Parking Spot

[BCRanger]

I'm going to access a river system this fall with my inflatable. My question is about how I leave my boat while I'm up in the mountains (upwards of 10 days).
Is tying it up & leaving it in the water the best scenario?
Will it be destroyed by animals if dragged up & left on shore?
What has been your experience? Good or bad.

[anchskier]

Personally, I would not want to leave it in the water if gone that long. Lots can happen, and at least if it happens on land, things won't float away. High winds, water level changes, etc... Depending on where you are at, you may run into possible issues with bears or other critters chewing on the raft. You might look into methods of protecting it while nobody is going to be around. Also make sure to have a good patch kit and pump with you in case something does happen. I don't have any personal experience with rafts on trips like this, so others will probably be able to give some more specific ideas/concerns to be aware of.

[scott_rn]

One of my favorite sheep hunting stories came from a guy who ran a jet boat to access a sheep hunt. They were gone ten days and got back lower water. The jet boat was over 50 feet from the water and I think it took close to 8 hours to get it floating again.

[Larry Bartlett]

We usually leave the raft deflated and rolled tightly, cached well above mean high water line. Make sure it's clean and you might try placing a quart-sized ziploc with moth balls with the raft. I've never had a bear mess with stuff when moth balls are around. You might consider piling brush on top of the raft with a tarp stretched over it and anchored to the ground tightly to keep squirrels away. Store up a quart of urine and pour a full circle around your cache to include the high brush or willows, which usually deters bears for a while. Don't cache food at the site.

LB

[BCRanger]

Thanks for the replies!
I'm liking the roll it up & hide it idea. It will also keep the two legged critters away from it.
Anybody had porcupine issues? I know of a few quads that were chewed to hell by them. Do they like denier fabric?

[anchskier]

Thanks for the replies!
I'm liking the roll it up & hide it idea. It will also keep the two legged critters away from it.
Anybody had porcupine issues? I know of a few quads that were chewed to hell by them. Do they like denier fabric?

If you have the space, a very effective method of protecting something from critters is to cover or wrap it in a section of chain link fencing. Not the easiest thing to carry, but if you have the room, it might be worth it. I know some people who stash ATV's for long durations in the woods will cover them with chain link and then a heavy canvas tarp.