C-Forum

Well, Winter starts, yet I just can't seem to get my head off boating .
I have looked several times lately at the Eskimo Kayaks website, particularly at the Topo-Duo. Some how the idea of building a C2 conversion floats around my head (at least hypothetically, since I have neither a Topo-Duo to convert nor someone to paddle it with).

http://www.eskimo-kajaks.de/02_english/start.htm

What do you think, would this thing make a half decent C2 conversion or would it be a waste of time and energy? Has anyone done this?
The things that I am not too sure about is the width (25 inches); the cockpits seem to be fairly far apart and it does not seem to have a lot of rocker.

martin

hey martin,
wow, that's a cool idea! i dont know though, 25" is a bit narrow though! considering that slalom c-2s are SO wide and yet they feel tippy enough!
well, let me know if you end up doing it!
Alden

Or look around for an old Hydra duet-someone may GIVE you one....

Sir Adam,

Well, the review in the C2 boats section about the Duet is not overly promising . "Pig Boat" "Barge".
Anyways, does anyone have any more stats about this boat, like length, whith, weight, rocker, e.t.c.?

If anyone have one of those kicking around in their backyard that does not see any action any more, let me know, I might be interested...

martin

some friends and i have been toying around with the idea as well. only we wanted to make all the sets rempvable so that it could be paddle as a c-2, or a k-2. if you haven already thought of it, this leaces the possibility of making a ck-2 (c-boater in the front, and kayaker in the back) i think this would be the best thing ever. i would really like to convert one, because it opens up the possibility of paddling creeks in a c-2. i dont think the width will be a huge problem. it is narrow, but if you make the saddle low enough, then stability wont be a huge issue. i think if you put your knees all the way to the sides, it would be plenty wide enough. well thats what i think. maybe be tween the two of us, someone will convert one of these beasts. --- joey

I know it's not exactly a conversion, but what about 'decking' a short tandem OC? Might be a little goofy, but what the heck! Put some sort of goofy perma-spray skirt on an oc!

ps. Count me out! You saw me swim the Beaver Rapids too many times to know what's good for ya!

M.

Mike,

If you simply put a cover on a short OC2, it will still behave like a open boat, and not like a C2. Plus ther would be the factor of entanglement in the spray cover. I have paddled tripping boats with spray covers, but never in combination with thigh straps, I never felt comfy doing that.

And why do you say count me out?!? If you go out there and practice your rolls this winter in the pool, you will be running Beaver Creek like a champ in the Spring!!

see ya

martin

I thought i saw one in a issue of lvm (lunch video magizine) at the noc. I think that they where knealing. It was the scene where they sat in frount of a fire hydrant and played in their kayaks.

with my experence you could outfitt it with pool toys at the next pool role sesson you attend and try something out. I have tryed this deal out with evryone's boat in my local boating club. Great way to test out a boat before you buy one the olny down side is you must kneal on the kayak seat.

I find that the swim team floats that you put between your legs when doing a pull drill work nicely for knee pads and if you strap a cupple of those togher with a old laidy water arobics belt that is comminily found in your local ymca it keeps it all togher nicely. The swim team float looks like a set of cells spliting or something like that.

good luck
Ronnie

"with my experence"
I want evryone to know that i have no experence in the aera of being safe or anything above a highschool education for that matter.
so do be carefull and dont get hirt.

My wife and I paddled Hydra Duets for about 8 years. we went through at least three of them. we finally ordered them straight from the factory and actually got them to locate the cockpits where we wanted themmuch closer together than standard and offset). It was big, heavy, surfed pretty good and was still a lot of fun. During the mid 80's till the mid 90's we did lots of class 3 rivers throughout the south and southeast with the "Hydra Pig". It was the best thing going at the time-the only plastic c-2 made that I know of. I know of several people that took one down the Grand Canyon-sometimes paddling , sometimes paddling solo(3rd cockpit installed in the middle).

We also have outfitted and paddled a Dagger Ovation tandem. It is tight but amazingly well balanced for an 11 foot tandem boat.

As for converting the topo, it certainly would seem to have plenty of depth for ankle room!!

good luck and let us know the outcome.
Vann Evans

Converting Topo-Duo sounds great, but have you seen this ->
http://www.kayak.ru/faqs/boats/dd.php3

Kirill

PS unfortunately for all of you, it's in Russian, but the picture
speak for itself

Kirill,

Whoa now THAT'S one cool boat !!
Did this ever get made? Is this a russian boat design based on the Delirious, or is it actually made by Prijon? Have you ever seen one? What is it made of? Composite? Can you give me a little more info (unfortunately I do not speak any Russian).
This would make a cool conversion !

martin

Martin,

I knew you would like it!
Sorry to disappoint you, but this boat has never existed. It's
just a fake, designed by my 'yak mate to amuse local ww community. I doubt if Prijon has ever knew about it .
I can not but agree with you that the boat would really make a cool conversion!

At the same time, in Russia we've really got a lot of similar looking K2s(which is a two-seat kayak-anologue of ordinary C2). Their lenght is the same as of any slalom C2, some of them even participate in local slalom races.

Cheers!
Kirill

Shaggy Designs had an interesting take on a C2 playboat....not sure if they've made any yet though.

http://www.shaggydesigns.fsnet.co.uk/boats.htm

Looks like a ton of fun - check their videos page too as there're some more shots of it.

Matt

Kirill,

Too bad it's just a fake . I think if it existed, it would really be a cool conversion (at least very interesting to paddle ... ).

Matt,

I contacted Shaggy designs a while ago, more out of curiosity than anything else, and so far they have only built one of their Imperial Cruiser C2, the boat belongs to some university canoe club in the UK, I think. But I would definitely like to try it out, especially in that back-to back setup.
It would make a ride down McKoys on the Ottawa even more interesting ...
The videos of it are definitely cool.

Somehow I still can't get the thought of a Topo-Duo conversion out of my head...

martin