet boil your coffee on the boat or make cold brew. Much faster. 
3. Have everyone make their lunch for the next day the night before. Have lunch on your own. Do spend an hour each day on this. 
4. Have everyone sleep on the boats each night. Packing up will be much easier and faster when you sit up and pack your dry bag on the raft you're floating on. 
5. Night row the 20-mile flat water section between Havasu and lava. Great way to see this slow section. 
6. Make sure you have an electric water filter. 
7. Do only the short wet side hikes. 
8. Do tabernacle to bass camp in 1 day. Basically the entire inner gorge. Skip phantom ranch. This 36-miles section has enough gradient to make those miles easy. I did this on a December with rafts once near the winter solstice. I know it's doable. 

Also, you have an 8 person permit. Why fill the permit? Maybe just take two rafts and 4-5 people. Everything will go much faster in a group that size. 

Hope that helps.


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## dbendell (Apr 8, 2012)

I have done two trips launching on a Friday at Lee's taking out the following Sunday in March with limited Sun. Just got off a commercial dory trip and went to Pearce in 14 easy days. 10 days is a rush, better than not growing.

Motor rig takes a special boatman, oars will better for you.
18k in water, things will move fast, besides shade its cooler on the water.

Get 4 18' boats and pound it out, no sweat


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## mattman (Jan 30, 2015)

Some good strategies for making miles Buckmanriver, will be keeping them in the back of my head next time I need to move on a trip.

Having two oarsman per boat could help you out a lot as well, tag team it, amazing how much faster you can move on the water, and end up with a little more time to enjoy your trip. 
More time in the Grand Canyon is better, but a short trip is better then not going at all.


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