My Inflatable Kayaks - Part 1 - Sun Runner Expedition

(This was originally going to be one article, but it got very long, so I decided to split it up by boat.)

I have a reputation as someone who has a lot of IKs. There have been times when I've had as many as 7, though I've rarely owned more than 3 completely usable boats. There are a couple of reasons why I have several boats. First, I am always looking for a better boat for myself. Second, I have friends who like to boat occasionally, but not enough to own their own boats, and it's hard to find a decent IK for rent.

My first boat was a Sun Runner expedition model IK. Sun Runner was the early name used by Hyside, and this IK looks like a larger version of the Hyside Padillac (rhymes with Cadillac). It has big tubes, it's long, and it has a laced-in floor. It rides like an easy chair. The boat originally came without footpegs or thigh straps, and I never put any in the boat. Because it was so big and deep, I was able to sit down in the boat and stay in. It was a tough boat to get back into after a flip, and a hard boat to flip back over. Luckily, most of my swims involved me falling out of the boat without the boat flipping over. I ran several class IV-V runs in the boat - NF Stanislaus, Cal Salmon, Lower Tuolumne, and even Burnt Ranch Gorge (see photo). It was hard work, but my size combined with the boat's size meant that I had a lot of inertia and flotation, getting me though a lot of big holes without getting stuck.

After a few years, I named the boat "Old Bessie", which was the nickname for the Rambler that I got my driver's license in. Old Bessie was a great boat for overnight trips. I could put medium-sized drybags in the front and back, and still have plenty of room. Old Bessie was a heavy boat, so portages were always tougher for me. One of the last runs I did in Old Bessie was Rattlesnake Creek, near the Tieton River in Washington. I carried a full-sized 4" Carlson pump, a repair kit, a spare paddle, and other emergency gear. There were 9+ portages on this run because of logs across the river, and for several of them I had to carry

I finally sold her in 2007.