Mr. Dimock,

good to see you here, read a couple of your books, lookin forward to hearing your insights and seeing more pics! got any details of the Hyde replica?

HI Brad,

I'm the one building the trip Jeremy mentioned. It will be my 4th run down the canyon. We have 4 rafts and 4 dories. My last 3 trips I worked rubber boats. This time my dory goes. Jeremy and I have almost identical boats decked over versions of Sandy's Honky Dory from montana-riversboats.com. At 14 foot they are a bit small but we will give it a run.

I had 2 questions if you remember the runs. Last year I ran left as Crystal in a raft. It was too easy. After pushing in I never touched the oars. Don't remember any rocks. Also ran left at Hance at about 12000. Don't remember bumping any rocks on that one either.

I don't really like the way the flow pushes center on the right run at Crystal. Do you remember the left run? Enough water for a wood boat?

Youtube has video of dories running Hance starting near the center so you don't have to make the pull accross the duck pond. Would you have any idea what flow is required to make the center entry?

I'm ok with all the runs except Hance and Granite. They always give me the creeps.

Larry

We run dories left at Crystal from very low water up though the low teens. By 15,000 there seems to be an annoying tendency to get slammed into the left wall and destroyed. So somewhere around that level we start doing the right run. At that point the right is not that hard. Tight, but not that difficult.

At Hance, I won't run left unless it is high teens. We tried one time when it was a bit too low and had, I recall, four out of six dories to repair on the itty bitty beach below. Spectacular. The run is there at lower water, but requires a level of skill or luck that sometimes eludes me. Right to left is not really all that hard if you don't worry about trying to get in the duck pond. You can come sailing in below the duck rocks pulling left and do pretty well.

I don't think Hance has a center entrance for dories at under thirty thousand, but send that YouTube link--I'll believe it if I see it...maybe.

Glad to see you here Brad. Roger has talked about you often and shown off pictures of Juan.

Brad,

Thanks a bunch for the detailed information, stories and photos you are posting. They are very helpful in my planning and building processes, which tend to change from time to time...

Regards,

Robb Grubb
www.RiverTraining.net

Hey Brad, I was looking through your posted pictures and the drift boat under construction intreaged me. I swear, it looks like the frames are made from shop grade pine, am I dreaming or is it indeed pine.
The reason I am interesed is because I am prepareing to build one. and being a cheap b----rd I hate to pay the outrages prices they ask for CVG DF and Hydrotec Plywood here in Colorado. The boat I build will never see the Colorado river in the Grand Canyon or any of the N.W rivers. Probably the wildest river it will ever see is the Green river up at Dutch John Utah. Your comment about this will be greatfuly accepted.

Cheers

Jerry

Thanks for the reply Dan. Well, thats along the way I've been thinking. I will probably follow your lead there and use some of the more common (and available) materials.
You have some great looking boats there by the way.

Jerry

Hi Brad:  met you on a grand trip couple of times, just wondering if you can give me any pearls of wisdom on a grand run at 25,000...seems our launch next month (July) will be sporting some flows higher than what I've run in a dory.

 

any info much appreciated, best, Jim

Thanks Brad, appreciate the info, am surprised you didn't mention Dubendorf and you're recommending a left run in Upset?  I've run it left a couple of times in a dory but at much lower flows.

 

best, Jim

thanks Brad, appreciate all the information.  are you guiding there this summer?

 

Jim

Wow.  do you get tired of it?  and are you driving dories this summer?

Hi Brad - 

Thanks... I talked to Roger this morning and we've been studying those pics to try and figure it out - pretty fun.  I'll try Martin and see if he knows.  hey if Kit Africa is drawn to river boats, he'll probably stop by... pretty sure I'll have the only Drift Boat there.  I'll watch for him.

Dave Mortenson and I are going to spend some time "chatting" about our March trip - why don't you come with us & row Edith... ??  Just a thought - that would be pretty cool.  

GH

Cool - thanks Brad.  How bout if we change the trip to June, include Peter Pfau from the Interpretive Center, and I donate the Portola to the museum... not necessarily in that order... ha ha.  Gonna be a historic wood boat trip - would be cool to have you along.  I'll be shooting a lot of video with new Contour Cams..... GH

Brad,

I was reading latest post on your Fretwater blog about not gluing the outer gunwhale to the plywood side.  Can you tell me the process you followed while building your colorado river dories last year?

Thanks,

Ben