I'm a kayaking writer working on an essay about raft guide slang.
Anyone have any great words, terms they'd like to share and explain?
Thanks.

Butt Boaters.......what rafters and open boaters call us kayakers


"kayak4pie" wrote in message
oups.com...
I'm a kayaking writer working on an essay about raft guide slang.
Anyone have any great words, terms they'd like to share and explain?
Thanks.

On Tue, 21 Feb 2006 19:52:09 -0500, Grip wrote:

Butt Boaters.......what rafters and open boaters call us kayakers


"kayak4pie" wrote in message
oups.com...
I'm a kayaking writer working on an essay about raft guide slang.
Anyone have any great words, terms they'd like to share and explain?
Thanks.


Those of us who set around talking on our computers, but never get
around to actually butt boating, do they call us Butt Yakers? OvO

Grip wrote:

Butt Boaters.......what rafters and open boaters call us kayakers

"kayak4pie" wrote in message
oups.com...
I'm a kayaking writer working on an essay about raft guide slang.
Anyone have any great words, terms they'd like to share and explain?
Thanks.


Actually, we call all yinz geek boaters.

JAM

kayak4pie wrote:

I'm a kayaking writer working on an essay about raft guide slang.
Anyone have any great words, terms they'd like to share and explain?
Thanks.

Tourron

Tourist + moron

Taco Hell - When you drive your raft so hard into Pillow Rock it folds
like a taco!

And my personal favorite

Stay out from under my raft you lousy two blader!

JAM

Riverman:
I'm looking for language that reveals the culture of river guides. The
technical stuff is easy, since I know it from being a kayak instructor.
It's the colloquialisms and nicknames and words and phrases that
clients/punters/flatlanders wouldn't necessarily hear or "get" if they
did hear it.
I've spoken to guide friends on the Kern and have a few replies from a
post on BoaterTalk.com's forum, but I'm looking for more of what you've
mentioned -- nicknames, colloquial names for things, and I really like
your 'fligged to rip' saying.
Thanks for whatever you can give me. It's an essay so I am not quoting
anyone if they don't want to be quoted. It's more a compilation,
explanation, and spotlight on guide culture.
PS: I also tell friends to eddy out when walking places and need to
consult a map or regroup for whatever reason.

John Fereira wrote:

I'm looking for language that reveals the culture of river guides.

Maybe you're not getting much of a response because river guides don't
*have* a culture.

Yuk yuk yuk. Here are some of my offerings:

"Piece of cake" - I'm scared to run it, but I'll pretend I'm not.

"Totally bomber" - If you put this piece of river gear in Baghdad,
it would be destroyed by RPGs within an hour, however I am proud to
have paid a lot of money for it, so I like it.

"BWC" or "BWD" - Bitchin' whitewater chick or bitchin' ww dude.

"Tupperware" - kayakers clogging up the rapids.

Dang, don't go brokeback on us!
"Bill Tuthill" wrote in message ...
John Fereira wrote:

I'm looking for language that reveals the culture of river guides.

Maybe you're not getting much of a response because river guides don't
*have* a culture.

Yuk yuk yuk. Here are some of my offerings:

"Piece of cake" - I'm scared to run it, but I'll pretend I'm not.

"Totally bomber" - If you put this piece of river gear in Baghdad,
it would be destroyed by RPGs within an hour, however I am proud to
have paid a lot of money for it, so I like it.

"BWC" or "BWD" - Bitchin' whitewater chick or bitchin' ww dude.

"Tupperware" - kayakers clogging up the rapids.

river leech - kayaker (particularly those who diss oar boats but depend
on them to survive a week long trip).

Mongo - the guy you send for firewood and he brings back half a tree, or
unties your boat by pulling the rock to the boat.

butt buddies - two kayakers sharing the back of a pickup.

river princess - female floater who has to put on lots of makeup before
coming out of the tent, or who brings a propane curling iron on a float
trip.

Barney - the not so bright, not so experienced companion who gives lots
of advice.

chumming - the result of drinking too much while on the raft. Chumming
can attract river leeches, who consider it a divine road map to cold beer.




kayak4pie wrote:
I'm a kayaking writer working on an essay about raft guide slang.
Anyone have any great words, terms they'd like to share and explain?
Thanks.

Two terms for customers:

"SPORTs": Stupid People On Raft Trips. Elegant, because the guide can
address the customer with this term right to his face, without
jeopardizing his tip.

"Carp". Refers to their appearance when they are out of the boat and
trying to suck air (and probably borrowed from the verb used to
describe a kayaker grabbing breaths between unsuccessful roll attempts:
"carping"). By extension, I have seen the sign "Fish Crossing" beside
the driveway through an outdoor center, where the carp cross from the
parking area to the check-in kiosk.


And several terms for -- shall we say -- "things going not exactly as
planned":

Myron the Riverman mentioned "tacoing", which refers to the shape of a
raft folded over upon itself pinned against a rock, or, alternatively,
briefly folded over upon itself in an encounter with a hole
(hydraulic).

Then there is "dump-trucking", when a raft hits a hole and stands up on
end, dumping its crew into the river -- or, more specifically, into the
hole.

And "yard sale", which refers to the collection of customers, stray
paddles, shoes, water bottles and all the other unsecured crap the
customers brought along, after the raft flips and all this stuff is
floating independently down the river.

Not so much a raft guide's term as a canoeist/kayaker term, but
nevertheless appropriate to raft customers, is the euphemism
"out-of-boat experience" to describe an unplanned swim.

And don't forget the aphorism "bad things happen to people when they
are out of their boats." This refers not only to falling out and being
swept into or through river hazards, but to slipping and falling on the
rocks during portage, scouting, and meal- or camp-stops.


I am actually far more familiar with the multitudinous terms canoeists
and kayakers have to describe rafts -- the politest of which is "moving
undercuts", but that isn't really what you're looking for, is it?


-Richard, His Kanubic Travesty
--

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