Whitewater Rafts – Creek Boats

Creek boats are some of the most versatile rafts a boater can own and by far our top recommendation for your first raft. These boats are compact fast and generally a lighter weight than the average commercial raft used by outfitters (which are also the most common second-hand rafts on the market). Typically narrow and easy to move, roll, and store as well as reasonably priced. Creek boats perform generally well in most conditions, but they are not perfect all around boat especially when you get into big water runs. If you’re starting the transition from class III to class IV whitewater having a creek boat will often times be a fantastic asset in your fleet mainly due to better performance in an r2 configuration over a larger raft with the added stability over a play boat.

What to look for in a creek boat?

Before we explore more about what to look for let’s look at a little history of rafts. Many of the land mark first descents in rafting were done in the late 80s and 90s when people were largely using new designs that they borrowed from commercial outfitters. At that time the 13-14 foot commercial raft was pretty ubiquitous and used by almost everyone. As time went on people started wanting a bit more of an edge in their boating. Creek boats came to be from a few demands:

• Outfitters looking to run rivers at lower flows thereby extending their seasons.

• Expedition boaters who were having issues exploring rivers with heavy commercial rafts.

Out of these forces, creek boats were born and have been heavily improved upon in the last decade. Some key points you want to look for are:

Tube Diameter – Larger tubes add a bit more stability if you are typically running stuff with higher volumes or with more stout hydraulics. For creekier stuff you will generally want smaller tubes to help you slip slots and avoid minor pins.

Rocker and Waterline – You will probably want a more aggressive waterline to help take advantage of the mix between boat size and speed of turning. Diminishing tubes can also help you plunge through features more easily. Rocker also helps you glide through steeper drops like more vertical waterfalls.

Weight – There are some amazing forward-thinking designs coming on the market these days and material science has come a long way recently. If you are looking to lighten your load there are boats out there that will seriously fit the bill and we will likely be seeing many more sub 70 lbs creek boats in the very near future.

The most important thing we can emphasize is that you should take it for a test drive. You wouldn’t buy a car sight unseen without taking it for a spin, right? So, don’t do that with a pricy creek boat. Nearly every manufacturer has a demo fleet and there are probably people in your area with the type of boat that you like to get on the water with you. Many manufacturers will have opportunities to try a boat before you buy it if you ask and are willing to go out of your way a bit to make it happen.

Creek Boat Design

Creek boats are typically 11.5 – to just under 13 feet in length and generally narrow. Tube diameter varies greatly in creek boat design ad tubes range between 17-20 inches. Popular creek boats often utilize diminishing tubes with 2 thwarts to help keep boats light and nimble. The width (or beam) of the raft is often less than 6.5 feet. Some of the top reasons to get a creek boat are:

• You are looking for a do everything raft to get you through most situations

• You are looking to paddle more aggressive runs with a more stable boat

• You want a lighter boat but still have room for extra gear.

Rafts in this class are typically much more stable when compared with a play boat while providing a little extra room when you want to put more people or gear in the raft. This class of boat also has an edge on larger river boats that commercial outfitters often use because they are easier to R2.

Length of the boat plays directly into how easy it is to turn as the longer the straight tubes the harder it is to get the boat to rotate. In an R2 configuration both paddlers are typically at the closest point to the center of rotation making turning a bit easier. Having a lot of extra tube in front of and behind you just makes it more work to bring the boat around. The popularity of play boats has helped to get a lot more paddlers on the water, but they suffer from one major drawback and that is they tend to be super unstable. Creek boats help to prevent these stability issues by having more tube beneath you as well as in front of and behind you. This coupled with the added width makes these boats feel much more stable and forgiving than their smaller play boat cousins. Manufacturers have sought to maintain high levels of performance in creek boats mainly by focusing on diminishing tube designs for their shorter creekers. The more aggressive waterline of diminishing tubes means there is less boat in the water at the bow and stern to help reduce friction.

How much should a good creek boat weigh? 

With advancements in material science over the years boats have been rapidly decreasing in weight. This is leading to a lot of fantastic designs on the market, but weight is still an important concern for boaters looking for a creek boat. The average weight range of good creek boats on the market will be between 70 and 90 lbs. Although heavier than a play boat, depending upon what type of rivers you run and your boating style, this added weight can help you punch some larger hydraulics.

Just like in our play boat article we want to revisit the formulas for weight distribution and paddler strength. Let’s evaluate the weight on a per person basis: We will ignore the weight of each paddler because we will need to assume each paddler can pull their own weight. In terms of personal gear if we assume each paddler on a day trip has 10 lbs (conservative estimate) and they have 6 people in a raft.

• A 13’ Aire E-series weighs in at 100 lbs + 60 lbs (personal gear) = 27 lbs per person.

If we look at the weight of a creek boat at an industry average of say 85 lbs for the boat and 10 lbs of personal gear. Creek boats being mainly 2 person boats divide the weight of the boat between 2 people unlike the example above.

• A Sotar 12’ SL raft weighs in at 90 lbs + 20 lbs of personal gear = 55 lbs per person

Understanding these weight limits will also help you understand how much strength you need to have to make moves on the river. Basically, if you are looking to pick up one of these boats the question you should ask yourself is can you continuously walk on a stair machine with a 55 lbs backpack on? If that would give you some trouble, then you should consider either increasing your training or look at a lighter boat.

What should you expect when buying a creek boat?

Rafts tend to have a higher sticker price compared to kayaks or other paddle craft. That being said, how many kayakers do you know with just one boat? That being said creek boats can run between 2500 – 5000 depending upon the raft and the features you want so you really want to know what you’re buying the raft for. We’ll need to ask ourselves a few questions before we settle on a creek boat as your craft of choice:

What kind of raft are you used to paddling most of the time?

If you are used to driving the old commercial 14-15’ bus then the creek boat is going to be a massive leap forward in terms of technical performance, ease of paddling, and speed of rotation. All of that performance comes at the price of stability so make sure you understand why you are moving to a smaller boat.

If you are on the other side of the scale though and are used to paddling a play boat since they tend to be the least expensive option on the market you are going to feel initially like the creek boat is a step down in maneuverability performance. A few added feet to the length and some added weight will make the boat feel sluggish and less responsive in most cases. You will notice however that your tendency to get royally beat down even in small holes or moderately powerful hydraulics will be markedly decreased. Bigger water runs will feel less sketchy as you will feel more stable and less like you are boating on a knife edge when the raft stands up on its side.

The real question here is why are you buying a new boat? Does it look sexy? Do you want to reduce weight, size, and fatigue? Do you want something with a good mix of stability and performance? Unfortunately, all of these questions are subjective based on one big question…

What kinds of rivers do you paddle most of the time?

To answer this question, I always stick with the old 80% rule. Take a look at your river log…you do keep a river log right? What kind of rivers are you running 80% of the time? Are you typically on fun lower volume class III rivers? Are you often contending with large holes and hydraulics on the rivers you paddle most of the time? These are all critical questions you want to ask yourself to evaluate if a creek boat is right for you. Also, referring back to the previous question about what you are used to paddling, try to extrapolate in your mind how a smaller or larger boat than you are used to paddling will react on the rivers you paddle most of the time.

The features of a creek boat are ultimately a double edged sword. It’s major advantage is that it is generally pretty good at everything. Unfortunately the downside is that the boats are just pretty good at everything and don’t really shine in any one particular category, that is of course except steep creeking. So the big question is what do you really need to be successful when getting into a creek boat?

Top Creek Boats on the Market

Rogue Series - SOTAR

MSRP $3800 (Approximate Prerelease Price)

If you're looking for an in-between size of raft the New Waves are for you. Built with the same strong base material and coated with the same tough urethane as all Maravias, these rafts are 12'6" lengths.With construction identical to Williwaws, except that they have 3 main air chambers instead.  

• Length:  12'

• Width:  66”

• Tube Size:  20"

• Thwart Size:  13"

• Bow/Stern Rise:  8”/12"

• Weight:  53 lbs.

• # of Chambers:  2

• # of D-Rings:  12

• # of Thwarts:  2

• Handles:  2

Puma - AIRE

MSRP $3399.00

The AIRE Puma is a true “play” raft! It’s the one you’ll bring out for day trips when you want to squeeze every drop of fun out of the river, eddie hopping and surfing holes the whole way down.

• Length: 11’ 6”

• Exterior Width: 5’6"

• Tube Diameter: 18"

• Thwarts: 2

• Valve Type: Leafeald

• D-Rings: 10

• Handles: 0

• Air Chambers: 3

• Bow & Stern Rise: 12"

• Weight: 73 lbs.