Probe 14 Impressions
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Probe 14 Impressions
Anyone out there paddled one and what were your impressions?
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yarnellboat
- C Maven
- Posts: 1331
- Joined: Wed Apr 06, 2005 8:54 pm
- Location: Winnipeg
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Like all the 14' ww canoes, there's good opportunity to outfit it for combo tandem and solo use. Are you looking at it for tandem, solo or both?
I know people will argue about dramatic differences between all these hulls, but I'm not that picky: Caption, Vertige X, Probe 14 - all good boats. Fined-tuned discussion on the differences comes down to personal opinion.
The biggest difference may be the outfitting the choose.
PY.
I know people will argue about dramatic differences between all these hulls, but I'm not that picky: Caption, Vertige X, Probe 14 - all good boats. Fined-tuned discussion on the differences comes down to personal opinion.
The biggest difference may be the outfitting the choose.
PY.
Good Tandem Boat
I have a Probe-14 with the factory installed triple saddle. Its big and stable. I would not get the triple saddle again because I don't like paddling in the center position as there is no back support. I generally use it when paddling with one of my children and just solo it from the rear seat through big rapids where I really don't want to risk them swimming.
I had a Caption in the past and it was a decent boat, but I like the secondary stability of the Probe better. I have also paddled both of them for solo trips, but found them to be a lot of work. Unless you really like solo paddling a big boat I'd recommend something smaller for that use.
I had a Caption in the past and it was a decent boat, but I like the secondary stability of the Probe better. I have also paddled both of them for solo trips, but found them to be a lot of work. Unless you really like solo paddling a big boat I'd recommend something smaller for that use.
Probe 14
This was my first WW boat. It was an excellent choice for me, and even though I've downsized since then I've kept this boat for tandem and occasional tripping. It has large volume, great stability, and turns quickly. I'm a larger paddler (235 lbs.) and have no trouble with intricate maneuvers, although it's a bear to surf solo. All in all it's a great boat if it's the only one you'll own. If you like to hit the playholes you may want something smaller.
It was the first boat a buddy and I bought together and paddled it tandem a lot. He later moved away and I started using it solo. I felt it was a good boat to learn on solo for down river stuff, but as I got better I felt it was limiting me for river play. We still have the boat and I see myself using it with my son when he is old enough to learn to paddle. I will say the triple saddle outfitting is good if you see yourself using the boat either solo or tandem, but if the boat is being used just for solo paddling it will hold more water than you will want to deal with.
It's a pretty hot tandem for a 250-lb team. The previous owner of mine added about 2" to the thwarts, and the boat spun and caught eddies like a 12' boat. Marissa and I are hoping to get the boat out to a couple of pool sesions this winter and get our roll nailed down 
The Probe isn't much fun on the flats, and requires a great deal of teamwork, unlike some other tandems where the stern paddler has totalitarian control. Most teams I've talked to who paddled the boat didn't have things "click" the first time they went out.
Paddled solo, it's a huge-butt, stable, forgiving WW barge. Not a performance boat at all, but probably of some use for WW tripping.
p.s. You might make some additional inferences about the boat's capability from this thread.
The Probe isn't much fun on the flats, and requires a great deal of teamwork, unlike some other tandems where the stern paddler has totalitarian control. Most teams I've talked to who paddled the boat didn't have things "click" the first time they went out.
Paddled solo, it's a huge-butt, stable, forgiving WW barge. Not a performance boat at all, but probably of some use for WW tripping.
p.s. You might make some additional inferences about the boat's capability from this thread.
FURZTROCKEN!
Thanks for the info. I'm looking for a boat that I can use for tandem paddling with my wife. She is not really a big whitewater fan but I'm figuring get a boat that I can start in small water and slowly grow into the gnar with her.......plus allow me to run some bigger water solo, cause my Quake gets buried in the big stuff.
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yarnellboat
- C Maven
- Posts: 1331
- Joined: Wed Apr 06, 2005 8:54 pm
- Location: Winnipeg
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The Probe 14 would do well for that.
Personally, I'd avoid the long triple-saddle and outfit with removable positions. I've got saddles that tie-down to the NorthWater anchor strips and have no problems. I can put in big bags and a normal little saddle for true solo. And I can rig it for tandem, including adjusting the trim for different partners, or to get my wife to try the stern.
PY.
Personally, I'd avoid the long triple-saddle and outfit with removable positions. I've got saddles that tie-down to the NorthWater anchor strips and have no problems. I can put in big bags and a normal little saddle for true solo. And I can rig it for tandem, including adjusting the trim for different partners, or to get my wife to try the stern.
PY.
I don't really know about the probe14, but I have a viper11, and did paddle a probe11, and they are not exactly dry, not to say it are wet boats. It really dives in when taking a drop.
Good boat though! but it might be something to consider when looking for a boat for big water. They are really fast, especially in comparison with the esquif vertiges!
Good boat though! but it might be something to consider when looking for a boat for big water. They are really fast, especially in comparison with the esquif vertiges!
There is a Blast for sale on the 'for sale' section. Probably easier to control if you are doing most of the paddling (while tandem). I watched Eli pretty much paddle his lady friend down the course at Wasau this past nationals. He did pretty much all of the paddling and it looked manageable. It was Eli though 
B
B
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Marc Evans
- C Guru
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- Location: Pullman, Washington
Pdown2-
My first whitewater boat was a Probe 14. My only prior experience was 3 years of flatwater canoing. I bought the probe new without ever having been in an OC1. Thought I had made a BIG mistake. Thought it was the squirreliest canoe in the world. Well, a little practice and I found out that the boat is just fine. In fact, it is about a stable an OC as you will find. My first Class III run in it was with my 12 year old daughter in the bow - no problems.
As for the boat, it is big and heavy, being 75 pounds with bags and a triple seat pedestal. After my daughter decided that oaring the gear raft was more of her interest, I ran the Probe solo and found it to be a very stable boat. Very good in running class III or IV rapids. Spins easily. However, even at 6'4" I did not bother with cross strokes, as the boat is quite wide. The boat tends to be fairly wet, but then its got that big whole in the top.
As for my Probe 14, I sold it a could of years ago. I miss it, but maybe that is just a bit of nostalgia. I wanted something a bit more sporty, so I first picked up an MR Outrage, which is faster and easier to turn and much easier to get in cross strokes. Shortly after picking up the Outrage I picked up a Finkenmeister. The Fink and I have a love/hate relationship. It makes me look pretty silly, so I'm still working on it and will be for a long time. The reason that I am telling you all of this is that though I like the Probe 14, I now prefer a smaller, more agile boat. If you are going to use it as a tandem, then you should like it. If you are going to use it solo for river tripping, then you should like it. If you are going to use it solo for river running, then you may find it rather large and maybe not your cup of OC.
To get a better understanding of what one is capable of doing in a Probe 14 check out the discussions and photos that CosmikDebris has posted on this site. There are a couple of links to some photos of hsi run down the Green River narrows. The link is http://www2.brevard.edu/lyonsw/oc2.htm. Do a search on this site for CosmikDebris and you will find a couple other links to photos and somewhere a short video of the run. That should give you some idea of what the Probe 14 is capable of doing, though not with me in it.
Marc
My first whitewater boat was a Probe 14. My only prior experience was 3 years of flatwater canoing. I bought the probe new without ever having been in an OC1. Thought I had made a BIG mistake. Thought it was the squirreliest canoe in the world. Well, a little practice and I found out that the boat is just fine. In fact, it is about a stable an OC as you will find. My first Class III run in it was with my 12 year old daughter in the bow - no problems.
As for the boat, it is big and heavy, being 75 pounds with bags and a triple seat pedestal. After my daughter decided that oaring the gear raft was more of her interest, I ran the Probe solo and found it to be a very stable boat. Very good in running class III or IV rapids. Spins easily. However, even at 6'4" I did not bother with cross strokes, as the boat is quite wide. The boat tends to be fairly wet, but then its got that big whole in the top.
As for my Probe 14, I sold it a could of years ago. I miss it, but maybe that is just a bit of nostalgia. I wanted something a bit more sporty, so I first picked up an MR Outrage, which is faster and easier to turn and much easier to get in cross strokes. Shortly after picking up the Outrage I picked up a Finkenmeister. The Fink and I have a love/hate relationship. It makes me look pretty silly, so I'm still working on it and will be for a long time. The reason that I am telling you all of this is that though I like the Probe 14, I now prefer a smaller, more agile boat. If you are going to use it as a tandem, then you should like it. If you are going to use it solo for river tripping, then you should like it. If you are going to use it solo for river running, then you may find it rather large and maybe not your cup of OC.
To get a better understanding of what one is capable of doing in a Probe 14 check out the discussions and photos that CosmikDebris has posted on this site. There are a couple of links to some photos of hsi run down the Green River narrows. The link is http://www2.brevard.edu/lyonsw/oc2.htm. Do a search on this site for CosmikDebris and you will find a couple other links to photos and somewhere a short video of the run. That should give you some idea of what the Probe 14 is capable of doing, though not with me in it.
Marc
Marc-
Thanks for the input. Yeah this will probably be purely a tandem boat with a little big water solo use. Currently I paddle a Quake and a Centrifuge C1 (that makes me look even more stupid than normal on the river), so I to believe in the small boat theory.
Thanks again to everyone and it looks like the Probe 14 is going to meet the bill.
-Paul
Thanks for the input. Yeah this will probably be purely a tandem boat with a little big water solo use. Currently I paddle a Quake and a Centrifuge C1 (that makes me look even more stupid than normal on the river), so I to believe in the small boat theory.
Thanks again to everyone and it looks like the Probe 14 is going to meet the bill.
-Paul