SAW in River waters... Bad idea?

[dmitry100]

Hey guys,

Do any of you guys have any experience with running some SAW at any rivers? I'm just wondering about what the potential downsides could be with running at a river... besides the current and crap floating in the water.

The Sacramento River here happens to be the closest and largest strip of water around me... and the current is quite calm.
Here's how it looks:

https://www.google.com/maps/@38.3512204,-121.5353051,3a,75y,132h,90t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sSxARtd0iMlic7TVcPJOJtQ!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo1.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3DSxARtd0iMlic7TVcPJOJtQ%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D132.40663%26pitch%3D0!7i13312!8i6656

[TRUCKPULL]

Have you checked out the old canal that runs along Liberty Island Rd. it is about 4 or 5 miles from Walnut Grove.

My Uncle used to have a farm in the area.

Larry

[dmitry100]

I just checked it out on the map w/ streetview and it looks like some great water for saw...

I will definitely need to go for a drive and check it out... Thanks!

[T.S.Davis]

The only hicup would be how to keep people out of the way. We ran on a river briefly. Not saw or event sanctioned. Just screwing around. I was running a mono on the GPS at around 58. Respectable for the time. Mid run two guys in a canoe floated by. I never ran there again.

[dmitry100]

Other than that... do you think the current can make it harder to run in?

I'd imagine if it flipped -- the moving current probably can make it a challenge to rescue it out from the water...

[kfxguy]

I ran in a river one time. I did not even get the fast boats out of my car once I realized what I was getting in to. The recovery boat wouldn't overcome the current trying to push a flipped boat. We had to go get it in a real boat as it was slowly being pulled away. Had we not had a real boat to retrieve, they would have disappeared. I won't do it again the current was not much at all either. I don't think I'd do it again unless we have a boat to go get it.

[dmitry100]

Did you have your current rescue boat at that time ? it probably would have been easier with that thing right...

[kfxguy]

Did you have your current rescue boat at that time ? it probably would have been easier with that thing right...

Maybe. This one has more power but I'm not w sure

[dmitry100]

lol I'm currently cutting my broken/sunk shocker in half ..... and turning it into a twin drive rescue boat. Gonna attach some pool noodle forks in the front with pvc pipe similar to yours.

You think my old TP4050 2050kv motors are worth using here?
Was thinking of using them so that I don't have to spend money on smaller ones... but I guess something like 1000kv 36 diameter can motors would be best right?

Wondering if "partial load" is something to worry about here... + limited water flow I think can result in smoke... it can be reminiscent of my Seaking 180 blowing up due to just a few minutes of partial load.

[78MaicoRider]

Or dig out a brushed motor or 2. Even if you don't have one it's easy to find a used brush motor for cheap sometimes free.
Where on the delta are you? I fished all over from Rio Vista south for 30 years. Then moved up to Cottonwood by the Sacramento for 6 years.
Just run boats an hour either side of slack tide. Be careful running at slack of high tide. Because when tide starts going out you have that current plus the river flow added together. When anchored my full size boat would make a good size wake on the out going tide. Of course that depended on the location, the height of tide, and the amount the river was flowing that day. But still the current can really rip there.

[T.S.Davis]

It was a nutty time that I was running on the river. I shouldn't have been there in the first place. Hind sight.

This particular river had very little current so that part was no big deal.