C-Forum

I have Viper 11 and had a Rodeo. Loved the Rodeo, but was too wet for using as a down river boat for me. I didn't have a pump. Loved the light weight.
If this doesn't make sense I broke my ankle and foot and am in an altered state of consciousness for pain relief. I hoped such misfortune would bring everyone else in the SE rain.

madmike wrote:can anyone expand on the difference between the Viper 11, and the Rodeo?

About a foot?

http://www.mohawkcanoes.com/whitewater.htm

It just looked like a small Viper to me, but never paddled one. Not sure if it was an actual Frankie boat or if they just took a Viper and chopped it.

Ya, it's a foot shorter, but has .5" more rocker and a half inch more narrow. So, it is less edgy the chine is not as long. It's made to play in a hole. Not a fast boat, but it is light, Royalite. The old ones were only available in Royalite. However, when I talked with Mohawk the other day, the new ones are only in Royalex. for now.

Thanx, I read everything on Mohawk's site, and I am gonna call them. I just wanted some thoughts from paddlers who might know something.

Just for info sake, the viper series goes liike this.. mohawk took a viper 12 and removed 1 foot from the middle, put the two halves back together and made it a viper11, then did the same thing again and made a viper 10 or "rodeo". Ive seen the original plugs and you can see the seams where each were cut and put back together . At 220 lbs., I paddled a viper 11 for years and it did just fine. Now in a mega rocker C1 .

That's what I thought - the edge must have been more sharply defined in the center and less so towards the ends, thus the reduced edge in the subsequent "chops".

thats right. the 12 was edge'er than the 11, and the 11 was edge'er than the rodeo.

Mike, I'm just curious as to why you want the new boat to be Royalex?

Seems like a Spanish Fly would be great for what you're looking for. I've got two friends who paddle the Fly at over 215# and do great in them.

It was fun, just not what I want. Where do you get one? I have a bunch of royalex, and it works well.

pdown2 wrote: You just can't beat a bathtub boat.......they absolutely SUCK in big water though.......or I just absolutely suck in big water, one of the two and probably the latter.

They DO suck in big water, too slow, too low (sides and in the water...).

I manage to run big water Class IV's in my CU fly to get to a play feature but it's truly hair paddling, or very exciting stuff (all relative to your intentions/state of mind...) poping an ender when you're not expecting it in the middle of a juicy rapid

But I'll keep at the small boats just for their playability