C-Forum

Good question on what after Dimensions ... I'm just hoping with two in the garage, both in very good condition, I don't have to go there. One suggestion is picking up a Dagger Legend and using that for class 3 and below tripping instead of the Dimension. We've even run some class 4s in the Legend. A...

Carol, you might not have paddled, but I'm sure the experience was "grand." The Grand Canyon is one of the few cases where I would say a guided rafting trip is worth it. Or, even better, a dory ride. Mikey, a great advantage of this trip is that it is a self-issued permit. Just drive up to the launc...

This is a video of 4 tandem canoe teams (all in Dagger Dimensions), one solo canoe, and one raft on a self support trip down the lower Salmon River and 20 miles of the Snake. The run is from White Bird to Heller's Bar and goes through 3 states (Idaho, Oregon and Washington). Most of the video is the...

This is a video of the section we call the Lower Lower. It opened up after the dam was removed in 2011, turning Northwestern Lake back into a river bed and making it possible to paddle all the way to the confluence with the Columbia River. Lots of fun class 2 and 3 action and beautiful basalt canyon...

I wonder how many other paddlers are like me and own a quiver of canoes, but paddle only one of them. Big water, technical water, creeky or full-on river, I paddle my current favorite. The other canoes in my garage are boats I've moved beyond and lend to new paddlers and keep in case I break my curr...

My go-to boat for 5 or 6 years was the Prelude. In fact, except for solo tripping, it was all I paddled. Now that go-to boat is becoming the Option. I'm really liking its even shorter length and handling characteristics. I've learned to handle its slower hull speed by increasing the frequency of my ...

Wouldn't be worried about the stability--the Option has plenty to spare. I've decided to keep the boat stock though. I've now paddled it more and I'm finding all kinds of pluses that make the loss of some hull speed not so important. Basically, I'm having all kinds of fun in the boat. In fact, I wis...

Ah, but that's the thing. I like the Prelude better. Faster, more nimble, more responsive. Unfortunately, more crackable. Not to say that the Option isn't a great boat--it is. But I also want a patched up Prelude ready to go for certain runs.

I'd say buy it. I know several people your size who paddle Viper 11s which are relatively similar, but a little edgier, and they're the perfect size for their boats. If it's in good condition, I don't think you can go wrong here. It will be way better than an Impulse.

Actually that's another $2000 spent on canoes in the last 7 years. I bought a Option in March. There's quite a difference between the thickness of the bottom of its hull compared to the Prelude. I took the Option down a low water run this weekend and went over a fair number of rocks with no issue. T...

MagicMike, I own 5 Preludes, 4 of which have cracked and 2 of those with just a few trips on the hull. The uncracked 5th has only been on the river twice. I'd say I've been doing my best to support Esquif. I love the boat, but that represents a $6000 investment (one boat was warranty). Wouldn't you ...

Has anyone ever tried that on an Option? I know some folks were doing it with the L'edge and I've done it before on Royalex canoes, but never a PE canoe. I'm wondering if that will narrow the water line and give the boat a little more hull speed.

Photos would be great. I like the idea of not messing with the outside hull.

I don't think marine goop is going to work with polyethylene.

Shawn, Sounds like a great solution, but your post raises some questions: “Welding plate on inside is key.” Are you saying the plate on the outside is unnecessary or are you suggesting plates on both sides of the hull? “Use zip screw to hold plate in place, as well as holding cracks together then fi...