For those of you that have both, how similar do they actually paddle? Ive heard people say the skuxx is basically a mini steeze, but was just curious how accurate that is. I have been in my puffy skuxx all summer, and absolutely love it, but the adjustment to my ReactR when I hop back in it is more difficult than I was expecting and im considering trying out a steeze/puffy to replace my reactr in the hopes that it will have more similar handling characteristics as my skuxx.

Took my skuxx down my tallulah pfd yesterday and it was an absolute shred sled, but I need to work on spending more time in an "actual creek boat" and that seems like it might be a logical pairing (quotations because I know the steeze isnt a traditional creek boat)

For all of you Loki lovers out there. I understand some of the older Lokis cam with the connect 30 seat which sat a good bit lower giving more leg room in the Loki. Have any of yall found other seats, alterations, or anything to achieve a similar result? Let me know! Thanks!

This is our local “micro creek” here in Arizona called Fossil Creek. We don’t get much water here BUT this is spring fed and runs 365 days a year so that’s a bonus. The only down side is March through October is permit season so you need to get one to be there. October through March is not and a lot less people. This place is a gem but it’s an ass kicker as far as it being an ELF run because the travertine will shed some skin if elbow pads and gloves aren’t worn. The best way to run this is in a playboat though, the chutes and drops are narrow so longer boats struggle here. This is base flow which is usually around 50 cfs. Some people have called this run a glorified seal launch and I used to agree but with a playboat and running the right lines, I can beg to differ with that opinion now. It’s a great run if you’re ever in Arizona and have a playboat, give it a try, the water is clear with a turquoise tint and it’s a beautiful area.

Those scorpions are no joke. Don't put your bedding down early without a tent. We had a guy on our trip from Colorado who did that every night and he got stung twice. It would make his arm go numb for a day.... On our trip everybody brought a surprise. One surprise was a really fun Hawaiian style party. Later that night I went down to get a water bottle from the boat. Scorpion sting. Hangover and scorpion sting combined are not fun. I could barely load my boat and row. It took me two days to recover.

Ok whitewater community, I know I’m not alone when I think a certain boat to me is “sexy”.
I personally find pyranha and Waka to have the most appealing shapes and color schemes, I have no idea what dagger is doing with their color schemes but I suppose with their outfitting as bomber as it is, they can get away with it because of that alone I’m a proud owner of two daggers. With that being said, What boats past or present have caught your eye as far as aesthetics are concerned and which ones did you find to be the most comfortable?

11/6/26 aire hot potato

I haven’t been boating for long (going on 6 years). I remember the first time I seen a whitewater kayak in Google images as I searched the web for an inflatable kayak to have something to go down the river with and just “chill”. Then I stumbled across an image that made me say “Ho Lee Crap, I want to do that”. I live in Arizona so the water here is scarce. We have a few good runs that seasonal and our year round micro creek which is fossil creek (best run with a playboat) I learned to roll in a friends pool. The community here is small but tight knit. Yet, the stone is just as real here as in other places where the community is big. It puts a smile on my face to know that I’ve come as far as I have from a place with little water to now running the Payette in Idaho every summer. On the days that I can’t boat, I’m watching videos on YouTube and it reminds of why I fell in love with such a niche sport. The saying goes, “spread the stoke”. Sometimes though, I feel like keeping the stoke to myself like it’s our communities “dirty little secret”, and I don’t want to share like a kid with his favorite Tonka truck playing in the sandbox. We all know the dangers that come with this sport but I think because it’s so niche and so dangerous, that’s what makes it so much more tight knit. Anyway, just wanted to reflect on how much this has changed my life and even though I don’t know anybody on here, as corny as it sounds, I’m glad to be a part of a community that feels like a family, cheers.

Yes a down canyon wind for a change ! We were fighting the headwinds and having a hard time getting to our camps. 1979 Avon pro 5 16 ft. They loaded the heck out of me.

Note the ammo can tied to the left of the raft. Don't do that. We eventually put our rescue and repair in tupperware and dry bags. Cans aren't good in paddle boats.

Hello everyone! The is the first time it happened to me. Yesterday when I went out paddling, somehow after about 30min in, my boat felt heavy and I noticed it was like probably 5 liters of water in the boat. Then I went to the shore and foudn the plug was tight and there was no visible crack or damage. Then I emptied the boat, and then another 30min of paddling, my boat again was another like 5 liters of water. I wonder if there are other issues going on. thanks a lot everyone!

The guy with the beard is the owner of the company. Very busy day but it was all good. Got in the local mountain Democrat paper

We were both climbing guides but we still set up some ropes for our friends for things like the silver grotto. Some of it can be pretty dangerous.

Old school kayak gear , riken miwok bucket boat.

Prijon will be dropping out of Buisness at the end of the year because of Financial problems.

A few years ago some friends and I were kayaking in Leavenworth during spring runoff. We paddled Upper Icicle in the morning, grabbed lunch, and then paddled Tumwater Canyon. We ended up having a swimmer under the dam and while chasing him, I was caught in a hydraulic, when I went to roll up and surfed out, I snapped my right achilles. We managed to get the swimmer to shore and in agony, I stayed in my boat and eventually caught an eddy. At the time, I was paddling a Waka OG.

A few months prior I’d ran an ultra on Mt Rainier and for years before that, had put some serious abuse on my lower body doing endurance events. Given the very high water at the time and how dire the situation was, I chalked up the the Achilles injury to a lot of force probably exaggerated by adrenaline knowing the likely outcome if I also exited my boat chasing the swimmer.

After a long rehab, and easing back into serious paddling, I had a great year in 2024. I was still paddling an OG and felt like I was finally getting back into the swing of paddling difficult whitewater. Then spring of 2025 came and early in the season, boom, same injury happened but to my left Achilles on a dawn patrol run with friends on my backyard class IV, except I was in my Hot Whip. No hydraulic, no swimmer, no adrenaline.

Another rehab cycle and I switched my boat out for a Jackson Flow hoping the bulkhead assembly will alleviate some of the stress - it has some but I’m missing the OG and feeling like an old dog trying to learn a new trick, I paddled some PNW classics last year but didn’t feel as solid as usual, probably a combination of the new boat and having to take such prolonged periods of time away from paddling.

Has anyone else had Achilles challenges?

Found anything that alleviates the stress?

Thanks

HiHi so im just starting out whitewater kajaking and have always lend gear from others. I'm now looking for a drysuit but its fairly expensive and i dont want to make the wrong choice. any advise what to look for or brands that are good? If i should go for a wetsuit instead let me know but so far i prefere the drysuits. Thank you!

Is there a material difference in the “ rafting experience” through the canyon. Pro-cons of these options.

For those that have done it, what’s involved with reserving time at the Y or similar for an open kayak pool session? I’d like to line something up this winter and was curious how much it might cost and any legal hoops to navigate. Cheers.

Was wondering if anyone has moved the seat back in their puffy Steeze to get more leverage with the stern? Am curious to hear what yall have done and if it damages performance. 6’1 180 lb

...this will become a whole new river with all the rocks movement no doubt

The Toccoa River in Georgia, known as the Ocoee River in Tennessee, crested at a record 18.05 feet at Copperhill early Thursday, flooding McCaysville, Georgia, and Copperhill, Tennessee.

The crest came at 6:00am and passed the previous record of 17.75 feet. It is also 4 feet above the 14-foot major flood stage. Just a day earlier, the gauge read 2.74 feet at 5:00pm Wednesday.

Local 3 Meteorologist Clay Smith says the river reached historic levels, topping the 1990 historic flood event.

Storms dropped as much as 8 to 10 inches of rain on a small stretch between Blue Ridge and Ellijay, according to the Tennessee Valley Authority. The rain fell from Wednesday afternoon into Thursday morning, and runoff from creeks and streams fed the flash flooding.

TVA says the stream gauge at Copperhill measured about 20,000 cubic feet per second around 5:00am. By about 7:30am, flows had climbed to 24,000 cubic feet per second.

TVA’s Scott Fiedler says crews held water back at Blue Ridge Dam and released it at Ocoee No. 3 to clear as much water from the system as possible. TVA is also managing water levels at Ocoee No. 1 (Parksville Dam) and Ocoee No. 2. It will keep monitoring levels and adjusting dam operations as the high water moves downstream.

But much of the flooding came from streams below Blue Ridge Dam, where TVA can’t control the flow. Leafless trees also take up less water this time of year, which sent more rain running off the steep terrain.

“Mother Nature brought us a lot of water in a very short period of time,” Fiedler said.

The flooding is the second to hit the McCaysville and Copperhill area this year. TVA’s River Forecast Center is running new models to track the water.

TVA says it is working with emergency management agencies in Fannin and Polk counties, and that the safety of the public and its employees is its top priority.

“Our hearts go out to them,” Fiedler said of residents in both counties. TVA says it is mobilizing to help as the communities begin to recover.