SW MEET THE CREATURE
SAFEST CRAFT ON THE RIVER DEVOURS THE KNOWN LIMITS OF INFLATABLES
Billing its unusual creations as the best whitewater rafts ever built, Creature Craft is pushing the limits of what’s possible in inflatables. The boats celebrated a successful descent of the Stikine last year, and Creature Craft paddlers regularly test themselves against class V+ rivers around the world. The duelling oar-rig has an admirable safety record. Thanks to its shape and design, the only stable position is right-side up. “All weight is on the bottom side so it’s like an old-style clown pop-up. The bigger the water, the faster it flips up,” says Creature Craft owner and founder Darren Vancil. Thigh straps keep the paddlers in the boat at all times, and feature an easy-release system. “The boat can withstand way more than your body and keep you safe—you’re not getting out unless you want to.” A former high school teacher, Vancil designed the first Creature Craft in the fall of 1997, and launched it 18 months later. Inspiration came after his raft flipped during Colorado’s Gore Canyon Race, which resulted in a bad swim and dislocated shoulder. “I decided then, while I was underwater, there’s got to be a better way.” Soon after, Vancil was drawing up designs for a safer raft that could contend with the biggest water. One of the biggest advantages to paddling the Creature Craft is that it buys you time.
“You have time to follow through on plan B or C, if the first plan isn’t working,” Vancil explains. While paddling the Stikine last September, one boat became trapped in the middle hole at Site Zed rapid. “In a kayak it would have probably been fatal,” says Vancil. “They were in that hole for 13 minutes and during that time they went to plan B. All the while, they weren’t getting destroyed—they were stressed for sure, but safe.” The pad- dlers eventually threw a sea anchor and were pulled out by the current. Reaction on the river is mostly positive, but the colorful inflatables do have their share of detractors who stir the pot in online forums. They contend that it doesn’t take skill to get down a river in a Creature Craft and that a class IV run is turned into a class III. “There’s some validity to that—CC are so stable that you can take someone who has lesser skills, and because of the equipment, it brings their skill levels up. But it’s no dif- ferent than what kayakers can run in plastic versus what they can do in fiberglass. Some kayakers in plastic boats use rocks on the river now, purposely, to get down a run. Their equipment makes it safer,” he says. “If you’re being safe and having fun, who cares?” Don’t expect to see Creature Crafts appearing in numbers on a river near you. With a total of only 87 manufactured, the majority are owned by first response teams for use as unbeatable rescue crafts, as they can enter and exit low head dams safely. The only draw back of the Creature Craft? According Vancil, the inflatable takes time to set up properly and it’s critical to rig it correctly. “We’re the crack of noon club,” he laughs. —Kaydi Pyette
DIGITAL EXTRA: Click here to see the Creature Craft in action in Tumwater Canyon on the Wenatchee.
www.rapidmag.com 21
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