C-Forum

I wonder if you would not consider a composite Ocoee clone? I've had an Echoee (carbon and kevlar) boat for four years now and find it very responsive and durable, no to mention the 20 lbs lighter than the abs version. I don't know if Andy is still building them, but there is an outfit in in Montana...

I use the raft dump valves that you can get on the internet. My newest Mohawk bags came with them and I have found that they are readily available on-line.

I've given up on replacing tubular stems and have found the raft valves which are easily found on the internet and which combine the dump valve and input in one to be a good replacement. Mohawk bags now come like this.

Second the use oil instead of varathane if you are going to strip them. I have one boat with varathane trim and it is a pain to keep up. If the finish is damaged and water gets in you will have rot. I had some minor damage to the stem of the boat with varathane from rolling the boat over to pick it ...

I think this boils down to more paddling style than paddler size. The Spark cab forward design demands continuous paddle from the front. It really dislikes stern corrections. The Ocoee is much more forgiving to us old school Bob Foote types.

Long boating seems to have a significant following in the UK where they call it "traditional" canoeing. Seems more popular in the south where the gradients aren't too steep.

The Echoee is definitely the Cadillac option. I do love mine, but they are expensive and there aren't likely to be any on the used market. Another option might be a Zephyr. It is light, and sort of like the Ocoee in form, but more rounded, wider and more forgiving. The downside is that the Twin-Tex ...

Just my $0.02, but I think you will find the Vertige a bit of a barge. It is quite a bit larger and heavier than the Ocoee and is overall more stable. It also does not have the distinct chines of the Ocoee which means it will not carve into turns as well and will tend to skid. You are right that wid...

My "normal" favourite is the Esquif Canyon --which is one of the several Blue Hole successors. It has a blunter bow than the Starburst which is based on the same hull which makes it dryer, although it tracks marginally worse. Both boats usually need some resetting of factory fittings. For some reaso...

The retailers in Ontario are taking orders for T-Formex boats now, so I guess it is actually here.

Yes, plenty of press releases and demo boats, but no boats on the shelves at retailers.

I've been abusing my Echo carbon for years and only had it refinished once. The wood laminate creek stick seems even more durable.

My Echoee has the cages drilled through the hull with grommets to protect the string.

I had a series of vertical cracks on the chines -- a few on each side. I made appropriate size fibreglass patches and applied them to the inside of the hull with the ScotchWeld and then wetted them out with the Scotchweld. I then just applied some more ScotchWeld to any visible cracks on the exterio...

Chuck, Well, I paddled mine like it was Rx and put a couple of holes in it doing a 3 foot drop and finding a rock that I never knew was there. The factory repair was a pain. I've since found that ScotchWeld DP8010 is an effective adhesive for Twintex and now have 5 or 6 more patches along the chines...