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Your day starts at 8:00 a.m. and ends at 8:00 p.m. (No extra charge for reasonable travel time on longer trips.) Equipment out beyond this time will count as a second day's rental UNLESS you call and receive permission to keep it longer/get it earlier. You are fully responsible for any loss or damage caused by theft/vandalism/misuse/transportation/etc. while gear is out of our shop.
Transportation:
Above prices based on pickups at our shop in Creswell.
With advance notice, we can provide a 12/15-passenger van, driver & rafts fully inflated on trailer, ready to launch
and pickup at end of trip (no cleaning or folding hassles):
Minimum $100 PER van for Eugene/Springfield. Must use our drivers; price includes shuttle. $140
McKenzie/Vida, $170 upper McKenzie, $250 North Umpqua 1 day, PER van. Trailer rental (requires 2" ball),
$75/day. Prices do not include fuel.
Equipment:
All rentals include Coast Guard approved life jackets, paddles and/or oars, rowing frame if needed,
coolers on request, helmets on request, power air pump and manual air pump. We also have bail buckets, straps,
dry bags, wetsuits, higher-powered electric blowers, camping gear, generator, at additional cost. Note: All rentals
yield to our guided trip requirements. Advance reservations are encouraged, especially for weekends/Deschutes trips.
Multi-day rates usually available.
ADVICE:
We cannot give you advice or evaluate your skills "over the phone" to run a particular river due to
liability concerns. We do offer "guide qualifications" to certify people as competent on a particular stretch of river
that we run commercially, either as a paddle captain or oarsman, for a fee that includes liability insurance.
NO-SHOWS:
IF NOT CANCELLED 48 HOURS IN ADVANCE, WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO CHARGE
A MINIMUM $100 FEE.
Rental policy:
To rent you MUST present a Visa/MasterCard for damage deposit and sign a release of
responsibility. If you are inexperienced, we strongly urge you to consider our guided trip or "rent a guide" service,
especially on rated rapids. Our guided trips carry full insurance which many organized groups (such as ski clubs or
youth/Scouts) often require for float trips (and we offer very competitive group rates for groups of 18+). Please note
also that in Oregon, it is illegal to charge money for a float trip beyond the actual cost of the trip without acquiring
a guide license and a commercial use permit on all federal rivers (Deschutes, Rogue, etc.) and that you as a private
party are responsible for any accident, injury, or damages that may occur on your private trip with our rentals. You
may be required to put a "rental" flag on our rafts so that the federally-permitted rivers know we are not operating
a commercial trip. Because a reserved raft is not available for other renters or trips, we do not give refunds on
weekend/holiday reservations within 30 days of rental departure, or on other rental days within 14 days of departure.
Returns after business hours (8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.) subject to late fee of $25 per hour, per raft at our discretion.
Equipment must also be brought back clean; tarps and instructions are provided to facilitate this process; a cleaning
fee of $25 per raft will be charged for rafts returned in unsatisfactory condition. If you are going to be late in
returns, PLEASE call to let us know you ended your trip safely and estimate your time of arrival.
Raft support trips, where we provide a guide and cargo raft, are available for any river we run, generally for at a cost of 75% of regular guided services, sometimes less. If you have a group (say, of canoeists/kayakers) who want raft support, give us a call. We do have limited Rogue River permit season dates available.
Where to go:
Beginners in Lane County area: lower McKenzie, Willamette, Coast Fork or Row rivers in spring/fall.
Class II-II+: McKenzie (Blue River to Leaburg Dam), North Santiam (Packsaddle Park to Mill City), upper
Willamette (Oakridge to Black Canyon).
Class III+: upper McKenzie (Olallie Campground to Blue River), North Umpqua (Boulder Flat to Susan Creek), Rogue (Grave Creek to Foster Bar), lower Klamath (Happy Camp to Ti Bar), Deschutes River (Warm Springs to Columbia River).
Expert only: Lake Creek (Mapleton area in winter), upper Klamath (Hells Corner Gorge near Keno/Klamath Falls). Ask us about other runs, length of trips, etc. We can provide printed guides for most popular runs, or refer you to the best guidebooks.
What boat is best for me? If you don't know what a self-bailer is, you don't need one! The regular rafts usually handle better than self bailers except in heavy whitewater. The exception is the inflatable kayak, which is easily waterlogged if not self-bailing, plus is uncomfortable to sit inside when filled with water. In general, the Hysides are recommended for heavy whitewater, because they don't fold up in rapids. The lighter weight, non-self bailers are bouncier, which is a "funner" ride but can get rafters hurt in big rapids. Many people ask about "rubber duckies" or "Tahitis" or other small craft. We do not have any of these boats available. All of our rafts, catarafts and inflatable kayaks are made of durable, high-quality nylon fabrics coated with Hypalon; all with multiple air chambers for safety.
Numbers, sizes:
All of our rental rafts can float at least 7 people on most waterways. The inflatable kayaks
accommodate 1 or 2 people (or the 1-person craft can usually accommodate 1 adult and 1 small child). A 16-foot
raft on Class II-III rapids or less can take up to 12 persons comfortably. Call for more information about your group
size requirements. We have life jackets that fit most folks up to 350 pounds and youth jackets for people under 90
pounds. We have a couple of life jackets that will fit very young children, but they provide less flotation than youth
jackets; recommended only for very moderate waters.
Guided trip services:
Please refer to our color brochure and schedule. If you are new to rafting, we heartily
recommend a guided trip for your introduction to whitewater, and for learning expert waters. We also offer
guide/whitewater schools at special reduced rates as well as personal lessons in rowing or paddling almost any craft,
plus support services for private boaters. Let our experienced guides row our baggage raft for your next canoe/kayak
trip, provide safety backup for any trip, or tag-along with our group in your own boat for 75% of trip cost (let us do
shuttles, meals, etc.).
Information:
We can tell you about various rivers, but without personal observation of your river skills, cannot
advise whether you can handle a specific river or class of rapids. For complete river info, we recommend "Soggy
Sneakers Guide to Oregon Rivers" -- "Western Whitewater" -- and other books, available at river outfitting stores
or the public library.
Location:
Our shop is in Creswell, just south of Eugene, right on the way to the North Umpqua, Rogue, and
Klamath rivers (5 minutes off I-5). If you are in Portland looking for a Deschutes rental, we can accommodate you
only with advance reservations when our guides will be in the area. Otherwise, we heartily recommend Allstar
Rafting, River Trails Rafting, and Deschutes U-Boat in Maupin (they are sold out most weekends in summer). Our
shop is behind our home, so we are usually available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week (though we must know in advance
of arrivals after 8:00 p.m. and before 8:00 a.m.).
We reserve the right to charge late fees, cleaning fees, damage fees, and otherwise receive compensation for our time and expenses involved in rentals. Please ask for, and read, our advice to renters, especially for novices!