# Tips for how to get back onto my raft!?!?



## Cityguy (Aug 4, 2009)

Hey guys, this is my first post. I just turned 18 and i have only been rafting once before in the lower kern river. The thing i stuggled with the most was how to get back into the raft after i fell off!!! I just coudnt pull all my weight up to get back on. Can u gys give me some tips to help me out when i go rafting this month. Also, im trieng to decide if i shood go on the south fork of the american river in california, the midddle fork of the american, or the tuollemne!! Im leaning toward the middle fork because the tuollemne seems kinda hard but the south fork seems kinda mellow!! what do u all think!? Thanks!!


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## caspermike (Mar 9, 2007)

I think you should man up work out a little bit and just plain and simple man up. obviously you aren't a mountian folk like the rest of us. but seriously, you are asking how to pull your self back into a raft. pull


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## calendar16 (Mar 8, 2007)

A little more instruction is I would say to really focus on bobbing a couple times to get some momentum going upwards so that you are using the buoyancy of your PFD to your advantage...in the upwards direction. Hopefully the boat has a chicken line/perimeter line to hold on to. When you are going up try really hard to lock your elbow out when your body is as high up as you could get it and keep it like that so you can swing a leg over and joule you are in the boat... Of course if there are other people in the boat I would imagine they will help pull you in by the shoulder straps of your PFD and not by your arms. But yeah I would also suggest doing 100 push ups per day and as many pull ups as possible...makes you feel good and the chicks dig it.


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## Riparian (Feb 7, 2009)

Nah, there's no need to do push ups and pull ups. All you need is $130,000. With this cool tool, you can be a complete couch tater and still pop right back into the boat. And the chicks will be really impressed.

YouTube - Up, Up and Away


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## fdon (Jul 23, 2008)

One piece of advice for a beginner is to learn to fall into the boat instead of out of the boat. If you are falling out, you are leaning the wrong way. Always put your weight up onto the high side and teach your passengers to do the same. Another piece of advice is to watch that downstream oar and not let it re-arrange all your dental work when it slams into a rock. Safety gear goes without explanation. Quality PFDs for ALL passengers and a stowed rescue line or two are mandatory. The idea is to have fun while minimizing your exposure to injury.


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## eastcreek (Feb 27, 2006)

Nettie's Bag Ladders

"Nettie's ladder" work well, nice woman who makes them, lots of other extra gear also.

Still requires upper body strength and legs with some sense of muscle. Straps onto frame in case you are wondering.


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## UserName (Sep 7, 2007)

Grab a handle on the side, Kick/Pull/Lunge up, reach for top of tube. If you can get your elbow locked (the one holding the handle) then you are there. just kick a leg over at that point. 

This is your key, locking that elbow.


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## ednaout (Jun 3, 2005)

Mike,
You're compassion is unparalleled!
Hey Cityguy, You'll get it...KICK and try getting in from the upstream side of the raft that way you have the current to assist you a little.
Also, practice having someone in the boating assisting in getting you back in. Generally, if you have someone grab your life jacket and dunk you then the momentum helps bob you back up and in...you'll both fall INTO the boat.
Good Luck!!!!


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## Cityguy (Aug 4, 2009)

ednaout said:


> Mike,
> You're compassion is unparalleled!
> Hey Cityguy, You'll get it...KICK and try getting in from the upstream side of the raft that way you have the current to assist you a little.
> Also, practice having someone in the boating assisting in getting you back in. Generally, if you have someone grab your life jacket and dunk you then the momentum helps bob you back up and in...you'll both fall INTO the boat.
> Good Luck!!!!


 What do u mean by kick? u mean kick like as swimming as u pull? how does that help?


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## jacy (Mar 1, 2008)

Like a dolphin kick...


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## Chip (Apr 7, 2007)

It can be tough to get back into a large raft or cat after a swim (whether intentional or not). Especially if you're boating solo. 

On scorching desert trips, I swim and drift a lot on flat stretches to beat the heat. To re-mount, I strap an etrier (webbing stepladder) left over from wall climbing onto an outside rail, and heave it out before I jump in. 

The Bag Ladders are similar, with PVC pipe rather than tubular webbing to hold the steps open.


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## caspermike (Mar 9, 2007)

you are kinda stupid. stay in LA. you don't know what kick means? did you ever take a swim lesson?


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## oarframe (Jun 25, 2008)

Aww, come on ease up on the poor boy. He obviously is mis-informed. after all he is from la.
Cityguy, next time you fall in blow your whistle REAL loud. Maybe griff will throw you a turkey leg and a schlitz.


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## Colorado Ice (Jul 7, 2009)

*Tips for how to get back onto my raft?*

Practice---when its safe to be in the water. Also, remember DO NOT try to push off the bottom. Our inclination is to find footing. And the tendency is to "search" for a bottom foot hold--which could turn into a trap. Practice in shallow(2-4 feet deep) flat water and practice without using the bottom.

Bob


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## NoCo (Jul 21, 2009)

really...this is actually a post...ok hear it is...learn how to boat...dont fall in...to get back in...kick,claw,pull,dont push,fight,strain....you get the idea...there is no right way to do this...but there is wrong ways, the ones that dont get you back in...i will admit i couldn't get back on a duckie once...i just swam twin falls on browns at 4500cfs and got slamed and winded so badly that i swam the duckie to shore...its ok to need help gettin in but man up and take care of yourself...remember...you might be going for a tough swim if you dont get in...that should be motivation enough


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## UserName (Sep 7, 2007)

Don't pay any attention to these jerks. Its more technique than strength. Pull yourself towards the boat, kick, pull up and Lock that elbow.... kind of all in one fluid motion / lunge... You should be able to easily get in from there


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## Andy H. (Oct 13, 2003)

Always remember the three rules of rafting:

1) Stay in the boat

2) Stay in the boat

and

3) Don't get out of the boat


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## NoCo (Jul 21, 2009)

i didnt thnk this had to be taught...wow


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## grandyoso (Aug 20, 2006)

I once saw Chuck Norris intentionally swim a class V while having his boat tethered to him. He swam his boat through and then did a roundhouse kick in the water to get himself back in the boat with no hands....


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## WhiteLightning (Apr 21, 2004)

Some of these guys are retarded. It can be hard to get in, especially if you are a bigger dude. It is all about kicking your feet like you are swimming, keeping kicking, pull hard on that handle, or the chicken line (which should be rigged very tight), preferably next to a D-ring. Flounder up onto the tube, lock those elbows like they said, keep kicking and pulling until your center of gravity is good enough that you can get a leg in, or grab onto something in the raft like a cam strap. I usually keep a cam strap around a thwart, even if I don't have anything to strap in, just for an extra place to grab onto if I need a little more pull.

I usually try to stay in the boat, or have someone in there that can give me a pull, but if you flip or everyone falls out, you will need to get back in by yourself.

I've heard of people using the prussic loop (google it) they carry in their PFD as a foot hold, and others who kind of use the chicken line as a stair if they can get a foot up.


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## NolsGuy (Jul 20, 2009)

Cityguy said:


> What do u mean by kick?


Think Rockettes.


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## grandyoso (Aug 20, 2006)

Come on WL just trying to have a little fun...


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## WhiteLightning (Apr 21, 2004)

Yeah, keep telling yourself that...he is 18 and from LA and I'm sure he's got a Glock in his trench coat...

Kid, most river people are pretty cool out in the river, but like to be douchy on the Internet sometimes to amuse themselves so don't take it too personally.


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## WhiteLightning (Apr 21, 2004)

Next question will be about PFD lash tabs and Glocks falling in the river...


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## NoCo (Jul 21, 2009)

THANK YOU CHUCK NORRIS


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## dograft83 (Jun 16, 2008)

What works good for me is to use my pfd to help. I push my self down into the water the when the pfd does its job to bring me back up I kick like a mad man to come out of the water till I can lock my elbow then grab what ever I can in the boat to pull me in. When ever you are floating and have a friend with you jump in and try things that work and your friend can help you till you find what works for you. But when you flip you will have to be a man and just give her to get back on


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## raymo (Aug 10, 2008)

It's tough , the first time I got back in the boat by myself I was sweating like a one legged fighter in an ass kicking contest.


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## Trebor (Jun 2, 2006)

Man, I have a cataraft with 28 inch tubes: it is really hard to get back into. At all four corners we hang small ladders that stow in a pouch. They are easy to climb and much safer than a chicken line. We got ours at AAA Inflateables. I liked them so much that I even clip them on our Super Puma and the Culebra.


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## raymo (Aug 10, 2008)

raymo said:


> It's tough , the first time I got back in the boat by myself I was sweating like a one legged fighter in an ass kicking contest.


Did I mention the pontoon boat had 34 in. tubes and I hit my down stream oar that pushed me right out of the boat on Warm Springs rapid on the Yampa River. There were 15 passengers on board and not one of them helped. I think you get the idea Cityguy.


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## carvedog (May 11, 2005)

Ignore caspermike, he lives to rail on people if he is not on the water, it seems to make him happy and provides a dramatic counterpoint to those theatrically inclined. Don't want it to be all lovey dovey in here right?



ednaout said:


> Mike,
> You're compassion is unparalleled!
> Hey Cityguy, You'll get it...KICK and try getting in from the upstream side of the raft that way you have the current to assist you a little.
> Also, practice having someone in the boating assisting in getting you back in. Generally, if you have someone grab your life jacket and dunk you then the momentum helps bob you back up and in...you'll both fall INTO the boat.
> Good Luck!!!!


sorry edna the upstream side of the boat does not work well in most situations. Tends to push your legs under the boat and make it impossible to get in. FTW??




Cityguy said:


> What do u mean by kick? u mean kick like as swimming as u pull? how does that help?


Yeah kind of like that. But this is your 20 kicks per second scissor kick as in "I am going to do my get on top of the water and walk like Jesus" kick. 

Wait a second until the boat is inline with the current. Go to the side and the best is where the tube starts to rise up for the rocker at the front and back, grab ahold of the chicken line on either side of a d ring as close as you can, dunk yourself and on the upsurge do the afore mentioned Jesus kick and you may make it back in.


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## Riparian (Feb 7, 2009)

> sorry edna the upstream side of the boat does not work well in most situations. Tends to push your legs under the boat and make it impossible to get in. FTW??


Yeah, I was wondering about that advice as well. Depending on the current, that could end up badly. Kick, lunge, swing a heel over the tube and use your leg muscles to help lever you up. Helps if someone on the boat is helping.


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## raymo (Aug 10, 2008)

raymo said:


> Did I mention the pontoon boat had 34 in. tubes and I hit my down stream oar that pushed me right out of the boat on Warm Springs rapid on the Yampa River. There were 15 passengers on board and not one of them helped. I think you get the idea Cityguy.


Sorry, up stream oar.


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## Palo Duro (Jun 12, 2009)

The jet packs went on sale, 90k. Eaz-up on the leaded stuff, try light or make your own.


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## ednaout (Jun 3, 2005)

Yup, I'm wrong. Don't listen to that upstream part.
What's FTW?


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## caspermike (Mar 9, 2007)

there's some true sissies on this board i know for a fact cause you don't all drink the booty. as for clueless in LA, MAN UP. simplest advice there is. put it this way you got some wangsters chasing you down the block and you have to run half way up the wall to get a good leap and grab a hold of the top. what are you gonna do let them cap your ass or get the f*Ck over the wall? same thing son.


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## tyaker (Dec 11, 2004)

Like my turista from LA umpteen years ago on the Rogue: "If we stop paddling, will the raft fall off the tracks?" No shit.

Easy to pick on LA folks. Most of 'em think a river was designed by somebody.

Kidding aside, like casper's talkin' about, it's called a-f*#@ing-drenaline.


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## okieboater (Oct 19, 2004)

I know this is an old thread, but it came up on my screen today.
Not much going on here in fly over country. I just read the entire thing.

After many years here on the Buzz, I am still reading threads like this one and laughing big time. The questions asked and the feed back given are just "precious" as we used to say back on the farm.

Funny stuff for sure!


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