Packrafting Tasmania

Most packrafters, and I definitely include myself in this group, are guilty at times of being ‘lazy’ paddlers. Deliberately train yourself to not fall into this category, or at least not too often anyway. Packrafts, with their increased stability and ease of maneuverability, lend themselves to paddlers taking the easy option of minimal effort. For […]

After a number of years of teaching packrafting to a wide range of paddlers I have changed my opinion on what it takes for a packrafter to paddle rapids really well. I now believe that one of the fundamental problems that many packrafters face is that they are unable to generate sufficient power at the […]

Water has momentum. Your boat has momentum. Use these to your advantage! Understanding the role of momentum in whitewater is critical and particularly understanding the importance of creating cross-current momentum. If you want to catch a large eddy on river left then start your approach to it from upstream but from the opposite side of […]

In order to paddle technical rapids well, you need your packraft to respond to subtle shifts of your weight and to each and every part of your strokes. If you are not physically connected to your boat you are at the mercy of the water. The primary advantage of this connection is that it allows […]

Packrafts turn almost too easily!   A lot of less experienced paddlers allow their packrafts to turn too early and thus they get caught in the confused water around eddy lines. As a result the boat spins on the spot, edges get grabbed, whilst balance, control and speed are lost. Instead you need to counteract the […]

If you wish to become an advanced whitewater paddler then you will benefit from consciously working on mastering a range of specific strokes. Technical paddling strokes provide maximum efficiency and power whilst keeping you balanced in the boat. Learn strokes like hanging draws, the bow rudder, bow draw, the stern draw and stern rudder and […]

This is more important than learning to roll! Well it is for Australians and New Zealanders anyway – due to our steep low volume technical rivers. To ‘boof’ is to lift the bow of your packraft and to drive the boat forward at the same time. A good boof allows you to jump hydraulics or […]

Sometimes it seems that packrafters are trying to reinvent the wheel when it is completely unnecessary. Kayakers have been paddling serious whitewater for decades and they have learned a few things along the way. Packrafters would do well to embrace the lessons that both kayaks, and kayakers, can teach. Absolutely the best way to improve […]

One of the most enjoyable aspects of whitewater paddling for me is that of teamwork. Working with others to overcome challenging, often unknown and sometimes potentially dangerous situations creates an incredibly rewarding and powerful experience. When things go wrong on rivers the outcome is often determined by the team that you have around you. Thus, […]

Once you have a team, paddle as one! Watch out for each other by always knowing where everyone else in the group is. Position yourself and your team members so that you can protect each other. Consciously set safety on rapids and talk about how the group will deal with incidents before they actually happen. […]