I and going with a group to paddle Eleven Point River in mid October. Will I be okay in a sit on top kayak for this? Not sure what sections we will be doing for the weekend. I should get more info soon, but trying to plan ahead.
Do you mean a SOT kayak?
The Eleven Point is a pretty gentle river. Really, there are only two spots of note: Mary Decker Shoals and Halls Bay Shoals. Mary Decker is a minor boulder garden with two easy lines. Halls Bay is a nice drop with 2-2.5’ waves at normal water levels. Even if you tump there, a nice calm pool awaits at the bottom so there isn’t much risk. It can be walked on the right if you want to avoid it (or haul back up and run it repeatedly without gear).
Typical of Ozark rivers, it will occasionally build up logjams on the outsides of bends; this is especially true of a few spots after Riverton. If you have decent boat control, there isn’t much worry. One thing: if you are overnighting on the river, gravel bars aren’t as plentiful as on other Ozark streams so plan accordingly.
I was there six weeks ago and paddled Greer to Highway 142.
Yes, kayak. Thank you for the info.
You should be fine on a sot. Good current on 11 point. It is not so much as the style of boat but how well you can use current and your abilities.
If you plan on camping on the river, a SOT may not be much fun if its loaded with gear, but for day paddles it would be just fine. We have done it several times and just about any craft will do. If you do plan on camping on the river, use the gravel bars and stay away from the “paddle in campsites”. They are seldom maintained and are usually running away with ticks.