Fixing the Boat

The river season has ended and the rains are coming in on the west coast.  My first priority with the boat is to get it dried out.

The gunwales took a beating where the tie down straps rubbed.  It took off the varnish and water got into the wood.

The other issue was that the varnish itself was recalled by the manufacturer and has not held up well so I decided to sand it all off and start over.

I've chiseled out the crushed wood from the hit I took in 205 mile.  The damage went all the way through the 1/2" plywood but the outside glass is still intact.

Its possible to do a fillet patch but that will make this zone very inflexible.  It will be the easiest way to fix this though.

On the outside of the hull the only damage is this hairline crack.  After I fix the inside, I'll flip the boat over and lay down a glass patch.

The thwart was the most damaged zone.  The damage goes all the way though.  I think I'll have to cut out the bottom of the thwart and put in new plywood, glass and fillets.  The rock hit was directly under the thwart.

This damage has me scratching my head a little bit.  The ply is damaged underneath the glass but not very badly.  Its temping to make sure its dry and then seal it up with epoxy.

The gunwale took a big hit too but looks only lightly damaged.  I still may scarf in a new section of gunwale here though.

 Well, at least the Zizu didn't have to be abandoned like Bert's.

Zizumara Runs the Colorado

Sept 28 - Oct 15 2010
Constant 8,000 CFS ...we thought.

Fueling up at Late for the Train in Flag.  Then we hit the road toward Fredonia to pack up for the trip.

Before the Ziz was dipped in the Colorado she was christened with Martin's favorite.. Sheep Dip. -I think it may have stripped a little of the paint off!

At the ferry the weather was perfect.  In the evening we were treated to incredible music from the fine men of Can-X.

We started the trip with clear water and high temps. Gorgeous!

The Ziz is a dream boat.

Though its so loaded at this point my footwell has 5" of water in it.  The hatches are full to the top and I feel like it wants to take off on its own.

Luckily I am carrying produce so it should get lighter.

 At Saddle we really started getting into the groove.

 Everybody had sweet lines through our first big drops.

The Ziz is loving the Canyon's currents.

 Dory sleeping is nice.

Around Lava Chuar the sky starts looking a bit ominous.

 Above Unkar we are treated to a light show.

Then it comes... Wind and rain, flash floods, camp goes airborne, the river goes red and the rapids get mean.

Overnight the river rises 3ft... possibly 3,000 more cfs.  Just in time to run Hermit and the inner gorge.  Yippee?

Things get a bit wild and I forgot to take pictures from here on out.  Hoping the clients will fill in the gap!

Crystal Rapid officially breaks in the Ziz... literally.

We went into the left wall and hit the 2nd fang.  The sound was horrible but luckily we hit directly where a thwart meets the hull.  The gunwale was scratched and about 1 inch below the gunwale and the hull has a hairline crack.  Everybody stayed in the boat too.

A piece of duct tape took care of the fix. Whew!  Got lucky.

They say its good luck to have a clean boat.

Uh-oh.

Still in one piece below Lava Falls... I can breathe now.

...Until 205 leaves its mark.  Had a huge hit at the bottom of the steepest drop I've ever run.  There was plywood floating in the footwell... I was sure we were sinking.

Somehow we didn't flip.  I hope someone has a photo of me trying to row an underwater boat.  The Ziz was going back to her dolphin roots.

She's a sturdy boat! Just a big compression buckle. Not even a hole.  Patched with epoxy putty during lunchtime and back on the water towards our last night's camp.

The trip was incredible.

Wild weather, an awesome crew and the Ziz was a dream come true.

Can't wait to do it again.

The Ziz is back above Lava!

Lower Salmon River & the Maiden Voyage

July 12, 2010.  Lower Salmon River, Idaho.  The Zizumara touches the river for the first time.  A-Team eases her into her new watery home.

10 souls. 100,00LBS of gear. Most of which was outfits and champagne.

Dressed to impress... yes, we are still at the put-in.

The Zizumara receives her blessings and hopefully hears our prayers for safe travels.

And a little bubbly for us!

We loaded the boat with the essentials and shoved off.

Perfect day for a maiden voyage.
Dog claws making sure I don't get too attached to the paint job.

We got to our favorite camp early and took full advantage.  And a good excuse for a wardrobe change.

The gunwales were dressed in LED for the evening.
She matched her namesake -Delphinius in the sky.

Next day we get our first taste of some whitewater.
We got a little sideways in Wrightway and at 15k it was huge.  Good thing I had 2 awesome highsiders.  Perhaps I should have put the rubber chines on the boat...

Prepare for launch.  3...2...1...

First rocket ship ride for the ZIZ.  Good highsiding Bro!

Kindred souls.

The Ziz takes a break from the whitewater for a little lunch in the sun.
At some point this day I took 1/2" off the Ziz's nose after hitting a meta-limestone wall in cougar canyon.  It was about as low impact as you get but still enough to put the first ding in the boat.  Glad its over, now I can relax.

There's a little magic in the left side hatch.

Ziz=Party venue.

Ziz=Dance floor.

Ziz=Bed... not tonight!

All ship shape and ready to run China... on the right! woo!

Close up.

Basically, the Zizumara is a floating bar.  If only I could bring the bartender on every trip.  Yoohoo...Ken!

Beautiful last night in Blue Canyon. View from the perch at Buzzards.

Fine bailing technique after a big run in Eye of the Needle.
Then out to the Snake and finally the take out.
Not bad for a maiden voyage.

Maiden Voyage or Bust

When the boat letters arrived in the mail I was jumping for joy, but, I was too nervous to put them on by myself.  I was terrified of putting them on crooked or in the wrong place.

After consulting with people in the know I finally decided to tackle the last big step on the boat.

Gail the design guru gave me the "how to" and then set me free to sink or swim.

A bit nerve racking.
No second chances.

Almost there.

Beginners luck.

Phew!
The Zizumara is river ready.