Float Hunting

From Alaska Outdoors Wiki

Contents 1 Introduction to Float Hunting 2 Boats Used for Float Hunting 2.1 Boat Fabrics 2.2 Round Boats for Float Hunting 2.2.1 Length-to-width ratio 2.2.2 Kick 2.2.3 Bailers vs Non-Bailers 2.3 Catarafts 2.3.1 Length-to-width ratio 2.3.2 Kick

Introduction to Float Hunting

Historically, most villages in Alaska were linked by rivers. In more recent times, roads have been built, but the road system in Alaska remains limited. Therefore, rivers remain a primary means of accessing remote areas of Alaska. In that sense, rivers are the true road system in Alaska.

Hunting rivers in Alaska is accomplished in any of several ways. Many hunters use powerboats to access the river system, either cruising the river in search of game, or camping along the way and hunting away from the river. Some hunters are dropped off along a river either by a water taxi service or by aircraft. From their camp they hunt the surrounding area, but are locked in to that area. If game is present, they might be successful. If not, their chances of taking game are diminished by their lack of mobility.

Float hunting is one of the most successful and satisfying methods of taking game in Alaska. What is float hunting? Float hunting is a method whereby a raft is used to float a river corridor that flows through habitat known to hold game. It differs from powerboat hunting in that floaters can usually hunt areas that are, because of regulatory restrictions, shallow water, logjams, sweepers or other obstacles, off limits to powerboats. Because floaters are drifting with the current, they are not able to go back upstream as a powerboat hunter can. This means that float hunters must know how to identify prime hunting areas as they appear, or they will miss many opportunities.

There are several types of boats that can be used for float hunting, including rigid-shell canoes, Zodiac-style sportboats, and inflatable rafts. Because most float hunts involve flying out in a small aircraft to a drop-off location, most float hunters are rafting with inflatables.

Boats Used for Float Hunting

Many types and lengths of rafts are used for float hunting, but they fall into two main categories; round boats and catarafts.

Boat Fabrics

Fabrics used for inflatable boats come in one of two types; rubber or plastic. Rubber fabrics are one of two types; neoprene or Hypalon. The term "Hypalon" is an industry trade name from Dupont. The current industry standard for Hypalon coatings on raft fabric is 80%. Some cheaper boats use a 50% Hypalon mix, but this material oxidizes over time, as evidenced by a white, chalky film that is found on the surface of the material. Plastic raft fabrics also come in two types; urethane or poly vinyl chloride (PVC). Urethane is the most expensive material, and boats made of urethane are usually very expensive. Urethane is available in either liquid form or sheet form. Some companies "laminate" a urethane scrim over a base cloth, or over a PVC scrim. Others use urethane as a liner or an "inner tube" to retain air. Some companies spray-coat liquid urethane on their PVC boats in an attempt to make them retain air.

Round Boats for Float Hunting

A round boat derives its name from the shape of the hull. Most are not actually round, but are oval in shape. A typical round boat used for float hunting is around 14 feet in length, with a width around 6.5 to 7 feet, measured from the outside of the tubes. Though the curve and diameter of the tubes is generally the same at both ends of the boat, some companies make what are called "diminished tubes" in this area. In this case, the tubes are reduced in diameter from the tubes along the sides of the boat. The purpose of diminished tubes is to create more interior space in the boat, either for paddlers or for gear. Diminished tubes also offer less resistance to wind, which is a major factor on some of Alaska's rivers. The downside of diminished tubes is that they sit lower in the water and can offer a wetter ride than standard-sided tubes.

Length-to-width ratio

The length-to-width ratio of round boats is a key factor to the stability of the boat. A very stable boat will have a length-to-width ratio of around 2:1. In other words, a 14-foot boat should be about 7 feet wide, a 15-foot boat should be about 7.5 feet wide, and so on. Some companies make boats with a narrower stance. Mostly the intention of these designs is the navigation of smaller rivers, or rivers that provide tight maneuvering between exposed rocks or other obstacles. The most extreme examples of narrow-stance boats are inflatable canoes, where the length-to-width ratio might be closer to 5:1. Boats with this narrow of a stance are more likely to overturn if they contact an obstacle sideways in the current.

Kick

Another aspect of a round boat is the degree of "rocker" or "kick" found in the bow and stern sections. The primary purpose of kick is to improve the performance of the boat in rough water by allowing the boat to flow through the troughs between waves without the bow or stern digging in to the face of the wave, an event that can cause the boat to fill with water or overturn rapidly. Though there are many variations in this area, boats with the highest kick will offer the driest ride, and best performance in whitewater ratings of Class II and higher. Kick is the number of inches the bow or stern section sits above the floor, if the boat is sitting on a flat surface. Though manufacturers measure kick differently, a good boat for general float hunting should have a kick of between 4 and 7 inches, measured from the floor to the bottom of the tube. The downside of boats with a higher kick that they offer greater resistance in headwinds, because the bow is protruding up above the height of the side tubes of the boat. Some boats have reduced or eliminated the bow and stern rise altogether, for the purpose of putting more of the boat in direct contact with the water. This has the effect of creating dramatically increased floatation, making these boats ideal for hunting Class I rivers where no whitewater or rough waves are anticipated. This design also dramatically reduces wind resistance, making the boat easier to row in a headwind situation. The downside of this design is that these boats, if used in rougher water, will allow splash over the bow, wetting passengers, meat, and gear.

Bailers vs Non-Bailers

Round boats come in one of two types, standard-floor models, and self-bailing models. Standard-floor models, herein referred to as "conventional round boats" have a floor made of a single layer of floor fabric. The plusses of conventional round boats are light weight, smaller package (a factor when the boat must be loaded in an aircraft), lower price, and greater carrying capacity than self-bailers. The negatives are that the floor allows the boat to flex more than a bailer, and the single layer of fabric allows the temperature of the water to migrate through to passengers' feet, making for a cold ride in most cases. Another negative is that conventional round boats tend to collect water and debris which must be removed, in most cases, by unloading the boat and turning it over.

Self-bailers are identified by the air chamber used as a floor. This feature stiffens the boat considerably, giving the boat a performance edge over conventional boats. Because the floor is an air chamber, it provides insulation from the temperature of the water, and greater stability for passengers to move around in the boat. The down-sides of self-bailing rafts are greater cost, greater bulk, greater gross weight of the boat, and reduced load capacity compared to conventional boats. The reason bailers carry less weight is because the bailer holes around the perimeter of the floor allow water to enter the boat if the boat is loaded heavy enough to push the top of the floor below the level of the river.

Catarafts

A cataraft consists of two floatation tubes, parallel to each other, connected by a rowing frame. The earliest catarafts were made for floating rivers in the Russian far east, and were made of fiberglass. In modern times, however, cats are made of regular raft fabric, and come in many lengths, tube diameters, and kick. Most catarafts use a single tube per side, but some models use two tubes per side. These boats offer the greatest amount of floatation, and are able to carry very large loads. The benefits of a cataraft are many. If the boat must be portaged, it can be disassembled and the tubes packed one at a time. This makes packing the boat in a backpack much easier than packing an entire round boat that comes in one piece. Catarafts can be used to straddle rocks and other obstacles in the river. They also offer the best performance if an outboard is to be used. With an outboard, the transom is attached directly to the frame, and the boat offers vastly superior performance over an outboard-equipped round boat. Though most float hunters will use an outboard in the 8-horse range, much larger outboards may be used, with the proper transom setup. Catarafts track very well, because the twin tubes act as keels to keep the boat pointed in the direction the oarsman is rowing. But because of the twin keels, the boat is harder to spin, a maneuver sometimes necessary in whitewater. Catarafts also offer more square footage for load-carrying than any other type of inflatable boat, giving hunters plenty of room to store gear, and move around on the boat. On the down side, catarafts are easily overloaded, and become very sluggish and hard to maneuver.

Length-to-width ratio

The width of a cataraft is determined completely by the frame. Most standard frames will offer a similar length-to-width ratio seen on round boats, however some custom frames are made which offer a narrower footprint for smaller streams. The same risks apply with narrow catarafts as are seen with narrow round boats, so hunters must be aware of the conditions of the river they intend to float, or risk capsizing.

Kick

The kick of a cataraft is fairly standard, and meets the demands of most rough water and whitewater situations. But there are some cats that offer a blunt bow section and large tube diameter. These boats are intended for hauling very large loads on relatively flat water, and carry the same risks found on round boats with reduced kick. If a cataraft with a blunt bow is to be used, hunters should keep to rivers in the Class I to low Class II range. It should be noted also that cats with reduced kick are generally poor performers when overloaded or when an outboard is used, as the bow tends to dig in and push water, rather than planing on top or slicing through waves.