Illinois River Flows & Avon Raft | Gear Garage Live Show

Illinois River Flows & Avon Raft | Gear Garage Live Show

From Gear Garage Live Show by Whitewater Guidebook

April 30, 2026 · 35 min

About this episode

Zach discusses Clackfest and provides expert advice on identifying and maintaining vintage Avon rafts.

This podcast is the audio version of the Gear Garage live show, where Zach answers submitted questions and talks all things whitewater. In this episode, Zach shares his excitement for the upcoming Clackfest and provides expert advice on identifying and maintaining vintage Avon rafts. Episode Summary Zach kicks off the show with an enthusiastic look at Clackfest, his favorite event of the year. This festival, now in its 40th year, is centered around the whitewater community and features twelve different types of races—ranging from R-II and R-IV rafting to SUP, kayak, and packraft events. Zach emphasizes that the Clackamas River Festival is more about community and fun than being "gnarly," making it a must-attend for boaters of all levels. The technical heart of the episode addresses a viewer's question about identifying an older Avon raft that is missing its serial number. Zach uses his extensive guiding experience to narrow down the model and age based on physical features. He identifies a 14-foot gray self-baler with two thwarts as likely being the Avon Adventure model. He also provides a guide for dating these Hypalon rafts by their color: darker gray typically indicates the…

People in this episode

Host: Zach

Topics covered

  • whitewater
  • rafting
  • vintage rafts
  • Clackfest
  • raft maintenance

Keywords

  • Clackfest
  • Avon rafts
  • whitewater community
  • raft maintenance
  • vintage rafts

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Clackamas River Festival

Products: Avon Adventure

Places: Illinois River

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