Mountain Buzz banner

Cooler front or back?

6K views 21 replies 16 participants last post by  mattman 
#1 ·
What's the thoughts on a big cooler placement front or rear of the boat?

Sent from my XT1080 using Mountain Buzz mobile app
 
#4 ·
I have a four bay frame on a 16 foot raft first bay is dry box next is the cooler stuffed with cold beer and food, then the capt's bay with two capt'n boxes and the forth bay is a drop bag with propane and fire pan and gear, this is where I sit. So I put the cooler 150 qt right in front of me for easy access while I am rowing.
 
#6 · (Edited)
The real question is whether you use pins and clips or whether you're the kind of boater to put 303 on your boat and clean out the PRV each time you take your boat out. If you clean your PRV each time, put the cooler in the back. Unless you drain it often, then put it in the front but it should be turned around with the hinges facing the rower, but only if you've got a drybox too. Only on alternate weeks, however. If you use pins and clips but don't 303 your boat each time you go out, the cooler should go in the back with the hinges so it opens from the back. Honestly, there's a really good rationale for all this but I can't remember exactly why now. If you want to know, you'll have to search for a thread that went through the whole thing back during the drought of 2003 when we had time to analyze this kind of stuff with decision flow charts and everything. The flow charts were really cool.

Whatever you do, remember if you don't get it right the first time, you'll have to move the cooler to the other end of the boat the next time you go out.

Good luck with this critical decision. Don't screw it up.

-AH
 
#8 ·
Don't drain due to using frozen jugs of water and it stays cold for days. Boat is hypalon had it up front on the salmon and it just felt like the rear end always wanted to come around making a lot of work for me oaring!

Sent from my XT1080 using Mountain Buzz mobile app
 
#9 ·
Don't drain due to using frozen jugs of water and it stays cold for days. Boat is hypalon had it up front on the salmon and it just felt like the rear end always wanted to come around making a lot of work for me oaring!

Sent from my XT1080 using Mountain Buzz mobile app

if your ass end is passing you then you need more wieght up front.. whatever part of your boat sinks farther in the water will want to race ahead.. so you want to be heavier in the front.. if your ass end is heavier it will pass you all day.. soo dont drain, cooler in front, and bring more beer.
 
#11 ·
Depends on whether it's a Yeti Tundra or not, also, whether you have sufficient Paco Pad coverage. Lesser quality coolers and pads don't have sufficient insulation weight or value to bother with. Also, as we all know, no one who understands cooler management drains their ice melt.

Andy, you could have prevented this.
 
#13 ·
All I know is it's litterally a pain in the ass to get up for everyones beer - therefore my cooler lives up front. Between it and my drybox, they weigh about the same and it matters not where they are for balance. But my boat is urethane and I don't drain so that probably disqualifies my opinion. What about your oar set up - counter balanced or not? That might really be the crux of the issue!
 
#16 ·
I'd say overall there are several different factors to take into account here.
1: What color your cooler is.
2: What brand your cooler is, if it's a Yeti it should be up front, if it's a Canyon it should be in the back. You need abominable snowman weight up front.
3: What color your raft is, because after all, you don't want your cooler to overshadow all the thought you put into what color you want your boat to be.
4. How much beer you'll be drinking and what the rapids are like, because it's hard to climb over two bays in a class 3 rapid while you're rowing to hand your kayaking buddy a beer.
5. How many kayakers you're boating with. Multiply the number of times you have to get up for beer by 5 for every kayaker you are holding beer for, and no, it doesn't equate if you get beer for two kayakers at the same time, because let's face it we are just not coordinated enough to realize that you're already getting in the cooler for a beer. We always wait til you close the cooler lid and sit back down to ask for one. It's more fun that way, plus we have to make sure you get a good workout.
6. And most importantly, what everyone else on the Buzz tells you.

All in all these factors have varying degrees of importance. There's a rating system somewhere in the rafting bible, you should check it out. And don't forget to pray to the river gods for the right answer. If god tells you to put your cooler up front, you damn well better do it.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top