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[MohawkOC1]

So I picked up a Mohawk Rodeo because I wanted something a little smaller, for surf play. The rodeo is supposed to be the perfect park play boat which is what I wanted for the many great surf holes around my home waters. The only problem I’m having is I believe it may be too small for me.. I’m 5’11” 240lbs. I have a Probe that’s 12’ the Rodeo is 10’6” but supposedly cut very similar to the Probe I do great in the Probe but swim all day in the Rodeo. Even downhill paddling. My question is should I stick with it and try to find my balance and practice or sell the boat? Anyone else have experience with over coming constant swims in a new boat?

[Mike W.]

Stick with it. Tippy boats can be pretty frustrating till you get the hang of then, but once you're there you'll have a blast. They'll also help your roll.

[yarnellboat]

The details will depend on what you want it to do, and how often you paddle. If you stick with it, especially if you paddle it lots, you'll undoutedly get a better feel for it and swim less. Maybe you can play with the outfitting too, but the solution is likely lots of time on the water, and a good roll.

However, and I don't know the Rodeo from experience, at 240 lbs you might just be on the too-big side for the boat. I'm about 230 lbs and I've found a number of smaller boats frustrating and unpleasant for me to paddle, either too slow, too wet or too twitchy - feels like I'm paddling I'm boat full of water. So, if that's the feeling, I personally wouldn't enjoy it and wouldn't stick with it (I don't paddle often enough to bother battling a boat that doesn't feel right).

The Viper 12 is a legitimate big boat that carries big people really well. The Rodeo may be quite different. There's more to a paddler than just weight, and there's more to a boat than just length - even if the boat isn't too small for your weight, could be that your paddling style isn't well suited to the Rodeo.

So give it some time, but it'll come down to your time in the boat, your preferences, and possible adjustments to outfitting or style. For me, at 230 lbs, I don't think I'd give a Rodeo much of a look (as you'll see from other threads asking about the boats designed for bigger folks).

Hopefully somebody around our weight with experience in a Rodeo can chime about outfitting and style and give some more useful insight, but the reality may be that it's not a boat for bigger people.

In the meantime, pay attention to when and how you're flipping and if it's a consistent circumstance maybe that'll help you figure out some fixes.

Good luck! Pat.

[MohawkOC1]

Thanks so much Pat! Very encouraged!

[PAC]

Have to agree with Pat... the Rodeo might be a tad small for your weight range. I paddled one shortly and it was a handfull of fun at 5'8" / 190#. That said you can still use it as a learning tool to assist skill development. Not sure the class you have it on but do know you need to actively paddle that design. Keeping the paddle in the water as much as possible and engaged. I do know the designer was not a large boater and it was optimized for his general specs.
I had fun it but did have a few out of boat experiences with it as well. More saddle time limited that. Good luck!