[yardsells]

If anyone is bored, here is our fall cat trip video. I think it was around 4k below the confluence.
Early October trip. Perfect weather.

 

[B4otter]

I've done 6 or 7 "Septober" trips in last 8 years and weather has always been excellent (last week of September into first/second week of October). In 2019 we did have 40 mph wind for the drops, we made it down to camp around Waterhole from Brown Betty but it was one of those "row like crazy in the lulls, keep your oars in the water in the gales" situations. Weird. We listened to the weather that evening - big cold front incoming - and got up and git in the morning, made North Wash by 1:00 (motoring with no wind).
That big moss-covered rock on the right when you find the slot for the Gut is a marker: covered above 5k, shows at 4 with the pourover coming off it (it's in your video), and top is dry at 3k. Below that you look up at it when you go by, but I have old 8 mm. film of Stan Hollister running it in low 2000s in late October 1979 in a 37' without side tubes. He did the classic turnaround - a move I never mastered (or was too scared to try with all that rubber) - and slid the right tube over the moss and into the slot. Thing of beauty...

 

[tanderson]

I really like the sound of old 8mm footage. Any way to digitize it?

 

[tBatt]

Nice! We ran a full moon scorcher last week of July/First week of August. Four days, no motors. Got to the confluence around 4:30 am on the second day of floating. 4800 at the confluence. We ran just right of Big Mossy in BD3 as opposed to your left line. B4otter, which line do you run at these levels?

Edit to add a few photos. Hope it's not too much of a threadjack.

 

[B4otter]

Blasphemy. But next time you run snoutie and have genset along I'll bring projector, we can hang a sheet and have movie night...

 

[JamMasterJame]

I've been looking at one of those Lehr Propane outboards.... How did it work?

 

[tBatt]

^^^ Having spent a lot of the early winter researching outboards, the buzz collective will tell you to get a Tohatsu or Mercury (same engine, different decals) Sailpro LPG. Skip the Lehr.

 

[yardsells]

Nice! We ran a full moon scorcher last week of July/First week of August. Four days, no motors. Got to the confluence around 4:30 am on the second day of floating. 4800 at the confluence. We ran just right of Big Mossy in BD3 as opposed to your left line. B4otter, which line do you run at these levels?

Edit to add a few photos. Hope it's not too much of a threadjack.

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Some nice rigs ya got there.

 

[Deagol]

that is one huge flotilla

nice video, btw

 

[yardsells]

Thanks Deagol.

 

[B4otter]

Right of Big Mossy gets boney @4k, pinball/mine field after that. The left slot is always there, down to 1700 (lowest I've ever seen it, wouldn't want to take a snout down there at that level...).

Above 6k the right run comes out, it's easier to see but the right eddy can be tough to time correctly and A LOT of water going back upstream there. You need to be on the fence, and just break out of the tail of the eddy over "home base" (barely submerged flat rock at the top right, bad baseball analogy but that's what it's always been called). If you touch home base and just line up to take the big right lateral off your right bow you don't have to take a stroke, just keep pointed downstream and you'll squirt out the bottom clean as a whistle...

Low water Cataract is really good to learn to read water on. The "just left of Niagara" line in the video is viable at different levels, there is also an "all the way right" slot there (similar to Skull in Westwater). "Conventional Wisdom" is to run it pulling right just after the big rock on the left, it's a nice tuck in there move I prefer (usually). Sets you up nicely for the tailwaves of 2, which are great fun.

I've also seen an S-rig lose its motor at the bottom of BD1 and watched swimmers go over Niagara at 65k+ - they were down there for a solid 30 count, one said he touched a sandy bottom (not sure I believe it but he had no reason to make it up... eyes big as saucers). The boatman on the motor told the pax to jump when he lost motor and they were deadheading into 2, there were 12 swimmers and two who stayed with the boat, incl. the boatman. It didn't flip in 2 or 3... Go figger.

 

[Andy H.]

that is one huge flotilla

nice video, btw

A half acre of hypalon!

 

[MNichols]

I've been looking at one of those Lehr Propane outboards.... How did it work?

Skip the Lehr, Tohatsu Sail Pro. There was a rather lengthy discussion on this a while back.

 

[MNichols]

And another outstanding trip and video !! Thanks for sharing buddy.

 

[yardsells]

And another outstanding trip and video !! Thanks for sharing buddy.

Thanks man.

 

[yardsells]

Blasphemy. But next time you run snoutie and have genset along I'll bring projector, we can hang a sheet and have movie night...

Uh... sold. I'll bring the popcorn.

 

[tBatt]

Blasphemy. But next time you run snoutie and have genset along I'll bring projector, we can hang a sheet and have movie night...

Greg W is looking to unload a 2-1/2 tube military surplus rig for $1300 if you want one of your own. Maybe he can throw one of his tohatsus in the deal, too.

Some nice rigs ya got there.

Thanks, likewise! The darker Avon spent it's working years on the Upper Gauley. The lighter one was on Alpine Canyon of the snake. White NRS rig is a U of U rental.

 

[yardsells]

Greg W is looking to unload a 2-1/2 tube military surplus rig for $1300 if you want one of your own. Maybe he can throw one of his tohatsus in the deal, too.

That's Pauly's old rig ain't it? Steel frame?
If I know GW, he'll choke if he heard you say "throwing in a motor" .