better all around boat

[wjblatner]

I've never paddled a Spanish Fly but I have gotten a couple of days in a Taureau. It felt like it was made for me. Super stable, rolls easily. The bow and stern grab or release leaning forward or back so you can keep from getting blown out on a peel out or turn it on a dime.

I really loved the Taureau and like Keez, I'm saving my nickels for one. (Clearly any good used ones aren't going to be around for long.) I'm going to get one with the combing to take the skirt. It paddles fine after a roll but in the winter I'd rather not be sitting in ice water up to my butt. I paddle a Spark for general river running but want a Taureau to get into creeking and the occassional trip to something big.

Bill

[the great gonzo]

One thing that REALLY irritated me when I tried a Taureau recently was the seam.
I constantly hit it with the thumb of my shaft hand. I was glad to get back into my Finkenmeister after a few minutes.
Other than that, I though that it handled very similarly to the Spanish Fly.

martin a.k.a. the great gonzo!

[Berkshire Jack]

Martin,
I met you last summer on the Deerfield River in Mass.. Nice to be able to "talk" to you again.
When I tried out the demo Taureau about 1 month ago, the seam, where the upper and lower portions of the boat were welded, did cause a similar problem. I rapped my knuckles on the seam and even got an abrasion on one knuckle. The people at Esquif assured me that the Taureau I tried was an "early" version, and that the new production versions have a much more low profile seam that is very smooth.
Now that I got my own Taureau, I am happy to report that they were correct. I have only paddled it one full day, but the seam did not enter my conciousness at all during the paddling. I didn't notice it. When looking at it, it appears to be just as the Esquif people described, much less profile and very smooth. It didn't catch or noticeably rap my fingers, thumb, or knuckles.

Maybe the Taureau you paddled was a demo version, which had rough seam edges. If you make it down to Massachusetts again, you are welcome to try my boat.

Jack

[the great gonzo]

Hi Jack,

Yes, I remember you from the Deerfield, hope you're having a great paddling season.

I actually got into a current production Taureau again last weekend, this one being a current production model, and although the seam is much flatter now it still had a sharpish edge at the bottom, enough te give me some knuckle abrasion again within a fairly short time of paddling it. It really irritated me, and I was again giving the boat back to its owner withing a short period of time.
The Taureau is definitely off my list because of that, I'll stick with the Prelude for OC and the Finkenmeister as my C1 creekboat.

martin a.k.a. the great gonzo!