Should i buy a Taureau...?

[Col]

I currently paddle a Prelude and despite the mixed opinions regarding initial stability and lack of water line, it is a sweet boat, certainly for the boney UK rivers i paddle, that boat can take some abuse from a rock slide to a full on collision on class 4.

No boat has tempted me to switch from my beloved Prelude until i saw the Taureau, wow what a boat.. Although i have not seen one in person or demo'd yet, i will have to, for those who have paddled a Prelude and now a Taureau or can just offer inpartial advice on the Taureau how do they differ and what would be the advantage over the prelude if i were to change.? I am planning on mainly class 4 big volume, pool drop and technical and the odd low volume class 5.

Any advice would be welcome.

Cheers

Colin

[Dale@half-shaft]

Well... unlike the Prelude, I could keep a Taureau upright(mostly) and I could roll it without getting window shaded(mostly). Yep, lots more primary stability.

[Louie]

However Dooley is , He hangs out in the kiddie pool and loves the Prelude, but has nuthin but good things to say about the Teaureau. The only reason he paddles a Prelude is that he has gotten use to it and some of the antiquet of the boatin coumminty give him hades if he ain't in something that looks like an open boat in their view.

[Atucky]

They both seem pretty similar to me. I like the prelude better though. Mainly because it looks like a traditional open boat. Primary stability may not be quite as good. But second stability is great, even with gunnels way deep in the water you pull out a brace. But what do I know.

Adam

[Sandie_]

Hi Col,

If you do get one I would like to see it.

Sandie

[ken hughes]

Am paddling a Zoom at the moment, but I am seriously considering this change.

It is in the same class as the Aftershock and Spanish Fly, but is a bit of a hybrid. It could be equated to a creek C1 with an open deck. I also understand that due to the smaller cockpit than the afore mentioned boats, it will take a spray deck if you wish.

Mind you it should be good; just look at the design team! And it's made by Esquif!

Ken

[Louie]

your a hellva man that thing is an expert boat for sure, I went thru two and don't know if I could have survied another one. You've got to be on your game the whole time in that boat but if you are it is a hellva boat. but the Teaureau is so much easier.

[the great gonzo]

ken,

as far as I know the Taureau can not be fitted with a skirt. There is no rim on it that would hold one. Maybe it would be possible to make a rim out of som polyethylene and then weld it on to the deck.

Looks like a good boat, although I have not yet demoed one.
That said, I am extremely happy with my Prelude, once I lowered the saddle by about an inch and dialed in the outfitting. Unless the Taureau really kicks it's butt preformance wise, I will stick with it, because it still looks like an open boat. If I want to paddle something that looks like a fully decked boat, it better have a full deck and a rim that fits a skirt on it.

martin a.k.a. the great gonzo!

[Martyn]

If I was paddling lots of steep stuff, I would switch to a Taureae. I've only been in one once, ran one bony III+/IV drop and was really impressed with the boat's stability. Having said that, it seemed like it took about an hour to paddle the 100m from where the boat was to the top of the drop. If you have to paddle between drops, or need any kind of hull speed, the Prelude with a lowered saddle is almost certainly a better boat. I think if I was paddling lots of Welsh creeks, the Taureau would be a pretty good boat.

[fez]

Hi,

could anyone send me a picture of the hull / bottom ?
I would like to see how far it has a flat bottom.

Please mail to fez at singletrailz.de

Thanks a lot !

Greetings Frank

[cheajack]

Louie;

Since I consider you the world's expert authority on the Taureau, please comment on it's suitability for a big water boat and compare the hull speed with, say, an Ocoee, Spanish Fly and Skeeter. Thanks. Jack

[Louie]

Faster than a Super or Spanish fly, not as fast as an Ocoee or a Skeeter. However the dam thing is so dry that in a long rapid you have higher speed near the end of the rapid than you would in either of the other two cause you will still be so dry and the other two will be full of water it is one of the best boats to run with Pods cause you will not be stopin to dump 1/3 the time you would in (I'd say) any other open boat. In the few times I've have filled it up in a rapid, you can roll the boat and when it comes it the dam thing is about empty.

[Louie]

My Phill holes experencse aside. I love it in big water ( big to me) the Gauley was the first thing I ever ran in a Teaureau. Cheoah at 1600 was no problem. Upper Ocoee ( Olympic section ) don't phase it. It has enought hull speed for me to get away from stuff that in the Quake I wouldn't have even tried to run from or run.

[CaroleW.]

scouted the thing, Phil's hole would not have be close to you. I know. If you scout it, you won't run it. This is your one exception. And if I remember well, you would have run Zoom Flume at a level we don't touch it at! That be the rapid that we stopped at and you started cursing Andrew....

To add, Andrew is hooked to his Taureau. Even in big water. He uses it mainly for creeking but does not hesitate to use it anywhere.

[Louie]

right and then maybe only one other person would have swum there that day. BTW last week I went to the Dr about that arm injusry that happen that day. I didn't boat last week ( according to some first time this year I've gone 7 days with out boatin ) and doesn't look like I'll boat this weekend either. I'm tryin to get a boggie board for this weekend however. There is a chance the next time I boat it with with youns.