C-Forum

Hey OC1 Folks,

I am looking for recommendations for an OC1 for small, technical, creek-style runs. I currently have an Outrage and a Phantom. The Outrage is a great boat but is a little long for some of the smaller runs I paddle. The Phantom is a nice size and very maneuverable, but definitely not as stable as I would like. I am 5'10", 150 pounds.

Any suggestions?

I am not looking for a rodeo/play boat. Stability is a big consideration.

Thanks,

Boof

I havent paddled many boats but i have had a detonator for 5 or 6 years and love it. i think its a great creek boat, stable and dry. little slow as far as hull speed but that is to be expected i guess. im 5-8 and 160

matt hagan

Prelude or Taureau; nothing else does the job*... seen as you want stability, you'd probably prefer the taureau.

Or you could wait and see what the production L'edge is becomes.

*as in anything made of Rx can't be a creekboat, it's just going to get destroyed.

Well then there are options. I would suggest the Maxim, the Rodeo or the Viper 11 With the rodeo beenin my least fav (have spent the least amount ou time in).I know that nobosy really wants royalex so wait a second and you can get a maxim out of PE. And all 3 boats talked about above are American Made.

so wait a second and you can get a maxim out of PE.
Richard, tell me more? Inquiring minds want to know.

Word is that Mohawk is going to turn out plastic Maxims.

My suggestion is the Prelude or the Spanish Fly, based on what is currently available on the market. The Taureau is an option as well, although not my personal favorite.
But as far as future options are concerned, the L'Edge looks very good as well. Can't wait to try it out myself, but based on Jim Coffey's comments and video it's afantastic creeker.
I have tried Pete's Maxim at the C1 Armada in the spring and sound the boat to be a lot more stable than expected. I would rate it, pased on the short time I spent in it, on par with the prelude, which is my all time favorite OC1 creeker. Making the Maxim in PE is an excellent move by Mohawk!

TGG!

I paddle a Detonator and love it on Whitetop and Wilson Creeks. I have had a Quake in the past and I liked that. Both are very stable (I can stand up in both 5'9 175lbs). A Spark does well to, but doesn't hold up for long on rocky creeks. I haven't tried a Spainish Fly but I sure from the word on the streets it does great. Plastic is better for creeks just because it will last longer.
Greybear

I would suggest the Prelude, I have the Pyranha version and I absolutely love it. Yes, it may lack some stability, but I dropped the saddle height about an inch and it made all the difference.

Its short length but huge rocker keeps its very, very dry in my opinion on most cl IV drops and it boofs like an absolute dream (also because of the rocker).

I would not recommend the Spanish Fly for serious creeking, it is wide and has great initial stability, but its box shape makes it tougher to roll and its low volume ends make it tend to plug stuff, flip and get surfed. Its a playboat and heart and it does that well.

For your height and weight, I would go with a Prelude. You definitely want the polyethylene for creeking. I paddled Phantoms for about 4 years and now have made the switch to the Prelude and it is lots tougher. The other difference, compared to the Phantom, is you'll give up some primary stability--the Prelude is tippy to get in and out of. But you can seal launch it. On the other hand, the Prelude's secondary is as good or better than the Phantom's. The Prelude also has more acceleration than the Taureau, though I have limited experience in a Taureau--just enough to realize I don't like it very much. The Prelude I bonded with instantly. It also seems to be more dynamic than the Phantom--the Prelude spins easily and is a great performer for eddying and peel outs. The one thing that takes some getting used to is the bulkhead outfitting. You definitely want to do a good job of shaping it to fit you tightly. You also want to cut down the seat to 8" high or less (it comes 10" high).

markzak wrote:I would not recommend the Spanish Fly for serious creeking, it is wide and has great initial stability, but its box shape makes it tougher to roll and its low volume ends make it tend to plug stuff, flip and get surfed. Its a playboat and heart and it does that well.

I and many others would tend to disagree with those statements... although it was initially designed as a freestyle boat that you might have to roll a lot.

The Prelude looks like a canoe though...

Thats just my 2 cents...I own both boats. Yes, I love my spanish fly, and its great fun in a hole and rolls very well while still in a hole, but I really do have trouble rolling it every time when not in a hole, especially a good fast and snappy roll usually of importance on steep runs. I'd like to say I have a dam solid C1 roll too having a no swim run on the grand canyon in a dagger atom, and steep creeking galore in the northeast. But hey, maybe its just me.

If others disagree on the spanish fly, thats fine, just not my steep creek boat of CHOICE, nor would I recommend it for someone looking for a strictly, steep creeking open boat. If they wanted a boat for fun class IV creeks where they plan on maybe doing some playing as well...i'd make a different recommendation.[/quote]

Love the spanish fly for creekin'

Richard let me try out the Maxim last weekend. Much different then a prelude. Really looking forward to having it as a PE option!

for those who love the spanish fly for creeking...i'm just curious why? I'm not saying its not a great boat, I just want to give everyone an opportunity to highlight their favorite aspects of steep creeking in the fly, especially in comparison to the prelude .... go ahead, i'm not going to refute you, I honestly want to hear opinions here. (good initial stability is a no brainer)

markzak wrote:I'd like to say I have a dam solid C1 roll too having a no swim run on the grand canyon in a dagger atom,

[/quote]
I take it I'm not the only one who finds the Atom to be an absolute pain to roll?