buddah426 said:
i was wondering bout this. the new (colorado) boats i find online say rated class 1 which are essentially the same boat. i couldn't find the columbia for sale with specs however i did find a review that stated it was rated class 2. there is a tag on the boat that states that it was built for calm and slow moving waters and not to take it down rapids. i find this to be odd though since it's got the double bladders and seems to be built very solid. is this a case of cya by the company? i have no wishes to run class 5's or anything and i'm comfortable that it'll handle anything here in the pdx area but just curious.
Plenty of whitewater that that toon won't whoop...
I would not take that on any actual whitewater. Keep it in class I and class II. It may seem "solid" but when compared to any actual whitewater capable cataraft (look up Sotar, Aire, etc.) you'll notice the differences. Not trying to rain on a parade, but know your (and your boats) limitations.
For example, it would be fine on the lower Sandy (Oxbow to Dabney) but don't do Dodge Park to Oxbow or Revenue bridge to Dodge Park. For the Clackams I'd avoid McIver down, but Barton to Carver would be fine.
I took a guy with a small pontoon like that down McIver and he managed to snap off one of the oar-locks, and later took it into some brush along the bank and snapped his rod (due to the rope and duct tape "fixed" oar lock).