At 12 feet 6 inches long and 30 inches wide, it’s perfect for touring and recreational racing. The 6 inch thickness greatly improved rigidity, keeping the board very firm, even with my 220 pounds riding on it. In fact, other than a slight vibration in the nose at times, it feels identical to a hard board. The Raven glides nicely and his its speed well, making it a perfect cruising board.  The removable 9″ center fin helps the Raven track well. A slight pintail improves maneuverability, making it easy to turn when I walk to the tail. Deck rigging on the bow makes it easy to bring along extra gear for the day’s adventures. I’d love to see additional tie downs on the stern for longer expeditions.

What really makes the SHUBU Raven stand out is its portability. It rolls down to a small , do its stores just about anywhere. I keep mines in the trunk most times, so I’ve been able to sneak in quick paddles in places I normally wouldn’t have a board with me. The pack itself is a great improvement over previous versions. Instead of the traditional top-load design, the pack opens up like a climbing rope bag. Just lay it out flat, drop the board on, close the sides up, cinch the straps down, and off you go.

The included pump brings the Raven up to the recommended 14 PSI in about 7 minutes with minimal effort.

Alternate put-in on the Tieton River, Washington

If it’s September, it must be time for the Tieton. A rarity in the Northwest, the Tieton is a fall dam-release, getting going right as most other rivers are drying out. For a few weeks it springs to life, giving us a break from repeated laps on the White Salmon. Although I’d be hard-pressed to consider any rapid much more than class III, it also rarely falls below class II. With a near-constant gradient and few eddies, it’s a fast-shot blast of fun.

Nina’s birthday conveniently fell on the 3rd weekend of releases. Her original plan was for a weekend on the Deschutes, but a single word – Tieton – brought a rapid change of plans. We met her just before the Soup Creek bridge, and quickly set up camp before heading into the madness of the put-in. Threading through the crowds raptly listening to rendition #421 of the safety speech, we found Polo and began throwing the day’s trip together. We’d originally planned on putting a few SUPs in the water, but the rapid pace of the shallow water had us second-guessing our plans. Fortunately, a couple Tito had met the previous weekend, Drew and His Complication, had extra seats in their raft. Most spread out between the two rafts while the rest of us hopped in inflatable kayaks.

There is no warm-up on the Tieton. Immediately out of the small launch eddy, we were tossed into fast-moving wavetrains, After a quarter-mile we caught our first eddy, quickly regrouped and headed downstream. The new inflatable I was paddling, Advanced Element’s Attack, quickly proved to be a sporty ride. It handled great, but the smaller side tubes caused the boat to swamp quickly through wavetrains, hampering mobility. After almost getting washed out of the boat in a couple of relatively minor waveholes, I adjusted my paddling technique to keep connected with my boat.

The first part of the day rolled along under warm sunny eastern Washington skies. We stopped on a small beach just upstream of one of the day’s bigger obstacles. Capt Ron wandered over to say hello and catch up on old times, while Jim from Texas debated race relations with some newer imports.

The Tieton contains one of the more interesting features I’ve dealt with, a runnable dam. My last recollection of the dam was from about 10 years ago, running in my IK with my son in my lap. This time around was much less eventful, and all us bounced through without incident. The best part of the run followed, and we all danced through the boulders and waves of High Noon and its companion rapids. My highlight of the day came when attempting to surf a wave, only to submerge the entire boat and ender off the wave.

All too soon, we were diving into the takeout eddy and heading back to camp. Camping along with Tieton river is excellent and varied. Paid campgrounds line the main part of the river, complete with pit toilets, picnic tables, and other camping amenities. We typically prefer isolation of the upstream primitive spots. We can let the dogs run free, and no one gets upset if we decide to stay up until the wee hours of the morning playing guitars. Tonight was no exception. After a hearty dinner of chili and homemade cookies, a healthy pyre was dedicated to the river gods, and many liquid soldiers were sacrificed to bountiful flows. Sometime after a small, but complete, tree went up in smoke, I knew it was time for bed.

The sacrifices helped secure another day of flows, but the weather wasn’t in the mood to cooperate. The first day of fall greeted us with occasional sprinkles. The sun broke out briefly, but by the time we hit the river at the crack of noon, we were under a solid wall of gray. The day passed quickly and before anyone was ready we were at the halfway point. The professional-class crew headed off to med school, plane flights & other real-world issues. The rest of us dirtbags floated on downstream into a a near-constant rain and another showdown at High Noon.

Afternoon Sun during a Tieton River Raft Trip near Yakima Washington

Driving back into the Gorge, as light snuck through the clouds for a sunset show, I thought about the trip as everyone else napped. We’d reunited with old friends and introduced some new members to the tribe. Some got a first experience on a new river, while the rest of us got reunited with a semi-forgotten classic. The last day of summer had been properly celebrated, and all was right with the world for a little bit. If it’s September, it must be time for the Tieton.