new Four Rivers 11 Ft - Top things for a first hunt

J

Jack G

New member
I just bought a Four Rivers 11 ft'er to hunt gravel pits and small streams in Colorado. We really do not have rivers in Colorado. A river here is a creek back East. Anyway, I can row and I know I need a life jacket. Any other insights for a newbie on the duck-boat approach. On reason I want the boat is for decoy deployment. Most gravel pits here are 40 feet deep off the edge. I figure I can pull the boat up to the edge of the flooded pit and use it as a blind. Any insight for using a small boat on small water would be appreciated. Also, is it safe to wear waders with a wader belt in a boat? ( I am a newbie at this :) )
 
things ill reccomend are
1 you now have a boat upsize your first aid kit you dont have too pack it around any more theres always room for it
2 2 anchors youll hate not having two buy a broken bag of concrete from the lumber yard and a couple of eye bolts bolted too a piece of flat stock stuff it all in a coffee can done deal
3 throw able tow rope somthing along the lines of kayak rescue style
4 A bigger lunch and coffee mug as now ya can stay out longer lol
Thats all I can think of tonite.Im curious about the waders my self never gave it much thought Id like too hear differant openions on that I wear them w the safety belt and dont think of it . 1 thing too consider is the added warmth benifits of waders that is also a safety concern staying warm .
 
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Also, is it safe to wear waders with a wader belt in a boat? ( I am a newbie at this :) )
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Ok, this subject comes up every couple years. The short answer is YES it is safe.


Myth; waders will fill with water and pull you under. FALSE So what if they do fill with water? Is the water on the inside suddenly heavier than the water on the outside?

IMHO, the best thing for being safe on the water (after common sense) is your like jacket and neoprene waders. The following gives a brief description why this is so. Even tho wetsuits are referenced, the same principles apply when using waders, should you take a spill.
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Neoprene is a type of synthetic rubber. Neoprene rubber was developed in the 1930s. Since then, it has been incorporated into numerous products popular in daily life, from wetsuits to protective gear. Neoprene has a variety of properties that make it quite useful, including being abrasion-resistant, chemical-resistant, waterproof, somewhat stretchable and buoyant.
The many unique qualities of neoprene make it useful in a number of popular products. One of the most popular and visible uses of neoprene is with wetsuits. In wetsuits, neoprene traps water between the wetsuit and the wearer's skin. Body heat warms the water against the skin, which works to reduce heat loss from the body. This reduced heat loss allows someone to comfortably stay in colder water for a longer time. It can also be quite buoyant in the water. Many sports enthusiasts use neoprene wetsuits, including scuba divers, surfers and windsurfers.
Neoprene wetsuits come in a variety of thicknesses, from very thin one-half millimeter (about 1/16 inch) wetsuits used to prevent abrasions and sunburns in tropical water to thick seven millimeter (about 1/4 inch) wetsuits used in cold water. Not surprisingly, the thicker the neoprene in a wetsuit, the more insulating it is. While the black head-to-toe wetsuit commonly seen on television is the image many people have of neoprene wetsuits, they come in any number of colors, sizes and styles. Neoprene wetsuits can dramatically slow heat loss in the water, allowing wearers to remain the water for much longer than they would be able to without one.
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[font=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica]The last line bears repeating; [/font]Neoprene wetsuits ( or waders) can dramatically slow heat loss in the water, allowing wearers to remain the water for much longer than they would be able to without one.


My advice if you should find yourself alone outside your boat in 40 ft of gravel pit water. Do not try to climb back into the boat. You most likely will not get this accomplished and will waste a lot of valuable time and energy. If the boat is with you, stay with the boat and float, dog paddle to shore. Once to shore crawl up the bank to high ground. If your wearing standard rubber waders,empty the water at that time and then put them back on, (you'll stay warmer). If your wearing neoprene waders just make a beeline to your vehicle. Get it started and the heater going. Strip out of all of your wet clothes and soak up that heat. You did remember to carry a change of clothes in you vehicle, right? If not, still get out of those wet clothes.
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I wear my waders all the time in my boats, with a belt since otherwise they would be down around my ankles. If you do go in, DON'T PANIC. The big thing about water filling up your waders is getting back in the boat. With some buddies, it will be difficult since you are now toting half the lake up with you. I remember doing something very similar to that, there had to be as much water weight in the suit I was wearing as I weigh.

Small, light boats on small water are great.
 
The water inside your waders does not weigh any more than the water on the outside. What does weigh more is the pocket full of shells. Belts are good. Also, bending your knees will help to trap air and give you floatation. Wear a life jacket too, even more important if hunting alone.
 
Thanks for the great info from all. I am picking up my boat tomorrow. I am getting excited for the first use.
 
I spent four long hours last Dec 8th in the lower columbia river in 44 degree water with neopream waders and a float coat......and every fourth wave going over my head .......what saved my life is the neopream and float coat, with the aide of the wind and tide pushing me onto an island and the next morning the coast guard helicopter finding me....The most important thing is to save your engery as much as possible this is why I stayed with my boat holding on to the bottom as it was upside down.......every muscle in my body was cramped and I was in much pain but my wife calling 911 and telling the island I was hunting on was a major role in saving my life......this was my first accident in over 40 yrs of hunting which goes to prove it can happen to anyone anytime.......my clothes weight was 38 lbs now I will only wear wool.......you can never be to save and now I wear a life jacket that inflats as soon as it hits the water a very cheap investment ........John
 
I have gone down to my arm pit while wearing waders. I had on a wool sweater under the outer coat. The waders were 4 mill neoprean. I steped in an old silted in pit. I was retreiving a downed bird and my son was hollaring at me to hurry because I was scaring of the decoying in ducks. It is funny in retrospect. At the time it was a crises because of the COLD. i DIDN'T TAKE ANY WATER IN SIDE OF THE WADERS. I was still COLD. You don't have to fall out of the boat to get into big trouble. My son was sitting safe back in the boat telling me to hurry. In my hurry I got into the trouble. I have hunted for 40 years. This was my first dunking. Be prudent and be careful.

Mark
 
I think the "no waders in a boat myth" is left over from the old rubber/canvas waders, you can't tread water with those things on....you can hardly walk in em.
 
I wear neoprene waders in my boat every time. They keep me warm and dry. I don't know of anyone who has drown because of them. I think that you are right about the old rubber waders being dangerous. The waders are much more beneficial that not when out in the boat. I too have fallen into pot holes and stayed dry because of the waders. Glad to hear that you're okay.
 
New neoprene waders are much better than the old style. I saw a guy trip and fall with the old waders his feet filled up with air and he was trapped underwater. He was able to push off the bottom to get a breath of air and he would go under again. We were able to get to him in time. I have been swimming in my waders, not by choice, and they do not fill with air like the old ones. The best thing to do is go into a swimming pool during the summer with a friend and see what its like if you go under. A belt helps keep the air out and the wader on your feet in mucky bottoms.
 
In my Navy days I was taught to take off my dungarees, tie knots in the legs, then fill the wetted pant legs with airto use them as a floatation device. How to fill them with air is a difficult process to explain but it is something like repeatedly trapping air in them.

So, why does this apply here, well it would be much easier to fill waders and keep them filled with air. But that would only be if it was warm enough to get them off and if you were able to (agile enough) to get them off while treading water. It is possible but would be best practiced first - like when it's warm in July.

Neoprene will make you more bouyant in water which explains a couple stories about being swept off your feet in a current which becomes easy to do when you float. The tough part is to get out of the water with waders that are filled with water - 5 gallons of water is pretty heavy and I'm not sure how much water your waders would hold. So carry a clip on pocket knife to cut around the boot or so forth to let the water drain out if you find yourself beached with your waders full of water.

Cheers!

Keir
 
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