# Raft motor rental?



## Phil U. (Feb 7, 2009)

Have a Cataract trip coming up and having a difficult time finding a motor to rent. Anybody have a motor or a lead?


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## Phil U. (Feb 7, 2009)

Bump. Help a fellow river rat out?


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## Riverwild (Jun 19, 2015)

Just go buy one from Cabelas for your trip and then return it.


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## Quiggle (Nov 18, 2012)

You won't be able to rent just a motor. The raft will need to be registered once you have a motor, thats why you are having a hard time finding just a motor to rent. You will have more luck looking for a full rig with a motor to rent. There is a place in moab that rents rafts with motors. can't rembere their name. Atleast there used to be a place.


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## seantana (Mar 5, 2015)

Not a beast, but it should push a couple rafts.
https://cosprings.craigslist.org/bpo/d/gamefisher-175-trolling-motor/6321079372.html


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## Phil U. (Feb 7, 2009)

Quiggle said:


> You won't be able to rent just a motor. The raft will need to be registered once you have a motor, thats why you are having a hard time finding just a motor to rent. You will have more luck looking for a full rig with a motor to rent. There is a place in moab that rents rafts with motors. can't rembere their name. Atleast there used to be a place.


Yeah. The place in Moab will rent me an 18' raft with a motor for $1,900 for a week. No thanks. I can rent a 20 hp motor for $320 in Flagstaff from a Grand outfitter for the 8 River days but that's a bit far to drive. Probably gonna buy a used motor.


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## Electric-Mayhem (Jan 19, 2004)

I found a place in Denver that rents them but all they had was a 25hp or 50hp motor that would not only be overkill for a raft but also way heavy. I started a thread last year about this too, and ended up just buying a used 5hp 4stroke off one of the members here. It needs some work, so I'm not prepared to rent or loan it out....sorry.

The other complication with renting one is that a Marina or classic hardshell boat service isn't going to have a way to mount said motor to a raft.

My understanding of getting your boat licensed is that the boat itself is licensed not the motor. You do this by going to a Parks and Wildlife office and getting one. You will then have to either paint the registration letters on your boat or make a plaque with them and hang it off your frame (the prefered way IMHO). Rafts can be a bit hard since they don't have serial numbers that are recognizable by the Parks and Wildlife people so they may have to give you a new number or something. 

The only stretch I've used a motor on was Desolation, and they couldn't give a crap. I didn't know about the registration the first time and they "looked the other way" and I was a dumbass and forgot my paperwork the second time and they did it again.

Since Cataract spits out onto Lake Powell, it may be a bigger deal if you get caught without the registration. Just so you know, there is current all the way to Hite the last I checked, so a motor isn't strictly needed for after the rapids. It will probably make for faster travel on the flatwater above the confluence and will certainly expedite getting out of the canyon if that is what you want, but it isn't strictly needed to run Cataract anymore.


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## Skyman (Jun 26, 2006)

I had the same issue. I just bought a used 5HP Honda. Do I need to register the boat now? WTF? Launching next week on Cataract.


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## Electric-Mayhem (Jan 19, 2004)

Yep...to not get in trouble you need to register your boat. You could risk it and not do so but if a Ranger takes issue he could give you a fine. I can't say what they'll do on Cataract.

Not sure the process on getting that in Utah, but in Colorado it was pretty easy. Looks maybe a bit harder but not sure... Boats and Watercraft | Utah DMV

Its up to you... the price we pay for "the black oar".


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## Skyman (Jun 26, 2006)

I wonder if the fine is more than the registration. It may be worth it just to chance it if they can't take or impound your property.


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## Phil U. (Feb 7, 2009)

So, being from Colorado I would register here and that would work in Utah? Also may have found a 2 and a half horse motor locally. Opinions on whether that would push 3 rafts into a stiff breeze?


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## Electric-Mayhem (Jan 19, 2004)

Skyman said:


> I wonder if the fine is more than the registration. It may be worth it just to chance it if they can't take or impound your property.


No idea on that one....maybe someone has experience with that on Cataract. I think there is a big chance that you would never see a Ranger this time of year. If you do it will most likely be at the put in or take out. If its at the put in, I think the worst they would do is not let you take the motor. At the takeout might be a bigger issue. 

Lots of different "municipalities" that are involved in Cataract so its all hard to say how it will go down. BLM, Canyonlands National Park and Glen Canyon Recreation Area all have authority over different sections of the river.


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## Electric-Mayhem (Jan 19, 2004)

Phil U. said:


> So, being from Colorado I would register here and that would work in Utah? Also may have found a 2 and a half horse motor locally. Opinions on whether that would push 3 rafts into a stiff breeze?


Yes...as long as you use your raft with the motor less then 60 days in Utah your Colorado registration works just fine.

There are a couple threads on mountainbuzz about this and there have been other people that said that size of motor did just fine pushing some rafts. Its not gonna go anywhere like a speedboat but it will most likely push a couple rafts faster and more steadily then you could row them.


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## Ginger Blu Bucket (Dec 12, 2015)

We recently went through the hoops to get our raft registered in order to take a motor on our Cataract trip that launched September 9th. We borrowed a 3.5 horse motor and motor mount. CO Parks and Wildlife didn't care about the motor. The part they care about is a title which we did not have. They did accept* a bill of sale with the serial number and our names on it* to prove that we owned the raft. Raft is co-owned by my lady tiger and I. We did not even have to bring in the raft when registering it. The very helpful CPW employee at the Gunnison office allowed me to email a photo of the raft and the serial number plate just to be sure what we were using. I think we paid around $40 for registry for a 13.5' raft. Cost increases as length of boat increases. I believe that it is the flat rate for up to 16' vessels. The CPW employee had been through this a few times this season as some local fishing guides were using motors on the Gunnison River/Blue Mesa. The paper work was sufficient to carry as the CPW has a backlog of boat registries and issuing the numbers and letters that go on the bow takes some time. You do not need to register in Utah as out of state boats are allowed to operate on Utah waters for up to 60 days a year.
We never saw a ranger so even though we were legit we did not have to show anybody anything. 


There was in fact *no current after the rapids* and sadly we did not take enough gas to get us through it... 11 boat trip, first experience with a motor, 7 horse would have been better, etc., long story....
If rowing with the wind in your face sounds like torture, which it was and you would prefer not to row at night (no guarantee of wind free nights as we also found) I would go out and buy a motor if I were headed on that trip again this year.

FWIW the boat was an NRS


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## Jiggyjay (Dec 29, 2016)

Phil U. said:


> So, being from Colorado I would register here and that would work in Utah? Also may have found a 2 and a half horse motor locally. Opinions on whether that would push 3 rafts into a stiff breeze?


2.5hp pushing 3 rafts which I guess is 13-15 footers loaded with gear and people. I really doubt you'll be getting much power especially going against stiff wind. I would recommend at least getting a 5hp. I use a 2.5 Suzuki to fish with my 10 foot raft and it pushes me just fine but at probabaly 5x more the weight I wouldn't recommend it. Good luck


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## Ginger Blu Bucket (Dec 12, 2015)

I also got in touch with a very helpful gentleman named Bruce at the Canyonlands NP phone number and according to him aside from put-in or on-river inspections by the ranger there are no other requirements regarding motoring in Cataract Canyon.


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## Electric-Mayhem (Jan 19, 2004)

Ginger Blu Bucket said:


> We recently went through the hoops to get our raft registered in order to take a motor on our Cataract trip that launched September 9th. We borrowed a 3.5 horse motor and motor mount. CO Parks and Wildlife didn't care about the motor. The part they care about is a title which we did not have. They did accept* a bill of sale with the serial number and our names on it* to prove that we owned the raft. Raft is co-owned by my lady tiger and I. We did not even have to bring in the raft when registering it. The very helpful CPW employee at the Gunnison office allowed me to email a photo of the raft and the serial number plate just to be sure what we were using. I think we paid around $40 for registry for a 13.5' raft. Cost increases as length of boat increases. I believe that it is the flat rate for up to 16' vessels. The CPW employee had been through this a few times this season as some local fishing guides were using motors on the Gunnison River/Blue Mesa. The paper work was sufficient to carry as the CPW has a backlog of boat registries and issuing the numbers and letters that go on the bow takes some time. You do not need to register in Utah as out of state boats are allowed to operate on Utah waters for up to 60 days a year.
> We never saw a ranger so even though we were legit we did not have to show anybody anything.
> 
> 
> ...


How much gas did you bring? Haha...wanna make sure to bring more then that.

Hmm...based on historical lake levels I thought there was current to Hite but I guess not. Good to know. Just saw a post on one of the rafting Facebook pages that said that too. They said the slack water started at Gypsum Creek which is about 25 miles from Hite. That would indeed suck to row out even without wind.


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## Ginger Blu Bucket (Dec 12, 2015)

We brought 2 gallons I believe. I suggested we bring at least twice that but the TL (not me) and another person on the trip a former GC motor rig captain wanted to row. I was in favor of having extra for emergency needs (evacuation) but the suggestion was not accepted. Lesson learned. 
Also the sediment down in the lower reaches has had some effects on the current or more precisely lack thereof.


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## Phil U. (Feb 7, 2009)

Electric-Mayhem said:


> How much gas did you bring? Haha...wanna make sure to bring more then that.
> 
> Hmm...based on historical lake levels I thought there was current to Hite but I guess not. Good to know. Just saw a post on one of the rafting Facebook pages that said that too. They said the slack water started at Gypsum Creek which is about 25 miles from Hite. That would indeed suck to row out even without wind.


Yeah, that was me. A Cat guide told me that last week.


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## Electric-Mayhem (Jan 19, 2004)

Ginger Blu Bucket said:


> We brought 2 gallons I believe. I suggested we bring at least twice that but the TL (not me) and another person on the trip a former GC motor rig captain wanted to row. I was in favor of having extra for emergency needs (evacuation) but the suggestion was not accepted. Lesson learned.
> Also the sediment down in the lower reaches has had some effects on the current or more precisely lack thereof.


Good to know. My Honda 5hp has an external tank that is 3.5 gallon tank. The Deso trips I took it on used about half of it. I think that would get me to confluence no problem but might wanna bring a few more gallons for the section after the rapids.

Lesson definitely learned...go with your gut feeling (and take the advice of a former GC guide with a grain of salt  ). Its a raft, no biggy to bring a few extra gallons of gas you decided not to use.

The silt beds never cease to surprise me, both on Cataract and Diamond down on the GC. I did it two years in a row and one of the years was the first year the current went down to Hite and it was still cutting down through the silt. The current actually hauled ass and the silt beds were deadly. One of the kayakers on the trip got out to take a piss on what he thought was dry solid ground and instantly sunk up to his chest in thick sticky silty mud. I think the only thing that stopped him from going deeper was that he grabbed his boat. He was able to crawl back in with some effort, but I'm glad he came out ok. There was an epic level of mud in his kayak afterwards though...I think he was cleaning it out for a month afterward.


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## restrac2000 (Mar 6, 2008)

Drove home through Hite when we returned from the San Juan 2 weeks ago. Sad to see the lake so high. Had gotten use to the river and rapids there.


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## dsrtrat (May 29, 2011)

I have my 16' raft registered in Utah, costs about around $60 a year. I did have to take the boat to a DMV office to have then verify the serial number, easy to do. If you don't have the registration on Cataract you may be prohibited from launching with the motor if inspected. I have also been checked by the river patrol while on the river and asked for the paperwork.
You also need to have the registration numbers shown while motoring and have the required safety gear.


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## B4otter (Apr 20, 2009)

Lake is over 3620 in elevation, highest it's been for awhile and actually high enough to take out at the Hite boat ramp if you want to fight your way through the shoreline brush...at least I did in October 2012. The Dirty Devil/North Wash takeout in good shape from latest reports.
I've run my 5 hp Honda down from Mineral a half dozen times and the 3 gallon running tank is just enough to push 4/5 rafts down through Stillwater and out on the lake. I take another 2 gallon can "just in case" and have loaned or used it a couple of times.
You're going to be carrying gas one way or the other (unless you run propane, which I have , and prefer) so why wouldn't you tuck in an extra gallon or two?


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## swiftwater15 (Feb 23, 2009)

Phil U when are you launching? We are launching Saturday from mineral

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