Big Dog Force OC1 - Outfitting is finished!

[bob mckee]

The saddle is pretty easy to move around as it's bolted in.

I've paddled all the prototypes and pre-production boats with fairly decent loads in them. Worked well for me. Obviously try not to pack too extravagantly! It can take a little fiddling to get the trim right once loaded but that's the same with any boat. You can stuff things down the front and back pretty easily without having to remove the saddle though, as long as you're not bringing the dining room table you should be good to go. Like all these things it just takes a little practise. There's definitely more room in the than a creek kayak and people regularly pack for overnighters in those.

The foot pegs have got two different positions. By using those and adjusting the rest of the outfitting we've had a big range of folk in there. If you wanted yakimas are an easy retro fit.

As for performance I've got to say first I'm biased.

The force creeks exceptionally well. It boofs beautifully. Got plenty of speed for a short boat, holds its line well, and resurfaces predictably. I honestly feel that paddling the force has really helped me to push on and take my creeking to a higher level. It surfs nicely and has good speed on a wave. It's never going to win a world rodeo championship but I've surfed waves, spun in holes, and hit a lot of Enders in there. You'll have great fun with rock spins etc in the Force too. For downriver play it's a lot of fun. Paddle aggressively, and keep your speed up to have a real ball. The more you drive it the more fun you'll have. I like to trim the boat slightly bow light, when you do this you really feel how nimble it is.

I think for all the things you're asking about it would more than fit the bill. If you were going to tie me down to one boat I wouldn't hesitate....l'd have the Force. It's a lot of fun.

[leclercraven]

The saddle is pretty easy to move around as it's bolted in.

I've paddled all the prototypes and pre-production boats with fairly decent loads in them. Worked well for me. Obviously try not to pack too extravagantly! It can take a little fiddling to get the trim right once loaded but that's the same with any boat. You can stuff things down the front and back pretty easily without having to remove the saddle though, as long as you're not bringing the dining room table you should be good to go. Like all these things it just takes a little practise. There's definitely more room in the than a creek kayak and people regularly pack for overnighters in those.

The foot pegs have got two different positions. By using those and adjusting the rest of the outfitting we've had a big range of folk in there. If you wanted yakimas are an easy retro fit.

As for performance I've got to say first I'm biased.

The force creeks exceptionally well. It boofs beautifully. Got plenty of speed for a short boat, holds its line well, and resurfaces predictably. I honestly feel that paddling the force has really helped me to push on and take my creeking to a higher level. It surfs nicely and has good speed on a wave. It's never going to win a world rodeo championship but I've surfed waves, spun in holes, and hit a lot of Enders in there. You'll have great fun with rock spins etc in the Force too. For downriver play it's a lot of fun. Paddle aggressively, and keep your speed up to have a real ball. The more you drive it the more fun you'll have. I like to trim the boat slightly bow light, when you do this you really feel how nimble it is.

I think for all the things you're asking about it would more than fit the bill. If you were going to tie me down to one boat I wouldn't hesitate....l'd have the Force. It's a lot of fun.

Thanks, I think I'm sold. I'm looking to get a smaller boat for river running but I would also want to do a little playboating with my kayaking buddies. Looks like this boat could do that... And I think that the price is really reasonable too.

[Lappie]

I would like one to.... But there is other priority that come first... Maybe next year.
It would be nice to get one up north to try, but the chances seem really slim!
Cheers

[bob mckee]

Good stuff guys. You'll enjoy the Force for sure.

Big Dog are working out all the places orders at the moment are going Lappie so you never know, you might get one (relatively) near by!

[NZMatt]

Hiya Bob,

Do you know if anyone might be bringing a force over to the Engadine for the European Armada? I'd really be interested to try it out.

Have you ever paddled a Pyranha M3 setup C1? That was my previous creeker. I loved the hard chines at the back and the way it let me snap the boat around and lock into eddies. Also had a Zoom as my all purpose boat and again loved the hard chines. Got the Taureau at the moment, but so far not feeling the love. I'd be interested in any comparisons.

Cheers,
Matt

[bob mckee]

Hey Matt

I don't think anyone will have one over for the Euro Armada. I will however be over in the Alps from 2nd of June until the 17th. Chances are we're gonna spend a couple of days in the Upper Rhone area, then down to Val Sesia for a few days before finishing off in the French Alps. I'm just travelling with a few buddies in a car this year so won't have a demo boat with me.....however you're welcome to come and try my boat out if any of those areas are handy for you.

As for comparisons. Again I'll try not to sound too biased! Also I've not paddled many different boats than the Force for a while. Anyway I'll try my best. Despite having worked at pyranha in my distant past I have never paddled the M3. I've paddled the zoom for about two weeks on a trip to the States around six years ago so my memories of it are a little hazy. I seem to recall I quite liked it though. Having said that I had the opportunity to get a zoom after that trip and chose not to for some reason. The Taureau is the boat I was paddling before my days began with the Big Dog guys. Like you I enjoyed the Taureau but it never quite did it for me. The Force OC1 is a much more nimble lively boat than the Taureau. It holds it's line a lot better, boofs better, and gives a more predictable forgiving ride. If you're surfing (or getting surfed!) in a hole the Force feels a lot more nimble. I used to feel the Taureau felt really bulky and wallowed in holes. It used to feel like you were almost stuck / locked in if you were on a side surf. The Force doesn't do that, you can move it around in there. I think overall the Force feels less bulky. It's got plenty of volume for creeking, just got it in the right places. The Force is fast, fast for a short boat, and definitely faster than the Taureau. The Force OC1 resurfaces predictably on running a larger steeper drop. I think the big thing is since I got the Force I feel that I've been able to push my paddling on a step. I'm definitely creeking harder than before. This is due to all of the above and the fact that with the Force you can just concentrate on your paddling and line rather than having the performance of the boat in the back of your mind.

From the boats you've been telling me that you have been paddling I'm sure you'd love the Force. I have so much fun in it. I love running rivers and creeking in it. It sounds to me that you like to drive a boat, and will paddle aggressively. The Force definitely responds well to that and you certainly get that nice snappy feel when going from eddy to eddy.

I hope the above was helpful and made sense. It's hard to do a comparison from my distant memory!

If there's anything else I'll try my best to help.

Cheers

Bob

[NZMatt]

Thanks Bob. I live between Bern and Interlaken (sort of), so you'll probably be passing not too far from here. I'll try to meet up. I'll PM my number.

[Dooleyoc-1]

Hey Bob, I'm glad to see more new OC-1 designs hitting the market. Very cool!

One quick question: what river were you on in the pic titled "More Costa Rica Testing"? It looked like a sweet run. I was down there in January but I didn't run that river.

Cheers!

Dooley

[bob mckee]

Cheers Dooley!

So the pictures from Costa Rica are....

First one is the classic Upper Pacuare which was a super cool run

Second one.....the one you asked about is the naranjo (sp) labyrinth which was fun and a different character to a lot of the other Costa runs. We never got round to it in the end but apparently the diamantes section upstream is sweet.

The last two pictures were on the Upper Chirripo Pacifico. Which is a really awesome steep boulder filled creek. Definitely one to do over there. There are miles and miles of it. We spent three days just paddling different sections there. Top stuff

I miss those rivers

[thepaddlingstore.com]

I just wanted to give you all a heads up about The Paddling Store being your source for the Big Dog OC1 Force in the eastern US and as soon as I get them in we will be having a demo day at the Ocoee and other places around the Southeast and we are going to have a TPS ambassidor in the Northeast as well. I will say that we have several coming in and over half of them are spoken for, so if you are in the east and want to get one, please email us. If you are in the west, check out Gear 30 for your OC1. Cheers,

TPS
thepaddlingstore@gmail.com
http://www.thepaddlingstore.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[thepaddlingstore.com]

For our friends in Ottawa, Ottawa Paddles Shack should be getting some too, so you should email jason and the gang. They will take good care of you. If they are not going to stock it, we can arrange shipping to near the boarder for you and you can drive to get it.