Tips for boofing packrafts

Tips for boofing packrafts - notice how Dan Hall uses a small amount of cross-current momentum to set up his boof as well as a small amount of edge. Lifting the upstream edge achieves several things: it slightly releases the surface tension between the boat and the water; it enables a vertical and deeper stroke which gives you more power and reduces the chance of simply twisting/spinning the boat due to a sweep stroke; and it immediately lifts up the bow setting you up to drive the bow both up and forward.
Often you do not need to lift the bow very much for the boof to work effectively. You can see that Dan is not using a huge amount of body movement but does utilise a small hip thrust (you need good abs for this to be as effective as Dan's) at the right time. It is all about the timing of the stroke though. You can practice this same hip thrust on easy whitewater as you cross eddy lines.
The small amount of cross-current momentum sets him up for both the take-off and landing because it means he won't get caught parallel to the currents that are heading downstream. Landing cross-current keeps the boat riding high although you do have to consider which edge you want to have raised on the landing so that you don't catch an edge or have the water grab your edge and slow you down. One advantage of a boof is that it allows you to maintain speed through the rapid rather than losing speed all the time when you hit holes or get grabbed.
Dan and I spend a lot of time teaching and encouraging paddlers (packrafters AND kayakers) to learn to paddle on the one side. If you look at all these videos of Dan you will see how often he uses either double or multiple strokes on the one side to set the boat up in the right position, at the right angle with the right amount of momentum. This can be perfected on flatwater though and is something every aspiring paddler should practice.

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