river runner

noun4

1. •
   A raft, kayak, or similar watercraft used especially for traveling with the current of a river in a swift manner.

   • There are many ways to go down a whitewater river. . . . If you paddle a play boat, you will play. If you paddle a more stable river runner, you may play a little less or a little differently. — 2008
2. •
   (US) A person who uses such a watercraft.

   • "It's fabulous, spectacular, a little scary and sometimes a lot scary," John Williams, a Moab river runner for 30 years, said of the Cataract spring flood. — 1998
3. •
   (US) A person who is an experienced worker or traveler on a riverway.

   • [I]t was Captain Tod Halsey who had the responsibility of the whole thing. If the great marble shaft couldn't be dragged up the face of the bluff, the squint-eyed old river runner would be the loser. — 1940
4. •
   (US) A recreational or commercial boat used for regular operation on a riverway.

   • In 1919, C.P. built a true work of art, a 26-foot mahogany river runner, with a stepped hull and an aft cockpit — 1997