impressions of the Option and Ion

[Yukon]

curious to hear peoples impressions at ALF, how do they compare to the Ledge

[Creeker]

the ion was a blast today at the Tellico on race day! Bagged my first combat roll at the first ledge and then my first OC1 waterfall in the 14-ish foot baby falls. Really a fun and rewarding day out in Jeremy's new design.
Mark might have posted one of my 3 runs down baby, the 3rd one was clean no low brace which seemed perfect to end the day and head to the awards dinner.

5 more days of boating with the GDI at ALF.... how could it get better.

[SandyO]

I picked up my BlackFly Option at Lenoir City last Friday and had a chance to try to out on the St. Francis River in Missouri on Saturday after an 18 hour drive toward home. Unfortunately I had to be back home Saturday afternoon so I could not stay for ALF.

I like this boat! It is everything it was reported to be by Jeremy and Alden. The Option has excellent primary and secondary stability; it is dry and quick to respond to paddle strokes. I am used to paddling 11 and 12 foot boats so it was fun to eddy hop from one micro eddy to another. In my opinion the Option is a well designed boat with the right combination of performance and stability. If you are looking for a short plastic OC-1, try the Option before your buy. My boat weighted in at 53 pounds. I found the outfitting to be solid.

My only concern is that the roto-molding is rough. Be warned that the boat is not pretty and I think Jeremy has been up front with the fact that he is new at boat molding and these boats are not perfect. I will say that as far as I could tell the molding did not affect the performance of the boat and hopefully not the durability…time will tell.

I found Jeremy easy to deal with and was willing to take the extra effort to arrange transport of my boat to ALF on an Esquif trailer.

Sandy

[SlovenOC'er]

Paddler size would be helpful.

[Creeker]

about 6ft 170lbs

[econpaddler]

Had my Option delivered to me at ALF Saturday morning in the Shoney's parking lot. It's now Tuesday morning, and I haven't even sat in the boat yet. My son took the boat away from me in the parking lot and wouldn't give it back (he's a buttboater, but now I think he may be back from the dark side). Countless people have tried it out. The general comments are that it is extremely stable, and paddles as well full of water as it does when empty.

A testimonial: We were on the middle Tellico Sunday afternoon. Had a young Lost Tribe member there, his first day ever on that class river. He was having a real tough time, swimming and getting frustrated. I got the adults away from him, and had the younger tribal members help him out. Their solution: put him in the Option.

Totally different kid in that boat. By the time we took off the river, he was grinning ear to ear, having the time of his life. He was supposed to go back home with his father at the end of that run, but he begged his Dad to let him stay another day. He ran Clear Creek with us next day at a pretty healthy level. The kid looked absolutely great paddling that boat. Had to keep an eye on him at the Nemo bridge takeout -- I was afraid he might try to sneak the boat on the back of the truck taking him home.

Jeremy, you may have another boat order soon. I know we now have a new paddler.

I had to go back to work today (Tuesday), but will try to make it back to ALF on Friday. I'll make dam sure nobody takes the boat from me this time. I'll post my reflections on the boat after that.

[woozymoose]

I traded my beloved zoom with my dad to try his option on the Green Briar and didn't give it back. I also paddled the lower Tellico and Lily to Nemo on Clear Creek in it. Great boat! More stable than the zoom (take that for what its worth), yet just as playful. It's very hard to swim in it and paddles just the same with water all the way up to the gunwhales. Compared to the L'edge, I would say that it is similar in how light it feels in the water and how maneuverable it is. One difference that I noticed is that the L'edge is more prone to bounce out of holes, where the Option will cut straight through them.

We also switched a kid who was having a tough time from his Viper to the Option and then to the Spanish Fly. He liked both, but preferred the Option for its stability, maneuverability over the Viper and its speed over the fly. Overall, I think that this is a great boat for both experienced and new paddlers.

[ice-breaker]

It is great to hear of new boats like the Option, the L'Edge, or others getting rave reviews from paddlers with a broad range of sizes, abilities and experience. That just shows that the designers of these boats are on the right path. Kudo's to them.

regards
dave

[Walsh]

I have now had the opportunity to play around in moving water with both the L'Edge and the Option (thanks to Louie and Joe). I am 6'0", 145 lbs without gear, paddling a Skeeter for ~5 years plus the forseeable future. The problem with me reviewing these boats is that I have spent far more time playing in Class III water than I have spent running higher gradient stuff.

The Option feels much smaller and seems to accelerate more easily than the L'Edge. I understand the attraction of the L'Edge's stability, but at my weight, stepping out of a Skeeter, it felt like A LOT of boat. The Option is not quite as stable, but did not have the same tubby feel. I have no doubt that the shorter freeboard makes it wetter. For a lighter paddler who is used to a relatively unstable boat, though, the Option felt less like total overkill. (I understand that for creek runs, driving a tank can be a good thing.)

Out in the current, the softer edges of the Option become very evident. Craig's objective was a Hubbard-inspired design, and the L'Edge's aggressive chines reflect that. I am very used to being able to engage a hard edge to ferry, or use an outside edge to bang into an eddy - things at which the L'Edge excels. The Option is very different. I quickly found myself steering with the paddle, rather than my knees. There is less edge to trip you up, and less edge to carve with - it depends on how you look at it. It does not surprise me that people familiar with modern K1 creekers are gravitating towards the Option.

The current fit and finish of the two boats is different, but then again, so is the price.

Despite having somewhat similar appearances (red plastic tubs) and intentions (creek'n), these two craft reflect different design philosophies, and will lend themselves to different paddling styles. I think both boats are capable of helping paddlers push their own limits, but that choosing between them is going to be a very personal choice. I strongly recommend demo'ing both.

Jon

[canoemid]

Great reviews so far. Looking forward to more on the Ion as well.

[Shep]

Sweet side-by-side... It is clear that I need to paddle BOTH of these boats.

Shep

[Pierre LaPaddelle]

It is great to hear of new boats like the Option, the L'Edge, or others . . . That just shows that the designers of these boats are on the right path. Kudo's to them.
dave

. . . and hats off especially to Jeremy for battling adversity, and a deadline, to get the Option and the Ion to ALF. Both Craig and Jeremy have given our sport a huge boost.

The comments in this thread stress the importance of TRYING before you BUY. Makes sense. But this is a big continent, and geography's a tough challenge.

Last September, just before freeze-up, we finally got a sample L'Edge into the NorthWest, (thanks to Pat's lobbying). Now, soon as the ice goes, hopefully it will make the rounds, and we can try it out.

So a plea to Jeremy -- how's chances that a demo Ion, Option, (and, yes, Blackfly playboat) could find their way to the NorthWest also, so we can join the hordes of eager TRY-and-BUYERS?

Please? (We have money!)

Rick

[bigspencer07]

.......So a plea to Jeremy -- how's chances that a demo Ion, Option, (and, yes, Blackfly playboat) could find their way to the NorthWest also, so we can join the hordes of eager TRY-and-BUYERS?.....

As well as a NewEngland demo day Jeremy?.......

SteveD

[RodeoClown]

Once I get a little bit of a buffer built up- so that I know I'll have boats when people order them, I'll start thinking about having some more demo boats. Right now, the issue with demo boats is supply. I'm doing small runs of boats, and when I say small, i mean tiny. I don't even have a dedicated demo boat myself- the ones I sent down to ALF were my personal boats. (Or maybe I have demo boats and don't have my own personal boats... not sure yet.) Which is why I wanted them back- I'm headed home to NH tomorrow for the first time in a month, and I'm hoping to get to paddle them soon.

I'm glad people are liking them. I can't wait to try them out. I think I've probably got another week or so before my hand is healed enough to paddle properly. I went kayaking on Saturday- figuring that it would be easier on my thumb than canoeing, since it really only hurts when I push on the paddle. It was a bad idea- my hand hurts more than it did a few days ago. But it's not often the Susquehanna gets up to 430,000cfs...

[RodeoClown]

As well as a NewEngland demo day Jeremy?.......

SteveD

Any time you want to want to try one out on the Winni let me know. I live 5 min from the put-in. Other rivers by appointment or chance.