Wanted - Open Canoe Playboat

[Shep]

Jack,

From your post on the Genesis FS thread, it sounds like you are looking for a solo WW canoe in general, not a specialty boat such as this: http://www.blackflycanoes.com/blackfly.php" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Is that correct?

Thanks,
Shep

[DougB]

There was a Rival for sale in the Kitchener Kijiji a few weeks ago. Stuff will pop up there occassionally.

[Bob Wiggins]

get him an ion. im less than a month away from 15 and i love mine. much stabler than you would expect, and VERY maneuverable.
EDIT: oh, and if you can't find a boat, i have a probe 11 in asheville, NC that you could borrow for the week.
Bob

[Shep]

Jack, my 2 cents:

For a smaller paddler, it may be easier to find a good kayak to convert to a c1, than it is to find a used OC1 that will work. For most of us, though, the choice between C1 and OC1 is more a choice of style. I just wanted to clear up the terminology in your original post. We usually use the term "play boat" to refer to whitewater boats that are designed primarily to stay in one location and do "moves" like spins and cartwheels on river features, but aren't as effective traveling down-river. On this site, most all of the boats we talk about would be considered general whitewater boats, to distinguish them from "flatwater" boats designed for paddling rivers and lakes without maneuvering through rapids. Obviously, these lines blur, and people use all kinds of boats to do all kinds of things. A good rule of thumb:

playboat- very specialized hull shape, often with "squashed" bow and stern that can be forced under water to initiate cartwheels or flips. generally <7' in length.
River Running and creeking whitewater boats - generally a "traditional" hull shape with significant rocker for maneuverability. 7-13 feet in length for a solo boat, up 15' in length for tandem.
Tripping or flatwater boats - traditional hull shape with little rocker to improve tracking. 12+ feet in length for solo, 15+ feet in length for tandem.

Hope this helps,
Shep

[Bob Wiggins]

Jack, my 2 cents:

For a smaller paddler, it may be easier to find a good kayak to convert to a c1, than it is to find a used OC1 that will work. For most of us, though, the choice between C1 and OC1 is more a choice of style. I just wanted to clear up the terminology in your original post. We usually use the term "play boat" to refer to whitewater boats that are designed primarily to stay in one location and do "moves" like spins and cartwheels on river features, but aren't as effective traveling down-river. On this site, most all of the boats we talk about would be considered general whitewater boats, to distinguish them from "flatwater" boats designed for paddling rivers and lakes without maneuvering through rapids. Obviously, these lines blur, and people use all kinds of boats to do all kinds of things. A good rule of thumb:

playboat- very specialized hull shape, often with "squashed" bow and stern that can be forced under water to initiate cartwheels or flips. generally >7' in length.
River Running and creeking whitewater boats - generally a "traditional" hull shape with significant rocker for maneuverability. 7-13 feet in length for a solo boat, up 15' in length for tandem.
Tripping or flatwater boats - traditional hull shape with little rocker to improve tracking. 12+ feet in length for solo, 15+ feet in length for tandem.

Hope this helps,
Shep

just thinking i should chip in, as i am about his age- i've been paddling that probe since i was 7, and just got the ion last fall. i love them both. i have 2 c-1's- one i never use, the other one only rarely. i've found from experience that in a lot of cases, kids and teens have more trouble with c-1s than open boats- we are growing quickly, and sometimes have trouble adjusting to that in c-1s. we also tend to be lighter, which makes rolling a c-1 harder, not so much an open boat. again, just my 2 cents.
Bob

[leclercraven]

I have a Esquif Raven in excellent shape, fully equipped with bulkhead saddle, and also outfitted for tripping. Great canoe, rolls easily, surfs like crazy, stable and tracks really well compared to something like the Nitro...and it handles big water really well. Ran the Main Ottawa and the Gatineau last summer with ease! The reason I'm thinking of selling is because I am really interested in steep creeking and for that I would need a smaller plastic boat. I can't afford to have two boats unfortunately. I was thinking of selling it for $ 1 000 (includes bildge pump, batterie and charger).

If you are interested, let me know. I can send pics. I'm located in Ottawa, Canada.

Frank