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WHAT ARE THE TRIP
OPTIONS?
White Water Rafting on the Nantahala River is our specialty. Our
Company is focused on giving you a quality experience at an affordable
price.
We offer three types of trips, three lengths of trips, and multiple boat
sizes and styles to perfectly fit your group.
They are all described here.
Don't get overwhelmed, it is really pretty simple once you see what we
have.
We have a Trip for Everyone, Boats for every level of experience,
confidence level and group size. But we stop at the 7/8 man boats because
we feel like it is the maximum size boat for this river. Sure we could
make a better ROI if we stuffed 10 or 12 to a boat, but, you'd figure it
out quickly, and it really would not be fun for anyone.
FIRST OF ALL, WE OFFER THREE TYPES OF
TRIPS.
Fully Guided:
Guide Assisted:
"Be Your Own
Boss" Rental trips or Self Guided Trips:
THEN WE OFFER THREE LENGTH TRIPS.
Full River Trips 2-1/2 hours (8-1/2 miles)
Top to Campground 2 hours (7-1/2 miles)
Ferebe Park to the Campground 1 hour (4 miles)
AND THEN WE OFFER MANY DIFFERENT CRAFTS FOR THE RIVER.
Two basic different types (Self Bailing and Regular Rafts)
Several Styles of Boats (Rafts, Duckies/Funyaks, Pumas)
All in different sizes: Singles, Doubles, 2/3 man 3/4 man boats, 5/6 man boats,
7/8 man boats, and the Pumas which handle from 2-5 people depending on
your group.THEN THERE ARE
THE KEYS TO MAKING ALL OF THIS WORK!
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THREE TYPES OF
TRIPS OFFERED
(Fully Guided, Guide Assisted and "Be Your Own Boss" RENTAL
TRIPS.
Fully Guided: You will have an
experienced River Guide together with you in your Craft. We call this
trip our "No Worries Trip". Our guides will be with you every
step of the way. They will entertain you while you take a relaxing trip
down the river. Just when you start getting comfortable with your trip,
you might here the guide yell, Oh No!.... If you didn't think that
was too funny, you will continue your relaxing trip. If you gave him
some strange looks, and a couple of good laughs, your guide will
probably step it up a notch or two. We are here to give you a Safe and
Fun trip. We let you decide how "much" is Fun!
DO YOU NEED A GUIDED TRIP? Again, we'll let you decide. If you
have never paddled anything before, YES!, by all means! If you
look at the river and you are Intimidated, Yes, take at least one guided
trip to let you enjoy the river, and learn from the guide how to make
the proper adjustments, and how to run the rapids.
It is your "FIRST FAMILY TRIP" down "THIS" river,
but you have done some paddling before, and you can at least make the
boat go in the direction you want it to go, and do a fairly good job
avoiding obstructions. Again, you decide! Is one of you always right,
and one of you always wrong? Can you agree to disagree? Who's going to
guide the boat, and if it doesn't go just right, is someone going to
regret it? If Yes, take a Fully Guided Trip. Your spouse and your kids
may love you for it. If you are still not sure, but don't quite fit this
category, the Guide Assisted may be your best bet. Guide
Assisted: These trips are usually associated with larger
group trips. Generally there is someone who has had some paddling
experience that will proudly guide the boat, and others who want to take
the safer route of a fully guided trip. In this case, we put our guides
in the boat with the more reserved passengers, and we let the rest of
you champs follow along behind us. We'll show you the runs, and all you
have to do is follow us! On larger trips, we have a Lead Boat up front,
that I just described, a Sweep Boat in the rear, and a number of other
Fully Guided boats divided between.
Our guides will lead the way, be in the middle to help out here and
there, and then a guide in the last boat to pick up and keep the group
together.
It is actually a Combination of the Fully Guided and the Self
Guided/Rental Trip. "Be Your
Own Boss" Self Guided Rental Trips: This is just what it sounds like. We give
you all of the equipment you need, instructions for navigating the
river, describe running all of the major rapids, and finish up with a
Safety briefing that will describe all of the dangers you might
encounter on the river, and how to avoid, or deal with them properly.
This is the bulk of our business. People come back to the Nantahala
River every year for a "Beat the Heat" White Water Rafting
Vacation.
They start out with a Guided Trip, then go for the "Be Your Own
Boss" Rental trip. We shuttle you to the top, you give us a shout
when you come by the Outpost, and we'll be waiting for you when you pull
up to the take-out about 15 minutes later. Generally Rafts are first,
then the Pumas, then the Double and Single Duckies. By the time you get
finished with the Ducks, some are back in the rafts, and some are heck
bent on climbing aboard the high performance crafts. Your next trip will
have you back in the rafts with your friends, and the cycle starts all
over again.
Take advantage of our
"SECOND TRIP SAME DAY 1/2 Price Special"
See details here
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THREE LENGTH
TRIPS FOR EVERY EXPERIENCE LEVEL Top to the Falls
/Full River Trip 2-1/2 hours
Our most popular trip is the Full River Trip. It is 2-1/2 hours of Class
I, II, and III rapids on the Nantahala White Water River. You'll
navigate the full river from the put-in past Patton's run through the Nantahala Falls. If you
feel like you want to run the full river, but the Nantahala Falls still
sends chills up your spine, pull over at the Scouting Pad just above the
falls and hop out. If the rest of the group wants to give it a shot, you
are just a short (75 yard) walk from watching them take their best shot
at the falls. The take-out is only another 75 yards below the falls, and
a nice walk along the river while you can laugh to your hearts content
at your comrades, or walk humbly along while you wish you had taken the
rest of the trip. If the humble walk is the one you took, I'll just bet
you don't have to twist any arms to get them to make another run!
Top to the Campground
2 hour trip. You get a mild Class III (Patton's Run) at the top of the
river and take out before running the last 15 minutes of the river that
includes the Nantahala Falls, a more technical Class III. You will take
out at the Campground directly across from the Outpost. Leave your boat,
take your life jackets and paddles, and walk directly across the street
back to the Outpost.
Fereby Park to the Campground 1+ hour trip
This trip is designed for those of you who just don't know about this
White Water Rafting Stuff, but you finally agreed you would go. You can
put-in at Fereby Park, and paddle to the Paddle Inn Campground. There
are no Class III rapids on this section of the river, so you get a
chance to see if you are ready for more adventure or not. If you feel confident, you can load up and take the full Rental trip, or
you can request a qualified Guide for a subsequent trip. |
DIFFERENT TYPES AND SIZES OF
RIVER CRAFTS.
2 Types: Self Bailing and Regular
Rafts
Self Bailing Rafts have inflatable floors that attach to
the sides of the rafts called Tubes. You sit on a combination of the
Tubes and Thwarts which look like seats going across the rafts to give
the raft it's stability. The material which attaches the floor to the
tubes has holes in it. Water splashes in and it finds its way around the
holes around the outside of the floor and flows back into the river.
Regular Rafts sometimes referred to as Bucket Boats have solid material
floors. They are not inflated, and do not have holes in them. When the water
splashes into the raft, a bucket, or dipper is used to scoop and throw the
water out of the boat, back into the river. Quite frequently, it ends up
on Dad, Mom, and the kids, and mini water fights are quite common. Some
times you pull over to the side of the bank, take a break, and turn the
boat over on it's side and let the water run out. We find that our corporate
clients and many of our larger groups like to take the regular rafts because
sometimes they require some teamwork to get them turned over and emptied
out. It promotes team building and leadership skills, or sometimes identifies
that lack thereof! But everyone always gets a kick out of seeing how the
guides at the takeout make it seem so easy to do the same thing.
The Regular rafts are the more economical rafts to rent. We rent about half
and half here at Paddle Inn. Many clients prefer these rafts over the newer
style Self Bailing Rafts. Which should you choose? Well, I really don't
know which one you will prefer, so choose one first, and then take the other,
and then you can make up your own mind.
Each come in different sizes/lengths.
Generally the smallest of the rafts will hold two to four
people depending on their size. Two adults, or Two Adults and two smaller
children for the smaller boats. The 5/6 man boat: It will hold 5
to 6 adults, or children, and if you have non-paddling children, a total
of two additional children can be accommodated. (One per each thwart).
The 6th adult will sit on the rear of the boat next to the 5th and help
guide the boat.
The 7/8 man boat: It will hold 7 to 8 adults, or children and if
you have non-paddling children, a total of 3 additional children can be accommodated.
(One per each thwart). The 7th and 8th person will sit on the rear of
the boat and both help guide. |
SEVERAL STYLES OF BOATS
We have already covered the Rafts. Now we'll talk about the
Duckies or Funyaks, and the Pumas.
Duckies are also called Funyaks:
These are best described as inflatable Kayaks, or Canoes. They are all
of the Self Bailing type. They come in Singles and Doubles, and then
from the Stable Hyside Duckies to the more sleek Aire Duckies, and
then to the even more sleek high performance Duckies. They are paddled
with a double bladed Kayak paddle which adds to the maneuverability
and stability of the craft. Some clients who have rafted with other
companies use one single and one double paddle because that is what
they think they are supposed to do, but we suggest you use two double
bladed paddles for the added benefits just described. Yes, they cost
more than single bladed paddles, and that's why most other companies
only give you one. We suggest two, but you be your own judge. You will
be sitting down at water level, so expect a bit more splashing, and a
bit more excitement. We suggest wetsuits for the cooler days while in
a ducky. What is a Puma:
A Puma is quite frequently called a Banana boat by those that
can't quite remember the name. It is a Self Bailing boat that is more
narrow than a raft, and the outside tubes are a bit larger than the
medium sized rafts. It is more responsive than the rafts, and a bit
more maneuverable. It is an excellent choice for those moving up from
the raft, seeking a more challenging and exciting ride, before tackling
the duckies. It is a great boat for two people, and up to five,
depending on your size. A family of five with three kids of varying
sizes works quite well, even if Dad has had a few extra pork
chops.
HOW TO HANDLE YOUR RAFT IN THE WHITE
WATER.
HOW DO WE GET ALL OF THIS TO WORK TOGETHER?
If you are interested in some of the tips and tricks to
properly navigate your boat down the river, take a few minutes to read
some of the things that we teach you just before you get on the river.
This is not our complete instruction, but you'll get some goodies here
that you'll want to hear a bit more about before you take off for your
first run. It's all here in our Navigational
FAQ.
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