Esquif Paradigm

watrwzrd · Post by **watrwzrd** » Thu Sep 20, 2007 2:19 am

Get the boat thats bouncing around on the front page a Nitro at 215#`s it would be a great performer for you I believe syotr

LEW · Post by **LEW** » Mon Sep 24, 2007 7:01 pm

I met a fellow Cboater at the take-out for the Upper West River, in Vermont on Saturday. He had a YELLOW (looked like the same they use for the Detonator) Paradigm on top of his truck.
He said he has only owned it for a couple of months, but was quite pleased with it. It was hard to tell as he was sitting behind the wheel, but I think he was at least 180#.
Too bad I didn't see him on the river, he was loaded up and heading home so I still haven' tried out a Paradigm myself

.

LEW

madmike · Post by **madmike** » Mon Sep 24, 2007 10:42 pm

for the help, I am now thinking about the Nitro.......

sdbrassfield · Post by **sdbrassfield** » Tue Sep 25, 2007 1:09 am

Take the advise of martin...

Try the boat(s) out before you buy...It is obvious that there is not much if any first hand knowledge on the Paradigm in this post...

the great gonzo · Post by **the great gonzo** » Tue Sep 25, 2007 2:17 am

madmike wrote:for the help, I am now thinking about the Nitro.......

Personally I would rather look into the Zephyr than the Nitro.
It should still handle well at 215 lbs and is, IMHO on almost all accouts superior than the Nitro.
But as I mentioned before, try them out first, as you may have different preferences than myself.

martin a.k.a. the great gonzo!

msims · Post by **msims** » Tue Sep 25, 2007 2:49 am

215# might be the comfy limit for a Zephyr. I paddled it at 240 and WAY too small. When half the boat is submerged, I don't think it paddles how it was designed to.

I wouldnt personally go w/ a nitro. Slower than a ME but much more fun.. but I would compare them w/ the newer Esquif boats if you can.
________
Eagle Vista

Post by **sbroam** » Tue Sep 25, 2007 10:58 am

msims wrote:215# might be the comfy limit for a Zephyr. I paddled it at 240 and WAY too small. When half the boat is submerged, I don't think it paddles how it was designed to.

I wouldnt personally go w/ a nitro. Slower than a ME but much more fun.. but I would compare them w/ the newer Esquif boats if you can.

Hey now! I'm 225# +/-- and certainly more when all geared out and it handles me fine! Oh, wait, maybe you were talking about Canadian pounds, what's the exchange rate on those? Maybe I'd be lighter up north?

madmike · Post by **madmike** » Tue Sep 25, 2007 11:30 am

I have tried all of the boats in this thread (most flat water only, the dealer will not let me do more.) I am concerned about the outfitting glue in the Zephyr, and I did not feel as comfortable in it... I love my ME and will continue to paddle it, I have a decked boat, I just want a smaller open boat for more/different play in holes and waves than my ME can provide. A small boat is much easier to bring to inside pool sessions in the winter....

ezwater · Post by **ezwater** » Tue Sep 25, 2007 3:08 pm

Yeah, Mike, I understand.... I love my MR Synergy as an eveyday cruiser, and as a "leaded bat" for technical moves, but I'd also like something a little shorter and lighter so my pretend-slalom play wouldn't take so much so fast out of my 64 year old body. I tried and liked a Millbrook Defiant. May get one. Maybe Kaz has something for you, too.

Mr.DeadLegs · Post by **Mr.DeadLegs** » Tue Sep 25, 2007 3:16 pm

Mike: I started in an ME, went to an outrage X(not what it should have been), to a whitesell whirlwind(my fat A-- overloaded it) back to an ME ( got it for 150.00) now in an Ecore. The Encore is a great boat for a big paddler. I am 6'7" 250 and dropping weight. I have tried the Zephyr and the Nitro. The Nitro seems good but I didn't have that long with it. The Encore, if you can find one is fun boat. Give it a try.

Trey

DB · Post by DB » Tue Sep 25, 2007 4:31 pm

Sounds to me like the Mohawk Viper 12 is exactly what you're looking for - good river runner with lots of play potential for the over 200# boater.

I went from a big, shallow arched boat (Dagger Genesis) to the Viper 12 with very little adjustment - takes a bit more anticipation at first, but the boat heel, etc. that the edges require become second nature pretty quickly.

In my opinion, forget the Nitro or Detonator. I tried a Nitro and hated it (big, slow, but stable pig of a boat), and owned a Detonator that was lots of fun for spinning in holes, but not much good for anything (at my weight of 205#).

I currently paddle (and really love) a Mowawk Shaman 12 for OC1, but find that it requires a lot more finesse than the Viper and is not nearly as good/fun as a hole playing boat.

Detonator Function · Post by **Detonator Function** » Tue Sep 25, 2007 8:55 pm

This makes me sad because I love the Detonator/Nitro (same boat different sizes), of course I'm barely holding the boat in the water at 145 lbs. The detonator is great in quickly moving water and in holes, as I have discovered my taste for thrashing at H ells Hole on the ocoee. But... very little tracking capability and rather slow.

I might recommend an Encore, like some others here. If you would like a new boat, test how you feel in a Zephyr, you just can't beat a 40 lb. boat. Sorry I can't be more verbose, I'm up to my ears in English homework.

oc1paddlr · Post by **oc1paddlr** » Wed Sep 26, 2007 2:59 am

good to see you here again. great school. hope to paddle with you again steve

slick · Post by **slick** » Wed Sep 26, 2007 4:07 am

I have only paddled my Paradigm four times on the Ocoee, so I'm still getting acquainted. Here's my take on it this week.

Within the 2" range of options recommended, I positioned the saddle more for speed than spin, but somewhere between the two.
- Got exactly what I wanted: speed is great; the spin is good.
- I'm new to the edges. I've been paddling an Outrage for years.
- I wanted something that would reward good technique and spank bad technique. It's delivering in spades.
- Rolls easily (...what doesn't?).
- It's dry (owing to high sides and bulbous bow) but with its width and boxy shape, it holds a *lot* of water. Stay dry or die.
- Ordinarily, I tilt forward just after crossing into eddy water to initiate an eddy turn. This boat prefers I keep my tilt back, giving the downstream current more stern to bite on, in order to get the snappiest eddy turns.
- IMHO it's a gorgeous boat with factory wood trim. Very well assembled.
- The layup is heavy. It has a THiCK stratum of solid ABS between the exterior vinyl (mmm...lime) and the porous layer.
- With that flat shear line, I can open the trunk lid while it's on the roof of the car. Too cool.

Things I'm still not doing well in it.
- Front ferrying by means of surfing a nice wave trough across a steep pitch of boogie water. The Outrage sticks in those troughs and zips across like a typewriter carriage. The flat Paradigm slips out of them. Lean?
- I'm spinning out prematurely when trying to catch eddies in haul-butt water, like the Olympic course. Particularly when paddling on the downstream side of the boat. The boat simply pivots easily as it's moving toward progressively slower current. Lean?
- Surfing: it's no Outrage.

--tw

Paddle Power · Post by **Paddle Power** » Wed Sep 26, 2007 4:52 pm

in response to your two inquiries (front ferry and spinning out), I suggest you work on more speed than lean?

C-Forum

Esquif Paradigm

thanx

Re: thanx

Try the boats

cory