Intex Seahawk 2: Rafting the Potomac River's White Horse Rapid, at 2.74ft. (POR), 3.7ft. (Millville)

Intex Seahawk 2: Rafting White Horse Rapid on the Potomac River at Harpers Ferry at Moderate Flow.
Follow-up review and increased capabilities test to my original review/video titled "Intex Seahawk 2: Rafting The Needles & White Horse Rapid (Potomac River) at Low Water"
• Intex Seahawk 2: Rafti...
Date: September 6, 2020
Level (flow rate):
3.70ft./3,060cfs (Millville Gauge - Shenandoah)
2.74ft./6,780cfs (Point of Rocks Gauge - Potomac)
NOAA Gauge: Potomac River At Harpers Ferry (HFEW2) - Offline
Water Temperature: 73.4°F
Location:
Potomac River, Harpers Ferry, West Virginia (below the confluence from The Point)
Alongside C&O Canal Lock 32 and Mile Marker 60.23
Class: III
Raft: Intex Seahawk II
Description:
White Horse Rapid: the in-a-nutshell description that I feel is most fitting and its solid reputation giver ~ Always Kickin' and Ready to Give a Lickin'
This is the exact route and rapid that President George Washington canoed through and wrote about in regard to the treacheries of navigating through "The Spout," in The Diaries of George Washington (August 7, 1785), which is included in more detail in my documentary video that is titled "A Good Morning at Harpers Ferry (2018)," which showcases the natural beauty and history of the grandeur of Harper Ferry and the mighty Potomac River ( • A Good Morning at Harp... )
Testing the Limits ~ The Seahawk 2 held up much better than expected in taking on White Horse at an upper moderate level, more than doubling its maiden and previous ride on White Horse (1.2ft (see referenced above)). The original plan was to catch the rollercoaster ride two days earlier when in the upper 4ft. range, but it handled like a boss at 3.7ft, making for some big time satisfaction for a raft that is not advertised or recommended for white water. Shown here is round two at White Horse, which posed quite the challenge with maneuvering the ors, as the oar snapped during the first run. The coupler that tightens and secures the top and bottom shafts together snapped, which ejected the bottom shaft into the current (see video: ), which can happen to strong undercurrents given the so so durability of the plastic oars, but in this case, the coupler was weakened from a stress fracture that occurred at the put-in, when too much tension was applied to the oar when pushing off the side of a rock in less than two feet of water when entering the Potomac from the Piney Run stream. By the end of the day the spit in the coupler had worked its way 90% of the way through. Improvising (and learning to always keep another oar on hand given its flimsy durability) I had to grasp the oar on the coupler, which drastically reduced steering ability. More durable oars would be of great benefit, as the undercurrents can easily snap the oars when in bouncy wave trains. It handles like a high volume creeker kayak, with the bow providing much rocker when going into the tough of a wave (White Horse's mouth) and blasting into the wall of green water, which is way more forceful than when alternative, when the wall of the wave is mostly aerated and white, and thus easier to punch though. Riding up and into White Horse is a real collision, as the two irregular waves come together and give a hard smack down that is for sure to leave a memory, and for many...a a bouncy swim.
Note:
*This information is solely provided for education and to be of help to others.
*NOAA Gauge: Potomac River At Harpers Ferry (HFEW2) - Offline
"At low water, values at Harpers Ferry are generally within a quarter foot of those at Point of Rocks.
Educational Resources:
Intexcorp.com:
Intex Seahawk 2 Boat Set: intexcorp.com/...
Boatinggeeks.com (Review):
Intex Seahawk 2: boatinggeeks.c...
American Whitewater.org:
Potomac 0.7 - Dargans Bend Boat Ramp to Potoma Wayside (The Needles) - www.americanwh...
Potomac 0.8 - Sandy Hook/Potoma Wayside to Point of Rocks MD - www.americanwh...
Potomac River at Point of Rocks Stream Gauge:
NOAA: water.weather....
USGS: waterdata.usgs...
USGS 01636500 Shenandoah River at Millville, WV Stream Gauge:
USGS: waterdata.usgs...
Potomac River Guide: The Upper Potomac - www.riverexplo...
The C&O Canal Towpath Trail and Great Allegheny Passage: Harpers Ferry
www.youtube.co...

[@giuliomagarotto9819]

It's great to see a video of a SeaHawk "real" use on a river 😁 I am the only Stand Up Paddler in a crew of Canadian Canoes, mostly very easy rivers so I have no particular problems, but for the long descents (more than 2-2,5 hours paddling) the SUP position is too tiring for me... Since a couple years ago a friend gave me this raft, I am now looking for some videos to see if it's just recreational or could be use in lower class rapids too, and as far I can see I shoud give it a try next time, thanks!! 😊

[@TheArtBaby0]

Amazing I’m going to get 2 now

[@PotomacPassageOolikhanna]

Hi CJ, thank you, and cool to hear. In addition to the Seahawk II, Intex also makes a Seahawk 3 and a Seahawk 4, which are like the Seahawk 2, but larger and easier to fit more people. I personally find the sizing to be like with tents, in how the Seahawk 2 is advertised to fit two people, but find it to be most comfortably for one person with the Seahawk 3 being ideal for two people. Intex also has the Mariner 3 and Mariner 4 rafts, which are a more heavier duty and heavier raft than the Seahawk series. I found the oars to get the job done, but don't hold for for the kind of use I need to get out of them, with how flimsy they are. I saw on Intex's website that they sell heavier duty replacement aluminum oars, which would greatly serve my purposes better. Feel free to reach back out and let me know if you have any fun adventures with your Seahawk. Where are you planning on enjoying your raft?

[@lloyddobler1310]

Had a Seahawk 2 for 10 years, Thinking of upgrading, would like to do overnight whitewater trips... I wondered if I had to wait to get a new ride before doing a local Class II with one Class 3 feature. This looks like I might still be okay taking my SeaHawk out.

[@PotomacPassageOolikhanna]

Hi Lloyd, That's the longest that I've ever heard of someone having the Seahawk 2, sounds like it holds up real well when taken care of. I feel I would want to upgrade as well with your situation and also from how long I've had mine now and from the ways I've tested it out. Although, I haven't come close to testing its upper limits yet, given how seldom the water gets high enough, and holds long enough for me to get the raft out there after first kayaking the radar runs that run only a couple of times a year. I'll make another video when I eventually catch the Potomac a foot than the level of this video. I feel for overnight trips you would want a large raft, one that has the capacity to securely store your gear, and with enough space without weighing it down too much, and yet retain enough lift to charge through the class II and IIIs. This video is the highest level that I've taken the Seahawk II through, the video linked below is of the same section, and its upriver section at Harpers Ferry, WV, when the levels were much lower at the average summertime level, of which clearly stands out compared to how hard White Horse is kicking in this video. I personally find the Seahawk 2 to be best for one person for whitewater and flat water, particularly for being comfortable oaring and having storage space, and it takes on the rapids better - especially when riding up the wave to get height and the positioning for impact - with the front end being so light from having one person and all of the weight in the back. I find the sizing for INTEX's rafts to be like that of many tents, with always subtracting at least one person for ideal comfort and space. Are you looking to stay with INTEX's rafts, or are you considering on upgrading to a designated and renowned whitewater brand, or a perhaps a shredder? If so I could provide you with some personal recommendations. Regarding the Seahawk series, I feel I would be more suited for the next size up for bigger sets of rapids, such as with the Seahawk 3, which may be more of the size that you are looking for. There is also the Seahawk 4, the largest of the Seahawk series. I feel the Seahawk 3 is ideal for two people along with the Seahawk 4 for if you want to do an over nighter if needing to carry all of your gear, or if you just want maximum space for two people, and enough space to be comfortable for three people with minimum gear. Although INTEX does not advertise any of their rafts for conditions other than gentle and flat water, INTEX also has the deluxe Mariner series, which are their most durable and heavy duty rafts, but also their heaviest rafts too, which personally appears to have been designed for modest whitewater conditions. The Mariner 3 looks ideal to me for two adults, and weighs 73 pounds. I would use the Mariner 4 for either two or three people; it weights 90 pounds. The Seahawk 2 weighs 20 pounds. The Seahawk 3 weighs 32 pounds. The Seahawk 4 weighs 47 pounds. I will be upgrading my stock plastic oars of the Seahawk 2 with the aluminum oars that come stock with the Seahawk 3 and 4 models, which I saw are available to purchase from INTEX's website. The plastic oars are just too flimsy and short, and have come close to snapping when navigating through the rapids and when in the undercurrents of the rapids, which has cracked the part that connects/threads the oar and the shaft together. I feel you would have a better time controlling the raft and having the necessary power to maneuver through the rapids with the aluminum oars too, especially when in straightforward class III waves. Let me know how it goes for you and what works best. I am definitely interested in hearing how any of the other models hold up in the rapids. Which rivers/rapids do you plan on taking the Seahawk down? Also, I have noticed that the pricing considerably varies between INTEX's website and Amazon. "Intex Seahawk 2: Rafting The Needles & White Horse Rapid (Potomac River) at Low Water" - kzbin.info/www/bejne/bXPYnqmGgbyGfK8

[@denisbertalesotundra1536]

Мне очень понравилось видео, ставлю лайк)))

[@PotomacPassageOolikhanna]

Thank you very much Denis & Berta, that is wonderful to hear. I very much appreciate your compliments, from across the Atlantic Ocean! I like the nature videos on your channel, and will be checking them out, such gorgeous and unspoiled scenery from what I see so far! I hear that Kamchatka is very beautiful and rugged, and have seen online articles of people kayaking the Kamchatka River.

[@philippv5845]

Nice 👌🏻

[@PotomacPassageOolikhanna]

Thank you Philipp, appreciate it. It was a nice ride indeed.

[@ion_canadianu]

Ha. I have sheawak 3 . Thanks

[@denisbertalesotundra1536]

А как называется эта река?

[@PotomacPassageOolikhanna]

This river is named the Potomac River, which flows for 405 miles, from the wilderness of Western Maryland and West Virginia, through the cities and Washington D.C., and out into the Chesapeake Bay, which in turn flows into the Atlantic Ocean. This particular section of the Potomac is located in historic Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, a site of the American Civil War and a historic national park, and where the Appalachian Trail, Chesapeake & Ohio Canal, and the three states of Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia all come together. This particular rapid is named White Horse, whose name originates from Native Americans that inhabited the area. White Horse is the biggest rapid around, though arguably, some would say that 100 Yard Dash and Maui Wave rival or surpass White Horse when the high water comes to town. Historically, the Potomac is referred to as the "Nation's River," first by the first U.S. President, George Washington. Famed Jamestown settler and Captain John Smith first learned of the river being named Patawomeke, derived from the name of a Native American village (home of the Patawomeke people) on its southern bank. The meaning of the name “Patawomeke” is not completely clear in meaning. "The tribe spoke a now-lost Algonquin language, like most American Indians of the Tidewater region, so the exact English translation was never recorded. But based on oral tradition, local legend, and knowledge of other regional languages, historians have presented several possibilities. One is “they who come by water,” referring to the tribe’s proximity to the river. “Patawomeke” could also mean “river of burning pine,” “river of swans,” or “river of traveling traders.” But it’s further confused by the fact that the river had several different names with several different meanings, depending on language, tribal jurisdiction, location, and geographical features (boundarystones.weta.org)." Native Americans referred the upper part of the Potomac as “Cohongarooton,” inferred to as the land of the “honking geese.” The Potomac, likely it's North Branch, has been referred to as Oolikhanna or welhik hane, a Lenape (Native American tribe) word meaning 'best flowing river of the hills' or 'beautiful stream. The first U.S. President, President George Washington actually canoed down through White Horse rapid, referring to it as "The Spout," and quite treacherous. "From the ferry, for about three hundred yards, or more, the Water is deep with rocks here and there, near the surface, then a ripple; the Water betwn. which, and the Spout, as before. The Spout takes its name from the rapidity of the Water, and its dashings, occasioned by a gradual, but pretty considerable fall, over a rocky bottom...skillful hands are necessary to navigate and conduct Vessels through this rapid.." - George Washington (From The Diaries of George Washington, August 7th, 1785) "James and Patowmac penetrate through all the ridges of mountains eastward of the Alleghaney, that is broken by no water course. It is in fact the spine of the country between the Atlantic on one side, and the Missisipi and St. Laurence on the other. The passage of the Patowmac through the Blue ridge is perhaps one of the most stupendous scenes in nature. You stand on a very high point of land. On your right comes up the Shenandoah, having ranged along the foot of the mountain an hundred miles to seek a vent. On your left approaches the Patowmac, in quest of a passage also. In the moment of their junction they rush together against the mountain, rend it asunder, and pass off to the sea." - Thomas Jefferson, Notes on the State of Virginia, October 25, 1785

[@denisbertalesotundra1536]

@@PotomacPassageOolikhanna спасибо за развёрнутый ответ)))

[@PotomacPassageOolikhanna]

@@denisbertalesotundra1536 You two are very welcome, thought you may enjoy the historical backdrop with how scenic and rich in history the Potomac River is. I am enjoying your videos of wild Russia, and will leave some comments along the way.