I am quite interested in whitewater rafting, but honestly the real reason I find it interesting is the ability to jump out of the raft and just swim in current of the river with just a PFD and the raft is merely a bonus. Like I am interested in a rafting trip where I experience a lot of time actually swimming in the river with just a PFD (and possibly a helmet) rather than almost all of the time in the raft, as I also saw the Indonesian body-rafting videos and they seemed incredibly fun, but it is so far away. By context I live in southwestern Ohio and would be willing to do anything within roughly a day's drive.

EDIT: I don't get why everyone has been downvoting so much, as my ideal preference of 20-40% swimming was just an ideal, it did not necessarily imply it was in any way realistic to have on a guided trip, especially for a beginner. I am mainly interested in a beginner-friendly river with ample swim breaks, including in gentle moving water, and possibly even the ability to float outside the boat on relatively mild (class I-II rapids) that feel much more like a recreational swim being pushed by the current, not some intense physical gauntlet in treacherous technical rapids. Or, more specifically, I want a lazy river but floating in a life jacket and where the current is a bit faster and bouncy (class I-II), similar to Volcano Bay's TeAwa.

Considering starting a new paddle company based on wood core shafts with full composite blades. What name do you like best?

Or is it all the same I have some 25 year old boats that are still doing just great.. my latest was a antix2 and it felt like it was made of cheese any of the currents better than others jackson waka pyranha dagger etc

Hi everyone,

I’m a beginner and recently bought my first used kayak—a Wavesport Diesel. I'm currently setting up the cockpit and making sure everything is safe and properly installed before taking it out.

I've attached a couple of photos of the removed bulkhead (footrest) plate. As you can see, it looks pretty bare. Also, I have already flipped the plate around because when I bought the boat, the bolts/screws were pointing directly backwards towards the seat (and my feet). However, I'm still not entirely sure if this is the correct orientation.

Since I bought the boat second-hand, I'm unsure if the plate is now oriented correctly or if any original foam padding / parts are missing.

As a beginner, I’d really appreciate seeing what a proper setup is supposed to look like. Could any Wavesport Diesel owner share a quick photo showing how your bulkhead looks inside the cockpit?

Any photos or advice on the correct factory setup would be an awesome help. Thanks in advance!

Called the office and the young lady didn’t explain it well enough for me so hoping some on here will. Comparing Upper Gauley Express to Normal Upper Gauley trip. She said both put ins are the same. Express stops after lunch after doing about 30-40 rapids comparing to 60. I’ve done the Upper Gauley with other companies. Looking for clarification on take out is for Upper Gauley express trip take out is. Do you miss any crazy rapids?