Here are some common terms you might hear from guides while river rafting, excerpted from "Whitewater Rafting," by William McGinnis.' The terms vary slightly and are not intended to be definitive. Click here for a more general Glossary for Rafters.
| Above:
|
Upriver
from. |
| Alluvial:
|
Pertaining
to material carried or laid down by running water. Alluvium
is the material deposited by streams. It includes gravel,
sand, silt, and clay. |
| Back
Pivot: |
Turning
the raft from a ferry angle to a stem-downstream position.
Used in tight places to recover from an extreme ferry angle,
this maneuver narrows the passing space of the boat and allows
it to slide closely past obstructions. |
| Backroller:
|
A broad
reversal such as that formed below a dam or ledge. |
| Bar:
|
An accumulation
of sand, gravel, or rock in the river channel or along the
banks. |
| Basket
Boat: |
A 10-man
size military-surplus raft-constructed of an upper and a lower
buoyancy tube; the upper tube flares outward, giving the boat
a bowl- or basket-like appearance. |
| Beam:
|
The
width of a raft at its widest point. |
| Belay:
|
To wrap
a line around a rock or tree so as to slow or stop Slippage.
This technique allows one man to hold a line under great pull. |
| Below:
|
Downriver
from. |
| Big
Water: |
Large
Volume, fast current, big waves, often accompanied by huge
reversals and extreme general turbulence. The terms big water
and heavy water are closely similar, but big water carries
stronger suggestions of immense volume and extreme violence. |
| Boat:
|
Raft.
These words are interchangeable. |
| Boil:
|
A water
current upwelling into a convex mound. |
| Boulder
Fan: |
A sloping,
fan-shaped mass of boulders deposited by a tributary stream
where it enters into the main canyon. These often constrict
the river, causing rapids. |
| Boulder
Garden: |
A rapid
densely strewn with boulders that necessitate intricate maneuvering. |
| Bow:
|
Front
of a boat. See Galloway Position. |
| Bow-In:
|
With
bow pointed forward. |
| Broach:
|
To turn
a boat broadside to the current. Usually spells certain upset
in heavy water. |
| Cartwheeling:
|
Technique
of spinning a raft just before a collision with a rock so
as to rotate the raft off and around the rock. |
| CFS:
|
Cubic
feet per second. Sometimes referred to as second feet. A unit
of water flow used to indicate the volume of water flowing
per second past any given point along a river. |
| Channel:
|
A raftable
route through a section of river. |
| Chute:
|
A clear
channel between obstructions, steeper and faster than the
surrounding water. |
| Confluence:
|
The
point where two or more rivers meet. |
| Curler:
|
A high
steep wave that curls or falls back onto its own upstream
face. Considered by most to be a form of reversal. See Reversal. |
| Double-Oar
Turn: |
Rowing
technique used to turn (or to prevent the turning of) a raft.
Consists of simultaneously pulling on one oar while pushing
on the other. |
| Draw
Stroke: |
paddling
technique of moving a boat sideways toward the paddle. Effective
only with small, light rafts. |
| D-Ring:
|
Metal,
D-shaped ring attached to a raft and used to secure frames,
lines, rope thwarts, etc. |
| Drop:
|
An abrupt
descent in a river. A pitch. |
| Easy-Rower
Washer: |
Large
plastic, rubber, or metal washer placed between the oar and
frame to reduce friction. |
| Eddy:
|
A place
where the current either stops or turns to head upstream.
Usually found below obstructions and on the inside of bends. |
| Eddy
Cushion: |
The
layer of slack or billowing water that pads the upstream face
of rocks and other obstructions. See Pillow. |
| Eddy
Fence: |
The
sharp boundary at the edge of an eddy between two currents
of different velocity or direction. Usually marked by swirling
water and bubbles. Also called an eddy line and an eddy wall. |
| Falls:
|
A drop
over which the water falls free at least part of the way. |
| Ferry:
|
A maneuver
for moving a boat laterally across a current. Usually accomplished
by rowing or paddling upstream at an angle. See also Reverse
Ferry. |
| Flood
Plain: |
That
portion of a river valley, adjacent to the river channel,
which is built of sediments deposited by the river and which
is covered with water when the river overflows its banks at
flood stages. |
| Four-Man
Raft: |
A boat
4 1/2 by 9 feet that will, on small rivers, accommodate one
or two people. Only those 4-mans with inflated tube diameters
of at least 16 inches are suitable for river use. These little
boats handle best when loaded with only one person and fitted
with frame and 6- or 7-foot oars. |
| Freeboard:
|
The
distance from the water line to the top of the buoyancy tube. |
| Galloway
Position: |
Basic
position for oar boats; the oarsman faces the bow, which is
pointed downstream. |
| Gate:
|
Narrow,
short passage between two obstacles. |
| Gradient:
|
The
slope of a river expressed in feet per mile. |
| Green
River Boat: |
A raft
8 by 17 feet made by Rubber Fabricators that can accommodate
five or six people. |
| G-Rig:
|
Three
pontoons lashed together side by side. Invented by and named
for Georgie White, this floating island is suitable only for
enormous rivers like the Frazer River in British Columbia
or the Colorado of Cataract Canyon and the Grand Canyon. |
| Grip:
|
The
extreme upper end of a single-bladed paddle, shaped for holding
with the palm over the top. |
| Hair:
|
Fast,
extremely turbulent water covered with white, aerated foam. |
| Hanging
Tributary: |
A tributary
stream that enters a main canyon over a waterfall. The tributary
canyon mouth is on the wall of the main canyon rather than
at river level. |
| Haystack:
|
A large
standing wave caused by deceleration of current. |
| Heavy
Water: |
Fast
current, large waves, usually associated with holes, boulders,
and general turbulence. See Big Water. |
| High
Side!: |
Jump
to the downstream side of the raft, fast! This command is
used just before collisions with rocks and other obstructions,
If a crew, is quick, the raft's upstream side is lifted up
in time to let the current slide under, rather than into,
theraft. This action often prevents theraft from becoming
wrapped. Sometimes called as "Jump To" or "Rock Side." |
| Hole:
|
A reversal.
This term is generally applied to reversals of less than river
wide width. See Souse Hole. |
| House
Boulder: |
A house-sized
boulder. |
| Hung
Up: |
Said
of a raft that is caught on but not wrapped around a rock
or other obstacle. |
| Hydraulic:
|
A reversal.
This is a general term for reversals, eddy fences, and otherplaces
where there is a hydraulic gap, a powerful current differential.
Sometimes used in the plural to refer to the whole phenomenon
of big water, whom massive waves,violent currents, and large
holes are the obstacles, rather than rocks. |
| Hypothermia:
|
A serious
physical condition caused by a lowering of the core body temperature.
Symptoms include lack of coordination, thickness of speech,
irrationality, blueness of skin, dilation of pupils, decrease
in heart andrespiratory rate, extreme weakness,and uncontrolled
shivering. Victims often become unconscious and sometimes
die.
First Aid: Quickly strip off wet clothes and surround victim
skin-to-skin in a bare-body sandwich; administer hot drink,
etc. |
| J-Rig:
|
A pontoon-sized
raft formed by joining several giant snout-nosedsponsons. |
| Keeper:
|
A reversal
capable of trapping araft for long periods. Similar to butmore
powerful than a stopper. |
| Ledge:
|
The
exposed edge of a rock stratum that acts as a low natural
dam or as a series of such dams. |
| Left
Bank: |
Left
side of the river when facing downstream. |
| Lining:
|
The
use of ropes to work a boatdown through a rapid from shore. |
| Logjam:
|
A strainer
dam of logs across a river.This dangerous phenomenon iscommon
on small streams in wooded country. |
| Meander:
|
A loop-like
bend in the course of a river. |
| "Nice
Looking Rubbber": |
One
of the higher compliments that can he paid a raft. |
| Oar
Clip: |
A piece
of resilient metal in the shape of a pinched U that is used
to hold an oar to the thole pin. |
| Oar
Frame: |
Same
as rowing frame. |
| Oar
Rubber: |
Piece
of thick rubber used to hold an oar to the thole pin. |
| Outfit:
|
The
articles and methods used tofit out, or rig, a raft for river
running. For example, the outfit of an oar raft includes a
rowing frame,oars, the method of securing theframe to the
raft, the method of securing the gear to the frame, etc. The
outfit of a paddle raft includes paddles, rope thwarts, perhaps
aframe or poop deck, and so on Theterm may also be used to
refer toany commercial Company, especially one engaged in
outfitting trips down rivers. |
| Painter:
|
A line,
usually about 20 feet long, attached to the bow of paddle
rafts and the stern of oar rafts. Not to be confused with
the much longerbow and stern lines. |
| Pancaking:
|
In a
threesome raft, when the howboat flips back onto the middle
boat. |
| Park:
|
In a
generally Steep walled Canyon, a wide, level place adjacent
to theriver with grass and trees, often found at the mouths
of tributaries. |
| Pillow:
|
The
layer of slack water that pads the upstream face of rooks
andother obstructions. The broader the upstream face, the
more ample the pillow. Also called an eddy cushion. |
| Pitch:
|
A section
of a rapid steeper than the Surrounding portions; a drop. |
| Pivot:
|
Turning
the raft from a ferry angle to a bow-downstream Position.
This narrows the passing space of theboat, allowing it to
slide closely past obstructions. Sometimes calleda front pivot |
| Pontoon:
|
An inflatable
boat 22 feet long or larger. These mammoth rafts usually have
3-foot tubes and 9 foot beams and range in length from 22
to 37 feet. |
| Pool:
|
A deep
and Quiet stretch of river. |
| Portegee:
|
Rowing
technique of moving a boat forward by pushing on the oars. |
| Pry
Stroke: |
paddling
technique of moving a boat sideways away from the paddle.
Effective only with small, light rafts. |
| Rapid:
|
A fast,
turbulent stretch of river, often with obstructions, but usually
without an actual waterfall. Contrary to common misconception,
only the plural takes an "s." |
| Reversal:
|
A place
where the current swings upward and revolves back on itself,
forming a treacherous meeting of currents that can drown swimmers
and slow, swamp, trap, or flip rafts.Some reversals take the
form of flat,foamy, surface backflows immediately below large
obstructions justunder the surface, while others consist of
steep waves that curl heavilyback onto their own upstream
faces.Reversals are also called hydraulics stoppers, keepers,
white eddies,roller waves, backrollers, curlers,sidecurlers,
souse holes, and, mostfrequently, holes. Although some of
these terms are used loosely to refer to any sort of reversal,
others carry more precise shades of meaningand refer to certain
types of reversals. Each of these terms is discussed separately
in this glossary. |
| Reverse
Ferry: |
A rowing
technique whereby the oarsman rows diagonally downstream for
a short distance so as to power stern first into an eddy.
With a heavy raft, this technique sometimes provides the only
means ofentering a small eddy. |
| Riffle:
|
A shallow
rapid with very small waves, often over a sand or gravelbottom.
Does not rate a grade on either the Western or the International
scale of difficulty. |
| Right
Bank: |
Right
side of the river when facing downstream. See also River Right. |
| River
Left: |
Left
side of the river when facing downstream. |
| River
Right: |
Right
side of the river when facing downstream. |
| Rock
Garden: |
A rapid
thickly strewn with exposedor partially covered rocks that
demand intricate maneuvering. |
| Roller
Wave: |
A reversal.
This term is used variously to mean curler and backroller. |
| Rope
Thwarts: |
In paddle
rafts, taut ropes or straps running crossways from tube to
tube and often positioned just forward of cross tubes. When
paddlerswedge their knees under these rope thwarts they are
able to deliver stronger strokes and are less likely to be
washed overboard. Ropethwarts should in no way entangle or
hamper a paddler coming free from an overturned raft; this
tragedy occurs all too often. |
| Rowing
Frame: |
A rigid
frame that provides a seatfor the oarsman and allows the raftto
be controlled by large oars. It often also serves as a rack
for gear.Also called an oar frame. |
| Sandpaper:
|
Small
choppy waves over shallows. |
| Scout:
|
To examine
a rapid from shore. |
| Section:
|
A portion
of river located between two points; a stretch. |
| Seven-Man
Raft: |
A boat
6 1/2 by 12 feet that will accommodate three or four people.
This is a Fine all-around raft. |
| Shorty
Pontoon: |
A 22-
to 25-foot pontoon. See Pontoon. |
| Shuttle:
|
The
process of moving vehicles from the put-in to the take-out
or trip members in the reverse direction. This can be accomplished
by driving at least two vehicles to the take-out and one back
to the put-in, by hiring meal drivers, or by usinga charter
flight service if you canafford it. Or you can hitchhike with
a sign reading: RIVER RAFTING-NEED RIDE UPRIVER. |
| Sidecurler:
|
A reversal
parallel to the main current, formed by a side current passing
over a rock as it enters the main channel. |
| Six-Man
Raft: |
A boat
5% by 12 feet that will accommodate one to three people.The
cheaper varieties, if used at all,should be fitted with frame
and 5-foot oars and should carry only one person. |
| Sleeper:
|
Submerged
rock or boulder just below the surface, usually marked by
little or no surface disturbance. |
| Smoker:
|
An extremely
violent rapid; hair. |
| Sneak:
|
To take
an easy route around a difficult spot. Often takes the form
of maneuvering down one side of a big rapid in order to avoid
the turbulence in the center. |
| Souse
Hole: |
A hole
found below an underwater obstruction, such as a boulder.
Thisterm usually refers to holes of narrow or moderate width
that have water pouring not only from the upstream and downstream
directions hot also from the sides. |
| Sponsons: |
Enormous
inflatable tubes mounted alongside pontoons for added stability. |
| Sportyak: |
A one-man,
7-foot rowboat of rigid plastic with spray shields jutting
up from bow and stem. |
| Stage
Marker: |
A gauge
placed along a river shoreline that is calibrated in feet
orfractions thereof starting from an arbitrary zero point.
With appropriate conversion information, these readings may
be converted into CFS or, more important, raftabilityratings. |
| Staircase:
|
A stretch
of river where the water pours over a series of drops that
resemble a staircase. |
| Standing
Wave: |
A wave
caused by the deceleration of current that occurs when fast-moving
water slams into slower-moving water. Unlike ocean waves,which
sweep forward while the water in them remains relatively still,
merely rising and falling in place, these waves stand in a
fixed position while the water washes through them. The height
of thesewaves is measured vertically fromthe trough to the
crest. |
| Stern:
|
Rear
of a boat. |
| Stopper:
|
A reversal
powerful enough to stop a raft momentarily. Also called a
stopper wave. See Keeper. |
| Strainer:
|
Brush,
fallen trees, bridge pilings, or anything else that allows
the current to sweep through but pins boots and boaters. These
are lethal. |
| Stretch:
|
A portion
of river located between two points; a section. |
| Sweep
Oar: |
A large
oar extending over the bow or stern, commonly with the blade
angled at the throat. |
| Ten-Man
Raft: |
A boat
8 by 16 feet that will accommodate four to six people. This
is an excellent all-around boat. |
| THole
Pin: |
An upright
steel pin on a rowing frame that serves as a fulcrum, or pivot
point, for the oar. uncapped pins are used with oar rubbers,
while capped pins, which are far safer, are used with oar
clips. |
| Threesome
Raft: |
Three
rafts lashed together side by side. See C-rig. |
| Throat: |
On an
oar or paddle, the point where the shaft meets the blade. |
| Tongue:
|
The
smooth "v" of fast water found at the head of rapids. |
| Trim:
|
The
angle to the water at which a boat rides. The crew and gear
should be positioned so that the boat is level from side to
side, and slightly heavier in the bow than in the stem. |
| Triple-Rig:
|
Same
as Threesome Raft. |
| Wet
Suit: |
A close-fitting
garment of neoprene foam that provides thermal insulation
in cold water. |
| White
Eddy: |
A reversal
below a ledge or other underwater obstruction characterized
by a foamy backflow at the surface. |
| Wrapped:
|
Said
of a raft pinned flat around a rock or other obstruction by
the current. |
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