Rick,
Glad you made it home safe and it was a pleasure to meet and boat with you! Rick was an excellent boater with lots of experience in different boats.
When we spoke about thwart length and the evolution of those in production boats (always improving!) I should have been more specific in letting you know that my boat does actually have current factory length thwarts. My modifications to that one was limited to outfitting and grab loops. You actually DID paddle a 2011 model factory built L'Edge. Glad you liked it.
Seems that its become slightly fashionable, by those paddling a different boat and some who've never even paddled a L'Edge, to try to poke at the L'Edge as being too stable or too slow. Its just not true. This boat has a perfect balance of stability, speed and agility for doing what it was made to do- Creek.
Ref the paddle blade, since I paddle most of the time on slightly moist rocks, I added a small tip on my Esquif/Ophion paddle made up of Blackened Gflex and a thick wad of kevlar strands. Works perfect. It is a great paddle.
Smurfwarrior wrote:Seems that its become slightly fashionable, by those paddling a different boat and some who've never even paddled a L'Edge, to try to poke at the L'Edge as being too stable or too slow. Its just not true. This boat has a perfect balance of stability, speed and agility for doing what it was made to do- Creek.
In Your Opinion...
Not so much for the people who haven't paddled one (I'm still waiting for an opportunity to try WetNobby's one, which is the only one to make it to the UK so far); but, the people who paddle something else than a L'Edge, might, just might...
Actually prefer another boat to the L'Edge: I know someone who for some unknowable reason prefers a dagger aftershock over pretty much every other OC on the market.
Joshua Kelly - "More George Smiley than James Bond"
CBoats Moderator - Not necessarily representing the CBoats staff though...(I'll use words like "moderator", "We" and "CBoats" to make it clear when I am)
ok ive lurked long enough ... now i have to voice MY Opinion
i like the idea that Smurf is trying to do in the OP ... do i agree on some of the things in this thread? obviously not otherwise i would have been content just reading the posts
as far as Smurf's last post
Smurfwarrior wrote:
Seems that its become slightly fashionable, by those paddling a different boat and some who've never even paddled a L'Edge, to try to poke at the L'Edge as being too stable or too slow. Its just not true. This boat has a perfect balance of stability, speed and agility for doing what it was made to do- Creek.
I have paddled the Ledge... coming from a person that paddles a Savage Skeeter most of the time i found the L'edge to be quite slow ... and overly stable ... (once again my go to boat is the Savage Skeeter) ... it is a great creeking boat but there are more choices than the Ledge... i for one like a boat that is edgy and keeps me on my toes ... that is why i paddle the skeeter (besides it was cheap and a great plastic boat back in 04 when i bought it) ... now i am not a "Traditional Canoe" boater .. i think one of the best designed boats is the "Fly" series of boats.. started with the Skeeter, SuperFly, SpanishFly ...
so my opinion is that i found the Ledge to be kind of slow, yes the stability makes up for that but for now the ledge has not been sold (the idea) to me
its a great beginner to creeking boat
now as far as smurf's last post lol ... smurf even the brits are entitled to their opinion .. not everyone is out from SOTP ...
SG86
here in the south east god paddles on the left and that's how he made our rivers ~ oc1paddlr
Yup, not everyone will agree and that's ok. I just take exception with someone with an obvious agenda. AND, you'd have to change your username and we wouldnt know who you were Right Matt. Hahaha.
Thanks for your opinion gained after actually paddling it. If you get a chance, paddle one with 22" wide thwarts (assuming the one you paddled had the wider ones) It really comes alive with those.
the one i paddled was an open Ledge that Esprit was transporting to Mexico ... it was in October ... i had a great day on the water (we ran the Ocoee) ... we checked the boats at the take out... 5 boats with 5 different lengths of thwarts
SG86
here in the south east god paddles on the left and that's how he made our rivers ~ oc1paddlr
Smurf, stating that some boat is "a perfect balance of everything" and should not be criticized is definitely an opinion (and perhaps an agenda)! No big deal, but it shouldn't be surprising or offensive that people who don't love the boat (whoever they are and wherever they live - what's that about?) will want to say so without being corrected or scolded.
I agree with your review - the L'Edge has a great balance of many things that make it an excellent new creeker. That was a pretty common review by the people who tried it around here - it's great, as long as you're working with a lot of gravity all the time.
But not everyone is a creeker.
Most of us don't paddle steeps creeks all the time, and can't afford an extra new boat just for those runs, so have chosen to stick with our Vipers, Outrages, etc. which we like better on the lower gradient or pool-and-drop stuff.
The fact that the L'Edge is a great creeker is exactly a reason that not all paddlers will appreciate it, or at least buy it.
It's like the Spark, but at the other end of the spectrum - people who like slalom speed/moves and always paddle like that will rush out and buy a Spark. To many others it's just an interesting boat that's fun to try once in a while, but not worth the cash for the rivers or style that they paddle. Doesn't make it a bad boat, just more targetted to certain types of paddlers and rivers.
So, let's recognize that there will be a wide range of opinions about all boats, and nobody's wrong about their opinion.
You left out the important part when you quoted me and the was the last two words. "for creeking". Please don't misinterpret my comments toward kricket as simply poking someone for simply disagreeing. This is something else and I'll leave it at that. I respect everyones honest opinion, and thanks for sharing yours.
SkeeterGuy86 wrote: i for one like a boat that is edgy and keeps me on my toes ... that is why i paddle the skeeter (besides it was cheap and a great plastic boat back in 04 when i bought it)
I to prefer edgy canoes and have spent a lot of years in a skeeter and preludes and their LACK of an edge is exactly why I was excited to get a L'Edge. The Ocoee and the Homes were nice and edgy if they were only made out of plastic.
I agree the Skeeter and the Prelude will keep you on your toes but not because they are edgy. I find them both rolly polly with no edge to carve or drive with your knees IMO
Dennis
"Just Cause I Don't Run My Mouth Don't Mean I Got Nothing To Say" Mike Cooley DBT
Glad you liked it. 
