Carbon Cats take on the Columbia and Snake Rivers
“Roll on, Columbia, roll on!” -Woodie Guthrie, Roll on Columbia chorus
A new exploration flavored footnote joined the ongoing mythos of the ole frontier this September—the Columbia River Expedition of Carbon Cat dinghies organized by builder Aspen Power Catamarans. Three Carbon Cat dinghies led by the brand new T13C (console) flagship model completed a 491-mile trip from the Columbia River mouth at Ilwaco, Washington to final haul out at Clarkston, Washington up the Snake River. These boats may be small in size, but the men aboard had big ambitions.
“If you’ve followed Aspen Power Catamarans or Glacier Bay Cats over the years, you know I have a passion for doing what few or any others have done before,” wrote Aspen CEO and expedition planner Larry Graf of the trip. He was joined by his son Nick Graf, Len Renne, and Steven Gremmert. “Once I’ve finished one adventure, be it running 1,275 miles up the uncharted Mackenzie River to the Arctic Ocean or crossing the Pacific from Hawaii to Midway Island (1,380 miles) in a trailerable 26 footer, I’m always looking for the next challenge or ocean to cross showcasing a new design’s capabilities.”
The Columbia River is a place of legend and song, a force of nature whose mouth is the central part of an area known as the Graveyard of the Pacific for the hundreds of shipwrecks at the often-deadly bar entrance. But upstream, the river flows over a thousand miles inland, marking the border between Oregon and Washington before veering northward through Idaho and to its headwaters in Canada. Here is a mighty river of Lewis and Clark expedition fame and timeless Woodie Guthrie lyrics. The Carbon Cat Columbia River Expedition took Graf and company through multiple dams and locks.
“I like a bit of fear factor in my trips, that, managed well, results in a safe trip into or through amazing scenery,” continued Graf. “I also love doing these trips with a small group of fellow minded adventures looking for a challenge. A way to step outside the ‘ho hum box’ for a week or two!”
The successful five-day trip began with the September 6 Ilwaco launch and a cruise-by of the iconic Cape Disappointment Lighthouse beyond the breakwater. The US Coast Guard (USCG) famously conducts their surf operations training in the area at the National Motor Life Boat School. Conditions can get incredibly bad on the bar which is one reason the USCG trains there but luckily the Carbon Cat fleet chose an opportune weather window that made it enjoyable with reported two- to three-foot swells and one- to two-foot chop. Graf is a history buff and relished navigating the same waters that floated captain Robert Grey when he entered the Columbia in 1792 and John Jacob Astor’s first trading ship Tonquin in 1810.
“This is a trip others have done,” explained Graf. “But doing it in an open 10’ tiller handle 185-pound carbon fiber tender is unusual. The experience when you are gliding along at 20 mph with the warm wind in your face sitting 36” above the water… the views are spectacular.”
After a detour to Astoria across the river on the Oregon-side, the fleet zipped upriver about 120 miles to Portland, City of Roses, to conclude the first day. Graf reports that the T13 burned about 7.5 gallons of fuel—not bad for so many upriver miles.
Handling the Locks via Amphibious Assault
Beyond Portland, the Columbia and then Snake rivers host several dam and lock systems the Carbon Cat crew dealt with. The boaters agreed to enlist a truck with trailer to accompany the journey as the lock transits to get past the dams ahead were probably the biggest unknown of the adventure. All told, the fleet transited by water two of the four Columbia River locks and three of the four Snake River locks on their route. They trailered around the other locks because of timing more than anything.
“Each lock/dam has a launch ramp above and below, so this gave us options,” wrote Graf. “As it turned out, all the lock masters were happy locking our little package through, but some wanted us to wait three hours for other boats to gather.”
First up for the fleet after transiting 15 – 20 knot winds past Multnomah and Bridal Veil falls was the iconic Bonneville Dam. The lock on the 197’ long Bonneville Dam is 86 feet wide by 676 feet long and can lift up to 90 feet. Graf marveled at the scale of the locks, the three dinghies almost ant-like in size by comparison.
“We slid into the lock and tied the T13 to the floating bollard that recessed into the lock wall,” explained Graf, who was directed by a friendly and helpful lock master via VHF. “We then rafted the T11 and T10 on, called the operator on the radio and let him know we’re secure. The gates closed in just a couple of minutes, and the water began to boil a bit and within four minutes we were going up at an amazing rate. This lock lifted them about 60 feet to the current upper water level in just eight to ten minutes. With gates closing and opening we were in and out in about 20 minutes. Just amazing in comparison to the Ballard Locks in Seattle, three to four lock masters cycle the locks in 30 to 50 minutes at the fastest. The water rises slowly—not so on the Columbia!”
Once through the Bonneville Locks, it was smooth sailing over the 48 miles of Lake Bonneville up to and past Hood River, Oregon, commonly known as the Wind Surfing Capital of the World. This famously windy stretch of the Columbia River Gorge gave the crew sustained 20-knot winds with gusts up to 40 knots. A shift in climate also occurs around here with the wetter, cooler Columbia River west of the Cascades yielding to the drier, hotter lands east of the mountain range.
“The Carbon Cats did very well, but we did get some spray in the windy conditions,” noted Graf. “Len in the T10 even had some airtime as he tried to keep up with the foil boarders.” The remaining days of the trip were spent in similar spirits as they passed basalt canyon walls hundreds of feet high. Warm weather and calm waters abounded. Having a truck accomplice definitely opened the sightseeing capabilities, such as visiting the Maryhill Stonehenge replica.
Once hauled out at Clarkston with the hundreds of miles of river behind them, the Carbon Cat crew scratched their adventure itch while also flexing the capabilities of their line of tenders—especially the new T13C model that earned the nickname “The Limo”. How many boaters would trust their tenders to take them 491 miles up the Columbia and Snake rivers? At the very least, owners of Carbon Cats can point to the Columbia River Expedition and say, “my dinghy can do that.”
T13C Specifications
- LOA: 13’2”
- Beam: 5’8”
- Dry Weight: 311 lbs.
- Capacity: 6 People
- Engine: 30 horsepower (fuel injected Mercury outboard)
- Top Speed: 28 miles per hour
- Cruise: 18 miles per hour
- Range: 90 miles with 6 gallon fuel capacity
T11 Specifications
- LOA: 11’2”
- Beam: 5’4”
- Dry Weight: 187 lbs.
- Capacity: 5 People
- Engine: 20 horsepower (max)
T10 Specifications
- LOA: 10’2”
- Beam: 5’4”
- Dry Weight: 174 lbs.
- Capacity: 4 People
- Engine: 9.9 horsepower (max)
