River-Running Inner Tubes

Enlarge Image Image Gallery CLOCKWISE FROM ABOVE LEFT: Rainbow Bob's pickup can haul a goodly load of lowcost ""boats"", purchased from area truck stops, tire dealers, farm co-ops, and service stations .... The ""Superstar"" rope seat boosts the Bowlings' profits .... Sure looks like fun, but a life preserver seems to be called for here (the entrepreneurs plan to offer such safety features this summer) .... Ah, just floatin' along!

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When my husband Bob and I finally made our move to a country home deep in the Blue Ridge Mountains, we were immediately faced with the need to find a way of supplementing our suddenly reduced—as a result of our relocation— income. Part-time work was scarce (in fact, employment of any nature was pretty danged hard to come by). From what we could see, the area's biggest industry was tourism . . . since the Shenandoah and Potomac Rivers lured in great crowds of sweltering city dwellers on sunny summer weekends.

Those wide, mostly shallow rivers can sure look appealing on a hot afternoon, too. However (as we'd discovered to our own disappointment), the few waterside businesses that offered rental canoes and/or kayaks charged pretty hefty prices ... and a lot of would- river rats were left stranded on the banks for lack of cash. Well, where there's an unfulfilled urge, there's usually a way to turn a profit. Perhaps, Bob and I decided, we could bring in weekend money by selling inner-tube rafts to the shorebound sailors!

TESTING THE WATER

We promptly scrounged half a dozen used floaters from a local gas station, patched and inflated the tubes, and invited a few friends to join us on a "reconnoiter day" . . . enjoying trips down several sections of both the Potomac and the Shenandoah. While doing so (and having one heck of a good time), we noted the best places to park when putting in for a downstream ride . . . the water levels at which each section of the river could be best enjoyed . . . the locations of dangerous deep spots, underwater hazards, and rapids that should be avoided . . . the approximate time required to drift each different tubing "trail" . . . and the best techniques for coming through the faster (but still safe) sections without bumping our bottoms (well, at least not too often). Our toes were shriveled by the end of the day, but we were confident that we could both sell our "poor people's rafts" and give the purchasers the information they'd need in order to have safe and pleasant excursions.

GETTING DOWN TO BUSINESS

As we were checking out the waterways, we'd asked various riverside vendors about licensing requirements, and later drove to the county seat to obtain the necessary Business Franchise Certificate—from the State Tax Commission—at no cost. Then, with legal matters happily out of the way, we set about locating a supply of low-cost tubes.

After calling area truck stops, tire dealers, farm co-ops, and service stations, we visited the first of the potential suppliers . . . and were able to purchase 12 more junked tubes—of various sizes—for $2.00 each. We patched the leaks and, since the thought of hand-pumping the pile of deflated rubber rings was far from appealing, asked the owner of our neighborhood gas station if we could pay him for the use of his air hose. The gentleman told us to use the compressor without charge, but we insisted that he agree to accept payment if our business prospered.

Our initial stockpile, then, consisted of 18 rafts. We priced small ones at $4.00 apiece, marked the river-runners from truck tires up to $8.00 each, and decided to let our single "monster" tractor tube go for $15.00. After color-coding the valve stems to identify price categories (using nail polish), we packed the goods—upright and in rows across the bed—in the back of our pickup truck, tied them in place, and set off to a previously spotted double-wide shoulder on a heavily traveled riverside road. For a total investment of $46.00 ($24.00 for tubes, $9.00 for patches and glue, $3.00 for nail polish, and about $10.00 for the gas used in our preparatory trips), we were in business.

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