Jeff Bennett has been doing rivers in North and Central America as a guide, whitewater instructor, international racer and professional photographer since the early 1970's. He has co-authored several other books, including Class Five Chronicles. The Complete Whitewater Rafter is the culmination of his river experiences and the progeny of his previous book Rafting!. Although sole author, he envisions The Complete Whitewater Rafter as the culmination of a river-running evolution that has been ongoing for the last half century. He has borrowed tips and techniques from contemporary instructors and classic technique textbooks.
Bennett characterizes this book as a complete course in river running. For those who raft, the book has it all, beginning with a chapter on the Evolution of Rafting: From Powell to Paddle Cats and ending with a chapter that covers becoming a professional guide, whitewater photography, rafting for the physically challenged and rafting with children.
I primarily bought the book to get tips on oar rigging and everything was there, including all existing boat, frame, and oar designs. The chapter on gear maintenance and repairs was first rate and complete (it even included material on maintaining wetsuits, drysuits, lifejackets, and pumps). For those with interests in paddle rafts the cook covers all the strokes and more importantly has an entire chapter on Paddle Captaining: The Art of Whitewater Choreography. Several major rafting companies include this as mandatory reading for guide certification. Finally, the book has several chapters on multiday trips, which review packing and carrying gear, river camping and cooking, and river exploration. This material is applicable to anyone who is contemplating a multiday trip (whether raft supported or not).
If you are not particularly interested in rafting check-out the book for the information in chapters 5, 8, and 10. Chapter 5 - River Morphology: The Dynamics of Running Water looks beneath the surface at river mechanics, laminar flow, turbulent flows, chaos, helical currents, and meanders and relates all this to tongues, upstream Vs, standing waves, diagonal waves, haystacks, breaking waves and stoppers, pillows, undercuts, rooster tails, boils and holes. It's really well written and excellently illustrated. I will probably scan-in some of the illustrations and make slides to use in lectures for paddling classes. Chapter 8 covers running rapids in oar rigs and paddle rafts but the information is equally applicable to hardboats. Again, the illustrations and suggestions on tactical approaches to rapids are excellent. Finally, chapter 10 - Rafting on the Cutting Edge discusses class V rafting including boulders and slots, waterfalls, high water techniques, and even steep creeking. I hadn't even imagined creeking in a raft but it is done. I have a whole garage full of hard boats for every possible use. This book has made be consider getting an R-2 for this year's creek season.
