Precautions for River Riding ???

[jcat]

I am considering riding on the Coosa River (Alabama and Georgia).

At some times and places it is moving quite rapidly.

Has anyone here rode on this river or in a similiar situation?

What precautions are necessary?

(I am concerned about the Waverunner getting away from me.)

[83Gator]

I am considering riding on the Coosa River (Alabama and Georgia).

At some times and places it is moving quite rapidly.

Has anyone here rode on this river or in a similiar situation?

What precautions are necessary?

(I am concerned about the Waverunner getting away from me.)

I'm not familiar w/either of those two river systems, but I've navigated the ICW during flood conditions: swift water w/ eddies and zero vis. (muddy water). The number 1 danger factor though are sinker logs/trees in the current. Gotta keep an eye out.

[shawn alladio]

Depends upon the flow as suggested.. good points!
Rivers have a scale of difficulty attached to them, but any flow over 3mph is considered swifwater. Strainers are what are dangerous and not going near low head dams, avoiding shoaling and rocks... just depends and of course personal riding levels and vessel functions.
If there are any 'warnings' issued for boating traffic, just heed those and take them to heart. Going up current is easier than down stream with the current, speeds increase and hitting an unseen underwater object depends upon visibilty factors as well... river knowledge and local knowledge/flood and debris flow are concerns... and yeah, losing the ski..ferry angle swim to shore and keep your feet up (foot entrapment)...basic rules of safey in rivers....

[speedskixp]

Keep a rope tied to your ski and ready to toss to a buddy if something goes wrong and the ski dies. If the ski stalls in swift current it can take you into the brush and when that happens the ski overturns and you can find yourself in a very dangerous situation.

[K447]

In addition to all the precautions already mentioned, consider your jet pump intake grate.

Ingesting debris into the pump can take away your thrust immediately. The stock and most aftermarket intake grates have fairly large openings, which makes for an efficient jet pump, but exposed to objects/sticks/rocks getting into the impeller.

Something the shallow river running jet boats use is an intake grate with narrow openings. A custom Stainless Steel intake grate with narrow slits would reduce the size of things that can get into the pump.

The idea is that small items are less likely to jam inside the jet pump, allowing you to continue riding. You will have less thrust overall than with a normal grate, but you will have a more reliable jet pump in shallow and debris laden waters.

[jcat]

Well I rode portions of the Coosa River yesterday.

It is a decent sized river, with lots of wildlife and excellent fishing. I saw some guys hauling in 50+ inch catfish.

What I learned?

1. Watch out for large logs.
2. . . . . SNAKES !!
3. Limiting speed is definitely a required safety measure.
4. Limit speed so you don't upset the occasional fisherman
5. Note landmarks, cause it is easy to get lost.
6. Being quiet and boating in stealth mode yielded many wildlife sitings.
7. There are many creeks and tributaries that are interesting to explore (snakes and spiders do hang from trees).

and it would have been nice to have a partner on another boat. In case one of us had problems, the other could help-out. I was traveling solo, and did experience the feeling of nervousness which was scary but exciting at the same time. Cell phone service was spotty at best.....and river traffic was sparse.