Payette River Pictures

[ski_faster]

My wife and I drove up to the Payette River today and it is flowing good. The main is flowing at 9000 cfs. Here is a couple pictures of the Main.

http://www.tetongravity.com/usergalleries/albums/userpics/normal_P4080104.JPG

http://www.tetongravity.com/usergalleries/albums/userpics/normal_P4080115.JPG

http://www.tetongravity.com/usergalleries/albums/userpics/normal_P4080114.JPG

Then we drove up to the South Fork of the Payette and we are standing there and who do I see floating by. Nobody but our own Conundrum

http://www.tetongravity.com/usergalleries/albums/userpics/normal_P4080122.JPG

http://www.tetongravity.com/usergalleries/albums/userpics/normal_P4080123.JPG

http://www.tetongravity.com/usergalleries/albums/userpics/normal_P4080124.JPG

Then we drove down to Slalom and we saw Conundrum again.
http://www.tetongravity.com/usergalleries/albums/userpics/normal_P4080131.JPG

http://www.tetongravity.com/usergalleries/albums/userpics/normal_P4080132.JPG

Conundrum had a great run down Slalom.

[Yonder_River]

Wow, I counted about five waves that would be sweet for surfing. What's with the creek boat Conundrum? :wink: Wish it was going off down here like that. I finally got in my boat today for the first time this year in Gore Canyon thanks to good resevoir flows. Man that felt good.

[eastvailhucker]

Looks SICK!!!

Just got my new 420 today so pumped!!!

Loop de Loop!!

[ski_faster]

Those pictures don't do the river justice. It is flowing huge right now. Its only going to get bigger since we still have a lot of snow up high.

[Conundrum]

Wow, I counted about five waves that would be sweet for surfing. What's with the creek boat Conundrum? :wink: Wish it was going off down here like that. I finally got in my boat today for the first time this year in Gore Canyon thanks to good resevoir flows. Man that felt good.

Dang it, busted.

I bought a Mafia last week and took it down the Canyon stretch of the South Fork and did not like the boat at all. I need to dial the outfitting and try it again. I was going to go up to the North Fork so I got in my old Nomad to affirm that the Mafia sucked and that I was just rusty. I love my Nomad. At the end of that run I ran into some guys that were going up to do the same run again so I grabbed my playboat and surfed quite a bit. 4k is a really run flow on that. I didn't make it up to the NF but probably after work this week...

Ski_faster thanks for the pics. It was a good day.

[Yonder_River]

Just curious. What didn't you like about the Mafia? I have a buddy who can get NRS pro deals so he is looking into one, but I'm trying to convince him that a Jefe (what I have) is a better choice.

[Conundrum]

Cons: I found primary and secondary stability to be shitty. I would say worse than an H3 but I ended up really liking the H3 so I'm going to give this boat more time. The hatch seems like it would break. The back band is comfortable but it's a black rubbery plastic that is super sticky so I have to completely undo it, get in, and then tighten it or face a collosal wedgie. And, it made exiting the boat more difficult and could potentially be a problem in an emergency situation. The cockpit is 3" shorter than most playboats-my skirt barely fits so you might have to check into that. The grab loop straps need to be longer.

Pros: The hatch is big enough to fit a Pelican 1400 in so I can start take my SLR. Emergency breathing tube. No airbags becasue of the sealed off stern. The seat is comfy and the outfitting is well thought out (other than the back band). It has stiffening bars under the seat. The new boats do not have a bulkhead in the front. This boat is FAST and only takes a couple of strokes to get up to speed. It boofs well. It floated over boils and manky stuff. The plastic seems bomber-there is a new rock in one of the holes on the Canyon that I pitoned pretty hard (hard enough I thought I may have cracked the hull) and it was just a little scrape.

To be fair, I need to play with the trim and make the boat a little more comfy. I may have been a little rusty too. I used to paddle a Big Gun and this is supposedly a refined Big Gun so I'm still hoping. I think once I get the outfitting setup it my be a good boat for me and if not, my gf is rapidly improving and she might like this boat. I'm still going with my Nomad over the Mafia. Even on form, I bet the Mafia is up there in price. I haven't paddled a Jefe yet so no comparison there but of the boats I have paddled, I could recommend a few over the Mafia at this point. Your friend might want to try a Burn too-I've been hearing really good things about that boat.

[skifishbum]

Thanks for the river stoke