Colorado river

Question
Dear Al, I'm not sure if this is covered in your area of expertise, but if you can help me out at all that would be great. A friend of mine and I are planning to travel to Colorado in March and we would like to row down the entire Colorado river. What I wanted to know was the type of vessel that should be used (we are hoping to buy one when we arrive)for 2 men and all their gear. I am thinking a 12' inflatable raft? Also some problems I can think of are bypassing the dams and our inexperience. We intend to get in some serious training before we set off. Can a man just go off and row down a river these days or are there various permits and restrictions we need to know about? If you can offer advice about any of these, or anything else you can think of I would really appreciate it.
Thanks a lot,
Mark

Answer
Hi Mark: This is not my area of expertise.  The rowing you are talking about is nothing like the rowing I did on the Schuylkill river in a single scull.  A boat like that in the Colorado River would be reduced to toothpicks in the first 100 yards.

But I do have some thoughts about it.  First off, you are aware you plan to traverse 1450 miles of river.  That's quite a trip.  Maybe you should look at a more achievable goal like paddling the entire Grand Canyon, which is about a 275 mile trip, which would take about 2-3 weeks. I would imagine paddling down the Colorado River while looking up at the Grand Canyon would be memorable existence. You are already aware that you physically CAN'T row non-stop through the river because of the dams.  

I have done some white water rafting in Colorado (on the Arkansas).  I was in a whitewater raft with 5 others and a guide.  I am pretty comfortable with any kind of oar-propelled vessel, but some of those rapids are pretty hairy. And I was just doing Class II rapids.  You might encounter Class IV rapids (especially if there is floodwater from rainy season).  Those are extremly treacherous.   

I guess there are three kinds of boats you could consider using with a reasonable chance of not killing yourself:

1) Inflatable raft with paddles: Since the river provides most of your locomotion, you are pretty much using the paddles for course correction.  There is always a risk of falling over the side when paddling, especially in whitewater.

2) Kayak (Solid or Inflatable): Faster than a raft, but a little less stable.  If you are good at kayaking, this is a possibility.  However, BIG WARNING, if you choose one of those rigid kayaks with a skirt, flipping and getting stuck upside down in a kayak with in a raging river with rocks all around would not be good.  I also find kayaks to be uncomfortable to your back and stomach from maintaining that sitting position for long periods.

3) Oar-propelled rafts.  I've seen these in some web sites.  Two big oars on each side connected to the ganwale of the boat.  However, they don't make them where two people can row at the same time and only experienced guides seem to do the rowing.  I guess this one is not really an option.

I think your best bet would be to talk to an experienced Arkansas or Colorado River guide and get their insight on the feasibility of your trek. Unfortunately, they are probably going to tell that for two novices to do this without an experienced guide is suicidal.

Good Luck/AP